How can I boost my energy levels quickly?

Have you ever imagined what your life would be like if you had more energy? Would you get more done, would you get things done more quickly, or would you just be able to enjoy life more?

You’ve probably tried stimulants to give you a kick or to help you keep going, only to find out that they no longer seem to work after all while. Indeed, a study confirmed that stimulants only work for four days, after which they become ineffective in helping with energy levels. Then what could you do to boost your energy levels?

Increasing your energy levels is actually quite simple, and you can get significant results by just following these five tips for a week:

• Sleep. Your energy levels are directly linked to the quantity and quality of your sleep. Are you getting seven to eight hours of sleep consistently? Are you getting at the same time every night? How is your room: quiet, pitch dark and cool? Is your mobile phone, and ideally your Wi-Fi, switched off? All these factors have an impact on the quality of your sleep and how refreshed you will wake up each day

• Water. Are you drinking enough water? It is water, and not liquid. Most people don’t realise that they lack energy simply because they are dehydrated. Water is needed by the body for a number of metabolic reactions. So you need to drink an adequate amount of water throughout the day until your urine is a pale yellow. If you are not there yet, start gradually increasing your intake of water while stopping or reducing your consumption of stimulants such as coffees and teas. Feel the difference.

• Multivitamins and minerals. We believe that we have a good and healthy diet, but are we getting all the vitamins and minerals our body need? With intensive farming, soils are becoming depleted in minerals. Processing foods destroy vitamins. The solution to optimise our levels of vitamins and minerals: a good quality multivitamins and minerals, ideally food-based. Also look for the ones with a high content in B vitamins, the ‘energy vitamins’. But this is only a quick fix, having a good diet is essential.

• Low GI diet. Low glycaemic index (GI) foods help you keep your sugar levels steady, and typically prevent you from having the rollercoaster of high and low energy levels after meals. Look for fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as meat, fish, beans and pulses. And stay away from processed and sugary foods which have a high GI index.

• Planning. Having a long to do list is often enough to drain anybody’ energy levels. By getting organised and planning a manageable week, you reduce your stress levels, and as such keep your energy high.

These five tips may seem very simple, but sometimes it doesn’t take more than this to make a substantial difference in boosting your energy levels.

If after consistently following these steps for a month you don’t feel an improvement, then I would suggest to get this investigated further, as your fatigue may not be a lifestyle issue but a medical one that would need a specific protocol for improvement. Nutritional therapy can typically help with this.