Sleep more.

Ha Ha. I’m kidding of course. We all know getting the right amount of sleep prevents us from getting tired. But if you’re like most of the people I talk to, you can’t always get a solid 8 hours. So how do you keep from getting tired? Even downright exhausted.

Well there are things you can do to increase your energy levels even if you don’t get a lot of sleep. And I’m not talking about a double shot espresso or Red Bull. There are natural steps you can take to help increase your energy levels throughout the day.

And it’s important to mention what kind of tired you are. One of our clients came in the other night for her workout and she was exhausted.

“How are you feeling Kim?”

“Tired. I have a huge proposal tomorrow. I’ve been working all day and I still have a lot to go. But physically I’m ok.”

What Kim knew is that she was mentally fatigued and not physically fatigued. Once she left her work at work and started her workout her energy levels soared! She was smart enough to differentiate between mental and physical energy.

And that’s a BIG secret! Mental fatigue is usually related to stress. Once you acknowledge this you can cope with it through exercise, meditation, or something else that makes you happy. This will help return your energy level while not relying on foods and drinks to ‘pick you up’.

Ok, now that you know there’s a difference between mental and physical fatigue we can talk about the five steps to never getting tired again.

1. Make a schedule and stick to it. We’re creatures of habit. Making a regular schedule for eating and sleeping will have a profound effect on your weight loss.

2. Eat 5 -6 times per day. You’ve been hearing this for years. And I’ll admit it’s hard. Eating helps boost metabolism. And doing it in smaller spurts throughout the day will help keep your metabolism burning and prevent you from crashing mid afternoon. 

3. Don’t use food or drinks to give you needed energy. This only cures the symptom of being tired. Your goal should be to cure the problem. Relying on sugary foods and drinks will only add weight while giving you a temporary fix on your energy.

4. Schedule a power nap for 15 minutes on days you don’t get enough sleep. While naps do not necessarily make up for inadequate or poor quality nighttime sleep, a short nap of 15-30 minutes can help improve mood, alertness and performance. And you’ll be in good company. Winston Churchill, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Napoleon, Einstein, Thomas Edison and George W. Bush are known to have valued an afternoon nap.

5. Make sleeping seven to eight hours per night a priority. No one likes to admit they watch a lot of TV, but studies and surveys tell us we all watch too much. Replacing one hour of TV or internet with sleep will help you turn 6 hours to 7 or 8.

Put one or more of these five steps to use and you’ll increase your energy throughout the day. For my full article on sleep you can visit the Fitness Expert Network here.

Now go eat something healthy,

Tim

P.S. Thinking about a change in your life? You can schedule a FREE health and fintess consultation here.

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