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Want More Energy? Follow These Six Steps!

Feeling exhausted? Have a hard time getting through the final hours of your workday? If so, chances are you might need to change your lifestyle habits. Stress, sleep deprivation, and bad eating can affect your energy levels, causing fatigue. Sugary foods are energy loan sharks, so ditch them from your diet. If you’re overtraining, stop right now! Too much exercise depletes your energy and raises the stress hormone cortisol levels.

Here are six practical steps to boost your energy and get things done:

Step 1: Get More Sleep

Sleep impacts your energy and stamina. Health experts recommend at least seven hours of sleep per night. This habit allows your body to heal itself and build new tissues. Additionally, your brain regenerates while you sleep. Insufficient rest puts you at risk for depression, poor concentration, decreased immune function, and slow recovery from exercise.

If you can’t sleep seven to eight hours per night, take a nap in the afternoon. Sleeping for as little as 10 minutes can instantly boost your energy levels and ward off fatigue. To prevent insomnia, have a light dinner and avoid caffeine after 5 pm.

Step 2: Change Your Diet

Some foods energize your body and boost your mood. Others leave you fatigued and tired. For instance, chocolate and other sweet treats cause blood sugar spikes followed by crashes. The same goes for large meals. Eating too much puts stress on your digestive system, causing your body to work harder to break down the nutrients from food. As a result, your energy levels drop. To reduce fatigue, watch your portions and make healthy food choices.

Step 3: Get More Protein

High-protein foods supply your body with lasting energy and promote fullness. This nutrient keeps your blood sugar levels stable, which helps prevent crashes and fatigue. Additionally, protein elevates your metabolism, helping you burn more calories. To get more energy, eat plenty of eggs, lean meat, fish, poultry, low fat cheese, and nuts.

Step 4: Keep Your Carbs Smart

Simple carbs trigger insulin spikes and raise blood glucose levels. This explains why most people feel lethargic after eating a high-carb meal. Complex carbs, on the other hand, are slowly released into the bloodstream and provide steady energy. The best dietary sources of slow digesting carbs are vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, oats, nuts, and seeds. These foods also contain fiber, which keeps your blood sugar levels within normal limits.

Step 5: Boost Your Magnesium Intake

Magnesium assists with over 300 biochemical reactions in the human body. It has a direct impact on your energy, mood, and metabolism. This mineral helps convert glucose into energy and aids in digestion. Evidence shows that magnesium deficiency can lead to memory loss, impaired learning ability, fatigue, confusion, apathy, muscle spasms, and irritability. The recommended daily dose ranges from 300 too 420 milligrams. If your diet lacks magnesium, eat more fish, whole grains, cashews, almonds, and leafy greens.

Step 6: Exercise

Have you noticed how great you’re feeling after a short workout session? Exercise improves oxygen flow to your brain and tissues, leaving you energized and ready to start the day. It also causes your body to produce serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which boost your energy levels. Working out for just a few minutes each day can change the way you look and feel, so incorporate more exercise into your life!