100 Ways to Boost Your Energy. Theresa Cheung

night’s sleep may not always provide the answer. In fact, getting too much sleep can be just as harmful as getting too little. However, if medical reasons for your tiredness have been ruled out and your energy is still persistently low, it is time to make simple but important changes to your diet and lifestyle.

      Nothing has a more profound effect on your life than your energy. Remember, your energy levels are not determined at birth. They depend on what you eat and drink, and how you choose to think and live. You have more control of your zest levels than you think.

      The 100 energy boosters that follow will help give you the right fuel and all the advice you need to reinvigorate yourself both in the short and long term. They will help you meet the demands and challenges of your daily life with energy and enthusiasm, and in the process improve your health, reduce stress, smooth out wrinkles and help you become a more energetic, relaxed and alive person.

       PART TWO: 100 ENERGY BOOSTERS

      You don’t have to work through the 100 energy boosters in any particular order; just dive into the sections that feel right to you. Whichever way you choose to incorporate them into your life, rest assured that each and every energy booster will bring out the latent but abundant energy resources within you.

      Hopefully you will find enough suggestions and ideas in here to put the spring back into your step and the zest back into your life.

       Boost energy with a good night’s sleep

      1 Beat the clock

      Steady energy levels are among the acknowledged benefits of a good night’s sleep. If you need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, you aren’t getting enough re-energising sleep. If, however, you can anticipate your alarm clock by waking up 5 to 30 minutes before it goes off feeling naturally refreshed, chances are you are getting a good night’s sleep.

      If you find it impossible to get out of bed without an alarm, don’t change the time you rise. Instead, go to bed half an hour earlier than usual for the next week to give your biological clock a chance to reset. If you still need an alarm clock after a week, add 15 to 30 more minutes to your sleep time for another week. Keep going until you can wake without the alarm and feel alert and energetic all day.

      2 Bounce out of bed (at 7.22 a.m.)

      Many of us try to make up for lost sleep by staying in bed longer on days off and weekends, but these lie-ins might be doing you more harm than good. Your brain does not have a different biological clock for weekdays and weekends. If you have a long lie-in on Sunday you are likely to stay up until the small hours of Monday morning. A few hours later the alarm clock will disturb your peaceful slumber and you’ll start your day feeling sleepy and fuzzy-headed.

      Sleep experts believe that 6 to 8 hours’ sleep is optimum for most people. And if you want to enjoy maximum health and vitality, your sleep must be regular. This means getting up and going to bed at the same time each day, including weekends.

      So on days off, don’t stay in bed. It’s far healthier to get up when you wake up naturally. Research shows that those who get up early feel more alert than those who rise later. In fact, 7.22 a.m. was the precise time experts pinpointed, so – if you can – avoid burning the midnight oil and let the morning sun shine in.

      3 Make the most of doziness

      In the few moments before you are fully awake, you’re in what is called a ‘hypnopompic state’ – about the closest you can get to being hypnotised without nodding off. Your body is awake but your brain is highly suggestive to whatever thoughts you want to plant there. So turn on your back (you’re less likely to fall asleep again in this position) and focus on three things you are looking forward to that day. Even if it is just your first cup of tea, focusing on small positives helps you start the day optimistic and full of energy.

      It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel like bounding out of bed. Just think about what you have to look forward to that day or what you want to achieve, and then just get up. The thoughts you think on waking can set the tone for the whole day. Tell yourself it’s going to be a wonderful day and good things are going to happen. It can seem an effort at first, but after a few attempts you will feel more in control of your life and more energised.

      4 Bed MOT

      A good night’s sleep often depends on how comfortable your bed is. Studies show that, on average, people with uncomfortable beds sleep 1 to 2 hours less at night than those with comfortable beds.

      If your bed is fewer than 8 years old, a mattress-topper – a comfortable, supportive layer that sits on top of your mattress – can be the perfect solution. If your bed is older than 8, it will definitely need replacing.

      When buying a new mattress, check that it supports your body at all points. If you aren’t getting enough support you’ll get back pain, but a mattress that’s too hard can create uncomfortable pressure. There is nothing wrong with a soft mattress as long as it gives you enough support, especially in the small of your back and under your knees. The ideal mattress should keep your spine in alignment and distribute pressure evenly across your body. A mattress has to be soft enough to fill in the gap under your lower back, but not so soft that it sags completely under your weight.