How to get more energy
Posted by Brett Riesenhuber on Fri, Jan 07, 2011 @ 11:52 AM
ENERGY!
Throughout my life I've always been energetic...many would say that I am a total SPAZ!
But I like to wake up early, get straight to work, workout and exercise, cook, run around, think stuff up, help people out, and usually work 8-12 hours per day doing personal training, blog posting, phone coaching, diet coaching, boot camp instruction, seminars, and just doing the stuff that I love to do!
We get a ton of people who com to us at the gym and say "I want to workout to lose weight so that I can keep up with my kids and have more energy."
Now that I am getting older, and stuff hurts more (and more frequently), I can totally get that.
This getting up at 0-Dark-Thirty every day and kicking butt all day long can be tough...and I could only imagine what it is like for my clients with children running around!
Remember, the more energy we have, the more work we can get done and the more calories we can burn...and the more FAT we can lose.
One of my good friends is like me, up at 4AM and working all day with exercise thrown in...he gets home to his bundle of energy who goes non-stop from 6AM until 11PM!
I don't think I could keep up!
So today I wanted to share a bit of great information about a few tips to increase your energy...and kick butt at work, with the kids, and fuel your workouts!
SLEEP
We need sleep, we know that.
But most adults NEED 7-8 hours of sleep.
Less than that and our bodies start to be less efficient...
More than that and we can be slow all day.
Naps can be a great way to recharge the batteries during the day. It has been shown that a 20 minute cat nap can totally revive and refresh the body and get it ready to crank out more work...
BUT more than 20 minutes and the body starts to get into full blown sleep mode and energy is not as strong.
The best way to start your day strong is to jump out of bed with power and enthusiasm and get going immediately...lounging in bed will make your energy lower throughout the day.
HYDRATE
After getting up I recommend heading straight to the kitchen and getting a glass of water.
Add to the water the juice of 1-2 FRESH lemons and drink it down.
The lemon juice helps to lower the acidity of the body, and when combined with the water, increases hydration. Remember that you have not had anything to drink for 8 hours...time to replenish.
Hydration helps fight fatigue and is essential for increased energy.
EAT
Time to break the fast that you have been in for the past 8 hours.
Adding a protein rich meal helps to pump the amino acids into the body and brain, getting everything moving in the right direction.
When your brain is running at maximum capacity, it is easy to get things done.
EXERCISE
The last thing that helps crank up your day is to get you exercise out of the way first thing in the morning.
Get those endorphins pumped up and have an awesome early morning workout to make your day roll strong and get the added benefit of an increased metabolism all day.
Please leave your comments and your tips for increasing energy levels below!
