How many cups of coffee do need to get through the day? Are you tired even after a full night of sleep? Do you find yourself lagging at work during the post-lunch crash? Surely there has to be a better solution to providing energy than chalky energy drinks that leave you feeling jittery before crashing. Fortunately there is! By following these tips, you can boost your daily energy levels in natural ways that don’t harm your body in order to maximize performance.
1. Eat Selectively
If you’re seeking a temporary energy revival, a handful of candy will do the trick promptly before leaving with a nasty sugar crash. Likewise, coffee might perk you up before leading to an energy depletion. If you’re looking for sustainable sources of energy, consider changing your diet to include high energy foods. The best foods to eat for energy include quinoa, lentils, tuna fish, beans, eggs, whole grain cereal, chia seeds, yogurt, oranges, nuts, wild salmon, pumpkin seeds, apples, bananas, spinach, blueberries, dark chocolate, trail mix, and lean beef.
When it comes to giving your meal an extra energy-boosting kick, don’t forget to add in seasonings such as those sold by Spicefit on Facebook. That’s right, eating the right spices can boost your energy and health, leaving your body invigorated. The best spices for energy and health include cardamon, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, and cumin. Top off your healthy eating by enjoying a glass of hot or iced green tea for caffeinated energy without the shakes and crashes!
2. Kick Bad Habits
Do you find yourself feeling constantly sluggish? Are you drinking enough water? Chronic dehydration is one of the worst habits that can lead to exhaustion and difficulty focusing. It’s also essential to consume appropriate levels of vitamins and minerals in a day in order to keep your body fueled. You can’t expert your energy levels to be up if you aren’t providing yourself with the materials needed to keep you alert.
What are some of the worst foods that drain energy? If you’re looking to stay energized, consider changing up your diet. In order to maintain energy throughout the day, cut out processed grains such as those found in white pasta, white bread, and white rice. Ditch foods with added sugars, such as breakfast cereals and certain yogurts, as well as fried and fast foods. When it comes to drinks, cut out alcohol, energy drinks, and coffee. Though coffee can be beneficial in moderation, regular coffee drinkers experience a caffeine tolerance that reduces the effects of consuming the drink.
3. Monitor Activity Levels
After a full day of sitting behind a cubicle, many come home and feel exhausted even though they barely moved. Did you know that exercise improves energy? When you keep your body active, it releases endorphins. This helps manage stress and greatly improves sleep quality. It also helps the heart work more efficiently, allowing it to deliver more oxygen to the brain and other organs. When it comes to overall well-being, diet and exercise go hand in hand, and both must be maintained in order to be feeling your best on a daily basis.
Though busy schedules and heavy workloads often don’t allow for much time to move around, make it a priority to stay active throughout the day. Every hour allow yourself to get up and stretch and walk around for a few minutes. This will prevent you from feeling sore and worn out. Try to schedule at least five days a week with moderate exercise, and focus on staying active for at least thirty minutes a day in order to keep your body healthy. In turn, this will leave you feeling much more invigorated and energized.
4. Get Enough Sleep
This step might seem obvious, but it bears mentioning due to the sheer number of people who consistently ignore it. While we all want to think of ourselves as superhumans and take pride in our ability to function on less, the truth is we need sleep, rest, and downtime in order to perform our best. If you live a busy life filled with many demands, don’t think of sleep as time taken away from working; rather shift your focus to view it as necessary time spent recharging for work so that you can meet your demands with a clear head.
How much sleep do you need? Exact sleep requirements differ based on the person, but most healthy adults require between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Cutting your sleep by as little as one hour a night may seem like a convenient way to save time, but it will actually jeopardize your energy balance, ability to fight infections, and overall health. Though a gene exists that allows some people to function at optimal levels with only six hours of sleep a night, unfortunately it only exists in 3% of the population. That means the other 97% of us better stick to our eight hours of sleep a night in order to keep our energy levels elevated.