Exhausted? 12 easy ideas elevating energy levels

Are your days dragging?  If you have a demanding career, busy family life, or a filled-to-the-brim social schedule, you may be feeling the energy drain. Even without an active schedule, energy zappers can still leave you feeling worn out.

Have you ever wondered how to give yourself a much-needed boost of energy just when you feel like falling asleep on the spot?  There are certain things we can blend throughout our day providing that kick start to our life keeping us more alert and feeling more alive with vitality and vigor to get through each day.

Here are 12 ways to get back your energy mojo:

1. Include a good source of protein at breakfast – assuming you eat breakfast which you should – strive for between 20-30 grams of protein early in the day. Protein keeps your brain and stomach well-nourished and satisfied preventing a mid-morning hunger call while providing you with better concentration and focus.
2. Stand more – If you have a job that keeps you sitting all day, take some standing breaks. Every 30 minutes to an hour, make the effort to stand up, stretch, and walk around for at least 2 minutes.  These mini-breaks can do wonders for alertness.
3. Early to bed, early to rise – Being a night owl is for the birds. Those who stay up late lacking sleep, tend to weigh more which can weigh down energy levels.  Having an earlier bedtime and waking up at the same time each day lets your body know when to sleep making it more efficient.  It is recommended for most adults to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night.
4. Wake up with walking – Any aerobic exercise is good but walking is one most of us can do. A brisk walk, particularly outdoors, not only raises your heart rate giving you a great workout, but also raises your awareness by awakening your senses of smell, sight, and hearing.
5. Use yoga to relieve pain – Pain can cause tiredness and one way to reduce pain is with yoga. Yoga works the whole body by connecting your mind, breathing, and movements as one. This helps to stretch tight muscles soothing aches and pain making you feel more energized.
6. Keep your cool during the night – You’ll have better sleep and wake up more refreshed if your bedroom is kept cool. A couple of ways to achieve this – first, take a warm bath 30 minutes to one hour before calling it a night.  Your body’s natural cooling system will take over.  Second, turn down the thermostat to create a cooled room promoting deep sleep.
7. Spice up your life – Eating spicy foods by sprinkling a few red chili flakes over dishes or substituting a fresh jalapeno for a bell pepper in a recipe can stoke your metabolism for a good hour spiking your energy.
8. Use dark chocolate as an energy booster – What a great idea! A mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack of dark chocolate – just a square – contains theobromine which can bring about wakefulness along with antioxidants lifting your mood and tastes good.
9. Wake up and smell the coffee – The morning beverage many of us rely on for getting us started for the day, contains that special stimulate called caffeine. It can stay in your body for hours but be careful to stop drinking coffee at least 3 hours before bedtime to get a good night’s sleep.
10. Rely on energy-boosting foods – Think of energy foods in terms of ones providing a combo of healthy protein, carbs, and fat. If it’s a food that contains too much sugar, it may temporarily give a burst of energy but it is digested quickly causing you to crash.  Instead choose multigrain crackers with peanut butter, a handful of nuts with strawberries, or maybe a cheese stick with apple slices.
11. Sip green tea – If coffee is your go-to solution for the afternoon slump, try swapping it out for green tea. Green tea has small amounts of caffeine and there are studies that demonstrate EGCG, the active compound in green tea, even facilitates weight loss. Plus, green tea keeps your body hydrated – one of the first signs of dehydration is fatigue.
12. Lighten your load – One of the main reasons for fatigue is being overworked. Overwork can include professional, family, and social obligations. Try to streamline your list of “must-do” activities. Set your priorities in terms of the most important tasks. Pare down those that are less important. Consider asking for help at work, if necessary.