10 Easy ways to increase energy

Did you bounce out of bed this morning? Are you ready to take on the world? Or did you slither out of bed and make a beeline for the coffee pot? If you find yourself slithering more often than leaping you are missing out on a happier life. Let’s start to change this. I have compiled a list of what I think are the best ways to increase personal energy:

1) Have something on your calendar to look forward to. You need to have something to be excited about and it needs to be just out of reach. Schedule something fun that requires planning to accomplish so that as you plan your excitement increases. Whatever you do don’t stress about it! Stress will cause this idea to backfire.

2) Get some sleep. Tune your body to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time each day. Why not go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 6am? Erratic sleep patterns will mess up your day.

3) Find what is stressing you and eliminate it. You may have baggage that you are bringing to bed that is preventing you from getting a good nights sleep. Put a plan together to address this stress. The planning alone using a logical approach will make you feel better.

4) Drink plenty of water throughout the day. I stress this over and over in my book: The Diet for a Busy Life. Do not wait to be thirsty to drink. Being even mildly dehydrated will have a detrimental affect on your energy. Keep a large jug by your side all day long and focus on drinking it.

5) Smile more. Smiling even to yourself in a dark room however silly that sounds subtly boosts your energy. Make it a point to be extra nice to someone today.

6) Eat! Eat! Eat! You need to maintain your metabolism and if you skimp on eating you are not keeping your body supercharged. I suggest eating many small, all-natural snacks throughout the day. Look for fruits, vegetables and cheeses.

7) Stay away from sugar! Sugar and sugar substitutes have snuck their way into just about everything. Read the labels and limit your sugar consumption. You may be tired because of a collapsing sugar rush.

8) Limit your coffee and alcohol intake. Drink no more than two cups of Joe per day. Can you handle it? Stick to just one or two glasses of wine at any one time. Sounds tough to me but what a difference it makes! Caffeine and alcohol disturb your energy and sleep patterns so do what you can to limit their intake.

9) If you are feeling tired take a nap. After a 10-20 minute power nap you may experience a surge in productivity. Use the time to clear and rest your mind. If you are feeling tired and can pull it off why not sneak in a few zzzs? It is only human to need a quick rest  in the middle of the day. Getting too long of a nap though can backfire so keep it to 20 minutes max.

10) Go to the doctor. If you have tried these techniques and yet you still do a lot of slithering maybe you should go see a doctor. You may have issues with your thyroid or other physical issues affecting your energy level.