Energy Boosting Habits
It is not uncommon to simply feel drained every once in a while. Some days, that slump just hits harder than others. And you just can’t help but try to figure out what you can do to get yourself out of it. When this happens, you need to do something to boost your energy levels.
Energy boosting means different things to different people. To you, it might mean improving your focus and alertness. To someone else, it might mean improving their productivity and how they perform a certain task. Whatever it means to you, there are several things you can do to achieve it. These are called energy boosting habits.
Here is a look at some of the most effective energy boosting habits you can add to your daily routine
Sleep more
It’s always tempting to eat into hours that should be spent in bed. Got a work deadline? Stay up let a little. Need to study for an exam? Simply burn the midnight oil. However, not getting enough sleep does more harm than good. It drains your energy levels and leaves you feeling lethargic and tired the next day.
Experts recommend getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night. If you often have trouble sleeping, set a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. Then wind down at the end of the day by avoiding screens, reading a book, listening to music, or taking a bath.
Have no carbs at lunch
If you often go through the afternoon energy slump, you can probably leverage your diet to get your energy levels back up. A few simple tweaks to your food timing, volumes, and the types of food you have for lunch can have a massive impact in how far your energy dips in the afternoon.
One of the easiest changes you can make is to have no carbs for diet. Instead, reserve them for later. Your lunch should be made up of veggies, protein, and healthy fats only. This is because carbs directly affect your blood sugar, which in turn exacerbates lethargy in the afternoon.
If getting rid of carbs does not yield the desired results, you can also experiment with the timing of your meals and the volume of the food you eat. Make small changes at a time as you observe the effects these changes have on your body. And don’t forget to hydrate!
Reduce stress
If you have a busy life, you may find yourself feeling stressed or anxious or even overwhelmed from time to time. This can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Ask yourself what is making you stressed? And can you remove it from your life? If not, what can you do to make it less stressful?
While it may not always be possible to completely remove the things that stress you from your life, it is possible to manage that stress and reduce the effect it has on you. This will lead to an instant bump in your energy levels. There are many strategies to reduce stress that you can implement on your own. However, if you feel like you have severe anxiety or too much stress, consult your healthcare provider.
Align your work habits to your body’s natural energy flow
Instead of resisting you biology, how about trying to work with the natural flow of your energy throughout the day? What this means is intentionally sequencing tasks and workload according to your body’s hardwired biology throughout the day.
You are more likely to be less alert in the middle of the afternoon. Consider scheduling tasks that are less cognitively demanding or easier for this period, which is usually between 12 and 3pm. When you do this, you will end up optimizing your peak energy periods and performing your best at tasks that require more cognitive load.
Control your breath
Various breathing skills have been shown to help make you more alert, allowing you to perform your tasks better. One of these methods is box breathing, which involves taking slow, deep breathes in counts of four. It is a simple technique that you can complete within a few minutes in a single sitting while yielding instant results.
Exercise more
Regular exercise not only reduces your risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, but it can also help you fight fatigue and increase your energy levels. When you exercise regularly, you will be able to combat emotional exhaustion and overall fatigue while improving your sleep quality, cognitive function, and work ability.
Take a Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
In those situations where you’re so tired you can hardly function, you are better off getting some rest and reenergizing instead of powering through. A great way to do this is through NSDR, where you take a 20 minute break and lie down to recharge. Of course, this may not always be possible to accomplish every day due to several factors, but if properly utilized, NSDR will give you a second wind and increase your focus for the rest of the day.
NSDR and short afternoon naps (as short as 20 minutes) have been shown to not only boost your energy levels but also enhance your neuroplasticity, which means you will ne able to perform better on memory tests throughout the day.
Change your environment
This is a simple yet effective way to give yourself an energy boost when you need it. The idea here is to get the blood flowing. Go outside and take a brisk 10 to 15 minute walk. At the end of it, you will have overcome your lull in productivity and gotten a boost of energy that will help you power through the rest of the day.
Connect with people
It is no secret that social connections are essential to your good health. Social isolation can lead to fatigues and moodiness while social support leads to improvements in your physical and mental health. A simple way to boost your energy levels is to simply socialize with friends, volunteer, join a club or class, or start a new hobby that gets you out and about and meeting new people.
Final Thoughts
Everyone is familiar with feeling worn out and weary at some point in the course of the day. The good news is that there are lots of healthy things you can do that do not involve chugging cups of coffee that will help you reduce the fatigue and boost your energy levels. This guide has covered the best of these tips to help you boost your energy levels naturally. Which one will you try first?