Do you ever have that sluggish feeling? Can you get a good night’s sleep and still wake up feeling tired and not ready to tackle the day? Do you find yourself yawning all afternoon as you keep staring at the clock and counting down the hours until bedtime?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions then you aren’t alone. There are plenty of others who suffer from the same types of symptoms and find it hard to make it through the day without being drained of all energy.
Rather than feel like you are dragging yourself around, why not look into ways that you can feel more energetic? There are a number of things that you can do that will give you not just quick short bursts of energy, but the kind of lasting energy that will get you through the full day. Here’s a look at five things you could be doing right now to help wake you up and allow you to get more done.
1. Start Taking Vitamins and Supplements
One easy way to start feeling more energized is to introduce vitamins and supplements into your life. Often people will start with a basic multi-vitamin and add on from there. Vitamins and supplements can make up for gaps in your diet, and provide you with ingredients you may not even be ingesting. In particular, taking probiotics will do wonders to secure and restore gut health, so make sure you include them in your vitamin diet.
2. Stop Skipping Breakfast
All too often people find themselves in a rush to get out the door in the morning so as not to be late for work. The problem with that is that they either grab a quick breakfast that isn’t big on nutrition or they skip it all together. Not only does breakfast provide you with a boost of calories, when you choose the right items you’ll also be feeding your brain and helping it to be alert and ready to take on the day.
Ideally you want to opt for a breakfast that is high in protein. If you are rushed you can always mix up a protein shake to take with you. With a shake you can add extra ingredients such as blueberries, bananas, honey, oranges, almonds, and all kinds of other powerful ingredients.
3. Create a Bedtime Routine that You Stick With
While there are all kinds of reasons a person may feel low on energy, sometimes it does boil down to not enough sleep or not enough quality sleep. To ensure this isn’t your problem it’s a good idea to create a bedtime routine that you stick with, even on the weekends. This means getting a solid seven plus hours of sleep each night.
Your routine should include a set bedtime, a wind-down period of up to an hour before bedtime, and staying away from stimulants before bedtime such as caffeine, high sugar items, and alcohol.
4. Make Sure You Are Staying Hydrated
Another thing that people are quick to look past is their water consumption. If you aren’t drinking enough water through the day your body will become dehydrated, which will leave you feeling tired, sluggish, and can even cause headaches. As you start to get used to drinking more water it’s a good idea to purchase a reusable water bottle with a measurement so you can keep track of how much you have drank.
5. Include Physical Activity in Your Daily Lifestyle
Working out and exercising is another way to get that boost of energy, plus it’s great for your health. This doesn’t mean you have to join a gym, it just means you need to aim for about 30-40 minutes of continuous activity each and every day. The goal is to get your heart rate up while you’re moving around.