Here are some tips that will help you boost your energy levels without any gimmicks

Do you often feel tired for no reason or struggle to get out of bed in the mornings? For some, it is a sign of illness. For most of us, however, it just means we are a bit rundown and need to get back on track.

Leer en español: 10 consejos para aumentar tus niveles de energía

So here are some tips that, according to Health 24 and The Irishtime, will help you boost your energy levels naturally:

1. Exercise: physical activity helps you boost your heart rate, metabolism, and blood flow, delivering oxygen and vital nutrients around the body, keeping you awake. Whatever you do, do something: whether it's walking fast, running, cycling, pushing weights, or taking the stairs, introduce small changes to your routine to feel the energy boost. 

2. Reduce caffeine intake: having coffee after noon could be a bad idea. According to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, an expert in nutrition, some people metabolize coffee slowly, which means it’ll stick around in their bodies for longer and could make them irritable, anxious, and disrupt their sleep patterns.

3. Get some sun: low levels of vitamin D manifest initially as tiredness, joint pain, stiffness or cramps. When your eyes are exposed to natural light, they send a signal to the areas of your brain responsible for alertness. 

4. Hydrate yourself: if you get little amounts of water your eyes will feel dry, you will suffer headaches, and have poor concentration and lack of energy. At minimum you should have a liter a day and eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. 

5. Get enough sleep: researchers have always agreed that most people need between seven and nine hours to function correctly. Create sleep promoting habits like keeping your room dark and quiet, turning off your devices and not eating or exercising too late in the night.

You may also like: Foods that help you sleep: Stick to your biological clock 

6. Meditate: meditation lowers your heart rate, eases tension, and gives you an endorphin burst, which increases your alertness. The easiest way to do it is by finding some time in your schedule to simply focus on your breathing. 

7. Cut your alcohol intake: according to the HSE’s alcohol information website, it can reduce the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep you get, which can leave you feeling drowsy and with poor concentration during the day. Also, alcohol can lead to poor mental health, causing anxiety and depression.

Also read: Alcohol affects your efforts to lose weight

8. Eat a balanced diet: fast-burning high glycemic carbohydrates, such as potatoes, white rice, and white flour, quickly turn IGNORE INTO sugar and get stored as fat. On the other side, vitamins and minerals you obtain from vegetables, fruits, grains and some dairy or meat can help you function optimally. 

9. Take a power nap: a short, no longer that 30 minutes nap, can help you get back on your feet and be more focused. However, make sure you take your nap early in the afternoon so you don´t interfere with your sleep schedule. 

10. Listen to music: music usually boosts your mood and energy and engages the body’s sympathetic nervous system, which readies you for action when you’re facing a challenge.

LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Fernanda Báez

Copy edited by Laura Rocha Rueda