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Spring time! How do you snap-out of that winter malaise? We’ve got ten tips that can help boost your energy levels. Yes - diet, exercise and getting a good night’s sleep are on the list. So is laughter, keeping good company and learning new skills.
Eat for energy
Add more fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet, and avoid sugar fixes that give a brief, artificial “high”. The editors of Your Baby Today, a website for new mothers, recommends these top 10 anti-fatigue, high-energy snacks: trail mix (dried fruit, nuts and seeds); wholegrain cereal with low-fat milk and sliced banana; yoghurt with strawberries; egg on wholegrain toast; half a bagel with low-fat cream cheese; toasted waffle with peanut butter; hummus on pita bread; a cup of bean soup; chopped fruit sprinkled with walnuts or sliced almonds; and a daily intake of eight to 12 cups of water.
Get a good night’s sleep
A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine showed that loss of sleep reduces the immune system’s ability to fight off viral infections. But even a short “power nap” can temporarily enhance mental and physical functioning. To stay in tune with your natural sleep rhythm, don’t eat or drink within three hours of bedtime, keep away from caffeine in the early evening, and try to turn off the light at the same time every night.
Keep good company
While it’s true that being around people energises you, “the key is to surround yourself with the right kind of people – meaning those who are pleasant to be with, who support you and enrich your life,” says Ken Goodrick, author of Energy, Peace, Purpose. Spend time with positive people who make you feel happy and alive. Negativity is draining (and contagious).
Shake up your routine
Take a different route home, put your rubbish bin on the right side of your desk instead of the left, learn a new skill or even a new word. Regularly forcing your brain to work in new ways keeps it – and you – stimulated and alert.
Believe in the power of positive thinking
A study by a team of neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin may explain why we’re more likely to catch a cold if we’re feeling low: the brain’s left prefrontal cortex, which seems to control the body’s immune system, is active in happy people and subdued in those who are severely depressed. And another report claims that having a positive attitude about your age can extend your life by nearly eight years.
Get moving
“Taking the stairs instead of the lift, increasing your walking speed, jogging on the spot, patting your head and rubbing your tummy – anything that increases your heart rate and requires you to breathe a little harder, will increase oxygen in your system and boost energy,” says US personal fitness trainer Josh Salzmann.
Meditate on it
Meditation exercises increase oxygen intake (which boosts energy levels), heighten concentration and improve your quality of sleep. Visualisation can also be a powerful energiser, says Fred Gallo, author of Energy Tapping. If you’re feeling flat, try this ancient yoga technique: close your eyes, and picture a vibrant, energising light shining down from the heavens and making its way through your head and into your body, down to the tips of your toes.
Arouse your senses
Essential oils such as rosemary, lemon, orange and cinnamon are known for their rejuvenating properties. If you don’t have an oil burner, put a few drops onto a handkerchief or tissue and breathe in the scent throughout the day. Try adding a little vanilla oil to your bath before bed – according to Chicago’s Smell and Taste Research Foundation, it’s an aphrodisiac.
Put the kettle on
Professor Peter Rogers at BristolUniversity discovered that regular tea and coffee drinkers who abstained from their morning cuppa were less alert and clear-headed than those who drank it. Better still, don’t get hooked on caffeine at all and try an energy-inducing tea, such as ginseng or green tea.
Laugh it off
Laughter has been proven time and again to be the best therapy for depression and lack of energy, says stress management specialist Vatche Bartekian. Laughing reduces the level of stress hormones, boosts the immune system and lowers blood pressure. But while children laugh around 300 times a day, adults manage to crack more than a smile just 15 times a day. The solution? Rediscover your inner child and laugh out loud.
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