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1. Got light?
Sunlight contains brain-activating short-wavelength blue light. "Our circadian rhythms are more sensitive to blue light than any other kind," says Mariana Figueiro, assistant professor at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
For your blue light special rush, open your window blinds when you arise or take a hike for a while in the morning; the sooner the better; 10 minutes is good, 30 is better. Go outside as often as you can during the day (especially when you you need to be alert), says Scott Campbell, Ph.D., director of the Human Chronobiology Laboratory at New York--Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Westchester, New York. Increase your blue light at work, use lamps with "natural" lightbulbs -- try Sylvania's Daylight Extra bulbs, an Ott-Lite, or a light box that uses blue-light technology.
2. Protein "pumps you up"
Unless you're doing a many miles marathon, carbo-loading for energy is passe. Instead, eat protein to increase mental alertness and energy, says Debra Hollon, M.S., R.D., a clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Protein contains tyrosine, an amino acid that elevates the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. It increases satiety, too. And when you feel fuller, you're not apt to overdo the breads and sweets that induce rollercoaster highs and lows.
Eat plant- and animal-based protein throughout the day -- an egg or high-protein cereal for breakfast, 10 almonds midmorning, a cup of low-sugar yogurt in the afternoon -- and your stamina should stabilize.
3. Volunteer velocity
Research shows that you get a "helper's high," a rush of endorphins that lasts for hours, when you volunteer, says Kimberly Kingsley, author of "The Energy Cure: How to Recharge Your Life 30 Seconds at a Time." You don't have to look far to help out, she says. "There may be a single mom in your family who needs a babysitter or a lonely neighbor who'd love to chat."
Judith Orloff, M.D., a Los Angeles-based psychiatrist and author of "Positive Energy: 10 Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear," agrees, and she often folds anonymous good deeds into her day. Just simple quick consideration for others will work wonders. One of the easiest ways is to leave a larger tip, says Richard Ross of Team RW in Colorado. "When you make someone happy, you feel filled up again," Orloff says. You can find volunteer opportunities that suit you at www.idealist.org.
4. Breathe deep -- this time from the gut
That post-workout rush of energy you feel is well-documented: Movement sends oxygen through the bloodstream to invigorate cells. That's why Gerald K. Endress, fitness director at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, suggests that you break up your workouts to maximize your oxygen intake.
Lift weights, roll out the exercise ball, or do five minutes of yoga in the morning. Climb a few flights of stairs at lunch and jog after dinner. To add an extra kick to your workout, breathe deeply for your first one or two minutes of cardio, Endress says: Inhale from your belly; then breathe out slowly, imagining you're pulling your navel toward your spine.
5. Get that get-up-and-go
L-theanine is an amino acid that, according to recent research, stimulates alpha brain waves to boost alertness while producing a calming effect. The green tea component in Ageless Xtra or Xperia contains less caffeine than a candy bar and is more hydrating, another key for sustaining energy.
6. Do something different for just 15 minutes
Shake up your routine for 15 minutes at a time to get an energy boost. Change your walking route, sample a new food, garden for a few minutes, or pick up a pencil and draw. "It's all about taking baby steps to replenish yourself," Orloff says.
Start small; tackling a really big new project may just pile on more stress. And think of your mini-task as a chance to renew, not another thing on your to-do list.
7. Give yourself a helping hand
Homedics makes a dual head massager that produces muscle miracles. 15 minutes will loosen muscles, get out the toxins, increase circulation, reduce inflammation in ways that are nothing short of amazing. Costco has a great model for about $40 and other stores carry them as well. My massager is still going great after 5 years of use. Hands-on therapies such as acupuncture and Reiki (pronounced ray-key), a Japanese massage technique, may help, says Eva Selhub, M.D., senior staff physician at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. "These therapies may remove the blocks that create emotional and physical problems in our bodies," she says. "When the resistance is gone, energy flows." In fact, a recent British study published in New Scientist says acupuncture can relieve fatigue in cancer patients.
Need help right now? Try self-acupressure. According to a recent finding by Richard E. Harris, Ph.D., research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical Center's Department of Internal Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan, there's a positive correlation between acupressure and increased alertness. His trick: Rub the muscle between your thumb and your forefinger for three to five minutes; you should feel a little ache there and then an overall sense of ahh.
8. Turn down the twitching
Cell phones, email alert beeps, and texting twangs give us those knee-jerk reactions of "fight-or-flight mode," Kingsley says. Your adranal glands zing you with each cell phone ring, text message twitches, or an e-mail alert. A steady diet of adrenaline surges is fatiguing. Cell phones increase stress on women, research shows.
Both men and women say that their cell phones allow job worries to affect their home lives, only women experience the opposite effect -- the spillover of home concerns into work. The solution: "Set boundaries at work and home," Kingsley suggests, "so your attention isn't always divided." Give yourself at least an hour a day *during the day* when you completely unplug from electronic devices. That chance to check in and connect with yourself will re-energize you, she says.
9. Meditation - refocus for attention increases
Time-crunched? Great news: You can reap the benefits of meditation -- an increase of alertness and attention -- in three-minute minibreaks. "They're like little tune-ups," Orloff says.
She recommends an a.m. session before you start your day and a noon meditation before that typical 3 o'clock crash hits. Find a quiet place (even if it's the bathroom) and mentally focus on an image that brings you pleasure: the ocean, a flower, the sun, your cat; continue to keep the image in your mind's eye as you breathe deeply (roughly 10 seconds for each inhale and exhale). With a little practice, Orloff says, you'll become more skilled at maintaining focus and can add more short meditations to your day, whenever you need revitalizing.
10. Simplify your sleep
The buzzwords in sleep science these days are "sleep hygiene," -- it helps you create an atmosphere that's restful, so you'll sleep well and wake up energized without the need for sleeping pills, Campbell says.
Sleep hygiene usually includes three areas: fully darkening your bedroom (turn your alarm clock away from you if the display gives off too much light), regulating room temperature to a moderate coolness (too hot or too cold, and you'll wake up), and using white noise (a fan or quiet music) to help induce sleepiness.
***************************************************************************** Ageless Xtra and or Xperia from Univera are the great ways to get healthy~! |
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