10 Activities That Can Boost Your Energy

We’ve all experienced it, the highs and lows of fluctuating energy. When we have enough, energy can be our best friend. When depleted however, lack of energy can create an energy zapping downhill spiral. When you feel you need a boost of energy the most, here are 10 activities that will give you just that.

1- Get outside

Science continues to prove that spending time outdoors will unquestionably boost your energy. From lowering stress hormones to improving mood elevating chemicals, getting outside stimulates the necessary pathways that both support current energy as well as help create new energy when you need it most.

2 – Laugh

We all know, laughing is contagious. And the more you laugh the healthier you will be. Research shows that laughter boosts endorphins associated with feeling better, enhancing oxygen in your body, stimulating your heart and lungs, lowers blood pressure, and offers many other effects which are directly associated with boosting energy quickly.

3 – Sleep

I’m not talking about sleeping your day away or gluing yourself to your couch for hours. Rather, focusing on proper sleep at night allows your mind and body to recover from the days events and directly helps optimize your energy for the next day.

4 – Socialize

Spending time with others will intuitively boost your energy. Meeting a friend for a coffee, taking a walk with a family member, or even working amongst others has been shown to directly elevate mood. Science is also showing how chemical signals and endorphins released by others around you can directly alter the way your own physiology works as well as how you feel.

5 – Eat Healthy

This one’s a no brainer. Consuming fresh healthy foods containing a multitude of nutrients and phytochemical’s your body needs to function not only increases your energy, it directly elevates and optimizes your response to stress and recovery, both of which build resiliency toward long term, consistent get up and go.

6 – Move

It sounds counterintuitive that expending energy will actually give you energy, but there’s endless research supporting movement as an energy producer. Any form of movement that consistently increases your heart rate for an extended period of time will healthfully raise your current level of energy. Boosting endorphins and increasing circulation are two of the many ways consistent movement will help.

7 – Stretch

Similar to movement and exercise, stretching your muscles also increases blood flow and releases endorphins associated with immediately boosting your energy. Not only that, stretching assists in removing toxins and the metabolic by-products associated with sitting idle and chronically low energy levels.

8 – Drink More Water

Water is the sustenance of life. Did you know that water is essential for all functions and processes in your body? Many times, low energy is a by-product of dehydration, so by simply drinking more water you can directly enhance your on demand energy levels.

9 – Rest less

Resting for too long impacts your 24-hour circadian rhythm. This also applies to sleeping too long. Research shows that resting (or napping) for a maximum of 20 minutes (1-2 times per day) can easily help boost your energy. Resting longer than 20 minutes, however, has been shown to suppress energy stores and interrupt optimal physiological rhythms associated with daily energy levels.

10 – See the light

Darkness enhances a better sleep cycle. Exposing yourself to light interrupts your sleep cycle and helps promote an ideal wake cycle. In order to shift from your sleep to wake cycle without an energy lag, exposing yourself to light within 15 minutes of waking up will do the trick. During daytime hours, also make sure you are constantly exposed to natural light in order to continually support your optimal day time energy cycle.