Sit up a Tree

Do you ever feel drained of energy?  Do you feel tired and lacking in get-up-and-go at 10 am?  Do you feel consistently tired, irritable and like you want to collapse into bed?  You need an energy boost!

There are two ways that you can improve your energy levels:

• You can get rid of things in your life that suck up your energy
• You can boost your internal energy stores

You body is much like a battery.  It stores energy until you need it.  However, in our modern society there are a huge number of drains on our energy levels, and constant exposure to these can severely deplete you reserves.  Here are a few of the major “energy drains”:

• Worry
  Nothing does more to consume energy than worry.  These can be focused worries, such as worrying about a test or work task, or unfocused worries about the world in general.  Take steps to eliminate worry with clear thinking and meditation.
• Being overweight
  If you are overweight this means that your body is carrying more weight that it should, as a result this your body is consuming more energy that it needs to during the day.  This can leave you feeling tired and lethargic.  As you lose weight you’ll notice that your energy levels increase proportionally.  This is one of the major reasons to lose weight (apart form health considerations).
• Negative attitude
  This has an effect similar to worry.  It is in your best interests to discard negative, pessimistic beliefs and replace them with empowering optimistic beliefs.
• Toxic people
  There are a small number of people on this planet who are toxic.  These people drain your energy for no good reason.  These are the kind of people that you want to avoid at all costs - even if that means telling it to them straight.  “Mind you mind, for it will surely spoil.”

Now that we’ve looked at what drains your energy, lets look at energy boosters:

• Drink plenty
  Make sure that you drink 2 - 4 liters of water a day.  This water will flush out the toxins out of your system and make you feel refreshed and energetic.  It’ll also help you control hunger, an important side-effect if you are losing weight.
• Eat well
  Eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and veg.  Avoid stodgy high protein, high fat foods that weigh you down. 
• Exercise regularly
  It might seem counter-intuitive but regular exercise will boost your energy levels (not, as some people believe, reduce your energy).  Exercise gets your heart and lungs going and oxygenates your entire system - factors vital to good health.

Many people have heard of the health benefits associated with drinking green drinks.  These can help you stay hydrated and alkalise your system and help you cleanse.  But there are so many different green drinks on the market that it’s hard to pick the one that’s right for you.

The good folks at Energise for Life have created a really handy green drink matrix that compares some of the most popular green drinks on the market.

One thing to bear in mind is that since this company is based in the UK the prices on this site are in GBP£.

While you’re on the site you might want to check out and subscribe to the Energise for Life blog - it’s a great read!

TV.  The boob tube.  The glass teat.  There’s little doubt that spending four, five, six or more hours a day in front of the TV isn’t going to lead to an increase in productive.  In fact, you’re probably harming your overall productivity. 

I’ve nothing against TV personally, but I think that watching too much TV, especially in an uncontrolled way, is bad for you.  TV give you a simplistic alternative reality to escape into so you can avoid tackling real issues in your life.  Escapism is small doses isn’t a bad thing, but spending a large proportion of you time in TV land isn’t good.  You can spend your time in more constructive ways.

Here are some tips for reducing the amount of TV you watch.

• Why are you watching TV?  Is it a habit or just filler between doing other things?  If it’s just filler and you don’t really spend all that much time watching the box, then it’s not really a big deal.  It’s the long stretches in front of the box that’s bad.
• Plan your viewing in advance.  Get the TV guide out, make a list and then stick to it.
• Record and watch.  If you plan what you want to watch, why not program your VCR or TiVo and record everything you want to watch.  This way you can save time by skipping commercials.
• Watch your weekly recording at the end of the week.  If you’re recording everything you want to watch, why not watch all your recorded shows and films at the end of the week rather than piecemeal?  This will help you break the habit of turning to the TV when you’re bored or doing nothing.
• Fill TV time with something else.  What do you want to be doing instead?  Reading?  Exercising?  Playing with your kids?  Learning a new skill?  Meditating?  Switch the TV off and just do it!  If you don’t fill that time, TV will.
• Like films and TV shows?  Why not buy or rent DVDs rather than watching them when they are aired?  You can watch what you want when you want rather than relying on the programme schedule.  You also avoid commercials (which can account for 15 minutes for every hour of viewing - a massive time-waste!).
• Avoid 24/7 news channels - these channels can seriously suck up all your time.

Reclaim your time - watch less TV!