How to Boost Your Energy

Boosting energy is one of the most important health concerns these days.  Without good energy, many issues can develop inside the body such as: slowed metabolism, depression, decreased memory, decreased focus and efficiency, lack of motivation, behavior issues, lowered immune function and muscle weakness.  It is hugely important to your health and well-being to have good energy production inside the body.  So how can you make sure this good energy production is happening and give yourself a natural boost?

The obvious answer is nutrition, because without nutrients feeding the cells, no energy can be created.  The other important ingredient for making energy is oxygen, which helps the conversion of food to energy.  I realize this sounds simple, however many things get in the way of energy production.  Poor diet, stress and illness are the most common obstacles people face.  Read on to learn specific ways you can avoid these obstacles and boost your energy today.

Boost Your Energy With Nutrition

High blood sugar from stress and eating too many carbohydrates, or from eating carbs without fat and protein, causes the pancreas to work too hard.  It constantly releases insulin, and over time it wears out and the insulin receptor sites become numb.  When this happens, blood sugars start to stay too high, and because insulin is a carrier of all nutrient to the cells, cravings start to increase as well since the body is not getting the nutrients it needs.   Cravings increase and energy decreases.  Does this sound familiar?  If so, focus on eating balanced - complex carbs, lean protein & healthy fat in every meal and snack.  I have a lot of information here on what “eating balanced” means so please do check out the other articles and videos to learn more.  Diet is a huge part of maximizing energy. Be sure to eat enough fruits and veggies and get enough fiber daily.  If you can’t get enough fruit and veggies in daily, cheat.  Buy powdered greens and reds and have one scoop of each daily.  Not getting enough anti-oxidants will lower energy since we create free radicals daily, so if you don’t consume antioxidants through food or supplements, your body slowly breaks down and can’t recover.

Boost Your Energy With Hydration

Hydration and electrolytes are critical for good energy.  Drink ½ of your weight in ounces of water daily.  Eat high potassium foods (melons, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, apricots, baked yams and baked potatoes, bananas, etc.).  Caffeine, alcohol, sweating and stress all deplete potassium and the rest of your electrolytes.  Take an electrolyte packet if you drink caffeinated beverages daily, drink alcohol, sweat a lot, or don’t eat enough high potassium food.  I like the brands Stamina and Ultima. Limit alcohol….too much alcohol flushes out B Vitamins, Vitamin C and electrolytes.  It also dehydrates you, so it is easy to see why alcohol can severely deplete energy levels.  Limit yourself to one glass per day and always have it with food (protein and fat).  Caffeine is the most popular solution for immediate energy, but because it is a stimulant, it is short lived.  Stimulating the body artificially is never the answer.  Some coffee isn’t bad; it is just not a healthy way to find energy.  Many people drink coffee or sugary drinks every morning in order to be able to function, not realizing that they are actually decreasing their energy levels long term in doing so.

Boost Your Energy By Understanding Stress

Stress gets so much attention because of the damage it does to the body over time. Stress is very catabolic, meaning it increases free radicals and breaks the body down.  Stress uses up more of everything…more nutrients, more hormones, etc. There are some important nutrients that stress affects the most: Magnesium, B-complex, and all anti-oxidants. Stress is like sugar in the blood, therefore energy fluctuations are normal under stress. Most people live with extreme highs and lows all day long, and this wreaks havoc over time.  It creates many issues, the main one being Type II Diabetes. Eating a high sugar diet makes the energy fluctuations worse, therefore eating less carbs and having protein and fat with your carbs is critical.  This is the number one way to maximize energy levels and counteract the effects of stress. If your stress is high, practice a relaxation exercise daily…yoga can really help too.  Remember to breathe… you should breathe from your stomach, not your chest.  Deep belly breathing makes a huge difference to the amount of oxygen that gets to your cells.

Boost Your Energy With Sleep

It is critical to get deep sleep for at least 7 hours a night. Many people can function on a lot less sleep than that, however often there is an imbalance that is not allowing someone to sleep well, so they get used to functioning on less.  There are many solutions to help you sleep if you are someone who just can’t sleep well: Calm Magnesium (powder form) every night in hot water or herbal tea (1-3 tsp), melatonin 30 minutes prior to bedtime, calming teas, 5-HTP if serotonin is low.  I hesitate to recommend 5-HTP until I have seen your whole assessment, but it can be an effective tool if this is your issue.  If all else fails, get your hormones tested.  Low progesterone in women can cause major sleep issues.

Boost Your Energy With Exercise

Our bodies are meant to move.  If you are too sedentary, the balance inside your body can get messed up.  You need a balance between mental and physical stimulation.  You should move every day; schedule some sort of structured exercise for 40 minutes at least 3 times per week.  Walking, dancing, cleaning, gardening, golfing, playing any kind of sports are all different ways to move.  Most of us tend to sit too much, so if you plan some form of exercise or movement daily, you’ll naturally see improvements in your energy level.

Even focusing on just one of the areas above should result in a noticeable energy boost for you.  I encourage you to write down the changes you make and how you feel from day to day (see my food journal pages for ideas).  This will help you better understand your body and what works best for you.