Boost your energy levels with some of these simple lifestyle tweaks
Do you feel tired when you wake up on a morning? Are you desperate for caffeine by midmorning? Does your energy take a nosedive in the afternoon?
If you’re experiencing those feelings above, one (or more) of these four issues could be affecting your energy levels…
Nutrient deficiency:
A poor diet, deficient in key nutrients like magnesium and B vitamins can lead to fatigue, as your cells don’t have the necessary vitamins and minerals to produce cellular energy.
Sugar overload:
Eating too much sugar and refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, pizza, cakes and cereals) triggers your blood sugar levels to spike rapidly.
Even though that will give you a quick energy boost, your blood sugars will soon come crashing down, leaving you feeling tired again.
Excess caffeine:
Caffeine overstimulates the adrenal glands and puts the body into a stress response.
It can also cause insulin resistance, which means your body can’t get fuel (glucose) into your cells, resulting in fatigue.
Dehydration:
Insufficient water prevents your cells from working efficiently.
Seventy per cent of the body is made up of water, and you need to constantly replace fluids lost throughout the day. Aim for a minimum of two litres of water each day.
If you’re feeling low on energy try these four simple lifestyle tweaks:
Exercise regularly.
Working out improves blood flow, enabling more oxygen and nutrients to get into your cells to produce energy.
Sleep soundly.
Adopt a good sleep routine to allow your body and brain to wind down at night.
Eat dinner early, avoid excessive screen time, and do something relaxing before bed.
Reduce sugar
Opt for natural, energyboosting foods instead: fruits and vegetables, wholegrains (oats, brown rice), quality protein (nuts, seeds, quinoa, beans, lentils), good sources of fats (avocados, flaxseed oil) and superfoods (such as maca, acai and spirulina).
These foods are also high in magnesium and B vitamins, which are essential nutrients for energy production.
Drink more.
Stay hydrated and keep your cells energised by drinking filtered water with fresh lemon.
Lemon stimulates the digestive system, which improves nutrient absorption.
To help people during these present unprecedented times, the Government has issued the following advice to people.
GOV.UK says: Look after your physical wellbeing. Your physical health has a big impact on how you are feeling emotionally and mentally.
At times like these, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy patterns of behaviour which, in turn, can make you feel worse.
Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals and drink enough water.
Visit One You for advice on improving your health and wellbeing, including ideas for healthy meals you can cook at home.
Be physically active. Doing exercise and other physical activity can have a positive impact on your mood, improve your sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety.
There are lots of easy ways to get moving like walking or gardening.
If you can’t exercise outside, you can find free, easy 10-minute workouts from Public Health England or other exercise videos on the NHS Fitness Studio. Sport England also has tips for keeping active at home.
Smoking or using drugs or alcohol to cope in times of stress and disruption can make things worse, including your mental health.
NHS Better Health provides information and advice on quitting smoking.