1. Take 3 Deep Breaths Before Meals
If you aren’t digesting well, at the most basic level, your cells aren’t able to convert nutrients into ATP, our energy powerhouse. Slow down at your next meal, take a few deep breaths and really focus on chewing your food. This practice alone switches you from being in the sympathetic state (go-go-go) to the parasympathetic state (rest and digest) and sets up healthy digestion right from the get-go ultimately, giving you more energy.
2. Hydrate Like You Mean It
A general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces each day. If we are dehydrated, even by just 2%, it leads to fatigue. Track your water consumption over the course of a week to see just how much you are drinking. Be careful to not gulp or drink large quantities all at once. All that does is trigger your kidneys to dump it. If you aren’t drinking enough, slowly increase your water intake over several days or weeks.
3. Add Sea Salt to Your Water.
Do you crave salt or sugar? If you find that you fall in the salt camp, it is likely your adrenals talking. The adrenals help regulate water content in the body, if you are feeling fatigued, it could be as simple as not enough sodium getting into the cells. Add sea salt to your food and water to taste. People often think adding salt to the water will taste bad, but on the contrary it might actually be more palatable to you. Particularly, if you struggle to get in enough water each day. It could just be your body telling you that the water doesn’t have enough minerals in it. Start with a pinch and work up. Some days I add ¼t to my 20 oz. water bottle.
4. Eat Protein in the AM
Breakfast sets the tone for our blood sugar levels for the day. If we start it with a carb-loaded breakfast, it puts us into a blood sugar roller coaster all day long. Eat a breakfast with some high-quality protein and fats to help stabilize your blood sugar and set you up for stable, even energy all day long.
5. Eat Good Quality Fat.
Think of carbs as the kindling on the fire, and fat as the log. If you want long-burning energy that gives you some stamina to get through your day, you need some good quality fats included in your meals. You should finish a meal feeling satisfied, and remain that way for at least 3-4 hours. If you don’t, then you may need to add more fat and reduce the amount of starchy carbs to find a better balance.