5 Great Natural Ways To Boost Your Energy Now

If you’re feeling lethargic and you’re having difficulty concentrating on the tasks at hand, you may want to make some simple and natural lifestyle adjustments to boost your energy and improve your vitality.

To help get you started in feeling more energized and focused, we put together five great natural ways to boost your energy now

Boost Your Energy

1. Eat Regular Meals

You need to re-fuel your body regularly with a balance of nutrients to maintain your energy.

Don’t be tempted to skip breakfast. It’s probably the most important meal of the day, and if you skimp on it you will already be feeling fatigued by lunch time.

Healthy energy–powered breakfasts include low-fat yogurt with fruit and quinoa, cottage cheese and apple, and cheese and spinach scrambled egg which will help you start your day off with a boost of energy.

2. Increase Your Magnesium Intake

Maintaining a balanced diet is vital to keeping your energy flowing, but if you need an extra pick-me-up increasing your magnesium intake may help boost your energy.

Magnesium is vital for more than 300 biological reactions in the human body. If your levels of this mineral are low, you will notice a drop in energy. The recommended daily intake of magnesium is 300mg.

Natural sources include bran, fish, cashews, hazelnuts and almonds.

3. Take a Walk

Waking is great exercise because it doesn’t require any especial equipment and you can do it anywhere.

Although it may sound counterproductive to exercise when you are already feeling tired, physical activity, such as walking, will increase your energy level.

4. Get a Dose of Sunlight

You can increase your energy by making sure you have the right type of light.

Sunlight gives you a boost and helps your body make vitamin D. If you work in an office with no windows or poor lighting, get a lamp for your desk and fit it with a daylight bulb.

You’ll feel more awake and more cheerful.

5. Eat Protein

Eating protein throughout the day help maintain energy levels.

Protein contains the amino acid tyrosine, which helps increase the levels of norepinephrine and dopamine in your brain.

This makes you feel more alert and will also make you feel fuller, so you’re less inclined to over-eat. An egg or high-protein cereal is a great way to start the day. You can snack on nuts and fat-free yogurt to boost your energy throughout the day.


Natural Herbs and Vitamins for Energy

Another way you can boost your energy and vitality is by taking a combination of herbs and vitamins to supplement your energy levels.

Calcium and Magnesium

These two minerals have a complex relationship that helps maintain healthy bones, nerves and muscles. Both calcium and magnesium keep the body’s blood sugar balanced; this in turn maintains a regular supply of energy production and prevents fatigue.

Ginseng

Both Siberian and Chinese ginseng can be used to increase energy, stamina and endurance. They act as a general tonic to restore energy, reduce stress and enhance mood. The suggested dosage is 200mg of ginseng per day.

Rhodeola

Rhodeola, also known as “golden root,” has been used in folk medicine throughout Eastern Europe and Asia for centuries. Rhodeola influences activity of the brain’s neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.

This can help to reduce stress levels and also increase energy to the heart. The recommended dosage of rhodeola is 360-600 mg daily. If you are considering taking a rhodeola supplement you should consult your physician.

Vitamin B12

Nutritional advisors often tout vitamin B12 as being a good energy enhancer. However, according to the National Institute of Health3, these claims are based on the fact that vitamin B12 supplements can improve symptoms of fatigue if a B12 deficiency is present. Supplementation of vitamin B12 only has an effect on energy levels when there is a deficiency.

L-tyrosine

L-tyrosine is an amino acid that helps maintain hormone balances within the brain and the endocrine system. L-tyrosine can help you feel more alert, energetic and helps to reduce stress levels4. The daily dosage for L-tyrosine is 500-1500mg per day.


Fatigue and Energy Loss in Seniors

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a lack of energy is an inevitable part of growing older.

It’s not. However, if you are a senior and you are feeling fatigued on a regular basis, this may be a sign of an underlying illness. Anergia, a condition causing lethargy, is a syndrome that is quite common among seniors.

Unfortunately, it may often conceal a more serious illness.

According to Dr. Mathew Maurer, associate professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, often when senior patients tell their physician that they are feeling fatigued, the medical practitioner dismissed the complaint as a normal part of growing older.

Although lack of energy is widespread throughout the elderly community, it is not a normal condition. In 2008, Dr. Maurer and his researchers conducted a study of 2,100 New York city residents aged between 65 and 104. One in five of the participants expressed feeling so fatigued that they spent most of their time sitting at home.

Dr. Maurer discovered that 18% of the participants who fell into the category of anergic also suffered from other health disorders such as, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and sleep disorders. He also noted that anergia was linked to a 60% higher risk of death during the six years following the study.

Dr. Maurer concluded that anergia frequently hides symptoms of other serious conditions. Because people in the U.S. are living longer than ever before, it is crucial that you maintain good health through your senior years. If you are feeling fatigued most of the time, talk to your doctor about anergia and get a full medical check.