Life, with its many pressures and demands, can leave you feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, and exhausted sometimes. A good night’s sleep is the way your body naturally refreshes, resets and re-energizes itself. But what if that no longer seems to be enough? What if you habitually wake up feeling tired, no matter how early you went to bed? As a coach specializing in helping women to have more energy, these are 6 ways I recommend to energize yourself in the morning and stay that way throughout the day.
Energy Ball Meditation
One of the things that I consider fool-proof and sustainable is doing an energy reset meditation. It’s quick, and it’s easy and anyone can do it. Practice it lying in bed, sitting on a chair, eyes closed, eyes open, in the kitchen while you’re making breakfast, even at the office!
Here’s what you do:
- Take a couple of deep cleansing breaths.
- Now imagine a beam of light energy traveling towards you from the center of the Universe, making its way down through the atmosphere and in through the top of your head.
- Next imagine a beam of light energy shooting up from the center of the Earth. It comes up through your feet, filling your entire body.
- Then imagine these two energies combining in your heart, creating a ball of light which grows and expands to fill your room, your home, your city, your country, your continent, getting bigger and bigger until it surrounds the entire planet.
Repeat this several times throughout the day when you’re feeling tired for a quick energy boost.
Power Walk To Power Up
Whether you wake up feeling tired or not, taking a brisk 20 minute walk first thing in the morning will fill you with energy that will last the entire day.
- Taking a morning walk wakes you up better than coffee ever could and will leave you feeling energized for the rest of the day.
- Walking balances the left and right hemispheres of your brain, improving your ability to concentrate and focus for the rest of the day.
- Many studies have shown that walking leaves you feeling happy, positive, and full of energy in no small part to the fresh air, the green of nature, the sunshine, and even the rain, which releases negative ions into the air.
- You will sleep better at night.
Instant Boost With Veggie Juice
Drinking a big glass of fresh vegetable juice is a great way to energize yourself in the morning or afternoon. It’s like taking a pep pill, only without the nasty side effects! Because juicing removes fiber, the vitamins and minerals get absorbed into your bloodstream very quickly. Within 20 minutes, they reach your cells and increases your energy.
Opt for freshly made veggie juice, not store bought. Bottled juices, even the ones in the refrigerated section, have a lot less nutritional value than fresh-pressed. They also tend to contain added sugar and fruit. So drink your fresh juice within 8 hours and resist the temptation to mix it with fruit. You want the slow release of sugar from veggies, not the quick high followed by the crash and burn you get from sugary fruit.
Stay Hydrated
If you aren’t hydrated enough, your cells become less efficient and you will literally have less energy. That’s because your cells need water to turn food into energy and to transport it throughout your body.
Your body loses water while you sleep, even more so when you’ve slept poorly. During a normal night’s sleep, your internal body clock releases a hormone called vasopressin that helps you to retain water. If your sleep is interrupted, this doesn’t happen, so you lose more water.
So if you wake up feeling tired, be sure to eat a nutrient rich breakfast and wash it down with plenty of water.
Healing Green Tea
Sure, it can be tempting to throw back a few espressos and power through the day, but that’s just going to lead to a vicious circle of sleepless nights!
Try drinking green tea instead. Not only does it contain a lot less caffeine, it works better than coffee at boosting your energy and making you feel alert. That’s because it contains L-theanine, an amino acid your body uses to process the caffeine more slowly, which gives you a longer lasting energy release. Green tea also contains antioxidants which lower your blood-sugar levels and protect your energy levels. But remember not to drink it too late in the day – it can keep you awake at night, just like coffee!
A Drop Of Magic
High quality essential oils such as lavender are great at helping you to calm down, relax and fall asleep. But did you know that you can also use them to wake up, energize yourself and feel more alert?
Peppermint
Peppermint is a great way to re-energize yourself, to open your air passages so you get more oxygen, and to feel more awake in the morning. Use a diffuser, or rub 1-2 drops between your palms and inhale deeply for a couple of minutes. Alternatively, you can put a couple of drops in the corner of your shower which will create a pepperminty steam.
Citrus Oils
Citrus oils, such as lemon, lime and orange, are energizing and create feelings of happiness. You can use them in the same way as the peppermint oil.
Why Are You Tired?
There are many reasons you could be waking up feeling tired every day. Stress, overwork, poor diet, stimulants, hormones, your heart, diabetes, and sleep apnea are but a few possibilities. I hope you’ll take it easy on yourself and try one or more of these practices to energize yourself and start feeling better right away. And if none of these seem to help, be sure to see your doctor to rule out any underlying medical condition.