THE CRUEL CYCLE of feeling low on energy: You don’t sleep enough, so you wake up grumpy and lazy, with no desire to work, eat, or workout.
By 4 p.m., you’re so exhausted that you can barely function. “All these factors are intertwined with each other” when it comes to energy.
Whenever we are tired we don’t want to exercise or make better food choices and don’t get better sleep.
It happens to all of us but it’s not a good thing. But it can be fixed – you just have to know how to and when to start.
So, how to wake up more energized everyday and is it even possible.
The best way to feel energized and active all day, experts say, is to use the three important energy building blocks:
1. Focusing on your sleep
2. Look into your food choices
3. And finally, include some exercises in your routine.
- First, and most important is Sleep
Now, there’s no shortcut to sleep. Give yourself the permission to put sleep on the priority.
It’s all interlinked, “ if you’re tired and feeling low, you won’t get a great workout session, and also if you feel tired you might end up eating all crappy food.”
Good rest is very important and will lead you to success.
To work more efficiently always sleep into your schedule at the right time. Try to go to bed 15 minutes earlier than your usual bedtime.
There is one more way to find your body’s actual sleep time. Go to sleep when you feeling really tired and wake up the next morning without an alarm.
Once you’ve known the amount of sleep you need. You can work on the quality of your sleep.
Also, try your best every day to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time. Yes even on the weekends.
Make your room as dark as possible, keep the temperature cool (shoot for 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit), invest in a bedding you love – you really want to be comfortable.
“Even if you have a $50,000 mattress, if you don’t have a great pillow, you can get a bad night’s sleep.”
Also, we know this, but it’s a little hard habit to break: Avoid screen time one hour before your bedtime.
- Adjust your diet.
Whether or not you’re sleeping enough, food is a crucial part of the energy equation.
If you’re sleep-deprived, your body will often crave foods that offer quick energy ( like sugar) to make up for it.
But even if you’re sleeping just fine, you aren’t eating frequently enough. I would recommend not to go longer than 4 hours between meals.
So if lunch is in the afternoon and dinner is at eight, you need a mini-meal in between. That said, try not to eat too late at night.
From what we know eating too late night can negatively affect your metabolism.
We also get better rest if we don’t go on a full stomach, so try to have dinner as early as you can or eat at least two hours before you go to sleep.
Also, each time you eat- even the mini-meals!- have a mix of protein, fat, and carbs to help prevent your blood sugar from spiking. Ex: An apple is great, but it’s not enough. Have it with nut butter or cottage cheese, and you’ll feel much better for much longer.
Food choices can also be used to boost your energy over time. Some super fruits like berries and pomegranates are really good for your wellness.
When it comes to beverages, there’s good news: Caffeine is not bad. Coffee is fine if you have it 20 minutes before an important event or meeting. The alertness can help you stay active and produce more focused work. But avoid drinking coffee late at night as consuming caffeine can negatively impact sleep.
Lastly, drink enough water since dehydration can be a sneaky cause of sagging energy.
The side effects of dehydration are fatigue, feeling low, and mild to severe cramping. If you notice these symptoms, grab a glass of water first.
- When you can, Exercise.
The final piece of the energy block is exercise.
If you have time, getting your heart rate up is an almost guaranteed way to shake you out of slog.
Even if you don’t feel like it just the act of getting started can get you a little active.
Go for a walk, do some squats in your cubicle, or pop into a quick plank pose. Let go of the idea that it has to be 30 minutes to count. Anything counts for any amount of time.
Do at least 3 hours of exercises every week but do not let the number deter you: Doing as much as you can when you can will still give you a benefit.
Exercise helps you sleep better, we just need to experiment with the best time for you. Some people like to exercise at the end of the day and some people are too happy with an a.m session.
Even a 10 min walk in the morning and evening works. Combine your form of exercise with deep breathing
Before going to bed you can do a bit of stretching to calm your body or do a 5 minutes meditation and when you’re done, climb in bed and get ready to actually jump out the next morning.
These are the three very important building blocks which are interlinked and will surely help you wake up with more energy.
Also with these three ways to shake off that tired feeling every day I have also written a post on five toxic habits to break for a happy and healthy life which can also lead to some better lifestyle changes in your daily routine.
Share your thoughts on this post and also tell me some more ways that can help you wake up more energized every day.
4 Comments
Some really good tips here, sleep is so important! I find that even if i’ve had like 8 hours of sleep I can still feel sleepy in the morning if it wasn’t good sleep or if i’ve got a lot on my mind!
Sometimes it has a lot to do with our health, lifestyle and emotional choices too. Dont push yourself too hard, it’s better to just sleep in a bit so that we are more active and fresh throughout the day.
I completely agree with these tips! I try and do exercise in the morning to get me ready for the day and it usually helps alot!
Amber – The Unpredicted Page
Yes morning exercises are the best!!