5 Steps to Feeling More Energized

If you used to be a HIGH ENERGY person and now you find yourself repeating the mantra MUST STAY AWAKE every afternoon as your eyes droop and the yawns keep coming. Let’s face it fatigue and exhaustion are international epidemics. Women who are burning the candle at both ends (and men too) are especially plagued with flagging energy.

The good news is there is an answer to your flailing energy levels and if you follow these steps and hit the problem from four different angles.

Find your energy and stamina come back to you like a long-lost friend!

There are four areas that must be addressed for the best results in improving energy.

Food

  • Energy blast foods – find them and eat them daily
  • Rid your system of energy-zapping foods

Chemistry

  • Correct NUTRITIONAL deficiencies that are known to cause fatigue
  • Balance hormones that have a direct effect on energy
  • Supplement with herbs, minerals, and vitamins that create powerful energy levels

Body

  • Fatigue fighting fitness – yes it’s true… certain types of exercise will lift exhaustion
  • Sleep – the natural energy booster

Mind

  • Fix the tired mind
  • Create a new mantra that will send your energy levels through the roof
  • Find the right balance with up and downtime

Food – Seven Easy Steps to Regain Energy

It’s time to stop moping around with low energy levels and pump up your mojo. We have used these in our practice for years and have proven effective with thousands of patients. Start today!

Get pumped up with PROTEIN first thing!

  • Carb loading is really overrated! Unless you are planning on running 15 miles in the morning, it is doubtful that you need big carbs. Instead wake up your brain and muscles and achieve high levels of alertness with protein! Protein contains tyrosine, an amino acid that elevates the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine – which turns on your brain and wakes you up! These important aminos increase your satiety, which will help you to feel full and say NO to bread and sweets that induce rollercoaster highs and lows with your energy! Eat lean proteins or plant proteins throughout the day – an egg(s), high protein/high fiber cereal, or slow-cooked oatmeal with berries for breakfast, 10 almonds for a snack, salad with chicken for lunch, a cup of Greek yogurt for an afternoon snack, and fish/veggies for dinner. You will feel great eating like this and will drop the belly fat fast!
  • Always begin your day with a power breakfast! A power breakfast will give you what you need to say NO to cravings and fatigue later in the day. Your kick-off meal of the day must be balanced to avoid hitting a wall in the afternoon. Studies show that people who eat breakfast report better moods throughout the day, higher levels of energy, and on average consume 400 fewer calories each day. Studies also reveal that missing meals or eating meals high in carbohydrates will leave you with a greater feeling of fatigue throughout the day.

Cut back on sugar

Eating too much sugar in your diet is the fastest way to burn out your energy. Sugar or bread will send your glucose and insulin levels up and will continue to do so throughout the day if you eat or drink foods with added sugar. Sending levels of insulin and glucose up and creating more waves of fatigue, cravings, depression, and a nice fat tire around your mid-section.

4 grams of sugar = 1 tsp. of sugar – this means that your mocha and muffin contain about 30 tsp. of sugar in them. Now just imagine eating 30 tsp. of sugar in the morning for breakfast… is it any wonder why you are wiped out? Sugar is a depressant –end of story.

Eat HIGH ENERGY foods

Eat colorful veggies (and lots of them), limited fruit, lean proteins, legumes, nuts, seeds, good fats, and high fiber foods. Book an appointment with a OnePeak Medical Fitness and Nutrition Adviser for an individualized plan.

Stop eating ENERGY SUCKING foods

High glycemic carbohydrates will zap your energy. High glycemic foods measure the speed at which the food you eat turns to sugar. This in turn creates high insulin levels, which wipes you out and makes you fat. You get an initial boost (although some don’t even get a boost), but then you hit a trough that is lower than your energy was before you ate the high glycemic sugar/bread type food.

These foods include all WHITE foods (I call them the WICKED WHITES): potatoes, white rice, foods made from flour, crackers, cereals, cookies, starches, etc. These foods must be eaten with caution. Worst of all, the energy that isn’t burned (if you carb load and don’t ride your bike 20 miles afterward) gets stored as fat.

Eat five or six small meals a day

This keeps your metabolism up and your energy evenly distributed throughout the day. Eat small meals, eat slowly, and take your time! Pair complex carbs that are high in fiber (beans, peas, veggies) with unsaturated fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, olives), and add protein, such as lean meats, nuts, fish, and edamame, as part of your dish for added brain function and energy.

WATER – your best friend!

Stay hydrated throughout the day. If you are to the point where you’re feeling thirsty, you are already on the verge of dehydration. A drop of 2.5% in hydration is one of the most efficient energy suckers. In fact, if you feel thirsty and tired, drinking a full glass of water will most likely wake you up instantly. If you are dragging around and feeling foggy in the brain – please grab a glass of water BEFORE you grab an energy drink! Those that stay hydrated on average eat 10% fewer calories per day. Water increases metabolism and creates a feeling of fullness.

Aim for 1 gallon of water per day to flush out the toxins in your body that contribute to fatigue.

Skip the nightcap!

While alcohol may help you go to sleep, it will interfere with your deep sleep and make you feel wiped out when its time to wake up in the morning.

It’s All About Chemistry

Hormone balance

If you are feeling the symptoms of hormone imbalance (PMS, pre-menopause, or Andropause – male loss of hormone) this may be the direct cause of your fatigue. Hormone imbalance has a profound effect on your energy.

Check your THYROID

Constant low energy or the classic “hitting the wall in the afternoon” may be an underlying low thyroid level. Insist on a full thyroid hormone panel when tested. The thyroid has 200 functions in the body with metabolism and energy being at the top five. Do not let this go untreated, as it has a negative effect on your heart, brain, and weight if left untreated.

Check your Ferritin level

Low iron storage will not only create a terrible feeling of fatigue, but it can also lead to headaches, dizziness (especially when you stand up quickly), easy bruising, and heavy periods. This can be corrected easily with the right iron formula and can wipe out fatigue quickly! Ask for a ferritin level at your next appointment and shoot for a level of 50 or greater! Recent studies confirm optimizing ferritin levels increase dopamine in the brain – which induces a feeling of “well–being.”

Take a daily ENERGY supplement

Energy supplements can have a significant effect on your energy. The careful formulation of the exact herbs and botanicals to boost your energy will help get you back on track quickly! Try BalanceDocs Energy today!

Consider taking Magnesium

Magnesium not only boosts your energy, but helps strengthen bones and keep your heart, nerves, and immune system functioning optimally. Sprinkle sesame seeds on your veggies (loaded with magnesium) and include dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and high fiber foods in your diet.

Stress supplements

Stress supplements are key in helping regulate your cortisol (energy stress hormone), keeping you functioning at a high level during the day, managing your stress, and putting your brain to sleep at night to recover. Try the OnePeak Medical Stress Support Supplement Bundle today.

Move that Booty – Sleep that Booty

  1. Move your body to turn the tide on fatigue. Start today and get outside for 20 minutes to wake up your body. The problem with many of us today is that we work our brains all week long and then forget to work our body which leaves us feeling wiped out. There must be a balance between our brains and body which can only happen when you are moving daily and working a sweat.
  2. Stimulate your heart with exercise to oxygenate your blood and give every organ the boost it needs to feel invigorated. This also has the added benefit of clearing your mind, creating less “mental heaviness,” and helps to balance your stress hormones and insulin levels –both of which can create fatigue if off-kilter.
  3. Try the 10-minute rule. Make a special deal with yourself and move your body for 10 minutes instead of plopping down to watch TV to relax. If you want to quit after 10 minutes you can, but chances are once you start you will be able to lay down 30 minutes no problem! Another option might be to just walk around the block when you are wiped out. Walking is particularly helpful for energy and clearing the mind and good for those who are experiencing back pain. A study found 10 minutes of walking not only increased energy, but the effects lasted for two additional hours afterwards.
  4. Lift weights, do yoga, or try this combination. DAILY sit-ups, push-ups, and lunges in three sets. These simple exercises work the entire body, keep you from losing muscle mass with age (real energy-zapper), and keep you looking lean and fit!
  5. Take a POWER NAP. Close your office door, slip out to your car, or drop down on the couch for a quick power nap. These cat naps will help boost your mood, memory, lower stress levels, and increase productivity. Take a smart nap and aim to get a 20 minute or less nap in before 2 pm.
  6. Clean up your SLEEP patterns.
    • Get to sleep before 11 pm (you make essential hormones starting at 11 pm that you can’t miss out on)
    • Aim for nine hours nightly – with stress you will need more sleep
    • Take a PM Stress supplement to “turn off your brain,” get to sleep and stay asleep, and get your cortisol rhythms back in sync.
    • Keep the room pitch dark – even covering up the numbers on your alarm clock
    • Keep the room cool at 68 degrees
    • Keep your cell phone away from your head and silenced
    • Kick out the animals and do not let them interrupt your sleep
    • Don’t use the computer before bed (the light and stimulation of material you are reading increases stress hormone levels and wakes your brain up)
    • Take a natural brain supplement (like OnePeak Medical Sleep) to aid in deep restful sleep that will help you wake up refreshed and rejuvenated.

Mend the Mind – Six Steps to Help Heal & Mend the Mind

Start each day with at least 10 minutes of QUIET DOWN TIME.

This is a time you can:

  1. Journal
  2. Meditate
  3. Pray/connect with God
  4. Focus on deep breathing exercises
  5. Count your blessings – write down things you are thankful for (great for energy)
  6. Read inspirational quotes, books, mantras, or scripture

Keep a POSITIVE ATTITUDE

This is vital! Whatever you choose to focus on, there you will go! It is a LAW like gravity. Don’t let yourself get caught up in negativity; it will drain your body and mind of good energy faster than anything else you do. If you go to the negative, make a plan to STOP yourself and immediately say something positive – even if you don’t believe it when you say it, eventually you will.

Feed your BRAIN energy food

  1. Garbage in, garbage out. Stop feeding garbage to your brain. If the news, radio, TV, or paper are bringing you down and do not provide helpful, uplifting, energy-producing effects, then stop predisposing yourself to them.
  2. Stop wasting time on your cell phone, social media, and countless wasted hours surfing the web for whatever it is that you don’t need.
  3. Begin filling your brain with useful information that will help de-rail fatigue and power up your energy fields to become as productive as you can be. This will not only stop the mindless chatter but will also set you on a healthy path that you were meant to be on!

Train your BRAIN

If you want to feel a certain way tell your brain what you want. The brain is very responsive to your body and its commands and will learn new habits quickly if you train it. This would explain why people who lay around all day feel tired. Their body has been told to “lie around” so why would it have the gumption to get up and feel energetic. If you want to feel energy, you need to say to your body… MOVE and keep moving.

Avoid energy DRAINING folks!

This is vital to good energy. If you put all of your contacts into three categories – Energizer, Drainer, and Neutrals – you will soon see if you have too many Drainers. These people make you feel tired when you are with them; they make you tense, negative, and wipe you out. Figure out how to ditch them and fill your life with more Energizers that give you a natural energy lift and make you laugh. They are worth their weight in gold!

Deal with ANGER

This emotion more than any others will deplete energy and make you feel very low and depressed. If you are dealing with something or someone that makes you bitter, angry, resentful, or just plain irritable, then deal with it. You can’t go on like this. Psychology researchers say that anger leaves you mentally and physically exhausted. Consider EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) exercises to rid your body of anger or negative emotions that you can’t seem to let go of.

Your energy levels do not have to remain low… You have more control than you think. It is time to deliberately manage your energy.

Start today!

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