Theresa Cheung - 100 Ways to Boost Your Energy

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Title Page 100 Ways to Boost Your Energy Theresa Cheung Collins gem

Introduction INTRODUCTION TIRED ALL THE TIME? Along with more time and more money, more energy is high on everyone’s wish list. Without doubt, energy is an essential in today’s overstretched, high-speed, 24/7 wired world; but it can be hard to recharge your batteries when there is a constant drain on your energy supplies. Energy-shutdown is something most of us have experienced from time to time. Remember that drained feeling when, however much you have looked forward to a party, new movie or hot date, you just can’t summon the energy to go? What is tougher to recognise, however, is low-key energy-drain. This is when you don’t get that tired-all-over feeling but you do experience a gradual but increasing lack of enthusiasm for activities you used to get excited about. Getting out of bed in the morning seems harder, concentrating on what you are doing is a challenge and, most surprisingly, as you aren’t normally like this, you find yourself getting worked up about the silliest things. If this ‘grumpy and run down’ theme is starting to sound very familiar, don’t despair. There are energy-drainers all around us – some obvious, some hidden. The good news is that you can find ways to deal with virtually all of them. Try one or all of the 100 simple and practical energy boosters in this book and, however hectic your lifestyle, you’re bound to see your energy levels soar. Use them both as ‘quick pick-me-ups’ when the going gets tough, and as energisers to increase your stamina in the long run, so that you have all the get-up-and-go you need to rise and shine every day. Use them to help put a spring in your step and a twinkle in your eyes so that you look and feel alert, vibrant and sparkling with energy.

Part One: Understanding Energy PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING ENERGY

What is energy? What is energy? Energy is life. It is the invisible force that animates the human body and permeates everything in the natural world, including animals, plants, trees and mountains, as well as the earth, sun, moon and stars. Whenever something moves, heats, cools, grows, changes or produces light or sound, energy is involved. One of the simplest forms of energy is metabolic; this is the energy we get from the food we eat and the air we breathe. In short, energy means that birds can fly, winds can blow, the sun can shine, cars can go fast, light bulbs can glow and you can read this book. Without energy there would be nothing: no life, no movement, no light, no books…nothing. ‘Vital energy’ is a term used to describe the collective physical energies of the mind and body working together to produce feelings of well-being. In other words, it means feeling glad to be alive, and bursting with health and energy. Typically children are bursting with vital energy – but an increasing number of adults are finding it harder and harder to remember the last time they felt like that.

The causes of low energy: energy-drainers The causes of low energy: energy-drainers Low energy is a concept that’s hard to define. Everyone will have their own idea of what being tired means, and we all feel tired once in a while; but if you feel that you have lost some of your zest for life, your energy levels are lower than they should be and you need to find out why. Identifying what is causing your energy to dip is important because once you know what is robbing you of your vitality, you can then take steps to avoid it or manage it positively. In most cases there is not one single cause that contributes to low energy, but a combination of several factors. Listed below are some of the most common energy-drainers including poor-quality sleep, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, environmental factors, stress and underlying medical conditions. Review the information and use it to help you recognise your most common energy-drainers so that you can make positive changes to your diet and/or lifestyle, or seek medical advice. Then you are all set to re-energise yourself by cultivating the energy-boosting advice from page 41 onwards.

Energy-draining medical conditions Energy-draining medical conditions For the great majority of people who suffer from low energy levels, diet and lifestyle factors are chiefly to blame. It is important to bear in mind, however, that many hidden diseases and disorders can also trigger fatigue. Listed below are the conditions that are most commonly associated with low energy levels. If your fatigue interferes with the quality of your life for more than three weeks and can’t be explained by diet and lifestyle habits, you should see a doctor without delay. This is particularly important if you are suffering from additional symptoms such as night sweats, weight change, breathlessness, pale mucous membranes in the nose and mouth, blood in faeces or urine, swollen lymph glands, irregular or absent periods, or constant thirst. Fatigue is a good enough reason for you to seek your doctor’s advice. Persistent fatigue should never be ignored in the hope that it will go away.

The energy solution The energy solution The causes of low energy can be many and varied, and getting a good 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 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 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.