We all feel tired, drained and lethargic from time to time. Whether it’s due to cabin fever, a slow day at work, or a lack of sleep, feeling low on energy is no fun. When you have energy, life just seems a bit more enjoyable.
If you need a boost, practice one or all of the following simple ideas to recharge your batteries without needing to spend money or exert much effort. Take a few moments and put the perk back in your presence. You will be surprised to learn that a little bit goes a long way.
Unplug for Daily Digital Detox
Staring incessantly into a computer screen can be hard on your eyes and tiresome for the brain, so devote a few hours each day to backing away from the computer. Feeling compelled to answer every email or check every Facebook status update is also draining because it pulls us away from living joyfully in the present moment. Turn off your iPhone, shut down your computer, and notice your energy levels begin to rise. (more…)
Exercise isn’t always pretty. While it can make you look and feel like a million bucks, healthy eating and intense exercise can bring about side effects that are less than comfortable and less than glamorous. If you are an avid runner, you may be familiar with digestional cramping brought on by exercise. Gas, bloating and cramping can be made worse by what you eat before you set out for your workout. What you eat can also effect your energy, the effectiveness of your workout and the, ahem, air quality for fellow gym go-ers.
Here are 6 foods that, while mostly healthy, should not be eaten before exercise for a more comfortable workout.
Hummus– Beans and bean based foods like hummus can create a lot of gas and bloating in your system. While beans, beans, they’re good for the heart, avoid clearing out the cardio room 10 minutes into your treadmill session by saving them for later.
Green bananas and raw veggies– As long as you are ditching the healthy hummus dip, avoid the raw veggies you eat with it as the 1-2 gas punch to your gut will leave you doubled over in pain. Raw veggies and under ripe fruit, like green bananas, up the gas factor in your stomach. While cooked veggies can still make you a little gassy and should be saved for after exercise, ripe bananas make a great pre-workout snack. Green bananas are tough to digest, but ripe, soft bananas are perfect.
Stemming from the Hindu tradition, chakras are identified as energy centers that are located throughout the human body. The word chakra is Sanskrit meaning “wheel.” Chakras can be thought of as energetic spinning wheels in the body.
There are seven main chakras. They are located along the spine from the base to the crown of the head. Each one corresponds with an area of the body, a natural element, color wavelength and sound vibration.
When our chakras are out of balance due to either excess energy or a clog in the flow, we may suffer from emotional discomfort, physical ailments or social and psychological problems. When they are in balance within themselves and their relationship to the other chakras, we feel light, full of positive energy and at ease in every aspect of our lives.
The following is a guide to the first three chakras and what you can do to keep them in balance. (more…)
Do you loathe mornings? Are you slow to wake up? Does it take you until the afternoon to finally feel chipper? Well, if you are not a morning person yet you have to get up early because of work, kids or some other call to duty, try the following brief, simple and effective yoga routine. Even if you don’t do yoga, or have yet to try it, you will find this easy sequence helpful in making you feel sprightly at sunrise.
Morning Breath (It’s not what you think!)
Upon awakening, before you get out of bed or even move a muscle, take ten full deep breaths through your nose. At the height of your inhale, take in just a little bit more breath and hold it for a second before you exhale. Notice the awakening sensation of fresh oxygen flooding your brain and feel a revitalizing boost before your breakfast. (more…)
Whether you are a high-powered executive or a stay-at-home mom, some afternoons inevitably make you feel like crawling back into bed. Instead of reaching for a cup of coffee to remedy your post-lunch sleepiness, how about reaching for your yoga mat? Practicing yoga on a sluggish afternoon can revitalize you.
Mountain Pose to Energize
Remove your shoes and stand up as straight and as tall as you can. Reach both arms overhead and stretch vigorously from your feet to your fingertips. Hold for 20 seconds, and for the last five seconds lift your heels up to balance on your toes. Immediately feel light and vibrant.
Standing Twist to Invigorate
Cross your right foot over your left and place it to the outside of your left foot. Stand equally on both feet with your ankles crossed. Straighten both arms directly out to the side. Begin to reach your left arm forward and your right arm back, twisting from the hips. Turn your head and look out over your right arm. Hold for five deep breaths and then switch sides. Notice an energizing tingle through your spine.
Ilyse Baker is a dance fitness guru and founder of Dancinerate. Ilyse works with men and women across the country to help them get fit and feel empowered through dance. For a list of current classes offered in Southern California and to register visit www.ilysebaker.com.
Ever since I was a little girl with my hair slicked back in a tight bun and my ballet box in hand, I knew that dance would change my life. I mean – stop for a second and think about it… dancing isn’t just about the fancy footwork, the musicality or the workout, but rather it is about the blend of social communication, physical activity, mental inspiration, and emotional reprieve. Dance has a life of its own and has the power to change us from the inside out.
The benefits of dance are endless! Dancing can be the most fun form of exercise, but what most people don’t know is that it also has huge health benefits. As a mind and body workout, dancing can make your body and soul feel good in a way that no other exercise can. It can help you lose weight, strengthen and tone your body, increase stamina and flexibility, improve balance and posture, and boost confidence. The most important benefit of dance, and my favorite, is how it empowers nearly everyone, increasing energy and leaving you with a general positive outlook on life.
You’ve been tossing and turning, staring at the clock. All the sudden it’s 1 am….2 am……..3 am…. You have to work tomorrow and that 7 am alarm is fast approaching. Sound familiar?
Insomnia is one of the most common medical complaints next to the common cold and headaches. The benefits of sleep are numerous and if you are looking to drop a few pounds it is essential.
The recommended amount of sleep is usually around 6 to 8 hours. We not only want to focus on the quantity of sleep but also the quality. You should wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on your day. If you feel your sleep cycle is getting out of wack, here are some supplements and hygiene tips you can try to help you go to la la land.
Do you muster every ounce of energy you have just to lift your limbs out of bed, experience a daily afternoon crash that only lifts with a caffeine boost, or feel a general sense of fatigue throughout the day? According to research, you are not alone. Fatigue is the second most common complaint to doctors in North America.
Unfortunately, many people turn to caffeine to boost their energy levels. That approach provides short-lived energy at best. At worst, it may cause damage to your body in the form of caffeine addiction, blood sugar fluctuations and adrenal gland depletion that makes you more vulnerable to stress. Since caffeine continues to work for about 12 hours, that afternoon coffee may leave you lying awake counting sheep when you are ready to sleep.
Nature offers many energy-enhancers. Some of the best include bee pollen, royal jelly extract, Siberian ginseng, spirulina, gotu kola, ho shou wu, and cayenne. (more…)
Ever had an important decision to make and been told to “sleep on it”? I bet you’ve never been told to “eat on it”, but after reading about this new research, you just might consider it.
The graph below illustrates the likelihood of a favorable decision from a judge based on when he or she takes a break to eat. At the start of each session, Israeli prisoners were likely to be granted parole 65% of the time, but that certainly was not true right before the judge decided to take a break.
Amusement parks offer endless enjoyment options for both adults and children, from crazy rides and roller coasters to games and fatty food options. Obviously, walking around all day burns calories and leaves you completely exhausted at the end of the day, but how can you resist the fatty temptations of the luxurious smells and big colorful food stands? Below are the five steps to sticking to your diet while enjoying family time at an amusement park near you.
1. Eat a rather large healthy breakfast before entering the park. I recommend eating a higher than normal carbohydrate breakfast to help you stay full longer and provide you with plenty of energy to be on your feet all day.
How many women do you know who aren’t tired? Work, kids, running a household and usually getting less than eight hours of sleep leaves most American women feeling like we drag our bodies around with us. We crave sleep like we crave chocolate, girls night out and five minutes alone. And of that list, chocolate’s usually the one craving we can quickly and easily satisfy.
Denise Austin, a renowned and beloved fitness expert, wants us all to have more energy, and she’s telling us how to do it in Get Energy! Empower Your Body, Love Your Life, a new book that released January 7, 2024. The book is filled with useful ideas to live a healthier, happier, more energetic life. But, it’s also filled with a lot of ideas that seem common sense on the surface that we tend to forget about.
For instance, good posture. Denise explains that it opens up your lungs and allows you to take deeper breaths. These deeper breaths introduce more oxygen to your body, and this gives you more energy. “If you’re slouched over, your lungs don’t have the capacity to take a good deep breath,” says Denise. “So that’s why sitting up nice and tall, suck in the gut, tighten up your tummy… zip up your abs… and that’s why you get a nice toned tummy.”
We had a chance to talk to Denise about Get Energy! Listen now as she explains the underestimated importance of circulation, how stretching can replace your morning coffee, why a 30-minute workout is just right, and the foods you need to fuel your day.
Continue reading to learn more and win a copy of Get Energy! (more…)
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