I'm here to tell you that you can significantly increase your energy by doing just one simple thing. But first, let me dispel a few myths...
Do Certain Foods REALLY Increase Your Energy?
Have you seen those Emerald nuts commercials? You know, the ones where the people fall asleep during important tasks because they haven't got enough energy. Then a friend gives them some nuts and woo hoo, they have energy galore!
I want to let you in on a little secret: there is *nothing* you can eat that will increase your energy...not fruit, not vegetables, and certainly not nuts!
Digestion is a process in your body and it *requires* energy. That's why everyone retires to the couch after a large Holiday meal...your body is working overtime to process all of the food, leaving you too worn out to do anything else!
Which brings me to my next point: there are certain foods that require *less* effort from your body to digest. Raw fruit, for instance, only takes *minutes* to go through the digestive process.
But again, even raw foods do not give you energy. It just uses up less, providing you with optimal fuel and letting you retain more of your own energy than if you had eaten, say, a bologna sandwich.
What About Exercise?
If simply eating an apple requires energy, you know what exercise does, right? Yep. Exercise saps your energy!
Think about it: you decide to go for a jog. You spend a good 30 minutes on the track. How do you feel afterwards? You feel a little worn out, right? And probably a little hungry.
With that said, making exercise a regular part of your life will *improve* your energy expenditure in the long run. Because your body is now engaging in more intense periods of movement, average daily tasks will become even easier to perform. They will require less energy from you than they did before an exercise routine was implemented.
Exercising also makes the *true* energy booster even more efficient.
So what does give us energy?
Good question!
The *only* thing that we can do that actually restores our energy is...
*SLEEP*
That's right. Good ole' sleep. It's easy to do, you can do it in the comfort of your own home, and it's free! What's better than waking up naturally after a good night's rest?
When you sleep, your body goes into hibernation mode. Because you are not moving, eating, thinking, etc., you are creating less of a demand for your body. All of your organs, muscles, etc. are given the chance to rest and recover.
How much sleep do you need? It's an easy answer, but you might not like it...enough.
You need enough sleep.
You want some numbers? The general guideline is 8-10 hours every night. However, this changes from person to person. Someone who is training for a marathon will need much more sleep than someone who only goes for long walks on the weekends.
Tips for getting quality sleep
As evidenced by the vast number of sleeping pills and potions used by the general public, people have a hard time getting quality sleep.
Here are some easy tips to help you *finally* get some sound sleep:
- Go raw! As stated earlier, eating healthy raw foods require less energy, allowing you to sleep much more soundly.
- Don't eat too late. Try to finish your last meal a few hours before bedtime so that your body is not digesting food while you are asleep.
- Be a yogi! Just a few minutes of yoga, or any kind of light stretching, is a great way to calm your body and mind before sleepy time.
- Start an exercise routine. You will be amazed at how wonderfully exhausted you feel when bedtime rolls around.
- Turn off the computer or put down the laptop at least an hour before you go to sleep. I'm really bad about this sometimes, but it truly makes a difference.
As far as getting *enough* sleep, you simply have to get into the habit of doing so. The easiest way to do this is to gradually add on time to your nights. For instance, start by going to bed just 20 minutes earlier than you usually do. Add 20 more minutes the following week, and so on.
You can also try just adding a few restful moments throughout your day. That means no TV, no computer, and no phone! While this isn't as restorative as sleeping, it does provide your body with a little bit of recovery time.
I have one last little point to make. If you wake up in the morning exhausted, that's because you are! The absolute best thing you can do is go back to bed. Even if it means skipping exercise, go back to bed.
Yes, it's that important.
Swayze_Foster
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