Have you ever watched a group of children at play and wished you could find a way to bottle their energy?
Well, even though Ponce de Leon never discovered a fountain of youth, there are some simple things you can do to fight those feelings of fatigue.
We have the eight most effective ways to get yourself energised. Just follow our basic tips to finally break free from the shackles of exhaustion. Before you know it, you’ll feel like a kid again.
Control blood sugar levels. “Any time you consume a large meal, you raise your blood sugar levels,”. According to Dr Claire Kehoe our in-house nutritionist, the key to keeping your blood sugar levels under control is to follow a healthy meal plan.
Whatever plan you choose, be sure to eat a balance of healthy foods and avoid skipping meals. We recommend eating three small meals and two to three small snacks throughout the course of the day. That way, you will be eating something about every two to three hours, which will keep your blood sugar regulated.
And speaking of food, be particularly careful about the foods you snack on during the day. When you start to feel tired, your first instinct might be to grab a bag of chips or a bar of chocolate but Dr Claire says they soon will leave you feeling more tired than you were before.
Limit your intake of processed snacks or eliminate them from your diet altogether. Instead of wasting your change on vending machine food, why not pack healthy snacks like apple slices or carrot sticks?
Exercise regularly. Human beings weren’t born to be sedentary creatures, so get moving! According to fitness experts, moderate and consistent levels of aerobic exercise at least three to four times a week for a minimum of 30-45 minutes each session. Though too much exercise can wear you out, moderate and consistent exercise is a great way to increase your energy level.
Be sure to consult your doctor before you begin any new exercise regime. If it has been a while since you last exercised, adding fitness to your routine may make you more tired at first.
However, if you keep at it, your body will adjust and start to feel more invigorated.
Breathe deeply. When you are stressed out, your breathing will change immediately, shallow breathing caused by stress limits the oxygen to the body.”
Using meditation CDs or apps will help with your breathing exercises. At the very least, try to stop and take five or 10 deep breaths when you are feeling sluggish.
Restful night’s sleep. It may sound obvious, but try to get an adequate amount of sleep each night. If you find yourself frequently burning the midnight oil, it stands to reason that you may start feeling a little run down.
Eight hours of sleep a night is ideal, but it is not always realistic, so get as close to eight hours of sleep per night as you can. If you go to bed late and wake up late, you are likely to feel sluggish the next day, since you have gotten away from the body’s natural rhythms.
If you lack energy, try going to bed earlier at night. If you can wake up feeling well rested, it will be an indication that you are starting to get an appropriate amount of sleep at night. If you sleep more than eight hours every night but still feel sluggish, you may actually be getting too much sleep.
Stay hydrated. Any type of mild dehydration will make you feel extremely tired, we recommend drinking at least eight (200 ml) glasses of water every single day.
Eat breakfast. Again, this may seem obvious, but your mother was right when she told you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
When you first wake up your blood sugar is low, if you don’t eat a proper breakfast, you risk an energy drain.
And no, a cup of coffee does not count as a proper breakfast. Though moderate amounts of coffee are OK it should never take the place of proper food.
Resistance training. In addition to aerobic exercise, it is also important to perform some form of resistance training on a regular basis. You will increase your energy levels if you build muscle and decrease fat. Muscle is much smaller in volume than the fat, so gaining just a little bit of muscle will make a big difference.
Stress management. There’s no doubt about it, these are intense times we live in. Stress is one of the primary causes of exhaustion and fatigue. Though a certain amount of stress is inevitable, you can eliminate some of it with better organisation and planning.
It is also important to spend at least 15 to 20 minutes every day doing something you enjoy. This could mean meditating or sitting and listening to your favourite music over a cup of tea.
Personally, my favourite way to relieve stress is to work out, it relaxes me and keeps me focused and increases my energy in an instant.