Do you wake up in the morning and feel too tired to get out of bed? Do you feel wide-awake in the evening and have trouble falling asleep or do you wake in the night several times? This used to be me. I found these simple lifestyle changes were non-negotiable to make sure I got the sleep I needed.
1. Exercise For Energy
It may feel like the right thing to do, but missing your workout to save energy actually works the opposite way. Regular exercise boosts strength and endurance, helps make your cardiovascular system run more efficiently, and delivers feel good endorphins to your brain to list your spirits and your energy. Next time you’re tempted to stay on the couch with a glass of wine, get up and do a
quick workout or go for a brisk walk—you won’t regret it.
2. Breakfast Like A King
The food you eat fuels your body, so breakfast like a king and kickstart your metabolism by fueling the fire. Eat a good breakfast that includes lean protein, vegetables and healthy fat. I start the day with a smoothie because I do my exercise first thing. Then I have another larger breakfast post-workout. It might suit you to do this the other way around. Work out what is best for your body, experiment with food and write down how you feel after your meals. Did you feel energised or sluggish? Were you hungry an hour after eating or satisfied for a few hours? You will soon get a feeling for what your body needs.
3. Processed Food Robs You Of Your Get-Up-And-Go
Foods loaded with sugar and simple carbs like processed packaged foods, cause constant blood sugar spikes followed by sharp drops. This causes you fatigue over the course of the day. Kick the processed junk to the kerb, its not worth it, and embrace how good you feel without it. Check out how to get started with clean eating with the nutritional step-by-step information and clean eating recipes in the
Online Gym.
4. Water For Focus
Being even slightly dehydrated, as little as 2%, affects your energy levels. Drink a large glass of warm
water and lemon in the morning and then drink throughout the day regularly. I find on cold days lemon or ginger and hot water is a really nice pick me up rather than coffee.
5. Iron For Staying Power
Through personal experience I know an iron deficiency can leave you feeling weak, lethargic, irritable, and make you have difficulty concentrating. Less oxygen travels to the muscles and cells, leaving you feeling weak and sleepy. I used to just fall asleep at my desk! Boost your iron intake to reduce your risk of anemia, eat plenty of lean beef, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and peanut butter, and eat these foods, with foods high in vitamin C. Vitamin C improves the iron absorption from your high iron foods.
6. Coffee Fix
If you have no trouble sleeping and enjoy your morning coffee hit, fine, stay with it; coffee even has health benefits. I limit my
coffee now to just the weekends as I find I sleep better without it. Listen to your body.
As caffeine blocks adenosine, the byproduct of active cells that drives you to sleep as it accumulates, consuming caffeine about six hours prior to bedtime can affect sleep, so cutting it out after lunch is probably a safe bet to ensure a good nights sleep.
7. Clutter Saps Energy
Clutter mentally exhausts you by restricting your ability to focus, especially if you work from home and you can see it. At the end of each day, make sure your work and personal items are organised and put away. Take time to straighten up, fold washing, clear rooms, make lunches and do dishes etc. This will help you have a positive start to your morning.
8. Glass Of Wine To Unwind
A glass of wine or two before bed sounds like a good way to unwind before falling asleep, but it actually works against a restful sleep. Alcohol initially depresses the central nervous system, producing a sedative effect, but then creates a rebound effect as it’s metabolised, which creates an abrupt surge in the adrenaline system, so you wake up usually between 2- 4am after you’ve been drinking. Stop drinking
alcohol three to four hours before bedtime to ensure a good sleep. Need to be asleep by 10pm? Stop at 7pm.
9. Screens Before Bed
The glow of a phone, tablet, computer or screen can throw off your body’s natural circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles. Sensitivity to the digital glare of devices can vary from person to person, but I find I sleep better if I avoid my screens (sob) for one to two hours before bedtime.
10. Perfectionism
Mmm…I have to tell myself its good enough otherwise I can keep tweaking my articles, ‘fixing’ my website, changing my recipes or workouts to get them just so. Sometimes you just have to go its good enough and leave it be. Trying to be perfect is impossible, as we all know. It makes you work much harder and longer than necessary. Set goals by all means, but don’t make them so unrealistic that they are difficult or impossible to achieve, and in the end, you get no sense of self-satisfaction of a job well done. I find if I set a time limit for my projects, and then step away when the time is up. Take a time out, even when you don’t want to, and you will realise when you come back that the extra time wasn’t necessary.
11. Night Owl On Weekends
If you want a social life it might not be possible to get to bed by 10pm on the weekends. Staying up late on Friday and Saturday night and then sleeping in Saturday and Sunday morning can lead to difficulty falling asleep Sunday night, and staying asleep. This can lead to a tired you Monday morning. Try to get up at the usual time or close to it, on the weekend mornings and then if you need to, take a power nap of around 20 minutes in the afternoon. This will help you recharge without falling into a deep sleep.
12. No Holiday – No Re-Charge
Use your holiday time as a holiday. It’s tempting to take work with you, especially if you are self-employed, as work is constantly on your mind. Some people, myself included, love their businesses, so keep working even on holiday. Unplugging and allowing yourself to truly unwind allows your mind and body to rejuvenate and restore. If you take a proper break, you will be more productive, creative, relaxed and stronger when you return. Take regular breaks away every 5 weeks, even if it’s just for one day.
Make these changes in your life and you will feel energised and ready to face each day with a spring in your step. I know its worked for me.
