How To Increase Energy Levels - The Natural Method
There is literally no disadvantage to increasing your energy levels except wishing you did it sooner, by implementing a few simple habits you can feel more energetic than ever – the early afternoon crash will become a thing of the past.
I’ve gone through stages of consuming copious amounts of caffeine to stay alert and increase my energy levels however this is not sustainable, resulting in adrenal fatigue.
If you want to increase your energy levels to get more done, have better workouts and just improve your overall quality of life I recommend the following:
Fast
After a large meal there’s no chance of anything productive being achieved, I have come to learn that starting your day with a large breakfast is hands down the #1 way for me to kill my productivity for the morning, if not the entire day.
The solution – fast.
Upon waking I have found having a green juice or black coffee prior to my workout and morning reading/writing I have a far higher level of energy than if I were to eat my proats and proceed to do the same tasks.
Exercise
This may seem counterintuitive, but exercise in the form of either cardio (I opt for HIIT) or performing heavy compound exercises in the early AM will leave you feeling temporarily physically fatigued, but you’ll be mentally sharp.
While the vast majority are walking around after crawling out of bed with Starbucks in hand you’re wide awake and full of energy… no stop at the coffee shop required.
Consume nutrients
Treat your body well and it will reward you, just like an exotic car – if you want it to run well you’ve got to give it high quality fuel. Junk food such as those with processed sugars and manmade trans-fats will leave you feeling, looking & performing terrible.
If you’ve got the time and budget to juice fruits and leafy greens then do it, as Mike Cernovich says in the ‘Fit Juice Trilogy’ when it comes to your health you either pay now (on your terms) or your pay later (trying to regain the health that has evaded you).
Alternatively supplement with liquid greens – these are super quick & efficient.
Have a consistent sleep schedule
There’s much debate over the recommended amount of sleep we should be getting daily, the optimal amount for you to optimize your energy levels will come down to a combination of your age, genetics, activity level etc.
I personally find maintaining a regular sleep schedule (i.e. go to bed at X time and wake up at X time) to be more important for my productivity and energy than the duration of my sleep itself.
My energy levels are far higher when I sleep for 6 hours a night at a consistent time than if I have nights alternating between 5, 8 and 10 hours of sleep at various times.
De-stress via reading or guided meditation
Cortisol is a stress hormone, increased stress results in increased levels of cortisol.
Elevated levels of cortisol will or are sapping you of your energy. There’s a couple of techniques I like to use to de-stress and decrease my cortisol levels including 15 – 30 minutes of quiet reading of my Kindle or a paperback book (blogs and online forums do not count) as well as a 10 – 15 minute guided meditation from either YouTube or using the HeadSpace mobile app.
Spend a few minutes performing power poses
Dominant power poses have been scientifically proven to increase your Testosterone levels (temporarily) and increase your energy levels while lifting your mood. I first found out about these poses from a blog post over at Danger & Play. Rather than re-invent the wheel I recommend you check out these poses (and a tutorial) on Mike’s blog.
Avoid negative people
Regardless of how energetic, positive and strong minded you are negative people are like a disease, I have learned time and time again that spending time around negative people will drag you down. Your willpower, energy and determination will slowly disintegrate. Fortunately enough the opposite is also true, surround yourself with energetic, ass kicking go-getters and you’ll bring each other up.
Do you have any specific habits or tips for increasing your energy levels? Let me know in the comments below!
