6 Natural Ways to Boost Your Energy Levels

Feeling drained? You are not alone. With winter on the way and the sun setting earlier in most areas, it is a lot easier to experience these feelings. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do to enhance your energy levels naturally!

1. Shift Your Diet to Cover Common Nutrient Deficiencies - Altering your food intake is the best place to start since many common vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to fatigue. Watch for:

• Magnesium?– This mineral is necessary for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including breaking down glucose into energy. You can up your magnesium intake by incorporating green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach into your diet.
• Iron?– Exhaustion is one of the most common signs of an iron deficiency since it impairs your body’s ability to create red blood cells. People lacking enough iron in their blood often feel lethargic, weak, and have trouble focusing. Consuming legumes, shellfish, and pumpkin seeds can help replenish your body’s iron levels.
• Potassium?– Fatigue and muscle weakness are often the first signs of potassium deficiency. Potatoes, bananas, and even orange juice can increase your potassium levels.
• Vitamin B12?– Experiencing memory trouble or lack of coordination in addition to exhaustion? If so, vitamin B12 may be the culprit. Since your body doesn’t produce its own vitamin B12, you have to get it regularly from food. Animal sources like dairy, eggs, and meat have B12 naturally, but you can also get the appropriate amount from items that have been fortified with it, like many kinds of cereal.
• Folic Acid?– Another B vitamin may also be the culprit of your zapped energy levels. Folic acid and folate are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. For years folic acid has been added to a wide array of cereals, flour, bread, pasta, and bakery items, as required by federal law. Foods naturally high in folate include leafy vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms.

2. Take a Walk to Boost Your Energy Levels - It might seem like moving around when you are exhausted is the quickest way to feeling even more tired, but the opposite is true. In fact, experts say that increasing your physical activity levels (especially walking) can increase your energy in the long run. In fact, it is said that the more people walked each day, the more energetic they felt and the more their mood improved. This indicates that when we walk more, we also rate our health, energy, nutrition, overall mood, happiness, and self-esteem more highly.

3. Avoid Skipping Meals - It is better to eat snacks and small meals every few hours than three large meals a day. Eating a little throughout the day can reduce fatigue because your brain needs a steady supply of nutrients to function correctly. Additionally, studies show that people who eat breakfast report better moods and higher energy levels throughout the day. Likewise, other studies found that missing any meals during the day led to an overall greater feeling of fatigue by the end of the day.

4. Drink More Water - Water is the one nutrient that has been shown to enhance performance for everyone. Sometimes our bodies tell us we need food when we really need more water. Thirst also masquerades as fatigue and even slight dehydration can cause sleepiness or lethargy. The solution is simple: drink more water. By drinking enough water before bedtime, you will find you get a better night’s rest, which results in more energy the next day.

5. Be Smart About Caffeine - Caffeine increases alertness, so a cup of coffee really can sharpen your mind. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. To get the best energizing effects from a caffeine boost, you must use it judiciously. Too much caffeine can cause insomnia, especially when consumed in large amounts or after 2PM. Instead of drinking multiple cups of black coffee, try pairing a quick hit of caffeine with the sustaining power of protein by drinking a latte instead. Milk turns your standard cup into a protein drink that provides extra energy and calcium, which is good for your exhaustion and bones.

6. Do not Overwork Yourself - One of the biggest reasons people experience fatigue is due to overwork. A combination of professional, family, and social obligations can leave you exhausted by the end of the day with no time to recharge. Try streamlining your list of “must-do” activities by setting your priorities in terms of the most critical tasks. From there, you can pare down those that are less important, or consider asking for extra help when needed. Stress-induced emotions use up massive amounts of energy. Talking to a friend or relative, joining a support group, or seeing the right therapist can help diffuse stress. Likewise, relaxation therapies like meditation and yoga are also effective ways to reduce stress.