10 Easy Ways to Boost Your Energy

Lack of energy is one of the most common complaints from moms. We feel exhausted managing our schedules, our households, and raising kids. We are generally overcommitted and energy-stretched. Oftentimes, there isn’t enough energy left over for us. And exercise? Ha! Forget about it! We know it’s good for us, but we are too exhausted. It’s usually the last thing we want to do.

But I have some great news! There are things we can do on a daily basis to regain our energy level.

Here are the top 10 energy boosters I have incorporated into my life through experience and research from top experts.

Incorporate these into your day and you’re bound to see your energy levels soar.

1. Wake Early And Create A Morning Routine

I can’t wait to get out of bed each and every day. I haven’t always been this way. I owe it to The Miracle Morning, a book recommended to me by my son. This book has revolutionized not only my mornings but has awakened me to my full potential. I highly recommend it (http://halelrod.com).

• My daily morning routine begins with some (or all) of these practices:
• Meditation, prayer and time with God
• Drinking 16 oz of water upon waking
• Listening to a motivational podcast
• Journaling
• Daily affirmations
• Writing down goals

2. Drink Plenty Of Water

Did you know that over 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? Even slight dehydration can leave us feeling tired and lethargic. Drinking water is a simple and inexpensive way to increase energy and assist our bodies in operating at prime efficiency. Water wards off headaches, increases our metabolisms, fights fatigue, eliminates food cravings, and flushes toxins from our body.

Tips:

• Drink at least 8 (64oz) glasses of water daily.
• Replace soda with water.
• Add lemons, limes, and/or other fresh fruit to your water to add flavor.

3. Express Your Emotions

Some of our biggest energy zappers are stress and bottled up emotions. Stress can leave us feeling mentally and physically exhausted and wanting to spend the whole day in bed.

We all know how we can feel after a good cry. Releasing and expressing our emotions frees up our energy and actually reduces stress. Emotions can be like toxins in our bodies that literally make us sick.

Tips:

• Express, express, express. Get your emotions out. It is common to believe that, if you express your feelings, they will actually consume you. The opposite is true. By releasing our feelings, we free the energy it takes to suppress and manage them. Think of emotions like a pressure cooker. The more we keep them inside, the more likely we are to blow our lid. Taking the lid off releases them before we loose it.
• Go to a private place and shout out all of your feelings with tons of emotion (be willing to feel like a crazy person).
• Express or write down what your feeling or desire. Say it out loud with tons of intention (for example, “I am angry that I have so much to do and I WILL NOW ask others for help”).

4. Eat For Energy

We all have heard that “you are what you eat.” What we put in our bodies can either improve our energy levels or deplete them. When we are tired, we may reach for sugar to give us a spike in blood sugar—only to crash later, leaving us feeling exhausted.

Tips:

• Eat a diet rich in green veggies (at least two servings per day) and lean proteins.
• Avoid processed and high-carbohydrate foods that deplete your energy: white sugar, candy/sweets, and starchy foods (potatoes, white rice, pasta).
• Eat slow-digesting carbs like sweet potatoes, brown rice, and wheat bread.
• Take a good multi-vitamin daily.

5. Get Your Body Moving Everyday

I think this is one of the most important things we can do to boost our energy. Exercise not only improves our mood, but also clears our head. Exercise rejuvenates our bodies by oxygenating our blood and emitting endorphins (the “feel good hormones”). It also helps us to lose weight, which always lightens our load. 🙂

Tips:

• Do jumping jacks, push ups, walking, running, dancing, whatever gets your body up and moving!
• Get creative. Try something new. I recently got a Fitbit for my birthday. It’s super, duper cool and an awesome motivational tool. Check it out. I love to compete with my friends for the most daily steps!

6. Get A Good Nights Sleep

There is nothing that impacts my brain function or lack thereof more than sleep deprivation. Recent research shows that seven hours of sleep per night is the optimal amount for our health and that more is not necessarily beneficial.

Sleep improves our brain function, boosts our immune system, increases our energy, and improves muscle memory.

Tips:

• Experiment with the amount of sleep that feels best for you—some of us need more sleep then others
• It’s beneficial to stick with the same bedtime at least 5 nights out of the week
• Resist looking at your phone 30 minutes before going to sleep and 30 minutes after you waking

7. Change Your Attitude

Try something. Slouch your shoulders, bend over slightly and say, “I have to exercise.” Now, stand up tall and say, “I get to exercise.” Makes a huge difference, doesn’t it?

Attitude impacts everything we do. We can choose a positive attitude, even in difficult circumstances. One way to improve our attitude is by practicing gratitude. If you don’t believe this, read…have a link to the benefits of gratitude. Gratitude impacts our attitude, which in turn impacts our energy levels.

Tips:

• Spend time with uplifting people
• When negative thoughts enter your mind, practice replacing them with positive ones
• Practice having faith (here’s how – link to increasing our faith)
• Grow your gratitude muscle by writing 3 things you are grateful for daily

8. Meditate

This is one of my favorite energy boosters. Meditation has been proven to add hours to our day. Just 20 minutes of alpha brainwave meditation is equivalent to an hour of sleep. It decreases stress and promotes a sense of calmness. I have noticed a decline in distraction and an increase in my ability to focus. It has turned the most mundane chores into more enjoyable tasks.

Tips:

• Use a meditation app. This is my all time favorite – (http://www.calm.com)
• Find a peaceful place away from distractions. Close your eyes. Set a timer. Take a quick 3-5 minute meditation break at least 3 times a week by simply taking five deep lower belly breaths and relaxing your shoulders.
• Imagine your body being filled with peace, joy, gratefulness, or whatever you might need in the moment. If your mind drifts, bring your focus back to your breath.

9. Embrace Self-Care

Self-care is not self-indulgence. I liken self-care to maintenance on our car. We are burning fuel (energy) driving to meet the demands of our day. We have to make sure we take the time to slow down, refuel and check our engine. We need regular tune-ups to run at top efficiency. If we put the right gas in our tank we will run smoothly. Self-care is less about indulging and more about the type of gas we put in our tank. If we put junk in our tank, we won’t run at peak performance. Using “high energy octane” nourishes our minds, bodies, and spirits. (for more on self-care lead them to link on “running on empty blog post”).

Tips:

• Learn what is nourishing to you. Some of my own self-care practices are taking a warm bath, reading a good book, hanging with friends, watching a funny movie, meditating, journaling, and/or being creative.
• Let go of guilt. Moms, we don’t need to feel guilty about taking a time out for ourselves.
• Learn to say no in order to take time for yourself.

10. Live A Life That Inspires You

When we are living a life with purpose and passion, we are excited about life. Energy is a natural bi-product of living a life that inspires us. Becoming the person we want to be and creating the life we want will fuel us more than anything else. We will wake up everyday excited and grateful to be alive.

Tips:

• Stretch yourself. Try new things and find out what gets you excited and passionate.
• Be brave. Take risks. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone.
• Adopt the growth mindset. Make it a goal to start today! Here is more information on how to make it happen. (read more here – blog on growth mindset)
• Listen to inspiration podcasts and read books that will offer motivation for improvement and help raise your standards.

Putting these into practice requires that we be intentional. Take one thing that really spoke to you in this article and begin to incorporate it into your life on a daily basis.

Questions: What works for you? What do you do to boost your energy level?