Boost Your Energy
1: STRETCHING
When you feel your energy start to lag, stand up and do a few minutes of stretching. First, stretching causes you to breath deeply which provides your brain with more oxygen and an increase in not only energy but concentration. Second, stretching releases the tension built up in your muscles and energy along with it. Third, moving around and breathing deeply results in your lymphatic system releasing toxins from your system, making you feel great.
2: EAT A SMALL MEAL EVERY 3 HOURS
We forget that the purpose of food is to provide us with fuel for life. Studies have shown that eating smaller meals is better for your body and helps boost your metabolism. Having a healthy metabolism will help control weight gain and in turn give you more energy. Be sure you do not skip breakfast, it sets your body up for the day and gives your metabolism a jump start.
3: DRINK MORE WATER
This is something we have all heard over and over but still continue to be slack about. If you find it hard to get enough water or just do not like to drink it, try sipping small amounts of water every 30 minutes. This will make getting those recommended eight glasses a much less daunting task and give you a little boost of energy on an intermittent basis. It will also help to make sure that your kidneys are properly hydrated, which in turn supports the filtering of chemical and environmental toxins from your system.
4: INCREASE YOUR MAGNESIUM INTAKE
Magnesium is needed for breaking down glucose into energy. The recommended daily dose is between 300-700 milligrams but should not exceed 1200 milligrams. Since most people do not eat balanced diets it is easy to have a magnesium deficiency. Some good food sources high in magnesium are black beans, halibut, spinach, okra and whole grain cereal, just to name a few.
5: INCREASE YOUR POTASSIUM INTAKE
Ingesting potassium can increase your energy in just a few hours. Potassium is a mineral your body needs to convert sugar in your blood into energy. While we all know that bananas are a great source of potassium, potatoes actually have twice as much but all vegetables are a good source especially leafy vegetables. Other options for those who are not excited about their veggies are whole grains (oats, rye), oranges, dates, grapes, raisins, figs, apricots, peaches, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruits and mint leaves.
6: PEPPERMINT
Smelling peppermint can decrease levels of fatigue and increase alertness. Peppermint stimulates the trigeminal nerve, the same nerve that is effected by smelling salts. Take a long sniff of peppermint oil the next time you need a boost Also try drinking peppermint tea. When made with whole, fresh peppermint leaves you can also get some additional potassium while you are at it!
7: DO NOT OVERSLEEP
We assume that getting more sleep will boost our energy, but in fact it can have the opposite effect. When we sleep our body produces extra melatonin When we over sleep we wake up with an extra level of melatonin It takes our bodies longer to regulate this level back down to normal, leaving us feeling lethargic. Number 8 is a way to help this process.
8: BRIGHT LIGHT THERAPY
Whether we get too much sleep or not bright light therapy is a very useful way to help boost our energy levels, especially in the morning. Bright light therapy, or photo therapy, uses artificial light to bring the melatonin levels back to normal quickly. Exposure to bright light, either natural or not, has been shown to boost energy because light stimulates neurotransmitters in the brain and this in turn improves mood and motivation. Spending more time outside or by windows to get in-direct sunlight. If you work in an office that only exposes you to florescent lighting be sure to take regular breaks outside or sit near windows.
Helen Reicher is a freelance writer offering professional writing services on a wide variety of topics. For information and to contact Helen, please visit http://www.hlreicher.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Reicher
