Ten Surprising Things That Will Instantly Boost Your Energy

Are you tired of feeling tired all the time? Or do you just want to find a way to get an energy boost without resorting to an energy drink? Here are ten surprising — and, of course, healthy — methods of giving yourself a quick energy boost.

Get Up and Move Around

Simply moving from a seated position to a standing position temporarily changes the direction of circulation in your body so that oxygen and nutrients circulate to organs that may be less well supplied with them while you are seated. Taking a one-minute break from work at a desk or behind a computer once an hour can actually increase your productivity, assuming that you get to choose the time to stand up and stretch. Being ordered to stand up and release your tensions by a superior does not have the same effect.

What if you can't leave your seat, for example, during a long car ride or when taking a flight in coach class? There are still things you can do. Roll your neck around to stimulate circulation, first to one side of your face and then to the other. Stretch out your arms and wiggle your fingers to relieve tension on the fascia connecting your arms to your torso. Wiggle your toes inside your shoes and flex your feet from one side to the other, without bumping anyone near you. These simple activities also increase cardiovascular circulation, relieve tension, and increase energy.

Practice Belly Breathing

Shallow breathing into just the top of your lungs does not provide your bloodstream with maximum oxygenation. Deep breathing so you feel your abdomen expand behind your belly button is required for an optimum oxygen supply. Unfortunately, many people simply don't breathe "correctly" by default, so you may need to do some conscious breathing exercises to improve your energy. Here's how.

Breathe in through your nose to a count of 5 — one, two, three, four, five. Then discreetly breathe out through your mouth to a count of 8 — one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Longer exhalations and shorter but deeper inhalations both slow down your heart rate and increase your oxygenation. It also helps to sit up straight while you are doing this. Hunched shoulders interfere with deep breathing.

Try Something New, Anything New

Dr. Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist on faculty at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA, says that novel activities cause the brain to release dopamine. This pleasure chemical is the same neurotransmitter released when we have sex, eat donuts, or play the Lotto. Something as simple as intentionally parking your car in a different spot or folding your towels a different way, as long as you are acting from personal choices and personal control, can boost your energy in the short term. Learning Swahili or taking up ballroom dancing might give you added energy for as many weeks or months as you pursue your new skill.

Find Fun, Or At Least Find a Funny Companion

Fun activities and funny people do more than lift your spirits. They also lift your energy. Doing a recreational activity you enjoy, usually one that is slightly challenging but which you can master, or simply hanging out with people who have a great sense of humor, recharges energy levels by encouraging the release of endorphins. If you can't find a funny companion, a funny video, YouTube clip, or television program is almost as good.

And Even More Surprising Ways to Boost Your Energy

 

Exercise for at least half an hour at least three times a week.

Dr. Woodson Merrell of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City says that 90 minutes of exercise a week, divided into three half-hour sessions, is enough to improve cardiovascular fitness with noticeable improvement in energy levels.

Your workouts do not have to be exhausting to "work". Simply walking for half an hour can also release endorphins that are more often associated with the "runner's high." Dr. Robert E. Thayer of the California State University at Long Beach says that the more steps you take, the better you will feel throughout the week, not just during your walk. It can be as simple as walking to the supermarket or to your friend's house. You don't have to go to the gym for your movement to count as "exercise"!

Don't be afraid to eat snacks

Nibbles of food between meals keep blood sugar levels from falling. If you don't suffer a crash in your blood sugar levels, you won't be as tempted to overeat at mealtime or to binge on diet-busting sweets.

If you are diabetic, snacks require more planning. Diabetics need high-protein snacks rather than high-carb snacks. If you take insulin, you may need more "slow" insulin and less "fast" insulin to keep your blood sugar levels consistent and within your target range.
 

Stay Hydrated

The process of burning carbohydrates for your body's fuel requires a precise balance between two electrolytes, sodium and potassium. Every time a cell absorbs a molecule of glucose to burn as fuel, it takes three sodium ions in and sends two potassium ions out. Those sodium ions and potassium ions have to come from somewhere and go somewhere. The watery plasma in your bloodstream makes it possible for your cells to burn the sugar that gives you a boost.

You don't have to drink water until you slosh. Eight cups, not glasses, of water (about 2 liters) a day really is enough for most people, although your needs will depend on your activities, the weather, and your own needs. And caffeine is not dehydrating — but too much caffeine can also interfere with your energy levels, so watch out if you routinely rely on coffee to keep you energized.
 

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Excessive attention to life concerns interferes with sleep, and difficulty with sleep is the number one cause of daytime fatigue. How can you stop racing thoughts that keep you awake? The traditional remedy is counting sheep. Very few people make this work.

A better way is to monitor your inner talk. If you are an introvert, you probably will feel more relaxed when you notice pauses between the words that make up your active thoughts. If you are an extrovert, then you will probably feel more relaxed when you think in sentences, focusing on your thoughts, analyzing them.
 

Sing in the Rain

Outdoor air contains more negative ions. These ions make it easier for your lungs to absorb oxygen. The atmosphere is especially charged with negative ions just before and during rain — although it's best if you don't go out when you might be struck by lighting.

And the key to maintaining energy without stimulants?

Maintain your locus of control in yourself

People who don't have to take orders usually have higher energy levels. If you have an especially bossy superior at work, or if your significant other tends to manage your lives together, make a point of focusing on those things over which you are in charge. It's not necessarily a good thing, however, to point out to others those ways in which you maintain control of your life. Simply give yourself some areas over which you can maintain complete control, and practice a positive mantra, like "I choose to be positive about my environment". 

None of us actually have complete control over our lives, but if we ruminate about that fact, we drain our energy with negative thoughts. Concentrate on the things you are in charge of and that you can improve, instead.