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Do you sometimes feel like you don’t have the energy to get up in the morning, let alone make it through the day?
Every now and then we all need a pick-me-up. The good news is that there are many great, natural ways of getting back the proverbial pep in your step.
1. A healthy, balanced diet
Your first consideration should be the food you eat, and when you eat it.
According to Dan Bernardot, Professor of Nutrition at Georgia State University in Atlanta, you should never let your tank reach empty.
Bernardot stresses the importance of maintaining normal blood-sugar levels, adding that eating every few hours is the best way to achieve this. Yes, it can sometimes be challenging to plan ahead, but having healthy snacks at hand will prevent you from going long periods of time without refuelling.
Dietician Shona Collins, who has 20 years’ experience working in private practice in South Africa and the UK, agrees that, to keep our energy levels up, we should eat smaller, regular, balanced meals, combining wholegrain, low-GI (slow-digesting) carbohydrates with good-quality protein and/or fat.
Collins also offers these tips to keep our energy levels up:
• Never skip breakfast. It provides us with important fuel for the first half of the day.
• Drink enough water – dehydration is the most common cause of fatigue. If you’re not that keen on plain water, consider drinking herbal tea (e.g. rooibos tea) or supplementing your food intake with coconut water, a natural drink that provides many natural electrolytes (similar to sports drinks).
• When feeling tired and drained, avoid high-GI sweets and high-energy foods as these often result in a rebound effect, leaving you wanting more within 45 minutes.
2. Enough sleep, more exercise
Are you sleeping enough and exercising regularly? If not, these are two of the most important steps you can take to rebalance your energy levels.
Aim for:
• At least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Quick 20-minute power naps during the day can also help make you feel more energised.
• At least 10-20 minutes’ worth of exercise every day. According to Dr Roger Clemens, spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago, the best way to have more energy is to cultivate a more active lifestyle.
Researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University found that exercising around lunchtime leads to a more productive workday. That isn’t surprising, considering that exercise gets oxygen-rich blood flowing through your body to your brain, heart and muscles.
3. Regular downtime
It’s a fact: regularly taking time off from your busy schedule to rest and recuperate is critical in terms of sustained energy levels.
Essayist Tim Kreider sums it up well in a The New York Times article: “Idleness isn’t just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it’s as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets.”
He continues: “The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration – it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.”
Make the most of your downtime. It really is instrumental in terms of recharging your batteries. Let it work even harder for you with these tips:
• Grab a cinnamon stick and take a couple of whiffs to reduce fatigue and make you feel more alert. If there’s no cinnamon around, try peppermint instead. You could also add a drop of essential oil to a tissue or cotton wool ball.
• Take a bath or shower and use soap or body wash containing citrus fruits. This will increase the production of serotonin, a “happy hormone” – while reducing levels of norepinephrine, a “stress hormone”.
• Listen to music and sing along. A study published in Athletic Insight found that just listening to upbeat music for 10 minutes is one of the fastest ways to get an extra jolt of energy, second only to exercise.
4. Energy-boosting herbs and supplements
Trying to boost your energy levels artificially with pills and potions might provide a short-term shot of energy, but it could lead to a crash in the long term, asserts dietician Shona Collins. That said, there are times when a supplement or herb might be just what you need.
First determine what type of energy you need, as the right product will depend on your particular situation. Then consult a doctor, dietician or nutritional consultant to confirm if the product is 100% safe and right for you.
Energy supplements include:
• Stimulants (metabolism boosters): These include caffeine, herbal sources of caffeine and related compounds, e.g. kola nut; yerba mate and guarana; Asian ginseng; green tea; capsaicin (found in chilli pepper); and bitter orange (which contains synephrine).
Experts are divided on whether these stimulants really do boost energy. They point out that, while they’re likely to temporarily energise you, it’s unlikely their effects would be more dramatic than a cup of coffee. Caffeine can temporarily improve mental focus and help counter exhaustion, but adults shouldn’t drink more than 400mg of caffeine per day (roughly equal to three small cups of coffee).
• Substances that affect energy metabolism, i.e. how cells derive energy from nutrients. These include coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), the B vitamins, creatine, carnitine and various amino acids – substances that are all derived from the nutrients, proteins, fats and amino acids we get from food, or which are already present in our bodies.
However, according to Dr David Leopold, Director of Integrative Medical Education at the Scripps Centre for Integrative Medicine, unless you’re deficient in CoQ10, carnitine or one or more of the B vitamins, you’re unlikely to increase your energy by taking supplements.
• Calorie supplements usually comprise carbohydrates that can be broken down easily to be absorbed as energy. These are found in various energy drinks, energy bars, gels and even enhanced waters. The high-GI carbs rapidly enter the bloodstream and spike blood glucose, causing a reactive surge of insulin. However, the energy boost is temporary.
Competitive athletes often use these supplements to keep going in endurance events or to help them recover more quickly after a heavy workout. But unless you’re an elite athlete, using these products is generally not a good idea, as they can cause weight gain in the long run.
• Herbs: Several herbs have also been touted as energy boosters. A few examples include: ashwagandha (an exotic Indian herb that treats exhaustion and anxiety), astragulus (an ancient Chinese remedy that helps treat physical exhaustion and fatigue), and liquorice (a herb that stimulates the metabolism-regulating adrenal glands).
