As with anything people love, moderation is important. And it's a habit. It's something that I don't NEED, I just have a habit of consuming it and using it to get rid of headaches and get a little jolt. Of course, too much can be a bad bad thing. Too much caffeine can lead to increased blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack, incontinence in women, insomnia, indigestion, infertility, increased anxiety and depression, and other harmful effects.
Um. Raise your hand if you want any of those things.
(picture me sitting on my hands)
So what's a mommy of a crazy three year old/special ed teacher/high school athletics coach/runner/fitness fanatic/wife/health and fitness coach/tutor/daughter/friend/fitness instructor to do when she's just... well... kinda tired??
I had to find some new ways to get that spark, to get through the day, and to survive without as much caffeine. So... here are my top five.
(side note: I'm still working on incorporating all of these!)
1. Start your day with a cold glass of water to...
(I learned this trick when I did the 3-Day Refresh, because caffeine was NOT part of the Refresh, so I had to start my day with a big ol' glass of water!)
**Fire up your metabolism - Quite simply put, your metabolism is how your body turns food into energy. Why would you want it fired up? The faster your metabolism, the more quickly what you eat is burned through, so you're naturally burning calories at a more rapid pace, making things like maintaining a healthy weight more effective.
**Hydrate you - Your body needs water to survive and to run efficiently. An easy way to calculate how MUCH water you need in a day is to divide your body weight by half, and drink that many ounces of water per day. At least. Obviously, if you are doing hard labor, working out, or spending a lot of time outside in the heat, you'll need to bump up the ounces. Fatigue is actually one of the first signs of dehydration, so, if you're feeling like your energy is lagging, it could really be because you need to drink something.
**Flush out toxins - Basically, toxins are the gross things getting carried around through your blood and vital organs. Your body has to work harder to get rid of this waste. Of course, the easiest way to keep your body from working so hard is to eat cleaner, but I do love a good cheat, and even the most conscientious eater can have some stuff in their system that needs to be flushed. So kick starting your day with a giant glass of water to get those things moving a little more quickly out of your system seems like a pretty cheap, easy way to bump up your energy level!
Now I know, I know. For a lot of people, soda is for them what coffee is for me. Seriously, it's a habit you gotta kick to the curb. Yes, even (especially) diet sodas. So, here are some great water add ins to help you transition your soda habit into a water habit:
2. Green tea
Yeah yeah yeah. It's still caffeine. But. It's less caffeine. So sometimes you really just do need a little extra kick in the pants. Green tea boasts great benefits for the heart, brain, and bones, so it gives a little switch-up to the coffee addict's needs while providing some other great incentives!
Another bonus is that tea is tea. Sure, you can add a few things to it, but generally it's pretty awesome on it's own. When I go to get coffee at a Starbucks or other coffee shop, I'm super tempted to get a fully loaded semi automatic frapawacka winner for most calories shoved into a cup. And while I'm at it, I might as well get that yummy looking sugar crusted sugar puff with sugar topping.
With a cup of tea, I can just make a cup of tea, and feel a little fancy when I say "Oh this? This is tea." If I do add something, it's a moderate amount of honey, which has added benefits as well.
3. Move
Sounds counterintuitive, right? I'm tired, so I need to move??
Well, yeah! It can be anything from a quick little walk outside to a full-blown workout, but starting to move will boost your energy naturally.
Sitting at a desk job all day, as many people do these days, causes fatigue. The worse part is that sometimes we don't use the best posture sitting down and that can just make the fatigue more severe.
The easiest solution, obviously just get up for a few minutes. Stretch, move around, make sure you stand straight and allow your blood to flow a little more! If you can, step outside! Fresh air and a little vitamin D from the sun will help boost your mood and boost your energy!
If you can, heighten your work station so that you can either stand or sit with better posture. It will help the blood flow and help get some of the awesome nerotransmitters (like dopamine and norepinephrine) that give you energy and good vibes pumping through your system!
Want a more long term solution? Get in a full blown workout! Start a program that has a total body solution and get your blood pumping daily. Consistent workouts will boost your energy levels and help you sleep better (more on that later!)...
4. Shakeology and Boosts
I get "that 2:30 feeling" too. But I don't reach for an energy drink just to get through my afternoon. Seriously, those things are no good for your overall health!! Energy drinks have so many negative side effects (heart palpitations, tremors, agitation, upset stomach, dizziness, just to name a few) that regular consumption can really mess you up! I mean, I guess if you have upset stomach, you'll be glad that your heart is pumping a little faster and you'll have the energy to blast straight to the bathroom, but who REALLY wants all that??
A better plan: the big key word from this whole thing, CONSISTENCY! I consistently drink Shakeology every day, and it boosts my energy enough in the immediate drinking, but it also supplies my body with so many great things (antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, gut clearing probiotics, probiotic enabling prebiotics, protein, etc) that my body consistently gets its needs met and I don't have to focus that extra energy and money on other supplements, caffeine, and my body working overtime on trying to clean out my gut!
Now, I will say, as a mom, sometimes you really just DO need that extra boost. I understand that! Some nights the kids are up and down, they're sick, or you just didn't sleep well due to whatever is going on around you (hello, holidays!!). So, you do need a natural boost! That's why the Shakeology Energy Boost exists! It's a great addition to your regular Shakeology to give you just a little more help with getting the energy to be the parent/coworker/spouse/friend/Santa's helper that you need to be!
5. Plan ahead
Okay this one is really called "Get More Sleep" but you would just skip it if' I'd called it that because 1. yeah right, and 2. duh.
Plan ahead is a much better name for it, though, because planning ahead makes that extra sleep happen. There are mornings when I get up extra early so I'll have time to pack a healthy lunch (that will help with energy too because I'm not shoveling fried food in my face just to get a quick lunch), so I can get Ella up and pick out her clothes, so I can get a shower, so I can workout, so I can figure out what I'M going to wear, so I can pack my school bag....
You see where this is going, right?
Have a plan in place, and take care of the set up the night before! There's such a wonderful feeling of setting the alarm for a little later, getting up and just grabbing my things (bonus points if most of them are already in the car), dressing Ella in an outfit she picked out the night before, throwing on my own clothes that were already set out, ironed (because for real they're always wrinkly), and clean! Use your weekend to set a plan, have a little back up plan (like quick healthy back up snacks, just in case), and be ready to rock your mornings with a little less brain fog and a little more energy!
Bonus point: Pray about it
For real. The going gets tough. But remember that your body is your temple. Your body is a reflection of the things that God can do through you, a flawed, imperfect human. You CAN'T do it all, and you were never MEANT to do it all. But you can do the things that God has charged for you to do.
So, pray for clarity (what things AM I meant to do, and what things am I adding to my load that are not intended for me?)
Pray for strength (give me the strength to be a reflection of You in my tasks)
Pray for endurance (give me the energy and stamina to see the tasks through to completion)
And pray for grace for yourself (give me grace to recognize that I am doing extraordinary things in a world that is satisfied with ordinary things)
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