5 Ways to Stay Energized
If you aren’t an athlete in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, you probably start off your day with average energy levels that are increasingly hard to maintain throughout the day. Try these energy-preserving tips so you can feel your best all day long.
1. Drink water – Dehydration will cause you to quickly become tired. Often, you may feel like eating even if you aren’t very hungry without realizing that what you really need is water.
2. Take Vitamin B – Vitamin B12 helps provide your body with a boost of energy. Its job is to release the energy contained within the food that you consume so that it’s easy to use. Try taking vitamin B supplements if you want an added boost of energy to your lifestyle.
3. Snack regularly – eating snacks high in protein every few hours is beneficial for your mood and energy. Stay away from sugars, though – sweets will make you crash. Try nuts and seeds, eggs, nut butter on crackers, and strips of chicken or turkey.
4. Avoid drinking coffee after 3 pm – Yes, coffee has many health benefits, but when it comes to energy boosts, the time you drink coffee is crucial. The high your coffee gives you in the morning can cause a low around 3 pm if you consume it too early in the morning. Try not to drink coffee in the evening – even if you think it doesn’t affect you, the caffeine can keep you up at night causing minor insomnia and preventing you from getting a full night’s rest – the critical key to high energy levels. If you are going to drink coffee, have it in the late morning.
5. Exercise – going for runs, doing pilates, or taking a 30-minute walk can increase your energy levels and keep you going. A study by Patrick O’Connor at the University of Georgia found that sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not exercise at all. Nearly every group studied benefited from exercising, and if you don’t exercise now, or if you are constantly tired, being a bit more active will help your energy levels.
