If you are feeling overly tired or have little to no energy, just know, you are not alone. Some factors seem obvious when trying to improve your energy; get more sleep, reduce stress, limit consumption, and improve your nutrition. Understanding the reason why each is beneficial however will drastically improve your adherence to each. Believe it or not, you actually have a LOT more control over your energy than you think! By adjusting some lifestyle changes, you will see the results you’ve been looking for. We are saying this from experience. There are days in our own journeys when a lack of energy is at an all time high. These tips have helped us take action in our own overall mood. Keep reading to find our biggest tips for creating the energy you want! 1) Sleep. Sleep itself appears to have some energy conserving properties. An area of research worth mentioning is the Sleep-Wake Cycle. This feedback loop involves chemicals that regulate sleep homeostasis. Glycogen is involved in storing energy in the brain, and begins to decrease during wakefulness. A theory postulates as glycogen levels diminish throughout the day, adenosine accumulates and promotes sleepiness. This cycle helps regulate sleep and wakefulness patterns in humans. Establishing a consistent sleep routine can help in feeling energized. Glycogen Replenishment. It is important to consume carbohydrates after exercise to ensure you stay alert and energized throughout the day. Some great food choices include: Wearing socks will improve your sleep, thus improving your energy. This isn’t a hoax! It has been scientifically proven that wearing socks to bed will reduce sleep-onset latency on an average of 7.5 minutes shorter, total sleep time was 32 minutes longer, the number of awakenings was 7.5 times smaller, and sleep efficiency was 7.6% higher for those wearing socks to bed versus those who didn’t. Basically, all these stats mean is you’ll fall asleep quicker, sleep longer, and reduce the amount of times you wake up throughout the night. 2) Stress Less. A recent study of more than 7,000 working adults found that fatigue and tiredness was “significantly associated” with work-related stress. The focus of this study was to measure sleep reactivity (or the extent to which stress affects the ability to fall asleep or remain asleep). This study suggests that premorbid sleep reactivity is a significant risk factor for incident insomnia, and that it triggers insomnia by exacerbating the effects of stress-induced intrusion. Sleep reactivity is also a precipitant of depression, as mediated by insomnia. Some ways to reduce stress and gain feelings of energy include but are not limited to walking, exercise, meditation or reading. Research on meditation practice has found that regular meditation decreases the impact of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which with overactivity in this system can cause your body to suppress the immune system, over stimulate the production of oxidants, raise blood pressure, reduce energy, etc. Consider downloading Insight Timer. This App offers more than 45k free meditations. The library allows you to filter by need (stress, self-esteem, time, etc.) Opt-in for their seven-day free course on how to meditate. Premium costs about $60 a year, or you can pay $10 month-to-month. If you feel this App is improving your life and you are enjoying adding this to your routine, we want to encourage you to invest in yourself! This is one of the best investments you can make. 3) Limit Smoking and Alcohol Consumption. Nicotine is an addictive chemical that overtime will cause your blood vessels to constrict or narrow causing a lack of blood flow and oxygen transportation throughout your body. A lack of oxygen (hypoxemia) will decrease the productivity of your cells and tissues and result in feelings of fatigue and tiredness. Drinking is another factor that may be disrupting your sleep cycle because it can act as a diuretic (increases the production of urine), which will cause you to wake up throughout the night. Happify. This free App has techniques and programs to reduce stress and build greater resilience to decrease your alcohol consumption. It has been reported that after using Happify for two months, 86% of users reported feeling better about their lives. This App is meant to be fun - it has games and activities each week to help improve life satisfaction. 4) Choose Whole Foods. Choosing whole foods can provide your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to function at its best. Eating processed food high in sugar and fat can negatively affect both your energy levels and overall health. High sugar foods cause a sharp spike in blood sugar levels, followed by a crash as the body releases a large amount of insulin to transport sugar from the bloodstream to the cells You need all essential nutrients to keep your energy levels high, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to fuel exercise and energize your body. Taking a daily multivitamin may ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need, but taking extra amounts of individual nutrients won't give you more energy. Water is also key to maintaining energy throughout the day. Dehydration can have a huge effect on your brain function, mood, energy levels, and more. A small study found that active dehydration significantly increased the perception of fatigue and impaired muscular performance in athletes. Meal Prep. You might hear these words and instantly shut off your computer, take off running down the hallway and out your door. We know how you feel… trust us. But meal prep doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, it doesn’t even need to take up more than two hours of your time! Here.. let us help you out.. click out of this link, scroll down a few blogs until you hit “Meal Prep for Busy People” and BOOM - 6 new, quick, recipes that will last you all week! We hope these tips will help you feel more energized and awake throughout the day. If you are looking to learn more about how to improve your energy, send us a message to info@recouppersonaltraining.com and we will be more than happy to give you additional information. If you are on Facebook, join our group and our NEW free 5 Day Energy Challenge that will include daily cheat sheets that will help monitor your progress, challenges that will help boost your energy and begin to engage in a community of like-minded people .. https://www.facebook.com/groups/recouppersonaltraining. We would love to hear from you! Dani, Bo, Stevie and Matt 
