You often find yourself tired and sluggish by mid-afternoon. You struggle to keep yourself going. Fatigue gets to you and you feel helpless. Even the simplest of tasks seems to be too difficult to carry out, simply because your body seems to have just given up on you.

You gulp down coffee and tea and energizers to keep yourself going. But it does not help as much, right? Here’s what may help. What’s better? These are one hundred per cent inexpensive and natural, with absolutely no side effects whatsoever.

Sure-Fire Ways to Boost Your Energy Levels

Workout workout workout

There absolutely is no replacing this aspect. Most people believe that missing out on exercise is a definite way of saving up on energy, after all exercise eats up energy. That is a wrong notion.

Exercise ensures that you sleep sound, and it enables your cells to burn more energy, and facilitates circulation of energy. Exercising also leads to the release of stress hormones that help you feeling energised.

If getting into a vigorous routine is intimidating at first, just a brisk walk should help your body get into the groove.

Use caffeine in your favour

Caffeine is popular to enhance alertness. If you are seemingly dozing in the middle of the day, a good warm cup of coffee or tea may jolt you back to life. But overdoing it may prove counter-productive, as you may end up crashing in the end.

Use caffeine in a regulated manner. Avoid resorting to caffeine post 2 pm, as it impacts your sleep cycles immensely. The ultimate aim is to indulge into habits that enable you to sleep well at nights. Too much caffeine keeps that from happening.

Hydrate yourself

One of the most underrated drinks in the world, water is actually the ultimate solution to many problems, including unexplained fatigue. A majority part of your body requires a good balance of liquids to function efficiently.

The standard requirement of water in a day is a good 2 liters. Keep reminders if you tend to forget sipping on water. There are far too many apps these days that remind you to hydrate yourself.

Don’t underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep

Every project or assignment seems more important than sleeping at night. That one chapter of your favourite book, or just another episode. It all seems more important and interesting than sleep.

Sleeping just for 7 hours (which most don’t do) is still not enough. The hours you sleep between are also crucial. The ideal sleeping hours are between 10 pm to 6 am. If you miss this window, you are subjecting yourself to lower energy levels.

Turn to multivitamins

We live in a fast-paced world, where paying attention to dietary needs can often be time-consuming. You therefore end up missing out on a lot of vitamins this way.

Constant stress is likely to deplete your vitamin B reserves. Consult your doctor and check which multivitamin serves your purpose. With the right balance of vitamins, you will notice your energy levels lasting longer. Try opt for more naturally made ones or vitamin B injections.

Keep away from excess sugar

Sugar rush may help you go through a certain part of your day, but once it fades, you crash worse than before. It is like making your system sprint to higher levels of output, however, there is only so much your system can do.

The rise and fall of blood sugar in your system causes a sudden burst of energy which is inevitably followed by a slump.

Instead of over-relying on sugars, balance your diet with whole and fiber-rich foods. Whole grains, leafy vegetables and legumes excellently balance your diet, giving you all the energy you need to sustain the day.

Do not skip meals. Ever.

On a busy day, everything feels more important than eating your meals. But as a rule of thumb, never miss out on your meals, no matter how busy it gets. You have to understand the fact that eating right will give you energy to go through the day.

If you think you can be productive by skipping meals and using that much time to work, let’s be honest, you won’t end up getting any work done whatsoever. Skipping meals ends up being counter-productive then.

Go for cold showers

There is no doubt about the fact that hot showers are comforting. They feel cosy and warm and perfect. But that is also what is zapping you of your energy.

In order to be jolted back to life, go for cold showers. Cold showers help you feel more awake in the mornings and wash away all sluggishness, which hot water showers fail to do.

Skip the bud

Smoking is one of the key reasons for premature energy depletion. Smoking paves the way for heart conditions, lung cancer and even stroke. Smoking basically is one of the worst things you could do to your body.

If you are a chronic smoker, getting out of the habit at once may be difficult. Try vaping or e-cigarettes to gradually decrease the level of nicotine you consume. This way, you can quit smoking slowly and steadily. You will also notice an evident burst of energy through your system once you rely less on nicotine.

Have more vegetable juices

When you gulp down vegetable juices, it is easier for your body to absorb the nutrients. This means that less work is needed for your body to break those nutrients down, which ends up giving your body the right amount of energy.

Not only do vegetable juices help bring in energy, but they also help keeping illnesses at bay.

Pro-tip: Do not opt for store-bought juices, which are often over-spiked with sugars to make them appealing. Instead, look up some recipes and blend them yourself.

It may not taste all that good, but nothing worth having comes easy anyway, right? In this case, good health.

Packing It Up

You can often fall prey to many marketing gimmicks out there that announce they can get your energy back. What they don’t tell you is that there could be side-effects to many of those.

When you go for increasing your energy naturally, you must opt for the above mentioned ideas. You will definitely notice positive results in the long run.

Author Bio:

Lynda Arbon is a passionate and enthusiastic health blogger. She likes keeping herself updated on health trends and blogs. Her favourite pastime is learning history and solving crossword puzzles. Follow her on Twitter.

Photos by:

• israel palacio
• Alexei Scutari 
• Jose Soriano
• Arthur Edelman
• Seth Doyle on Unsplash

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How can you have enough energy to get through your festive season? Here are some energy tips:

Sensible Eating

One of the most obvious ways to build up your energy is to eat properly, that’s why it is so important to have a good breakfast. Breakfast is named this for a reason – you are breaking the fast from when you had your dinner the night before. Then focus on making your other meals throughout the day balanced and small. Supersized meals use more energy to digest.
 
Our body uses carbohydrates for energy and proteins to help sustain energy when needed, while fats make us feel satisfied.[1] Glucose produced from carbohydrates gives you a quick boost of energy, any extra glucose not used gets stored in the liver for later use. Fats are used for energy once they are broken down into fatty acids to make cell linings and hormones and extra is stored in fat cells.[1]  Protein can also be used for energy after they have been converted into the necessary hormones, muscles and other proteins that our body requires.[1]

Aim to include carbohydrates, proteins and fats in each of your meals to equip your body with the energy building blocks it needs to keep you going.[1] 

Build Your Energy

There are a range of things that you can do to boost your energy – experts agree that physical exercise like walking increases energy, even though you may think that it would drain energy![2] So get those gorgeous legs moving and take a walk around the block.

In between decorating the tree, prepping your family feast and all the other things you need to get done this festive season, make sure you plan some time into your holidays to put your feet up, as relaxation activities reduce stress. [8]

 Another way to increase energy levels is to take an energy supplement such as Vita-thion Effervescent Tablets to support the cycles in the production of energy.[3]
 
The new convenient Vita-thion® Fizzy tablets with ATP and vitamins B1 and C to keep you going throughout your day.  ATP[5] (adenosine triphosphate) is the molecule which stores energy temporarily and then releases it into the body when needed[4] and Ginseng[6]  a well-known active ingredient that helps to reduce fatigue and increase capacity for work and concentration.[3,5,6]
 
Vitamin B1 is needed for the release of energy from glucose and helps your body to turn fats, protein and carbohydrates into energy. [3]

Energy Drains

 We all feel energy drained from time to time,  and there may be medical reasons for this (with prolonged symptoms you may want to consider a medical check-up to rule anything out), but there are also many non-medical energy-drains that you should be aware of this festive season.
 

• Interestingly, dehydration drains your energy and impairs physical performance as well as decreases your alertness and concentration.[8,2] So make sure you drink enough water during your festive days! This is especially important after exercise as your body craves fluids and need an energy boost.
• With the festive season being renown for sweet treats, puddings and other sugary drinks and snacks, remember that sugar provides energy, but is a quick-fix and leads to a slump afterwards. If you do need an energy boost, make sure that that you have a healthy snack that releases energy slowly.[8]  Food provides us with the energy that we need to function so missing meals and leaving long gaps between eating can also make you feel drained of energy.[8,9]
• Our beloved caffeine and a lack of sleep will definitely leave you feeling drained.[8] Caffeine late in the day will make you feel wired, but then leave you tired, as it disrupts the natural sleep pattern, keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep.[8]

Our bodies automatically use a relevant energy-making system depending on the time and power needed for the activity that we are doing. Follow these easy steps and make sure that your energy reserves are well looked after so that you can put your best foot forward this festive season!

References:

1. WebMD. Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, and Blood Sugar. [Online] May 2015 [Cited June 2016]; Available from URL: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/nutrients-and-normal-blood-sugar-control
2. WebMD. Jaret P. 9 Ways to Get Your Energy Back. [Online] September 2015 [Cited June 2016] Available from URL: http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/get-energy-back?print=true
3. Vita-thion Effervescent Tablets package insert
4. Vita-thion Fizzy tablets package insert
5. Rathmacher J, et al. Adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) supplementation improves low peak muscle torque and torque fatigue during repeated high intensity exercise sets Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2012
6. Milta O et al. Chapter 57: Considering Complementary and Alternative Medicines for Older Adults
7. Vita-thion Granule sachets. Approved package insert. October 1999
8. WebMD. What’s zapping your energy? [Online] September 2015 [Cited June 2016]; Available from URL: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/whats-zapping-your-energy#1
   Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th edition. New York: Garland Science

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So many people are unsure of what exactly makes up a great breakfast, or rather have the idea that they don’t have the time in the mornings to worry about breakfast, and they end up eating a bowl of cereal, or just a small piece of fruit or even end up eating NOTHING at all.  I firmly believe that, if you eat sufficiently at breakfast, you will have plenty of energy throughout the day, your ability to focus will be much better and you will stay fuller for longer, keeping your cravings under control.

There have also been a few studies done to show that a group of people who ate a protein filled breakfast everyday for a period of time managed to lose more weight than the group who didn’t.

One of the reasons for this was that when we eat protein at breakfast, it helps to keep us (our appetite) satisfied and we are less likely to overeat at other meals later in the day.

Check out more information on one of those studies here:   http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/drop-weight-and-your-cravings

So that brings us on to the question, what can we eat that is balanced, quick and easy to make and that is nutritionally sufficient to support us throughout the day?  Well think protein, carbohydrates (fruit and complex carbs), and even fat.  In terms of food, eggs are an excellent source of protein, fat and vitamins and minerals.  Oats, honey, yoghurt, blueberries, bananas, apples, melons, are all great sources of carbohydrates.  Now the specific amounts you take in  will vary, depending on your size, weight, body fat levels, etc. as well as your energy needs throughout the day and at the time.

So to make this quick and easy, nutrient rich breakfast, this is what you will need to do.

Lets start with the eggs:

• Crack open three eggs in a bowl.
• Add a dash of milk, sprinkle some salt and pepper and add half a tsp of garlic.
• Mix well.
• Then place a non stick electric frying pan on low heat and pour the eggs in the pan.  Keep separating the mixture with a non stick spatula (cooking scrambled eggs).
• Cook until done.  You should not need to cook for more than 3 – 4 minutes.
• Add a few slices of tomatoes, and season to taste.

That’s your eggs (protein and fat) done. It sounds like its a process but it really doesnt take longer then 5 or 6 minutes to make.

Now for your Carbohydrates.  This is so simple its scary.

In a bowl place the following:

• 40 grams of Raw Oats.  (I have used raw oats, if you prefer yours cooked, by all means cook a portion of oats the night before to use)
• 1 tsp cocoa
• 2 tsp dessicated coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• A Few blueberries
• One small banana chopped

To that, pour in some milk to the consistency that you like and eat up!

Now there you have it, a very quick meal to make, with hardly any hassle and it provides you with all the nutrients you need to take on the day ahead of you!  You now have no excuse to eat a great breakfast and make the most of your day!

*Just a note, please do not misunderstand the principle here, I am in no way saying ONLY eat breakfast and you will have energy for the whole day!  You must still eat healthy meals throughout the day to keep you going.  BUT, By consistently eating a good breakfast, you will have more energy, reduce cravings and hunger pains, and will be less likely to overeat later in the day which can cause unwanted fat gain.

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The word calorie is so widely used in today’s media, especially when it comes to losing weight and cutting down on food.  “You should eat low calorie foods,” “Reduce your calories,”  “I burnt X amount of calories just riding the bike.”  These are some of the statements you can hear all over the place, from commercials to everyday people.  Now I am not criticizing any of these claims, on the contrary, the point I want to make is that many people do not actually know what a calorie is.  Or what makes up a calorie.

Here we will breakdown what exactly a calorie is, what makes up a calorie in terms of protein, fat and carbohydrates and how you can use it in your diet.

What is a calorie?

A calorie is basically a unit of energy or more specifically food energy.   All foods contain calories, that’s what gives them substance to fill us up.

Our bodies need a certain amount of calories to provide us with energy and maintain our everyday duties and weight.  Whatever we do uses a certain amount of calories, even a restful thing like sleeping.

Each person would have a different baseline of calories to maintain their weight.  This baseline depends on many aspects, such as the person’s weight, body fat (and muscle mass), the person’s daily activity levels etc.  One of the best ways to find out YOUR baseline is to maintain a constant intake of calories daily and monitor your body and weight.  If you are gradually gaining weight weekly, then you are eating more than your baseline and vice versa.

So simplistically, if we want to gain weight we would need to eat a bit more calories than this baseline and if we want to lose weight, we would need to eat slightly less calories than this baseline.  This is a bit oversimplified but does portray the point here.

What makes up a calorie?

Since all foods are essentially calories, there must be something inside the foods that make up these calories right?  Right.  Protein, carbohydrates and fat make up calories.  But how much?  Here is a breakdown of how many calories are in 1 gram of each component.

• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
• 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
• 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

Now we can see that fats are quite calorie dense, containing 5 calories more than both protein and carbs.  This is why a lot of people say; to lose weight you should cut out a lot of your fat intake as this drops calories significantly, but we want balance in our diets, so yes cut down SLIGHTLY on it but do not just eliminate it completely. The body needs each types of food, so avoid eliminating a whole food group.  This is also why different foods can contain the same amount of calories as each other even though nutritionally (in terms of protein, fat and carbohydrates) they are completely different as we can see in the following picture.

A suggestion would be to not worry too much with the numbers and calculations of calories in your diet as it can complicate things quite a bit.  Rather focus on portion sizes at each of your meals, and reducing or increasing the portion sizes depending on what you plan to achieve.

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