Life, like energy has a cycle. The trick is to identify these rhythms and maximize them if you want to have sustainable energy. Let me explain.
Everyday we expend energy to get some form of work done. We need to work, then we need to refuel. Most of us have had the experience where for one reason or another we skipped lunch. We went against the cycle, and likely we felt the consequences of that by becoming irritable, lethargic, and mentally unclear.
All of us can stand to get a little better at listening to our bodies. It knows what it needs but often we try to act like we know better.
People often ask me to give specifics. Ok. Consider the most common rhythm we have, the Circadian rhythm. This is the rhythm that controls our sleep and wake cycles. For most people this rhythm oscillates between 8 hours of sleep and 16 hours of being awake (this varies slightly among people).
But what most people are not familiar with is the Ultradian rhythm. This is another biological clock within us but this one controls a different cycle. The Ultradian rhythm is about every 90-120 minutes, it varies depending on several factors. What it controls though is the level of energy you feel. Have you ever noticed that every 90-120 minutes or so you start to feel a little tired, hungry, bored, unable to concentrate, and maybe even a little anxious. Your Ultradian rhythm is responsible for that and its telling you that you need a break.
What our body wants is for us to get up, walk around and completely disconnect from the task at hand. It is craving recovery. You should walk away from your desk and do something completely unrelated to what you were doing for about 10 to 15 minutes. You should also at this point, refuel physically a bit by drinking some water and eating either a fruit or a vegetable, something real light that will give you a quick charge.
That is what you should do, but what we normally do is quite the opposite. We try to force ourselves to break through the tiredness. We go get a cup of coffee or a caffeinated soda. We grab a donut or some sugar loaded cookie or cake. What we are doing is trying to get our energy level up by putting some pretty terrible chemicals into our bodies. And don't even mention the energy drinks that have become so wildly popular.
All you need to do is Google "side effects of caffeine and sugar" to get more details on what these chemicals do to your overall health and specifically your energy. I won't go into it here because there is a lot of information out there about it already. But just know that it is going against Mother Nature by trying to prop up your energy by ingesting unnatural stimulants, and there are always consequences to that.
The good news is with a little effort, you can get your energy back and perform at your maximum energy potential. Here are a couple quick tips to get you on the road. First, buy a refillable water bottle and drink from that instead of coffee or soda. Second start bringing healthy snacks with you so you are not tempted by vending machines and sugary snacks. And finally, set a timer on your watch, cell phone, and/or computer to remind you to take a break. You'll need to experiment a bit to find your exact rhythm but with a little effort, you will quickly see a surge in the amount of energy you have to do everyday things. Good luck! - 29964
Everyday we expend energy to get some form of work done. We need to work, then we need to refuel. Most of us have had the experience where for one reason or another we skipped lunch. We went against the cycle, and likely we felt the consequences of that by becoming irritable, lethargic, and mentally unclear.
All of us can stand to get a little better at listening to our bodies. It knows what it needs but often we try to act like we know better.
People often ask me to give specifics. Ok. Consider the most common rhythm we have, the Circadian rhythm. This is the rhythm that controls our sleep and wake cycles. For most people this rhythm oscillates between 8 hours of sleep and 16 hours of being awake (this varies slightly among people).
But what most people are not familiar with is the Ultradian rhythm. This is another biological clock within us but this one controls a different cycle. The Ultradian rhythm is about every 90-120 minutes, it varies depending on several factors. What it controls though is the level of energy you feel. Have you ever noticed that every 90-120 minutes or so you start to feel a little tired, hungry, bored, unable to concentrate, and maybe even a little anxious. Your Ultradian rhythm is responsible for that and its telling you that you need a break.
What our body wants is for us to get up, walk around and completely disconnect from the task at hand. It is craving recovery. You should walk away from your desk and do something completely unrelated to what you were doing for about 10 to 15 minutes. You should also at this point, refuel physically a bit by drinking some water and eating either a fruit or a vegetable, something real light that will give you a quick charge.
That is what you should do, but what we normally do is quite the opposite. We try to force ourselves to break through the tiredness. We go get a cup of coffee or a caffeinated soda. We grab a donut or some sugar loaded cookie or cake. What we are doing is trying to get our energy level up by putting some pretty terrible chemicals into our bodies. And don't even mention the energy drinks that have become so wildly popular.
All you need to do is Google "side effects of caffeine and sugar" to get more details on what these chemicals do to your overall health and specifically your energy. I won't go into it here because there is a lot of information out there about it already. But just know that it is going against Mother Nature by trying to prop up your energy by ingesting unnatural stimulants, and there are always consequences to that.
The good news is with a little effort, you can get your energy back and perform at your maximum energy potential. Here are a couple quick tips to get you on the road. First, buy a refillable water bottle and drink from that instead of coffee or soda. Second start bringing healthy snacks with you so you are not tempted by vending machines and sugary snacks. And finally, set a timer on your watch, cell phone, and/or computer to remind you to take a break. You'll need to experiment a bit to find your exact rhythm but with a little effort, you will quickly see a surge in the amount of energy you have to do everyday things. Good luck! - 29964
About the Author:
Gerry Geneva is a personal energy consultant who operates the site MyAdrenalFatigue.com, a site that specializes in helping those suffering from adrenal fatigue symptoms of low energy and extreme tiredness. MyAdrenalFatigue.com helps you to increase your energy levels through all new natural techniques physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. All 4 areas have tremendous energy consequences.
