HOW DO I GET MORE ENERGY?

I know I said I was going to write a post about “Discipine or by feel“, but I just need to get this one out first! I will postpone the other one a little bit, but I will publish it within a few weeks, I promise! It’s too dark in Finland to not post this one now. This is for anyone who feels tired and want to find ways to get more energy. Let’s take a look.

This subject is one of the biggest realizations I’ve had the last couple of months. I’ve been lacking energy for many reasons and I’ve had to cut down on my training amount and especially the intensity, a lot. Now I’m redifining what is needed to do just something as simple as going through a full day filled with energy and enjoyment. When the basic stuff is on point, will all other things feel easier to do.

We all know that feeling when you’re tired. Tired in the morning even though you’ve slept enough of hours. Tired after you’ve eaten. So tired that you almost fall asleep if you sit in the bus for ten minutes. Tired and therefor you can’t focus when your friend is talking to you or you’re trying to listen to your teacher in class. Sometimes you can feel so tired that even taking out the trash feels like an unobtainable task! I’ve had some of these feelings and it was about time that I realized that a change was needed. Now I’m working on recognizing the drained feelings when they come and right away find solutions to change the direction of them.

Something needs to be done if you feel the same way. You can’t live your life in a blur of feeling tired and inefficient, it’s just not enjoyable! This will hinder you to explore your talent to do whatever it is that you want to do. We ALL have talent to do remarkable things. Some of you know what it is and some of you might not now yet, but we all are here on this earth so that we can express ourselves and share our knowledge and wisdom to others in either a direct or indirect way.

So let’s take a look at different ways I believe you can increase your energy. I very strongly believe that an increase in energy levels will open your eyes and get you excited about whatever beholds in your future.

1. Getting excited means getting energy!

Imagine your favorite things to do, if you could choose ANYTHING right now. For me, it would be a vacation in a warm and sunny place, waking up to the sunrise with a lot of energy to do a morning swim in a pool. After that I would eat a big and healthy breakfast with no rush anywhere and I would do these things with people I love. Afterwards I would have a lot of energy and do some work on my computer where I motivate others to live a healthy life. I would also write up some personal goals of what I want to achieve. Solely thinking about these things gets me excited and energized. I will now be taking steps to be able to fulfill this “dream”! Another thing that gets me excited is just as simple as getting my hair done at a hair salon. A plain thing that I know makes me feel good. Therefor, I might book in an appointment at a hair salon and have something to look forward to in the end of the week.

Did you get the point? Try to find out what things gets you excited, big or small, and make time for them. You will have something to look forward to and that usually provides you with some energy.

2. Complaining takes you nowhere.

In life we will face situations that brings out some sort of suffering and difficulties. It’s a fact that they happen and everybody have to deal with them at some point in their life. Some have more difficult things they go through and some have less, but we all have them. An extremely important thing is to not become a victim by feeling sorry for yourself when difficult situations occur. Another one is to not point fingers at someone else for your hardships. Those reactions really takes you nowhere, they only make you miserable. We shouldn’t have the need to show others how difficult things are by trying to get some pity-points. We should not either blame on an external source of why things are going bad. Show others instead how amazing you are by overcoming those obstacles in your life. Show yourself how you won’t let a difficult situation make you feel less about yourself or prevent you from reaching out after your dreams. It really is true that we can’t control how some things turn out but we can always control how we react to those situations.

Become mentally so stable and determined, that nothing will let you down is a character of a true champion. I’ve also learned that usually the people who are thought of having an easy life have just been better at finding ways to get overcome their personal difficulties. Therefor assuming that others have it easier than you usually quite inaccurate and even foolish!

Get up and never give up, it’s never too late!

3. Eat right.

I’m very inspired by people who have changed their eating habits and as a result, have a clear change in energy levels. I’ve learned that the most common things for an increase in energy through nutrition are:

• More vegetables and real food. In other words, ditch the processed stuff and eat veggies with every meal! The cool thing about vegetables is that you can eat a lot and you get lots of vitamins through them.
• Eating regularly. I like to put a timer on my phone to remind me every 3 hours to eat something. This way my energy levels will be steady. I make sure that every meal includes carbs, proteins and fats.
• Drinking enough water. Somehow this is just simply a challenge for me! I try to keep a water bottle near to make sure I’m staying hydrated.
• Track you food. I’m not there yet, but many people use an app to count their macros and/or calories and get some help from a professional to find out exactly how much and what they should eat to reach their nutritional goals.

PS! A common deficiency in my country (Finland) is lack of D-vitamin. I’ve taken a broad variety of blood tests lately and the only deficiency that was found was low D-vitamin levels. Therefor I eat a supplement every day, but that’s the only supplement I take. If you’re in a country where you don’t get much day light at the moment, then there’s a possibility that you would benefit from a D-vitamin supplement.

4. Proper rest and movement are essential.

This is definitely not the least important part. Wouldn’t it be easier if you would wake up feeling rested and energized for the day? I am definitely on the hunt of becoming more of a morning person right now! I want to feel rested and at ease when I wake up, ready to tackle the day and do the things I have planned with enthusiasm and a clear vision. As you can probably tell, that is not always the case. Therefor I try to get 9 hours of sleep, turn off all electronics at 22.30pm and have a glass of water by my bed. I also use a sleeping app to optimize this part and to follow up on how nourishing the sleep I’m getting actually is. Baby steps!

If movement in general is not a part of your weekly routines, I suggest you read the previous post and consider taking up a hobby. A sport, any sport, will work wonders for your energy levels. Of course, if you work out too much and don’t get enough rest it will work as the opposite (been there…) so make sure the hobby you have leaves you feeling energized, not exhausted!

As the last part I’m gonna do a little note to self of what brings me energy when I feel down or tired. You can do the same by listing up 3 things you know will brighten up any day!

I get energy when….

 

…I look at inspiring videos of my favorite athletes, like this one:

…I set up realistic, short-term goals that usually are sports-related and due that same week. This week I want to row for 1 hour without breaks.

…I make myself a cup of coffee. Caffeine has a proven effect to increase energy, but too much of it can cause some shaking, a rapid heart beat or stomach irritation.

…I do a light-intensity workout or a 20min yoga/mobility class, for example from youtube.

That’s it! Hopefully this post will give you some ideas on how to get more out of your day and feel energized and happy. Have an energyfull week!

 

x Steffi

 

Photos: Iko PB Photographer – @iko_pb