ENERGY!!

I appreciate all of you who follow my blog and hopefully, each week you find a small nugget as your own personal “take away.”  What was your take away from last week on breakthroughs?  I am assuming each of you is a part of the 5% mindset, you want to continually learn, grow and expand your thinking, or you wouldn’t take the time to read any of these.  I thank you for all your thoughts and comments as you inspire me.

Spring time is a time of renewal, rebirth, and a freshness in the air. The flowers and trees are blooming (sorry allergy sufferers), the grass is greening up and needing to be cut, and the temperatures are starting to warm up.  Another part of spring especially for those of you with children in school, it’s the time where your calendar is packed with choir concerts, final dance recitals, spring sports are in full swing, end of the year programs, banquets, prom, graduation, etc. etc.  Whew! 

ENERGY!  We all need more of it, right? After a long night with little sleep due to a sick child, a crying baby, tossing and turning in anticipation of a tough meeting in the morning, thinking about another day with people who look at the glass half empty and only know how to complain, being awakened by the milking “robots” calling at 2:00 am because there’s a problem (right, Michelle?), it’s the jammed packed calendar that has something on it every night, and that endless “to do” list  going over and over in your head etc. etc. We all need more energy! 

What do you do for a pick-me-up when you’re dragging?  Interestingly enough, most people will have 3-4+ cups of their favorite coffee throughout the day.  They didn’t have time to make breakfast, pack a lunch or both so they stopped off at a fast food place just to grab something quick.  Getting up a little earlier to exercise is definitely NOT in the picture, and hydrating with water is also out of the question….caffeine!  I need caffeine.  Sound familiar? 

In reading this, it’s easy to see what we SHOULD do, so why don’t we?  It’s that excuse again…TIME.  Remember…we all have 24 hours in a day, so it’s not a time problem, it’s a priority problem.  It’s the story you’re telling yourself.  If you’re engaging in some of the behaviors listed above on an occasional basis that’s one thing.  If this is your mainstay than yes, it is a problem.  We all have those times, and maybe it’s the last six weeks of school for you, where we are not in control of our time as much as we’d like.  If it’s a limited period of time, you may just be in survival mode.  Unfortunately, however, survival mode tends to flow into being the norm: “energy” drinks, coffee, no exercise, skipping breakfast, junk food, fast food meals etc.   With these bad habits contributing to your lack of energy, it now becomes an endless cycle. Your story continues to be told though it’s not working.

So what are we to do?  First, acknowledge there is a problem.  Second, decide if this truly is just for a short period of time and then get back into your healthy eating, drinking, exercising routine.  Third, take a hard look at how you’re coping with not having energy.  What is one thing you can do to start to make a change? 

Here are a few suggestions.  Find ONE that you’re willing to do starting tomorrow and repeat, consistently for an entire month – that’s 30 days!  If you’re really committed, you’ll write daily in some kind of notebook or journal on how you’re doing and what you’re noticing about your energy level. 

Turn the TV off AND put the computer down 45 minutes to an hour before you go to bed.  Your mind needs a chance to “wind down.”

Have on hand a healthy trail mix bar like ones from Trader Joes or make your own No Bake Energy Bites.  Almonds or walnuts, small amounts of yogurt are also good choices.  Have something that is easy to grab when you need that extra boost.

Get a pedometer and monitor the number of steps you take each day.  The goal is to increase that number by at least 50 steps each day.  Set your baseline on Day 1.

Breakfast is a must and protein is an essential part of this meal.  From personal experience, there are a lot of “junk” shakes out there.  I can attest to either the Shakeology or the Evolv shakes as having clean, healthy ingredients and will keep you feeling satisfied until lunch.  AND it takes less than five minutes to mix up.

For one entire month, commit to NO FAST FOODS. 

Limit your caffeine intake to one cup of coffee in the morning.  Choose other ways to hydrate like water with a dash of concentrated lemon or lime juice for the rest of the day.

NO soda, 5 Hour Energy, or any “energy” drink.  These are loaded with sugar and “hidden sugars."  That's why you have a spike in your energy and then comes the crash.

  

Create a routine during the week, and even on the weekends, with a regular bed time and the same wake up time.  (That is unless you have small children who may determine those times for you.)

Commit to a 20 minute walk once a day.

Women, in particular, complain about fatigue but actually the problem is dehydration!!  Are you drinking enough water?  A good test is if your pee is clear or a pale yellow, you’re getting enough fluids.  Focus on what you’re drinking.

Yes, you need carbs.  However, if you’re eating white bread, cookies, pastas etc. your blood sugar will spike and then you crash which leaves you without energy – you’re exhausted.  

Take these out of your food choices for the month.

Choose complex carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and focus on having these are each meal.

What’s your choice?  Which one will you pick to pursue for 30 days?

I wish you a chance to reflect on your habits, your routines, and how you can get back to having an increased  level of energy each day.  I hope you don’t settle and accept the “no energy” as the norm.  We ARE in control and there ARE things we can do.