How to have more energy?
5 Tips you can integrate right now into your daily life.
As an adult, juggling work, family and social life, it is not uncommon to experience a lower energy level and we try to get hold of a quick burst of energy like caffeine to make it through our day. By making some simple changes, you can experience more consistent energy throughout your day which can bring more satisfaction in your life.
One of the first things you can do to get more energy is to have a more consistent sleep and wake pattern. It helps your body not only in getting good rest but also supports all bodily systems including detox. If you get to bed by 10 pm then you will be able to fall asleep faster and feel much more rested. According to Ayurveda, as of 10 pm, you enter the Vata phase (creative wake energy) which makes it much more difficult to fall asleep. Between 6 pm and 10 pm, you are in Kapha Time, which provides a more relaxing, peaceful and grounded energy within your mind and body, encouraging your body to easily drift off into a restful night’s sleep.
Create a bed time routine, integrate some light night time stretching for 5 to 10 minutes with some deeper breathing focusing on a longer exhale. This helps the body get ready to drift into sleep.
Watch your diet, listen to your body, your ayurvedic digestive fire (Agni) is at its highest between 10 am and 2 pm, where your body has the most power to digest your heaviest meal and also where you still need a lot of energy for the rest of the day. Have a light breakfast and easy digestible dinner. Eat in season foods, ideally your meal being prepared at home. This way you know exactly what you are eating. Avoid stimulants in the second part of the day. It is proven that it takes 6 hours to eliminate half of the life of caffeine, and 12 hours to completely eliminate all caffeine from your blood stream. Some people can fall asleep without any problems even when drinking caffeine, that can be true, however, there are studies proving that you actually never enter REM sleep (a deep sleep) so you wake up restless.
Move your body. The more you move, the more energy you will have. Make sure to consistently move your body throughout the day. This could be a short 10-minute walk a couple of times a day, a dance party in your kitchen, or even just jumping up and down for a minute in between work meetings.
Practice Gratitude, when you practice gratitude, your mindset is automatically more positive which relieves stress and relaxes your body. The energy that was being used for mental stress and worries can now be channelled to your overall energy.
Eating for Energy
The food choices we make have a direct impact on our energy levels. Our body is a high-quality machine and our food is its fuel. By integrating these simple changes, you can have an almost immediate improvement on your well-being.
Balancing blood sugar. By reducing white refine carbs, these carbs provide a quick boost of energy but as quick as it came, it will drop very fast and leave you feeling even more empty ? drained and does not provide consistent energy. When eating whole grains, your body takes much longer to digest which provides more lasting energy and when combined with protein, this makes your energy last much longer. Ideally, we should combine healthy whole grains, with a small amount of healthy protein at every meal. Some great vegetarian protein includes, nuts, nut butters, tahini, tofu, tempeh, beans, chickpeas and also seeds.
Iron is important for mental and physical health and to keep your energy levels up. In the body, iron is an essential part of hemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells. Hemogloban carries oxygen in the blood from the lungs to the rest of the body. Oxygen is required in your brain for concentration and in your muscles for physical energy. Women need double the amount of iron as men because of periods and pregnancy. Low iron can cause brain fog und low immune system.
The more active you are; the more B vitamins you need. "These nutrients are extremely important for energy metabolism," says Melinda M. Manore, Ph.D., R.D.N., a professor of nutrition at Oregon State University. They're crucial for breaking down food into fuel, transporting oxygen throughout your body, and increasing your red-blood-cell production to keep your muscles functioning properly. B Vitamins are all critical for a healthy body, including everything from metabolism and energy, to nerve function, mental focus, and for healthy digestion. You can get B vitamins from proteins such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Leafy green vegetables, beans, and peas also have B vitamins. Vegans needs to make sure they are taking a Vitamin B12 supplement as it is only found in animal protein.
Eat the rainbow, as an easy reference, the different colours of vegetables, provide different vitamins. By eating a variety of colours, you are assured to cover all the vitamins your body needs to function optimally for a vibrant health and long-lasting energy.
Eating enough essential fats with omega 3 can help improve your mood, support your immune system and help reduce the risk of heart disease! With its anti-inflammatory properties these fatty acids can help your muscles recover quicker from exercise and improve your overall well-being and can have a huge impact on your brain function and health which in turn supports your mental clarity and stabilizes your energy levels. Omega 3 Fatty acids can be found in fish oil or by Including flax seeds, hemps seeds, walnuts on your salads or vegetables can be a simple way to insure you have enough of these healthy essential fats in your diet.
Watch your caffeine intake, two cups or less per day can actually help with concentration, but if you have too many cups of coffee per day and you are reaching for coffee when already running on empty, you are affecting your adrenals and can lead to long term adrenal fatigue.
Fresh colourful whole foods are the best source of energy, as an easy reminder, the more alive and vibrant your food looks, the more alive and vibrant you will feel.
“You are what you eat”