You & your energy | How to keep your battery fully charged!
Feeling energised is important for all of us but it becomes especially important if you are in a place where you aren’t getting fulfillment you need in your job or life role or you have competing commitments. When you are uninspired or the fuel tank is running low turning up everyday takes extra effort.
PLUS less energy means less mental and physical resources to change your situation for the better!
Here are my Top 5 ways to grow your energy:
Get your Zzzz’s
Put in the good stuff
Commit to daily movement
Manage your resources
Manage your interactions
1 | Get your Zzzz’s
I am pretty sure you know that getting a good night’s sleep is super important for your health including energy levels and lowering stress. 8 hours is the magic number - but how many of us actually get that every night?! I know it’s something I am still working on!
‘Deep sleep’ (‘slow wave sleep’), that’s the part where you don’t dream - plays a big role in your energy as it creates ideal condition to make ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) the body's energy molecule. Deep sleep is also when our body repairs and restores itself.
2 | Put in the good stuff
It’s easy to say eat well to stay energised but what does eating well look like?
Simply put eat whole, fresh foods with a low glycaemic index which keep you feeling full and your blood sugar stable. Minimise high sugar carbs e.g. bread, pasta, packet food and drinks as these give us an energy peak followed by a fast crash. Replace fruit juices with a smoothie to benefit from the fibre.
AND, avoid false highs from caffeine especially, first thing inthe morning when your coritisol (the stress hormone) is naturally higher. Caffieine + Cortisol is not a good combination!!
3 | Commit to daily movement
It might sound counter intuitive but you get energy from being active. Humans are built to move NOT sit on the couch! A daily movement practice will lift your energy. And, being active outdoors gives an extra boost to your wellbeing, mood and alertness.
Not all movement is equal so pay attention to the type of movement you choose as this will influence your energy levels e.g.:
HIIT training increases cortisol so if you are already feeling stressed out consider low intensity cardio: walking, swimming, a weights session, pilates or slow flow yoga
Try restorative or yin yoga if you are tired so your body can relax and restore
If you feel sluggish try energising practices like dynamic yoga or zumba
Ultimately, living a healthy lifestyle with good food, great sleep and good physical fitness provides the foundation for creating sustainable energy levels.
4 | Manage your resources
YOU can enhance your energy even more by better management of your resources e.g.:
Boundary setting e.g. ring fence work and personal time, take breaks and say no
Time management e.g. priority setting, taking time-off email, limiting time on devices
Focus, concentration and presence e.g. establish a meditation or mindfulness practice, give your attention to one thing at a time
5 | Manage your interactions
Let’s look at your personality type and the role it plays in feeding or depleting your energy:
Extroverts: Energised by people and situations that are exciting, new, stimulating, etc.
Introverts: Feel recharged from rest, alone time and chilled social activities
Ambiverts: Sit between introvert and extrovert, enjoying a mix of traits
People & your energy
Your interactions with others can see your energy rocketing or plummeting - the more positive your interactions, the more energising they are. Reflect on how you feel after a great meeting and then a bad one! Now compare the experiences.
Mindset
It’s important to protect your energy with a positive mindset and approach in all your interactions. It’s very easy to mirror your mindset and behaviours onto others and impact their experience and energy. Energy can be mirrored onto you as well so be mindul of this.
Remember: It takes less effort to be positive, happy and to smile than it does to be negative, down, irritable and frowning!
Energy Vampires
Be aware of interactions that repeatedly leave you feeling flat, exhausted or drained. You may be dealing with an Energy Vampire, they dominate meetings and conversations and, make it all about them!
Sound familiar? Pull back, limit your time with them and don’t be drawn into their ego-centric world.
Client story
One of my clients had relationship challenges with a keystakeholder. We worked on establishing a meditation and breathwork practice to shift my client’s mindset and behaviour e.g. to expresss more positive, open, patient, calm energy The outcome for my client was improved relationships, productivity and collaboration. And more energy!
Making change starts one step at a time and getting better at it every day.
What ONE thing could you start doing TODAY to help you grow your energy?