Four simple habits to boost your energy levels

One of the most common goals I work on with clients, and something that will definitely have its own page on the new-look website, is boosting energy levels.

Feeling tired, lethargic, and lacking that spark for life is something that is all too common these days, and it's often down to a host of factors.

Here are four healthy habits, one each from the think, eat, live, move elements that form the balance method, to provide you with a truly holistic approach to putting that spark back in your life and a spring in your step:

1. Think: Get checked out

If you've been feeling low on energy for some time, before you do anything else, have a chat with your GP. It's important to rule out common medical causes of fatigue or, in some instances, to diagnose the issue and begin to take appropriate actions.

2. Eat: Small and often (and healthily)

Nutrition can play a powerful part in boosting (or crashing) your energy levels. Food contains calories after all, and it's that energy that you need to make every aspect of your body function optimally.

But it's not just calories that are important. Many nutrients play a role in providing and delivering energy to your body and mind, whilst refined foods and stimulants can have a negative impact.

Before you get overwhelmed by what to focus on though, try this simple technique first:

Eat smaller healthy meals with a good source of protein (think chicken, fish, nuts, seeds, peas, beans, or legumes) more often.

This advice comes straight from the Harvard Medical School, and it's based on the knowledge that smaller meals can prevent you from getting those big energy spikes after eating, followed by that even bigger slump.

Eating small and often, including a good source of protein, can help to better regulate your blood sugar levels. It also prevents too much blood from being diverted away from your brain and muscles to your stomach (to digest the large meal you've just eaten), keeping you more alert as a result.

3. Live: Establish a sleep routine

If there's one thing you can do quickly to improve your sleep, it's to practice going to bed and getting up at the same time EVERY DAY. Yep, that means weekends too.

It helps to reset your body clock (fancy name, Circadian Rhythm), which manages your energy levels, alertness, and all of your major bodily functions throughout the day on a set timer.

Do the same things each day and you help it to literally get into its rhythm, leaving you tired when you should be, and full of beans when you need it too!

4. Move: Feeling tired? Go for a walk

Research has suggested that a short, gentle walk outside (just 20-30 minutes) may be more effective for boosting your energy levels than a nap, using stimulant substances like caffeine, or even stimulant medications.

Why? It doesn't seem to make sense, does it? When you're tired, doing exercise should surely make you even more fatigued. But, much of how energetic you feel is to do with your hormones, and gentle exercise is brilliant for balancing them.

Being stressed all day can lead to constantly high levels of adrenaline and cortisol, but moderate activity can help to bring these down, whilst at the same time boosting levels of feel-good hormones. The result: more energy. Oh, and better sleep too, which will give you even more energy. And better blood sugar control, which...you get the idea! More energy!!!

Getting outside and active early in the day seems particularly effective but, as long as you're not pushing yourself hard too late in the day (when it can delay sleep), being active at any time can help you to feel more lively.

Make a change the balanced way

If increasing energy is your goal, pick just one of the four tips above to work on this week.

Start small. Be consistent and don't be afraid to ask me for help if you need it. I’ll be happy to chat and offer advice to help you find your balance.

Self-isolating in a balanced way...together

Many of us have been thrust into big changes to our daily routine and habits, and whilst it’s definitely the right thing to do, it can be challenging. It’s hard to get the balance of work and play right, to get into a productive rhythm, to concentrate, to relax and switch off, and for all you wonderful parents out there, all of the above and more with the added challenge of schooling your children now.

What can we do then to make our days productive and at the same time maintain positive mental wellbeing? Here are a few key habits to focus on…

1. Fix your sleep-wake cycle

One of the biggest things you can do to keep a sense of normality is to go to bed and get up at the same time each day. Don’t be tempted if you’re stuck at home to squeeze in extra episodes of your favourite box set on Netflix; your body loves routine. It’s called your Circadian Rhythm and when you work with it by doing the same things at the same time each day, your hormones, energy levels, concentration, fitness, immune function and much more get into the groove.

Switch off at the same time each evening and set your alarm for a consistent start to each day.

2. Structure your day

Let’s not stop with sleep and wake times; give your entire day some structure. You can do this in a number of ways; some of you will like to set times for schooling, work, breaks, exercise and chilling. Generally, if things are in the diary, they happen.

If you’re like me you might prefer to make a (realistic) list of tasks to achieve and then be flexible about how you do them. Either way, you’ll have some structure that’ll stop you feeling lost and out of sorts.

Little tip for you - share the structure with someone and report into them on how it goes. Being accountable makes things happen.

3. Be familiar

Building on our routine theme, stick to as many of the timings and systems that you already have in place. You know how strange it feels when you go on holiday and you have no rhythm, then how hard it is to get back into it when you get back? It’ll be the same here unless we stick to our daily patterns - we like being creatures of habit.

That said, if there’s an opportunity to make an improvement to your day that’s always been missing; time for exercise or just time for yourself to relax, now is a wonderful time to grab it with both hands.

4. Assign space

Whether it’s an entire room, or even just a designated chair at the dining table, clearly define the spaces in which you work, eat, rest and play. By doing so you mentally set boundaries and can find it easier to switch on and off when needed. Make sure everyone in the house is aware of these spaces too so that they are always respected.

5. Talk to someone every day

Especially if you’re home alone, set aside time for a phone call or even better Skype or Facetime. We all know how much human contact means to us and it’s been taken away like never before. The Mental Health Foundation says it’s a good way to maintain positive mental health and cope with stressful times, just like these.

6. Separate your week and weekend

There are two reasons I say this - firstly because it’s easy to keep working and not give yourself a break (I’m sure the kids won’t appreciate 24-7 schooling either)! The second is because it’s also easy to slip into weekend habits like pouring yourself a glass of wine or helping yourself to some treats when you’re at home.

Keep the structure and you can help your waistline, your energy levels, your concentration, your productivity and your sleep quality.

Maybe even write your glass of wine or beer into your Friday schedule…or two yes, it’s definitely been one of those weeks.

7. Get outside if you can

If it’s safe to do so, the great outdoors will probably feel greater than ever before right now. Get some space, some fresh air and enjoy the rejuvenating powers of spring. Whether it’s a walk, a jog, a bicycle ride, hopscotch, hula hooping or just taking the dog out, get some sunlight on your face and your mental and physical wellbeing will keep some balance.

Now more than ever, let’s focus on the things we can control, the things we have power over that can leave us feeling fitter, healthier and happier.

Five ways to get a better night's sleep

Sleep does all sorts of wonderful things for your mind and body, yet according to the National Sleep Council, nearly half of the population get less than six hours sleep each night and four in five feel their sleep is disturbed, inadequate or extremely bad.

So here's five handy little tips to help you find better balance with your snoozing...

1) Get into a rhythm. 

Setting a routine for your day with consistent wake-up and bed times helps to train your body and mind. All of us have an in-built body clock, known as our Circadian Rhythm, and by being consistent with when we do things, we help to set our system to naturally wake up and fall asleep when we want it to. It's essentially like writing code for a computer programme.

2) Go dark

Light is a stimulant to you body in much the same way that caffeine is. When your eyes and skin cells detect bright light, they think it must be coming from that giant ball in the sky and that it's time to get up and move around. That's because for the vast majority of time our species has spent on the planet, lightbulbs, computers, iPhones and Kindles didn't exist. The problem now is that these advances in technology are tricking your brain into believing it's time to switch on, when late in the evening the exact opposite is true. Here are a few ideas to help your body to know it's bedtime:

• Set your electronic devices to dim in the evening.

• Better still, set yourself an electronic device curfew time of a couple of hours before bed

• Get yourself a set of blackout blinds or curtains for your room

• Dim the light switches later in the evening

• Read a paperback occasionally instead of always using an e-reader (then recycle it of course)

3) Cut down on the stimulants later in the day

Your body actually starts to wind down for bed mid-late afternoon, so cutting out teas, coffees, energy drinks and high sugar foods after around 4pm can help you to prepare for a good night's kip.

4) Relax

Many of us find it hard to sleep as our brains are still whirring away with thoughts of the day; work deadlines, family pressures, money and everything else that makes life so busy. I know only too well that I can sit working late into the night and when I go to bed, my mind is still running through what I've been doing and what's next. Much like screen-time deadlines and closely linked, it's worth setting a curfew time for work. Choose an enjoyable task to do afterwards; read, listen to music, take a bath, enjoy a hobby, meditate, whatever it is that works for you.

5) Boost your melatonin

Your what? It's a hormone your body produces naturally that is strongly associated with sleep. As the day wears on, levels of a stress hormone named cortisol decrease, largely because the time when you are supposed to have gone and done all of your hard work has finished. As this happens, melatonin increases, helping to relax your body and begin the process of repair and recovery. It's a wonderful system when it works well, hormones acting in pairs to balance each other out nicely.

Darkness is known to boost melatonin levels, so following the tips in point 2 will help, but you might also get some benefits from nutrition too. Certain foods are high in a protein called Tryptophan and this is the thing your body uses to make melatonin. The research is still hit and miss, but the theory is that if you increase Tryptophan levels, you may just boost melatonin and therefore improve sleep. Try these as part of little evening snacks to see if they make any difference for you:

• Milk

• Turkey

• Cheese

• Lettuce

• Wholemeal bread

Summary

Hopefully there are a few helpful tips there to help you find better balance. As always, we'd suggest choosing just one to try first so that you can successfully embed it into your daily routines. Any questions, feel free to post here or get in touch.

Sleep well,

Paul and the balance team :-)