4 Healthy Ways to Increase Your Energy

Whether you work from home or in an office, it can be difficult to maintain adequate energy to stay productive and feel your best. Fortunately, there are several feasible ways to have the energy you need every day.

1. Get Optimal Nutrition

When you get busy with life's demands, it can be all-too-easy to begin eating for convenience rather than for nutrition. Too often, the foods that are easy to grab such as a bag of chips or a fast-food meal are not the foods that your body needs for energy, health and efficiency. While it’s fine to enjoy foods that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat on rare occasions, the majority of your diet should consist of healthy proteins and fats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. To make healthy eating easier, prepare nutritious meals ahead of time that you can take with you to work throughout the week and stock up on easy healthy snack foods such as bananas, nuts, sunflower seeds and raisins.

Even with healthier eating habits, it is challenging to ensure you are getting sufficient vitamins and minerals, but you can also take supplements to make sure your body has exactly what it needs. Before taking any supplement, make sure to talk to your doctor. Also, choose supplements with high-quality ingredients such as greens powder to get the exact nutrients your body needs for balanced nutrition and immunity.

2. Prioritize Exercise

No matter how busy you may be, it's important not to neglect exercise. To be at your healthiest and have the energy you need for all that you do, working out is a necessity. Fortunately, there are multiple options and convenient ways to incorporate exercise into your day.

If you drive to your office, one way to start adding exercise is to park a distance from your building so that you get extra walking in both before and after work. Additionally, if you normally use an elevator, take the stairs instead. Wherever you work, make time throughout the day to take small breaks to walk even if it is just a two-minute walk down the hallway or up and down the stairs. Making small adjustments to add exercise into your day can help you burn more calories and combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

It's also important to make time in your schedule for complete workouts. There are countless available exercise options so that you can easily find one that works best for you. You might join a gym where you can lift weights, use cardio machines, swim or attend fitness classes. Alternatively, you could invest in home-workouts or streaming fitness classes in everything from pilates to high impact cardio. You can also download fitness apps to easily access multiple workouts wherever you go.

3. Focus on the Positive

Constant stress and anxiety burns energy and causes fatigue. To combat stress, it is essential to reduce stressful and negative thoughts. One way to do this is through meditation, which minimizes depression and anxiety and increases your ability to focus.

It's also important to make time for enjoyable activities and interactions. When all of your time is spent focused on your work, you can become overwhelmed and depressed and lose your motivation. Be intentional about making time for the people you care about and the activities that make you happy. Make plans with friends and family and schedule time for hobbies like reading, hiking or playing an instrument.

4. Don't Neglect Sleep

As an adult, you need a minimum of 7 hours of sleep every night in order to be at your best and have the energy you need. To ensure a good night's sleep establish a restful atmosphere about an hour before your chosen bedtime. Turn off bright lights and all distracting shows, apps and music. Instead, dim the lights, get comfortable and listen to soothing music to help your mind relax and prepare for sleep.

Neglecting your health can have an immense, negative effect on your energy causing underperformance. By managing nutrition, exercising, focusing on positive things and prioritizing sleep, you will increase your energy levels so you can feel your best for all of life's challenges.