Quick Ways to Boost Your Energy

We are multi-taskers to the core of our being: child-rearer, family nurturer, career-builder, social director. When we feel ourselves crashing, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally, it is easy and tempting to reach for something sweet or caffeinated, even though we know later on there will be an inevitable sugar crash or sleepless night. Many, however, are discovering healthier non-food options that keep them perking along until bedtime. Here are nine quick ways to boost your energy.

Give your brain what it craves: novelty
Your brain is a thrill seeker. Fresh challenges give it an instant boost. Anything new helps to keep your brain sharp and supple. Try learning a new language, a musical instrument, or a new sport or activity – something that offers a fresh challenge. When you begin to feel a slump, five minutes of practicing a foreign language stimulates the growth of neurons, creating alertness. Consider doing something that increases adrenaline such as sky diving. Try one new activity each month for the whole month. When your brain is inspired, this inspiration can translate into renewed, more consistent, daily physical energy as well.

Sniff Peppermint
Inhaling peppermint essential oil has long been used by athletes to reduce the feelings of fatigue and legally get that competitive edge. Runners have been known to take a whiff right before they hit that proverbial wall. College students have inhaled the oil to beat mental fatigue and stimulate brain function to help them remember important details from their studying. The Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology and The International Journal of Psychophysiology have both reported on scientific studies showing the positive effects of peppermint odor in combating fatigue and enhancing performance. Consider carrying a bottle of PEO to instantly give you a boost.

Watch Your Language
In her book, Composing a Life, Mary Catherine Bateson views using the word ‘juggling’ as an “uneasy feeling that something is going to fall, something is going to break.” She suggests using ‘improvising” instead. A more meaningful and empowering term for women who “because they are multitasking and have so many responsibilities, find a way to get it done.” Using different words to say the same thing can be enough for a quick energy boost.

Pick Your Battles
When a friend was asked how she managed to keep her marriage fresh and new after 30 years, she answered “I choose my battles.” By knowing what is petty and what is really important to you, many marriage scuffles can be avoided. The same technique can be applied to other relationships as well. Most arguments are unnecessary and by eliminating all but what you deem absolutely essential, you can experience micro energy bursts throughout the day. How do you determine which battles to pursue? Ask yourself this question: “Is this about power or ego?” If so, let it go so it doesn’t drain your energy.

Practice Qigong
Pronounced “chee-gong”, this ancient Chinese exercise form means ‘cultivating energy.’ It combines movement with deep breathing to boost one’s “chi” or life energy. According to Eastern philosophy, doing Qigong for seven minutes can transform the energy in your body. Don’t have seven minutes? Performing just a couple of Qigong movements will provide you with on-the-spot pep. Check out the DVD “7 Minutes of Magic” by Lee Holden, an internationally known Qigong instructor and a PBS favorite who has worked with Deepak Chopra.

Try Creative Combining
‘Creative Combining’ is a term coined by Ann Simonds, a General Mills Vice President responsible for managing 1 billion dollars in sales plus the responsibilities of being a wife and mother. Because of her busy schedule, Simonds had to learn to make creative use of her time to fulfill many needs at once. “I make time for those itches I have to have scratched” by looking for opportunities to combine things that are most important. “I know myself well enough to know this is who I am, what will make me happy and what is uncompromisable. For me, personally, community involvement, having some vital friendships, getting a chance to sing – these are all things I can’t let go of.” Understanding what brings you the most joy and what you consider priorities help you to feel centered and at peace with who you are as a person, and both are energy boosters.

Eliminate “Time Drainers”
All negative thoughts, pessimism, and doubt drain us of energy and time to do what needs to be done - and what we enjoy doing - in our lives. Helene Lerner, author of Time for Me: A Burst of Energy for Busy Women shares the most common time drainers: worry, perfectionism, second-guessing yourself and being unable to say ‘no’. By “becoming aware of the habits that zap your energy and rob you of precious moments you create more time for you”, says Lerner. More time for you equates to positive thoughts, optimism, hopefulness and guess what? More energy.

Use Acupressure Techniques
The University of Michigan Health System conducted a scientific study described in The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine touting the benefits of acupressure to stimulate or relax. Try one of their quick acupressure stimulation techniques on yourself to increase your get-up-and-go: pinch the point between your thumb and forefinger and hold for two minutes, then gradually release.

Do the Hundred
Joseph Pilates’ exercise, “The Hundred”, is an energetic breathing exercise. By doing the 5 count inhalation and 5 count exhalation with the rhythmical arm movements, oxygen gets pulled into the body, saturating the tissues and stimulating brain cells without the inherent sweating. A qualified instructor can teach you how to perform the exercise based on your skill level and state of health. One cycle of The Hundred and you’ll be good to go.