The end of the year can be a fun yet busy time of the year! With all of the holidays, traveling, family gatherings and parties it can be a little overwhelming and tiring at times.
If this sounds familiar to you, keep reading for 5 ways to help naturally increase your energy during this time of the year.
Get Quality Sleep
- A good night’s sleep is key in helping to increase your energy levels. One thing to pay attention to is your quality of sleep, all sleep is not good sleep.
- Better sleep quality will help to strengthen your immunity and regulate hormone levels which can both affect energy levels.
- To increase your sleep quality, try implementing a bed time routine that includes shutting down all electronics an hour before bedtime, relaxing your mind and doing a little stretching.
Drink Water
- The average adult body is composed of about 60% water. Water is a key component in reactions that occur in the body to help keep us alive.
- Water helps to carry oxygen and nutrients (fuel) to our cells which is vital to our energy levels. It also helps to flush out toxins that can cause us to become sluggish and fatigued if not properly expelled.
- Drink up! It is recommended that you drink at least half your body weight is ounces per day. Slowly increase your water intake over time so you can eventually work your way up to half your body weight.
- Be prepared to go to the bathroom a lot! But this is a good thing, as you flush out toxins you will feel more energetic!
Eat Foods That Fuel Your Body!
- Eating a balanced diet will help to regulate your blood sugar which in turn will help with your energy levels. Not to mention you will be consuming nutrients needed to help your body’s cells produce fuel needed for energy.
- Developing clean eating habits can be tough at first but the benefits are rewarding. In order to eat clean you want to eliminate the amount of processed food, refined sugars and fatty meats you consume and eat more fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean sources of protein.
- This doesn’t mean you have to totally deprive yourself of foods you like but the goal is to limit the amount of processed food you consume and instead use fresh ingredients full of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly.
- The key to developing healthy eating habits is to be mindful of what you are putting in your body on a regular basis.
Exercise
- Research shows that the more you move, the more you will want to move which will result in higher energy levels. When you exercise, your body will rise to the challenge and become stronger resulting in you having more energy to perform your daily activities.
- Regular physical activity helps to exercise your heart. When your heart becomes stronger it is able to pump more blood filled with water, oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body ultimately increasing energy levels.
- Also, when we exercise we sweat and sweating is another way that our body releases toxins.
- So let’s get moving! Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 to 6 days a week!
Decrease Alcohol Consumption (especially at night)
- Alcohol is a sedative that can make you drowsy. Having a night cap can help you sleep at night but that sleepiness can lead to drowsiness in the morning.
- Drinking alcohol can also lead to dehydration and one of the first signs of dehydration is fatigue and weakness. To explain, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it will stimulate increased production of urine. Increased urination helps to prevent the intoxicating buildup of ethanol in the blood. The more we urinate, the more the body becomes dehydrated as we continue to drink.
- If you are having a night cap be sure to limit it to one drink and be sure to consume plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
Decrease Stress Levels
- Increased stress levels can lead to many physical and mental symptoms. Stress can make you feel overwhelmed and drained. When we are stressed it makes it harder to get a good night of rest and obviously if we are not sleeping well it will affect our energy levels.
- You can help decrease your stress levels by:
- Taking a mental break and unplugging for a little while.
- Not being afraid to say no and put yourself first when necessary.
- Talking to someone you can trust.
Now that you know a few easy ways to help increase your energy levels it’s time to put them in action!
Find Health in Every Day!
Dr. Lindsay