9 Ways to Boost Your Energy- Fast
You want more. You want to get the results quicker. You therefore are going to need energy, stamina and drive. Whilst we can create an emotional “pull” that draws you forward towards your goal. You also need physical energy and stamina to achieve your goals, particularly as you have set yourself goals that require you to raise your game.
A burning desire for your goal will give you the tenacity and stamina to doggedly pursue your objective. You also need to look after your physical energy.
During an aircraft safety briefing the cabin crew explain that you should put on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else with his or hers. How can you look after others if you do not look after yourself first?
Here are 9 things you can do to increase your physical energy levels fast and stoke your fire:
1) Surround yourself with people that energise you
Do the people that you spend the majority of your time with energise you?
I am sure that you have had the experience of spending time with some people where you have great conversations where the energy of the conversation builds and at the end of the meeting you are buzzing. Then there are those other people that by the end of the meeting with them you feel drained. Where possible, strive to spend time with positive, upbeat people who inspire and energise you.
2) Drink More Water
Between 50- 70% of the adult human body is made up of water. Water is essential for survival and the body’s growth and maintenance. Most adults do not drink enough water per day. Most healthy adults need between 1.5 and 3 litres (6 – 8 glasses) of fluid per day. Look to keep the balance of those in favour of water or juice as oppose to tea or coffee (see point below).
3) Less Caffeine & Sugar
Caffeine only offers a short term boost in energy, after which there is a fall in energy. The same is true with sugar. With regular use, coffee exhausts the adrenal glands, which are critical for sustained energy. Coffee also makes the bladder, kidneys, liver and other organs work harder, draining energy.
Reduce the number of cups of tea or coffee you drink in a day and replace them with glasses of water.
4) Breathe properly
Of course you are always breathing. If you weren’t you wouldn’t be reading this! However, for most people their breathing is shallow and only takes the breath into the top part of their lungs. It is from the lower parts of the lungs that the most oxygen is absorbed into the blood stream. Taking deep breaths, breathing from the abdomen draws the breath deeper into the lungs and transfers more oxygen into the blood for distribution around the body. Put your hands across your tummy and breath in deeply. Your tummy should expand and then when you exhale it should contract. Breathe from your abdomen.
For more tips on breathing take a look at this Telegraph article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/wellbeing/5901075/Why-do-so-few-of-us-know-how-to-breathe-properly.html
5) Exercise
Aerobic exercise which increases your heart rate and forcing you to breath deeper not only improves your fitness, it also helps you oxygenate your body through causing you to breathe deeper. I am sure you have had the experience that after activities such as a run, a swim, a game of football / tennis you have felt energised and more awake. Yes, you may be physically tired from the exertion but mentally you are more awake and have more energy. Exercise forces oxygen, a primary source of energy, into all the cells.
There is some consistency in the advice on recommended exercise levels: you should be looking at exercising at a moderate intensity level for 30 minutes three to five times per week.
If you are feeling jaded in the afternoon, get up and move your body. Take a little walk around your office / place of work and breathe deeply. This will get the blood moving distributing oxygenated blood around your body.
6) High Quality Supplements
This is another area of conflicting advice. A debate that rages: “We get enough nutrition from a balanced diet” versus “It is almost impossible to avoid nutritional deficiency in these modern times. With our busy lifestyle, the ever-tempting convenience of fast food, it is now very difficult to achieve good daily nutrition”.
I can speak of my own experience when I changed the vitamin and mineral supplements to a high quality manufacturer that was recommended to me, after a few weeks I noticed that I had more energy and was feeling healthier and more able to sustain periods of intensive work. This particular manufacturer, Nature’s Sunshine offers an online diagnostic as to which supplements you most need.
Feel the benefit of good quality supplements for yourself
7) Catch up on sleep
Uninterrupted sleep is necessary for the body to heal, restore, and re-energize. It is recommended that we get between 6.5 – 7.5 hours sleep per night. Several studies have shown higher mortality rates for those who consistently sleep less than 6.5 hours and surprisingly for those who sleep more than 8.5 hours.
The demands of modern life including commuting often means getting 7 hours of sleep is a luxury. If that is the case, look to see if you can catch up on sleep at the weekend and also develop your ability to have a short cat nap /power nap. A 20 minute cat nap can do wonders to recharge your batteries.
8) Download your worries / concerns
Whilst we “have things on our mind”, whilst the things that are concerning us are going round and round in our heads that not only uses up some of our brain’s processing capability it drains our energy.
Get your thoughts, concerns, worries out onto paper. The act of writing (writing by hand works better than typing) helps you sort out your thoughts. Also seeing the issues written on paper in front of you helps you to look at them from different perspective and takes out some of the emotional component when you experience the thoughts going round and round in your head.
If you are having trouble sleeping because your brain is mulling problems over through the night then write out your concerns, worries, stresses into a journal before going to sleep. Also keep it by your bed for you to write in if you wake up in the night either worrying about something or with a great idea you can capture the thoughts, let them go and go back to sleep. Try it, you will appreciate the result.
9) Listen to music that energises you
I am sure you have had the experience of how music can alter your mood. Some tracks of music make you feel happy and energised, even excited, others can build tension, others can make you feel reflective, relaxed or even sad. Music has a powerful impact upon our state.
Studies have shown that music can affect the body. In fact our heart rate gets entrained to the beat of the music. For example, Classical music from the baroque period causes the heart beat and pulse rate to relax to the beat of the music. As the body becomes relaxed and alert, the mind is able to concentrate more easily. Furthermore, baroque music decreases blood pressure and enhances the ability to learn. Music also affects breathing rate. It has been observed to cause the pupils to dilate, increase blood pressure, and increase the heart rate.
Make yourself a series of playlists. One of music that gets you energised and confident, feeling that you can take on the world. One that calms and relaxes you, one that helps you concentrate. Select the playlists appropriate to the state you want to create.
Clearly you cannot have music playing all of the time. However, you can find times during the day when you can listen such as whilst travelling to an important meeting or on the way to / from work or during a quick walk at lunch time.