11 Smart Ways To Boost Energy Naturally And Avoid Fatigue

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To boost energy naturally and avoid feeling fatigued and tired can be difficult to do, especially when your sleep-deprived our you’re going through a particularly stressful time in your life. All that important self-care and wellbeing stuff can get put to the side onto a steaming pile of “I don’t have time or I just can’t be bothered right now”. I’m the first to admit to this, how about you?

Unfortunately, the way out of this fatigue is not through drinking your 20th cup of coffee for the day. In these times of Netflix, crazy cat videos and gorgeous pics on Insta there is so much to distract us from getting off the couch and improving our energy levels.

When we are at a low point in our lives we feel vulnerable, alone in our world and often we don’t have the energy to do much about moving ourselves into a better space.

You don’t have to do all the things. Just changing one or two things that need a little tweak in your life at the moment might give you the boost that your need to feel awesome.

Read on to find what might work for you to help give you an energy boost.

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is that the next energy level up from being tired. It is ‘tired’ turned energy-sucking vampire on a quest to raise merry hell in your body.

We can usually combat tiredness with self-care, quiet time and a good night’s sleep fatigue, however, is a whole different ball game.

Fatigue attaches itself to you and follows you around like some clingy child. It is there when you go to sleep and there when you wake up again in the morning.

As always in anything to do with health that can’t be fully explained, consult your doctor who can provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or both.

Especially if you feel you’ve tried everything to boost your energy naturally but the fatigue is hanging around. It could be an outward sign of something more serious.

1. Don’t try to become a Master Olympian overnight

Take it One.

Small.

Step.

At a time.

Consider what you can do today to increase your energy and make your tomorrow just that wee bit more energetic.

Do that every day of the year imagine looking back in one years time at how far you have come.

If you already have an idea of what is causing your fatigue. Focus on fixing that first.

If you are not sure what is causing the tiredness then I suggest starting with what is easy to change first.

2. Improve your diet for the best energy boost

Not everything at once.

Make one food swap.

Or stop eating 3 hours before bed.

Or aim for at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast.  When you have managed that see if you can stretch it to 14 hours. This is intermittent fasting and is a fabulous natural energy booster.

For everything you need to know about intermittent fasting check out the link below post below.

Foods that will give you an instant energy boost, especially if you eat a low carb diet:

• Water
• Salmon
• Chia
• Eggs
• Avocado
• Spinach
• Almonds
• Beans (legumes)
• Sweet potato
• oats

Energy drinks are a great way to increase energy and improve your health. See the post below for some gorgeous energy boosters.

Related:

5 Best Detox And Belly Fat Burning Smoothie Recipes

3. Drink water

Water is the best energy drink by far.

Low energy and feeling tired are two of the first signs of dehydration.

Keep hydrated to keep your metabolic rate up, naturally boosting your energy throughout the day. It’s an easy fix so keep that water bottle handy.

For more on water and dehydration see this post: Are You Getting Enough Water? The Effects Of Dehydration On Your Health

4. Breathe for an instant natural energy boost

Carrying stress in your body has many health implications. Learning some simple breathing techniques can help you to avoid some of the more negative of the health problems that stress can cause.

Activating your parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and relax system) relaxes you enough to let go of the stress in your mind and body. You can do this quickly and easily with simple breathing techniques.

I personally love the 4-7-8 method that I talk about in this post: Relax With Gaba And The 4-7-8 Breathing Method

I practice this method every night when I get into bed. It’s perfect for switching my mind off and settling me down to easily fall asleep for a night of sweet slumber and hopefully sweet dreams

Breathing techniques will ease stress in the body and have an almost instant effect on your energy levels perfect for resisting that mid-afternoon slump. Maybe try for a 10-minute walk while you do your breathing and you’ll seriously feel like a new person.

5. Make sure you get enough sleep

Good sleep is a natural energy booster.

My best suggestions for making this happen are:

• Stop eating at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed.
• Dim the lights at night it messages the brain that it is time for bed.
• Turn off screens at least an hour before bed.
• Don’t read in bed – the bed is for sleeping.
• Do a quiet activity such as journalling and get some of that stuff out of your head.
• Stick to the routine.
• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Your body’s alarm clock will thank you for it and naturally prepare for sleep at the right time.

For a more in-depth look at how to sleep better check out the post: How To Get A Better Night’s Sleep In Midlife

6. Make time for connection to increase your energy levels

It sounds a little counterintuitive but a connection with people you like, know and trust can fire you up. You bounce off their energy and they yours.

If you can’t meet in person how about setting up a regular meeting online.

Human connection is an energy exchange. It boosts our energy levels by taking care of our mental health and guards against anxiety and depression.

7. Reduce Stress in your life

Stress stomps all over your energy levels like nothing else. Try to include some stress-busting activities every day.

Definitely use the breathing technique as mentioned earlier.

Step out into the sun – when your skin is exposed to the sun it makes vitamin D.

This is by far the best way to get your natural energy-boosting vitamin D as very few foods contain significant amounts.

10 to 30 minutes without sunscreen, depending on how easy you burn, should be sufficient. Vitamin D plays a big part in regulating your mood and warding off depression.

Being in a good mood energises you and gets your brain firing on all cylinders to increase your energy naturally and fast.

8. Limit Caffeine

A small amount of caffeine per day is a wonderful natural energy boost and possibly my favourite.

Be careful, too much and you will notice fatigue set in as your body starts to crave its next hit.

Particularly avoid caffeine in the afternoon as it may interrupt your sleep.

Make sure to eat breakfast. This first meal of the day will kickstart your metabolism and your brain giving you an energy boost to start your day off right.

9. Eat regularly to increase your energy levels

When you haven’t eaten for a long time your blood sugar levels can dip and so does your energy. Eat regular small amounts throughout the day.

Eat a healthy diet. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits with some nuts, seeds and healthy fats is best.

These are high energy foods that are low on the glycemic index so their energy is released slowly to keep your blood sugar nice and balanced.

Rich, high carb foods release their energy quickly spiking your blood sugar levels giving you a quick but short burst of energy. Unfortunately, the low that comes after the high will leave you feeling flat.

Special mention foods to help boost your energy are avocado, dark leafy greens, flaxseeds, green tea, good protein and cinnamon.

It is worth mentioning here that protein is important for keeping your metabolism ticking along. Not eating enough can leave you feeling fatigued.

10. Avoid sugar

Sugar and processed carbs are the energy stealing magpies of the food world. While they do provide some energy it is short and sweet and will leave you craving for more of the same.

The side effects of this sharp rise and fall of blood sugar levels are fatigue and cravings on a grand scale.

If you are feeling fatigued try these simple strategies that will work to give you an immediate boost of natural energy:

Yoga

Try a gentle cobra pose which opens up your chest and allows energy to flow.

Or do a full sun salutation to really get the energy moving. Make sure you’re breathing deep and evenly.

Nuts

Almonds are a great for boosting energy naturally. Eat a small handful for an immediate energy boost.

Iron deficiency

This is a sure-fire recipe for fatigue. A simple blood test will reveal if you are deficient in iron.

11. Harness your mind and use it to your benefit

Don’t allow your thoughts to create bad situations and feelings.

Question your bad thoughts. “What if the opposite were true?”

Stress does not come from what is happening around us. It comes from our thoughts and reactions to those things. Remove the stress and you will feel more calm, energetic, creative and strong.

Meditation for only fifteen minutes per day will help you to become more present and able to cope with stressful situations.

Bonus Tip

Consider taking a magnesium supplement.

Magnesium can help create energy in the body.

If you are deficient in magnesium one of the side effects can be poor sleep. A magnesium supplement can help quiet a racing mind, slow your heart rate and relax your muscles in order to facilitate better sleep.

For more on the subject of boosting your energy check out this post Eight Energy Boosters To Beat Menopause Fatigue by Everyday Health.

If you are in Menopause and finding your energy levels dwindling this post might help How To Boost Your Energy In Menopause Natuarlly

Remember, small incremental steps that you can easily stick to are better than trying to do everything at once and failing.

If you feel fatigued and low on energy, it’s worth taking a look at your lifestyle to see what healthy changes you can make.

Start making these changes today to boost your energy naturally.