How to Increase Energy Levels: A Day in the Life of You!

Oct 2018

Given the hustle and bustle of our increasingly hectic and busy lives, there is one thing many of us struggle with and that is…our energy levels. The question is – is there anything we can do to increase our energy levels? The answer, backed up by a lot of research, is…YES! But, before we go any further, we are assuming in this blog post that your being tired is lifestyle-related and not related to any illness or health condition. If it is, you need to see your physician.

You see, we are going to literally walk you through your typical day and point out things you can do along the way to increase your energy levels. One caveat being that some of these tips can be done at any time of the day. We are just presenting them in this order to make this blog post more entertaining (hopefully) and memorable.

You are right in the middle…

…of an amazing (fill in the details yourself and PLEASE keep them to yourself) dream and your alarm starts going off! Time to rise and shine!

After bumping into a wall that wasn’t there last night, you groggily make your way into the kitchen. Turns out your Mom was right and it’s time for you to…

Break Your Fast with Some Breakfast!

According to Dr. David S. Ludwig from Harvard, missing breakfast could mean you start the day with a deficit in energy, meaning you have to tap into your energy reserves. Experts from Harvard Medical School suggest a breakfast filled with protein such as yogurt, whole grain cereals or bread that keep your blood sugar levels stable, or a healthy smoothie.

Sounds like a plan! So, you make yourself an awesome smoothie with yogurt, bananas and some blueberries! It tastes so good! You already feel like you have more energy!

Just as you finish your smoothie, your spouse reminds you to take your blue-eyed Shitland sheepdog outside to do his business…

You correct your spouse that actually it is a Shetland sheepdog and they respond by saying, “if you don’t take him out soon he WILL be a Shitland sheepdog”.

“Good point”, you say.

The mere act of…

Going outside…

…is not only good for your dog to do his thing but it will also give you more energy. According to a study done by researchers at the University of Rochester, going outside and connecting with nature is a great way to get energized.

So, blue-eyed Buster poops like a champ and you come back inside, throw on your hot pink gym shoes and head to the gym, and it turns out that…

Physical Exercise

Is one of the best things you can do to increase your energy levels. Regular exercise, even 10 minutes a day has been shown to have a ton of benefits including helping you sleep better, promoting better brain health and many other health benefits. A study at the University of Georgia was conducted to see if low-intensity exercise could help people suffering from fatigue, and it turns out it reduced symptoms of fatigue by 65%! One of the reasons that exercise makes you energized is that when you exercise your body produces modest amounts of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which make you feel energized.

What a great workout that was! You come in the house and you notice a bit of a funky smell! Before you can blame it on Buster, your significant other throws you a towel and points towards the shower. You brace yourself and jump in for a…

Cold Shower!

It turns out that having cold showers makes our heart rate increase which sends a rush of blood through our whole body. This gives us a dose of natural energy for the whole day! Interestingly, Katherine Hepburn was a big advocate of cold showers. Well, if it was good enough for Katherine…

After you towel off and get dressed you head back into the kitchen and your spouse hands you…

A Glass of Water

You find it a bit ironic that your tall drink of water is handing you a tall drink of water. But it turns out that your tall drink of water is on to something. Turns out that being dehydrated can cause many people to feel tired. So, make sure to drink enough water throughout the day. The Institute of Medicine says men should drink 104 ounces of water a day and women should aim for 72 ounces. Remember, these are just guidelines and can change based on sex, activity level, age, weight, amount of exercise and other factors.

Off to work you go and luckily your new job isn’t filled with…

Stress

Like your previous one was! That jerk of a boss you used to have really didn’t help your stress levels, which were a contributing factor to your lack of energy. Turns out that being stressed out can make you feel worn out too. There are a bunch of things that you did to counteract your stress that is recommended by the experts, including exercise, yoga, meditation and socializing with friends. Oh – and leaving that job. You feel much better now and have way more energy!

You sit down at your desk to do some work and get Spotify going as you find that for some reason…

Music…

…really helps increase your energy levels and gets you going! Interestingly, there is research that supports what you are doing. Turns out that playing music helps to increase dopamine levels which can result in improved mood, energy and cognitive performance to name a few benefits.

Hmmm, it seems a bit dark in here you think? So, you…

Turn up the lights

As studies have shown that higher illuminance can make workers feel less sleepy, improve reaction times and increase alertness during office hours.

A few minutes later, you feel like your bladder is ready to explode so you head to the bathroom and notice your pee is pale yellow, which is awesome. It means you are hydrated, no wonder you feel so energized! If it was dark it would mean you need to drink more water.

You head back to your desk and one of your co-workers offers you a stick of gum, sugar-free of course! Should you or should you not take them up on their offer? Well, according to the research…

Chewing Gum…

Has been shown to increase alertness! Who the hell knew? “Yes, please!”, you say. But just as they are getting ready to give you the gum, you reconsider and politely decline.

As much as you would like the gum, you realize that you are still a couple hundred feet from your office and you have a flashback to what happened the last time you tried to walk and chew gum at the same time! Anyways it is time for lunch and there are quite a few things you have learned about how…

Your Diet…

Impacts your energy levels! Some of the things you have learned from the experts are:

You are better off eating smaller meals throughout the day to give your brain a steady stream of nutrients. Remember, your body needs fuel to run on!

To focus on low-glycemic foods like whole-grains, nuts, high-fiber veggies, proteins and fats whose sugar is broken down at a slower rate. This means the energy from these foods is released more slowly so that you will experience sustained energy instead of the spikes and falls coming from high-glycemic foods.

Make sure you get enough magnesium as too little magnesium makes your heart beat faster and use more oxygen, thus making you feel tired. For those who think they may be deficient in magnesium check out this article and if you are still concerned it might be worth checking with your doctor.

You get up to go to the bathroom again, one of the downsides to all that water you are drinking ☹ Anyway, on the way back, someone offers you some…

Coffee…

Even though you love coffee, it is a bit late in the day and you don’t want it to mess up your sleep, so you politely decline. While coffee or sugar can give you a quick pick me up if you are in a pinch, you don’t want to feel drained once the quick high wears off.

Well, that’s it for the day. Luckily you have no plans tonight, other than to spend some quality time with your significant other. Good thing you have cut back on your social, professional and family obligations as…

Overwork

Has been shown to be a big reason for people being fatigued. ¹Being able to say no and eliminate or delegate tasks that are not important has been a game changer for you. Thank God you read that baller article on Prime Your Pump on the Eisenhower Urgent-Important matrix!

After a healthy dinner and some relaxation, you and your significant other get ready to get a good night’s…

Sleep

While it’s obvious, a good sleep will go a long way to making sure you have energy the next day. Luckily some of the things you have already done will promote good sleep¹, such as:

Exercise – which increases the amount of deep sleep you get to help restore your energy. Aerobic exercise has also been shown to help you fall asleep better.

Your exposure to sunlight earlier that day which will help lower your cortisol levels, and your low-glycemic diet which will help lower your blood sugar levels – will both help keep your sleep cycles in check.

You both lie down and are about to count sheep when your significant other gives you that look, then says…’Siri, let’s get it on…’

All-of-a-sudden, your significant other’s iPhone comes alive and starts playing one of your favorite songs…

Even though you both need to get up early, you remember that you read somewhere that…

Sex

Can increase your energy levels! You are about to grab your phone to pull up the article online to make sure you have your scientific facts correct. Then you quickly stop yourself – who cares about science!!! Time to get it on!

Just as things are getting hot and heavy you can feel someone staring at you…

Damn you blue-eyed Buster!!!

Until next time…keep those energy levels up, beware of blue-eyed voyeurs, and as always…PYMFP!

–Rick

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Use it or Lose It – How to Increase Energy Levels

Some ways to increase energy levels based on research are:

Get outside.
Get some exercise.
Have a cold shower.
Stay hydrated.
Avoid stressful situations.
Listen to music.
Turn on the lights.
Chew gum.
Watch your diet.
Use caffeine cautiously.
Be careful not to overwork or try to do too many things.
Most importantly, get a good night’s sleep!

When to Use It:

When you would like to increase energy levels!

What Do You Think?

Do you have any other suggestions to increase energy levels? Please share in the comments below.

References

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/4-ways-to-boost-your-energy-naturally-with-breakfast

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/eating-to-boost-energy

http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3639

https://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-cold-showers-7-reasons-why-taking-cool-showers-good-your-health-289524

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318623.php

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987

https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2726

http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3psygs/PsychOfMusic2007.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22564492

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583804

https://www.health.harvard.edu/energy-and-fatigue/9-tips-to-boost-your-energy-naturally

1 Boosting Your Energy – A Harvard Medical School Special Health Report