The Quest for Energy

Energy – we all seem to be on a quest for more energy.    

It’s no surprise – we spend our days on autopilot – go, go, go and often running on not much other than caffeine and adrenaline.  Right now many of us have just come off of juggling “virtual school” and work at home which certainly added a whole new element to life. 

Most days my energy is good, but then there are days when I feel it dragging and it certainly makes for harder days when this happens. If you are running your life on empty, know that there are changes you can make to improve it.  

I consider 4 areas of our life to be critical to our energy & vitality. 

1.     Nutrition & Hydration

2.     Exercise

3.     Sleep

4.     Stress & Resilience

If you are looking for more energy in your life, it is time to consider each of these areas. 

Nutrition & Hydration

We are quite literally what we eat. Our cells are made from what we eat and we gain energy from the food we put in our body. If we are eating lots of processed foods we are not going to feel fantastic.    Focus on eating whole foods, lots of fruits & veggies, minimal grains and reduce sugar. 

Most of us are also dehydrated and that leads to reduced energy.  If you are feeling sluggish ensure that you are drinking ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day.  For example – if you weight 150 pounds that is 75 ounces of water, which converts to 9 cups of water/day.  

Exercise

Our bodies we made to move.  Life has become very sedentary for many people and this has resulted in reductions in energy and vitality.  Exercise releases necessary endorphins and makes us feel good and energized.  If you don’t currently exercise start small – start with a 20 minute walk each day a build from there.  You will notice such an improvement in mood and energy if you get moving.

Sleep

This is a key component to our overall health.   I see far too many people who are struggling and only getting 4 hours of sleep a night – this simply isn’t enough.  If we aren’t sleeping well we are never going to have great energy.    If you are getting less than 7-9 hours of sleep per night it’s time to look at what’s going on.   Are you staying up binge watching Netflix too late?  Do you fall asleep but wake up wired around 2 or 3am?   Can you not fall asleep?  All of these scenarios are fixable, but we need to get to the root cause of what’s going on.  Sacrificing on sleep is never the answer and can lead to disease if it continues for too long.  

Stress & Resilience

We all have stress and there will always be stress.  Having a way to manage and deal with stress is key for that stress not to have a huge negative impact on our resilience and health.   Finding a stress management practice that works for you is a priority – journaling, meditation, breathing, mindful movement – it doesn’t matter which one it is, but it is necessary to have one.   When stress levels remain high for too long our cortisol hormone remains elevated and this leads to disrupted sleep, inflammation and causes our body to hold onto excess weight.  

Everyone has a different weakest link and it is important to start there and then work through all four to ensure that healthy habits exist in all areas to best support you.   In my Vitality Formula program this is exactly what we will do.  Everyone starts at a different point, with a different focus.  Just because the 4 areas are the same for everyone, everyone is individual.   It is the individual focus and accountability that is key to success.  I work with people individually for 3 months to strengthen all areas that need to be in a priority sequence.  At the end of it, happiness, energy & vitality are all increased!

If you are interested in the program click here The Vitality Formula