You probably often hear people say around you – or you might be saying yourself – that today they have lots of energy (or not) but where do we get our energy from? And why is it that for no particular reason our energy levels can change dramatically.
As I write this at 11.30 on a Monday morning, one of the first sources of energy I think of is food! The food we eat definitely plays a role in the level of energy we have. You might have noticed that you can feel lethargic after eating certain meals. With a little bit of awareness, you can notice how different types of food affect you. You have certainly experienced feeling lethargic after a heavier meal, or you might notice that some food just doesn’t seem to agree with you and make you feel more tired than anything else. As far as I am concerned, eating a yogurt after a meal will invariably make me feel really tired.
So food is an important source of energy. Drink is equally as important. Researches have demonstrated that if you don’t drink enough water, you may feel tired and sluggish, even if you sleep and eat well. A little trick that I have to ensure that I drink enough is to use a water bottle. I take it everywhere with me and it enables me to keep a track on how much water I drink every day. In my case, I know that I need to drink 2 bottles (I use a 1 litre bottle) to have consumed enough water.
Exercise is another important factor. Even though exercising requires energy, it has been proven to give us more than it takes. And exercising doesn’t mean that you have to hit the gym either, a walk or a little bit of cycling is enough to boost your energy level by raising endorphins, releasing stress and pumping oxygen around your body more effectively.
It is especially beneficial if you couple exercising with taking deep belly breaths. By breathing deeply, you increase the oxygen in your body which will make you feel more energised and will improve your ability to think. After all, we yawn when we are tired as yawning enables us to take in a large amount of oxygen in one giant breath.
To summarise, the food we eat, how much water we drink, the exercise we do and the way we breathe all impact on our energy levels. This might not come as a surprise to some of you, but it is sometimes worth stating the obvious as there is a risk that, being so obvious, it can get forgotten!