5 SIMPLE STEPS TO CREATE MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY

We all find ways to create more energy for our work day, but where it comes from determines the amount of energy we have throughout the day.

Here are 5 simple steps to help YOU generate more energy for the day. These steps may be common knowledge but not necessarily common practice. If you implement these actions into your daily habits, you will generate more energy and become more productive.

Sounds good, right? Let’s get started then.

Step 1: Restful Sleep

Getting restful sleep is vital to having energy for the next work day. Your body utilizes energy for many functions and processes to sustain your health and move you through each daily task. If we don’t rest well, our body cannot regenerate new energy. You will wake up tired and fatigued and may find an artificial source of energy which is not long-lasting.

Here are some habits that you can implement to ensure a restful night’s sleep.

1. Choose a bedtime and stick to it!

I try my best to be in bed by 10:30 every night, and asleep by 11pm.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep is ideal for adults to wake up feeling rested. Depending on what time you arise, choose a bedtime accordingly for at least 7 hours of undisturbed sleep (if you don’t have a newborn baby or a noisy rooster) to wake up with enough energy for your day to be productive.

2. Turn the lights down at least 1 hour before bedtime

Dimming artificial lighting helps the body calm down and get ready to rest. Light sends signals to the brain that it is daytime and our body stays awake longer than we need it to. Shut off ALL electronics 1 hour before bed (sorry, no Facebook). You’re probably like me: I start to check what’s happening with friends and family on social media, but scrolling, clicking links and watching videos never seems to end! Now to help break that habit, I set a recurring timer for 9:30 every night to remind me to put down the Ipad and pick up an old school book (e-books don’t count (unless it’s a kindle)— the light emitted from the screen triggers your brain to think it is still daytime, making it harder to fall asleep peacefully). If you do watch TV or surf the web in bed, you may notice your head sorting through ideas, tasks, events afterwards while you’re trying to fall asleep. Don’t overload your brain right before you sleep. Instead, read a book, journal, or plan your next day’s tasks on paper so it’s out of your head. This will help you clear your mind and sleep peacefully.

Step 2: Limit Caffeine intake (no you didn’t!)

Yes, Im sorry to say, caffeine is disruptive to generating energy. Some of you may wake up and everyone in your household avoids getting decapitated before breakfast until you have had your cup of coffee! This feeling of “needing a cup or two or three” to wake up is caffeine withdrawal. An average 8 oz cup of coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine. With our cups and travel mugs getting much larger in size, they can hold much more liquid which makes it easier to drink more caffeine. Exceeding 4-8 oz cups man cause side effects that impact your health as well as productivity.

I weaned myself off of coffee by starting with a half-caff cup to black tea to gradually lessen my intake of caffeine. Now, I drink herbal tea which is just as satisfying. I get fresh herbal tea from my farmers market.

We can naturally generate energy to rise and shine in the morning, feeling rested and ready to take on the day. Caffeine also can create more stress. The stimulation the caffeine gives us triggers more cortisol to be released in our body which is our stress hormone. This on top of annoying coworkers, intense deadlines and piles of emails burns your energy supply needed to sustain long-lasting energy.

Here is a simple guideline to help you reduce caffeine intake but still get that satisfaction of a warm and fragrant beverage to tantalize your nostrils each morning.

Week 1- Measure your coffee before you pour it in the cup or travel mug, or if you go to a coffee shop ask for the measurement of the container it comes in. If you have a travel container that has measurements on the side, great! This way you will know how much you consume each day and set an average number in ounces or millimeters to go off of for the next week.

Week 2- Take that average number and reduce it by half. Measure out that number of ounces or milliliters of coffee. We need to gradually decrease the caffeine to make it easier for your body to adjust. This is for each day of that week.

Week 3- Take that same number and replace half with decaf coffee or ask for a half-caff from your coffee shop. This is for each day of that week.

Week 4- Reduce your number of cups to half again (still half-caff). This is for each day of that week.

Week 5- Switch to green tea or decaf coffee. ( On occasion I like to get Chai tea with a shot of decaf espresso. Still tasty yet has a much lower amount of caffeine).

It is best to minimize caffeine intake all together but this is a good way to reduce the caffeine we drink to help our body function better throughout the day and sleep better at night. By doing this regiment, you give your body time to adjust and prevent your from feeling like your head got kicked by a mule on steroids.

Step 3- Intermittent breaks

Taking breaks multiple times a day from our work keeps us from burning out. Have you ever sat at your desk or computer working diligently, looked up at the clock and saw that 3 hours had gone by? By 5pm you may feel exhausted or ready for a nap.

When we sit for extended periods, our muscles are stagnant, our shoulders tend to roll forward, the back slouches and we strain our body to stay in an unnatural posture. This leads to pain and disfunction which we can prevent if we break the poor “posture cycle” and move more. What I mean by “posture cycle” is, the length of time where we sit or stand in a fixed position that is not conducive to our optimal postural function.

Just like an athlete plays a sport and takes the bench to rest, our brain needs a break too.

Setting an alarm every 50 min to take a 1 to 2 minute break will give your body and brain the break it needs to increase your energy reserve to make it through the work day AND dinner.

I set an alarm for 50 minutes when I am doing computer work or writing. This way I can break the “posture cycle” and allow my muscles and joints to move freely and increase oxygen and blood flow to keep them active. The more we move the more we tell our body to keep moving by generating more energy and allowing our body to move optimally.

So that being said, rise up from your throne and dust of your royal robe. Have a little stretch by hanging over your feet and letting your arms and head drop naturally. Let gravity do the rest. You may feel your lower back melting into relief. Stretch however you feel you need to. The more the better! Now,move around the room a bit, or make this a bathroom break. Take a drink of water and now you're ready to go back to work. Simple right ?!

The more frequently we disengage our body from our slouching posture, it gives our muscles (even our head muscle ;) ) a break which allows us to conserve more energy for a longer productive day.

Step 4- Snacking every 3 hours

Snacking or having small meals throughout the day helps keep our brain and body fueled up and ready to work or play with energy. Like a car need fuel to run, so do our bodies. Try not to skip meals, especially breakfast. I like to keep nuts around or granola bars to snack on when I’m on the move or have fresh fruit or an avocado in the mini fridge to tie me over until i can get a meal at lunch or dinner.

If we eat big meals, our body feels lethargic and we want to take a nap. If we eat smaller meals throughout the day and we are still a bit hungry, our body creates energy to find more food. This keeps us focused and ready to take on the day. Our ancestors tracked and hunted their prey, eating berries and nuts along the way, keeping them sharp to bring home the big game. We are not much different, except that we are sedentary which keeps our body from functioning optimally.

Step 5- Moving our body

Frequently moving our body helps us function more optimally and lessens pain that develops from long periods of sitting.

Every morning if weather permits, I take a long walk or run along my trail or neighborhood. I find that the wooded trail is more peaceful and allows me to think without distraction and helps me be more creative to plan my day or design something new.

I recommend taking a 20 to 60 min walk in the morning. Have your sneakers right next to the bed so you can easily slip them on and get moving. The slower you arise, the bigger chance you will procrastinate and run out of morning to walk. If you have to set your alarm 30 minutes earlier and go to bed earlier, do it! You WILL see a difference in your clarity and energy if you continue this good habit.

I’m all about HABITS. Get rid of the poor habits and replace them with beneficial habits.

When I coach someone, I don’t want to take away anything. I want to replace something with something better. An unhealthy snack with a healthy snack that is just as good or even better tasting. Setting small goals so we can repeat a beneficial habit until it is a part of our lifestyle. When we do something without thinking about it negatively, it is not taxing on us and we have more mental room to set a new goal or challenge.

I hope this helps you unleash your inner warrior and encourages you to give your body what it needs to generate energy and function optimally, so you can live a life without pain or dysfunction. I want this for you and I hope you want the same for yourself.

Now go out there and share your love and your purpose,

and always enrich your mind, enrich your body, and enrich your health.