How to get more energy

How can I get more energy?

Lots of people come to me and ask this question and it's not just a case of me letting them close their eyes, drift off into a trance, and then wake up feeling energised. Although, of course that's a brilliant way to give yourself a boost, there are other practical things that you can do to help increase your energy levels during the day. Why not try some of these and see the difference that they make !?

1) Make sure that you eat a healthy and hearty breakfast in the morning.

If you regularly leave the house without having any breakfast then you won’t have that all important fuel that you need to give you energy throughout the rest of the day. It's a great idea to eat something that will slowly release energy throughout the morning and keep you feeling awake. I always have porridge, even in the summer and it really does help keep me going. I am always surprised by the number of people I meet who also do the same. You could try something like bran cereal with sultanas and a fruit juice, or a slice of wholemeal toast with scrambled or boiled eggs.  Try and avoid the sugary cereals. You know which ones they are! The ones that the kids always go for in the supermarket.

2) Start your day with a some exercise.

Your workout could be anything from a brisk walk, a swim, a visit to the gym or even some exercises at home. Whatever it is, you need to do enough exercise to get your blood flowing and get a little bit out of breath. If you can do this for just 10 or 20 minutes first thing in the morning you will feel that you have much more energy to carry on with your day. And contrary to what you may imagine It won’t make you feel more worn out. In fact it will give you that extra kick start of energy that you need to carry you through the day.

3) Don’t eat lots of fatty foods.

You probably already know that those fatty foods will weigh heavily on your stomach and leave you feeling tired and listless later on in the day. The reason for this is because your body takes so much energy to digest all this fatty food that you won't have much left to power you through the day. You are much better off having complex carbohydrates or fibre rich foods, the ones that slowly release energy into your body and keep you feeling wide awake. So why not have some fruit after your meal. Then you will get a quick burst of energy and give your body the strength to start digesting your meal.

4) You should try and avoid sugary drinks and caffeine.

Although it may seem that the energy drinks you may love and also ones that are high in sugar and strong coffee do give you energy, this is only a short term thing. They will give you a temporary boost and then once the hit you get from the sugar and caffeine has worn off you will find you feel tired again. When this happens you will either have to look for your next cup of coffee or you will be finding it harder to stay awake than when you started. If you cut down on the caffeine and sugar you will feel worse for a week or two because your body will be craving it. I used to have two sugars in my tea, and then went down to one. Now, I have none and I can't imagine how I ever did. If someone accidently gives me tea with sugar in it tastes horrible ! So, once you have given it up and got used to not having it, you will find you have far more energy as you won’t be having the highs and lows that you did before.

5) Why not have a power nap?

If this is something that you can do easily it really can help. So, If you woke up early and didn't have much sleep through the night, then taking that short nap at lunchtime might help. You will feel recharged, But you must make sure that you don’t get more than about 20 minutes to give you a big burst of energy to help you through your afternoon or evening. If you have too long then you may find that you don't want to wake back up.

A great way to get an extra burst of energy is with my FREE ten minute relaxation audio. You can listen right here and get a boost to last you the rest of the day...