Fitness And Health

Posts Tagged ‘energy’

How is your energy and are you wondering how you can give it a boost?  You are in the right place.  As you read you will learn the most important vitamin and 7 ways to increase your energy.

The biggest complaint that doctors often hear from patients is a lack of energy, or the constant feeling of fatigue. Due to these types of complaints, it really isn’t a surprise that people want to know the best types of vitamins and supplements they can get for energy. All vitamins are ideal for staying healthy, as well as keeping your body performing in top shape.

Among vitamins and supplements, one of the most common for energy is folic acid. Folic acid is a B vitamin that has been proven to increase energy levels. Even though you can look for vitamins that provide energy, it would be in your best interest to find those that can be effective with fighting fatigue as well. There are vitamins, nutrients, and supplements that are great for fighting fatigue and helping the body stay alert.

7 Ways to Boost Your Energy

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Fatigue is one of the biggest problems of modern life, but we’re trying to fix that problem in all the wrong ways.

Trying to “get” or “find” energy is like trying to grab a fistful of water. If you want water (energy) to sit in your hand, you have to first create the conditions under which it’s possible — in the case of water, keeping your fingers tightly together and your hand cupped while open will do the trick — but trying to grab the water will not. It’s the same thing with energy.

Energy isn’t something you get or grab, but rather the by-product of certain conditions that allow it to show up in your life. If your health and attitude and body and mind are all aligned in the right way, there’s nothing else for you to do but to feel energized. It’s the natural “side-effect” of a healthy life — it just comes with the territory.Let’s say you were a swimmer wearing a weight belt and you wanted to increase your time in the 50-yard freestyle. You could spend a lot of effort researching the latest titanium high-tech bathing suit — which might add a second or two to your time — but wouldn’t it be a lot more effective to simply drop the weight belt?

Most of us are carrying around weight belts and looking to increase our energy with coffee and stimulants when in fact if we just dropped the weight belt we’d automatically go faster.

Some of the items on our weight belt are: too little sleep, disorganization, toxic relationships, high-carb diets, undetected food sensitivities, and all sorts of other facts of modern life that I discuss in detail in my book, The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy. In this article I’m going to suggest seven ways to help drop the weight belt from your energy tank. Do them and you may be surprised at what a boost in energy they give you.

1. Support your liver. You can help your liver do its job more effectively — and boost your energy in the bargain — by taking a daily dose of an herb called milk thistle. I consider the liver to be the most misunderstood and under-appreciated organ in the human body, because when it’s not working right, the first thing to suffer is your energy. Giving the liver all the nutrients it needs to perform its daily tasks is one of the most important things you can do to boost your energy.
2. Get ten minutes of sun every day. “The sun gives you strength, lifts your spirits and is a source of energy”, says my friend Al Sears, MD, author of Your Best Health Under the Sun. Like a growing body of health experts, Sears thinks we’ve become so sun phobic that we’re missing out on the myriad mood-boosting and energy-enhancing benefits that vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin has to offer.
3. Disconnect for a day. One of the great energy drainers of the 21st century is information overload. We’re deluged with stuff coming at us from emails, RSS feeds, blogs, social networking sites, TV, magazines, radio, fax machines, Blackberries… you get the picture. Knowledge may be power, but information overload is just… well, noise. Try a media-free day and feel your own energy accumulate — rather than dissipate as you attend to millions of distractions. Most of the chatter, when you think about it, won’t make much difference in the long run anyway. (If you find the idea of disconnecting for a day a frightening thought, you are exactly the person who needs to do it the most!)
4. Try the “No-Frills, No-Excuses, Anytime-Anywhere” workout. We all know that exercise helps with energy — at least I hope we do — but when it comes to working out, time remains a big obstacle for many people. Here’s my own “no excuses” lo-tech workout that you can do just about anywhere in as little as 15 or 20 minutes for an amazing boost in energy: 1) run a mile, 2) do some squats, 3) do some push-ups, 4) do some crunches. Stretch and go about your business refreshed and energized. And if you can’t go out and run the mile, do some jumping jacks in your office, or run the stairs.
5. Revive your “qi”. Acupuncture is based on the precepts of traditional Chinese Medicine that says the body and mind are inextricably linked; that vital energy, or qi, regulates a person’s spiritual, mental and physical health; that each of us is a delicate balance of opposing and inseparable forces called yin and yang — and when that balance is disrupted, vital energy becomes blocked or weakened. When our qi (energy) is at optimal levels and flowing smoothly, we’re ready to take on the world. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically we’re strong, healthy and energized. One terrific way to balance that energy is through acupuncture.
6. De-clutter and deep-six the energy drain. Here’s a rule I’ve found to be a universal truth: your energy has a perfect inverse relationship to the accumulation of stuff you don’t need. The more unwanted, unused, unneeded stuff you have cluttering up your life, the less energy you have. Believe it or not, the condition of your desk (and desktop) and office and living space actually reflects a lot of what’s going on in your head. If you take time to organize and de-clutter, you’ll actually be freeing up a lot of psychic space, and that can really turbo-charge your energy.
7. Take the right supplements. While supplements don’t really “give” you energy, they can correct metabolic issues that are draining it. They can also speed along certain pathways that are nutrient-dependent and that get sluggish (and energy draining) when those nutrients are in short supply. One terrific energizing nutrient is coenzyme Q10. It helps transform fats and sugars into energy and is a potent antioxidant.

To find out more about essential supplements, please sign up for my free audio by clicking the link below.

[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. You can learn more about essential nutrients by listening to his free audio course, The Seven Supplements You Need Now. His new book, The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Energy Naturally is available now. For more information, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

An Energy Boost? Web Resources

• 10 Ways to Improve Your Energy « Scott H Young – I believe that energy management and the ability to utilize your own energy is one of the most important keys to effectiveness. Although our ability to organize our time is limited to the number of hours in the day, our ultimate …
• Staying Strong No Matter What Age – Moreover, you will boost your energy and reduce the risk of several serious diseases. So no matter how old you are, you have a lot to gain from this. This is a great way to ensure your strength and health for the years to come. …
• Using HGH Spray to Boost Your Energy – Human growth hormone, commonly known as HGH, has been shown to increase muscle mass and decrease fat. HGH is released by the pituitary gland, the tiny, pea-sized center in your brain responsible for producing nine hormones to regulate …

Quick Tips to Boost Your Metabolism

There are a lot of people who would give a lot to increase their metabolism. Having a high level of metabolism enables one to maintain burn fat and lose weight fast with the least amount of activity. Metabolism is the rate by which the body produces and consumes energy and calories to support life.

There are several factors that affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals one consumes, genetics, stress levels, personal diet and activity levels. Metabolism slows done due to the following: loss of muscle because of not enough physical activity, the tendency of the body to cannibalize its own tissue because there is not enough food energy to sustain it, and the decrease of physical activity that comes naturally with old age.

Here are several ways to fire up one’s metabolism:

1. Build up on lean, mean body mass. It is only natural that metabolism decreases along with age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle a person has is a very strong determinant in the ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it goes without saying that exercise is essential. Build strength and resistance by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between workouts. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can already take off calories. The key is to match the amount of eating to the amount of activity one has. Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:

For strength training

-Increase the amount of repetitions of a particular exercise.
-Add the level of resistance
-Utilize advance exercise techniques if possible

For cardiovascular training

-Insert intervals between exercises
-Perform cross-training and combine the exercises
-Add up on resistance and speed

2. Eat breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, the ones who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. Metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

3. Avoid sugar. Sugar enables the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, progressive execerise 2-3 times a week should be in order to stabilize blood sugar.

4. Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers can increase metabolism.

5. Sleep more. According to research, it is riskier for people who do not get enough sleep to gain weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.

6. Increase water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced whenever the body burns fat. Majority of bodily functions involves water, and lack of water causes the body system’s operations to decrease its speed, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

7. Eat smaller meals. It is advisable to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.

8. Never skip meals. People tend to skip meals in order to lose weight, which is a big mistake since it slows down metabolism.

9. Plan meals in detail. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at the designated intervals. Do not commit the mistake of eating meals in sporadic patterns.

9. Ditch the stress! Stress, be it physical or emotional, triggers the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases metabolism. Also, people tend to eat excessively when stressed.

10. Guzzle up on green tea. It can be used as a substitute for coffee. Tea has the ability to stimulate metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

11. Include more energy foods in the diet, such as fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.

Achieving the desired body weight is never impossible if one has the determination and patience needed to stabilize the metabolism level, which plays an important role in weight loss. A person needs to realize that eating right and working out is not just a passing fancy, but a way of life.

Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate

by Shane Ellison 12/21/2007

I recently read The Magic Of Chia, The: Revival Of An Ancient Wonder Food by James Scheer. An interesting and revealing book about Chia seeds as a super energy food.

Chia was made famous by the Chia Pets that have been on TV in the Christmas season for many years. These seeds grow fast to make a coat of ‘hair’ for your pet. I never saw the appeal of the Chia Pet. But as much as I hated seeing those commercials come on TV I couldn’t help taking a closer look at Chia seeds as a food. Chia turns out to be rich in Omega-3, fiber, and other nutrients. I buy my seeds from Raw Vegan Books and here is their discussion of the nutrients:

The seeds have twice the protein of any other seed or grain, five times the calcium of milk, boron which is trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones, omega 3 and omega 6 which are essential oils for the body. They also have a very long list of valuable nutrients in them naturally. The soluble fiber in the gel forms a wall between carbohydrates and the body, releasing them slowly into the body. This has been found to be very helpful for people who have trouble controlling their sugar levels like Diabetics. Dieters love the seeds because it can be added to any food or drink in a ratio of 75% to the volume of food or drink and will not change the taste. Because the carbohydrates are released slowly you will get the feeling of being full. Many use the seeds as a way to control their appetites. The gel has no taste.

In the book Scheer talks about improved athletic performance and a broad spectrum of health benefits. He also details the history from Chia’s Aztec roots as a food of royalty to their near loss after the Spanish conquerors that nearly killed out those peoples.

My favorite use is as the gel described above and as thickener for soup. Chia will be a welcome addition to your kitchen too as a secret ingredient that improves your families health as it satisfies the appetite.

Order Chia Products:

Chia Book	5lb Pack	1lb Pack

Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate

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