Top 12 Energy Boosters Part 1

Being a busy mom I understand that there are days when your energy is drained whether it is from not getting enough sleep the night before, stress, sickness, or you just have very energetic monkeys that are wearing you out fast. Finding ways to get a boost of energy fast can help you be the best mom in every situation. Here is the first part of a list of 12 great energy boosters to get you going when you really need it.

1. Sunshine
Making sure that you get enough sunshine every day that you can (obviously the sun needs to be out) is very important for many reasons. One of the biggest ones is for vitamin D. I’m sure you’ve heard reports lately about how most Americans aren’t getting enough vitamin D and should get out into the sun, drink fortified milk, or take a supplement. It is best to get out into the sunshine and get natural vitamin D. If you live in a place that stays cloudy a lot or it is fall/winter, a supplement can help to give you energy and help keep your bones healthy as well as drinking fortified milk. Another reason is to keep those “Monday morning blues” away. By getting a healthy dose of sunshine first thing in the morning it will adjust your circadian rhythm to balance out and will help to energize your hormonal system for better absorption of calcium. If you work in a building and you don’t get natural sunlight where you are, try to take your breaks outside to get a great dose of sunlight as well as to energize you!

2. Eat a healthy Breakfast
Breakfast is the #1 most important meal of the day for a reason. That reason is when you sleep you, obviously, are not eating, and if your last meal of the day was, let’s say at 6pm and you finish at 6:30pm, go to bet and wake up at 6:30am, you have just gone 12 hours without fueling your body with good healthy nutrition to keep going. Your energy stores are much depleted and need to be restored to full capacity to keep you happy, alive and upbeat through out your day. It need to contain about ½ protein for longer lasting energy, and ½ complex carbs for quicker energy boost to get your morning going. Try to eat your healthy breakfast no longer than 30-45 minutes after waking. If you know you are going to be pressed for time in the morning, get as much of your meal ready the night before. In my fit ‘N’ Fabulous system I show you how to save hours, and your sanity by getting most of every meal for a week prepared quickly and simply and it tastes delicious too.

3. Water
Water is the most important thing you can do for yourself no matter what. Make sure that you are getting enough water to drink. A lot of times when we are depleted of water, fatigue will set in to conserve water and to let you know that you need to drink water. Pay attention, too, if you have a salty snack or meal to drink extra water to replenish the water and to also help keep you from bloating up. Drinking a cup of water will help you to, within minutes, gain lots of energy and help keep you healthy. If you are feeling sick or think you are coming down with something, or if family members are sick, upping your water and theirs will help keep you and your family from getting as sick by flushing your systems with the extra water. I can promise you this works as I’ve witnessed it working with myself, my family and friends, and my neighbors. Keep hydrated and energize yourself.

4. Green Tea
The second item on my Boost Your Weight Loss article is another great way to increase you energy. Green tea has natural caffeine to that will give you enough of a boost without kicking you into overdrive and crashing again later. The added benefit of drinking green tea will not only give you an energy boost, but will help you lose extra pounds as well.

5. Take your vitamins
Because of the way most people tend to eat in this fast paced society, many people tend to be severely lacking in the vitamin and mineral department. To be running at full capacity as well as having a boundless amount of energy, taking a good vitamin supplement is important for our body to function properly. The key is to make sure you have a good quality vitamin, not just the cheapest on you can find. A great way to test if a vitamin is of good quality is to take a 6 oz cup of vinegar which is about the ph of our stomach juices, warm it up to about 98 degrees, drop your vitamin in and gently stir for a few minutes. If you can, put the cup in a bowl of hot water to keep it there at 98 degrees for at least an hour. Warm the water if need be. Your vitamin, if it is of good quality, will dissolve within an hour. You want the vitamin(s) to be able to dissolve and be absorbed into your system to do your body good! You don’t want it to pass right through you that would be wasting money! If you are worried about the expense of a higher quality vitamin, you can think about it like this… pay for a bottle of good quality vitamins each month to keep you healthy, strong mentally, physically and emotionally, help you lose fat and gain muscle, get sick less often, and avoid expenses for the doctor, prescription and non-prescription drugs, less sick time you have to use for sick times, etc. It’s up to you what you put in your body, but me, I go for better stuff to live a better life!

6. B-complex Vitamin Supplement
Well now I know what you are thinking, “Kim, you just said taking a good quality vitamin is a booster, wouldn’t it have B vitamins in it?” Yes it would, the thing is your body doesn’t store these vitamins, and because they are depleted easily and quickly, you need to be able to give yourself a boost of these vitamins. Please keep in mind that these vitamins work together so it’s best to get B-complex vitamins rather than individual B vitamins, which can for B3 and B6 vitamins, be harmful if you take too much. So be safe and get the B complex and feel the energy flow through you!

7. IRON
A mineral that is very important to the body. It is very important for adults and kids alike to make sure you have adequate iron, especially if you are a menstruating woman. The reason for this is that iron has two main functions, the first is to carry oxygen to all the cells of the body, and second is that it makes hemoglobin, which is the carrier for oxygen, so really it is one BIG function. When you have a lack of iron it can lead to anemia where you feel tired or exhausted, weak, you just have no energy. If you think this might be you or your kids (whose grades can suffer, who are hard to wake up and sleep often, have little energy, to play with friends etc.) you should go to your doctor to have your blood checked for iron levels. If your iron is low there are many different ways to boost it. Lots of different foods have great amounts of iron and will do for a lot of people. Some examples are spinach, red meat, lentils, beans (red especially), iron fortified cereals like Total, Special K, Product 19, Multigrain Cheerios, etc. Read labels for cereals! When you are eating foods or taking supplements to increase your iron make sure to limit or avoid calcium for an hour as it affects and can block absorption. Instead make sure you drink or eat foods with vitamin C which is said to aid in iron absorption. One last hint for those who take a supplement, which most menstruating women should about a week to a week and a half before their period, look for gentle iron or slow iron non-constipating iron pills and you shouldn’t have any digestive problems.

These are just the first 7 energy boosters to help you get amazing energy during your day. Try just a few of these at a time and give them a chance to work. Once you have 2-3 established and you need a bit more kick to your energy levels, then try a few more. Don’t forget to read the last 5 energy boosters in part 2.

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