Today I want to answer I get asked frequently, that is, where do I or how do I get he energy to do all the things I do and I still have plenty of energy left to keep going.
So, how do I generate my own energy? I want to start by saying that when we talk about personal energy I am referring to physical, mental and emotional energy. I believe we need all three in order to give our best through the day.
I've learned that we can and need to generate our own energy. So here are my 10 tips to generate your own energy and keep those energy levels high through the day.
1. Take care of yourself: Form my perspective there are 7 key things you can do to focus on yourself:
Nutrition: eat healthy and balanced
Exercise: move your body for at least 30 min every day
Hydrate: drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water
Stretch: never skip a good stretch or practice some yoga
Meditate, pray or/and self-reflect
Get a good night sleep: adults need 6-8 hours of good quality sleep a day
2. Identify the things that ignite your energy and the things that deplete your energy: If you have ever read the book Strength Finder and taken the assessment that comes in the book, you might want to revisit those, as probably any activity related to those is going to be an energy igniting activity for you. You also want to identify what are the activities that deplete you energy. What are those things that you feel drain your energy through the day.
3. Make sure you always have an energy building activity built in your calendar. Now that you know what are the things that ignite and deplete your energy, make sure you schedule at least one energy building activity in your day, every day. When you schedule those activities during the day can impact your ability to keep high levels of energy, so be strategic as to when you schedule them. For me there are three times during the day that I like to schedule energy building activities:
First thing in the morning.
After an energy depleting activity
After lunch
4. Take breaks throughout the day. We need breaks! Our brains are not design to go non-stop all day long. There are studies that show that high performance successful people take breaks every 50 min. Yes, I know, sounds like a lot, but when I am talking about a break I am referring to a 2-3 minute breaks. During these breaks I like to stand up, go to the restroom or fill up my water bottle, sometimes I just stay where I and take 10 deep breaths.
5. Establish a consistent morning and evening routine. In episode 4 of the Leading Yourself podcast I dedicated the entire episode to establishing a consistent morning routine and I talked about the 7 elements I intentionally have built in mine. At that time I did not addressed evening routines but these are also very important as they can contribute to a better night sleep. Listen to episode 9 to get some ideas around activities you can build in your evening routine to help you fuel your energy.
6. Stay optimistic and find the bright side on every situation. When you stay optimistic you are most likely to keep high levels of energy vs when you have a pessimistic mindset. I am not suggesting that you stay positive and cheerful all the time every day, but rather what I am implying here is that you stay realistic but try to focus on the potential positive outcomes on every situation. Focused on what can go wrong on a particular situation can drain our energy. On the contrary focusing on the potential positive outputs on every situation not can only help us increase our energy but also the probabilities of achieving that positive output.
7. Cross a few things off your list first thing in the morning. Have you ever felt that when you are most busy, most stressed out you feel you have more energy to keep going? I am not suggesting that you incense your levels of stress in any way, but rather that you cross a few things off your list first thing in the morning. When we are able to create that feeling of accomplishment that early in the day we are most likely to generate and keep high level of energy through the day.
8. Listen to music: Yes, listening to some upbeat music can boost your energy almost immediately. I like to listen to some upbeat music in the mornings before working out. That together with my pre-work supplement give me that boost of energy I need to get through my workout and kick start my day. If I feel my energy levels are lower than usual I turn the volume up and listen to music on my way to work or during those breaks that we were talking about earlier.
9. Supplements: Many people use coffee as a way to kick start their days. Caffeine is one of those supplements that can give you a boost of energy. But it can be tricky, caffeine, if taken later in the day while it can give you an immediate boost of energy it can also jeopardize your levels of energy for the remaining of the day and into the next day as it can affect the quality of your sleep. There are many other supplements out there that can help you boost and improve your energy levels. Before consider taking any supplements though make sure you consult with your doctor first. There are supplements that help you better deal with stress, there are pre-workout supplements that can help you get through your workout and boost your energy naturally, there are even supplements that can help you get a better night sleep or stay focused through the day.
10. Measure your energy and be aware of when you are generating vs consuming energy. Having self-awareness on when we are generating energy and when we are consuming it is important to adapt and make sure we are generating enough energy and keeping high levels of energy through the day. I like to measure my energy level in the mornings as part of my morning routine and in the evenings as I wrap up my day. Doing this as part of my evening routine helps me do some reflection and plan ahead for the next day to ensure I am including enough energy building activities in my day and moving things around to have these activities built in when I need them most.
I hope you found these 10 tips on how to generate and keep high levels of energy helpful. To learn more about this topic, don't missed episode 9 of the Leading Yourself Podcast, available in Apple Podcast, Spotify and all other mayor podcast platforms.