How to Increase Your Energy Naturally (Guest Post)

Life is full of varying activities that never seem to stand still.  If you stop and think about your day-to-day life, it may become overwhelming to think of everything that you are responsible for.  

Most people are balancing their job, their family life, their social life and everything else that pops up on a daily basis, and this can cause a lot of stress.  This stress has a huge impact on our daily lives.  It can lower our motivation, our concentration, and our energy levels.  

While it is important to recognize how certain emotions and feelings can interact with us and our daily schedule, there are ways to overcome those feelings of tension and increase your energy naturally.  

If you feel that you need a boost of energy, here are 9 tips from Parenting Pod that will give you that natural boost.  

1. Exercise more.  Yep, right out of the gate, it starts the list of ways to give yourself a natural boost of energy.  Exercise is great for the body and the brain.  Any form of exercise helps to increase your energy naturally.  Run, walk, hike, bike, you name it.  All forms of exercise release endorphins into your bloodstream and that gives your mind a positive reaction.  Even though you are burning energy, you are also creating more energy naturally for yourself at the same time.

2. Worry Less.  Worrying causes anxious feelings which in turn can cause you to feel mentally exhausted.  Let go of worry to build up some energy naturally.   

3. Get up and stretch.  Sitting at a desk in the same position for hours on end is a sure way to NOT feel energized.  Get up every so often and stretch your body and your legs.  Give your body a quick wake up call to start to feel more energized.

4. Stay hydrated. Keep your body running smoothly with some good old H20.  Our bodies need water to function, as do our brains.  Staying hydrated is important when you particularly need to feel energized.  Think of athletes as a prime example.  To perform their best, they stay hydrated for energy to be able to excel in their sport.
5. Eat healthy food.  Fatty fried foods can weigh you down and cause you to feel overly tired and full.  Eat lean meats and fresh fruits and veggies to give your body the proper fuel it needs to produce that energy for you.  

6. Take a mid-day walk.  Different from full-blown exercise or stretching, just taking a quick mid-day walk around the block can cause you to wake up and give you enough energy to tackle the rest of your day.

7. Work less.  If you can, scale back on the number of hours you are putting in at the office.  By being out and about and doing what you love, you can create an excited energy aura for yourself!

8. Get your rest.  If you are a night owl, you may need to think about changing up your sleep schedule.  Staying up late at night may be fun and appealing at the time, but it can cause a major energy deflation for the next day.  Next time you have the urge to stay out or up late, think of how it will affect you the next day.  If it’s worth it for you to feel laggy and tired, then that is your call; however, if you want to be rested with more energy, it's key to get to bed at an earlier point in time.

9. Pursue a passion.  Find something that you love to do and then do it.  Get your energy to increase naturally by just being excited in life about something.  If you love to read, join a book club. If you love cycling, find a group to go biking with.

There are so many different ways to increase your energy naturally.  Try a few of the suggestions above and see what works well for you and your life.  You may be pleasantly surprised to find out that with a few of the changes listed above, you will feel less stressed and more energized than you thought possible!