Outsmarting the Status Quo: Strategy #5 - Create a Physical Source of Energy

Energy - the fundamental entity of nature that is transferred between parts of a system in the production of physical change within the system and usually regarded as the capacity for doing work.    - Webster's Dictionary

From becoming an effective leader and running your own business to spending more time with your family and pursuing personal interests, energy is the fundamental currency for performing your best.  As stated in the book The Power of Full Engagement, without the right quantity, quality, focus and force of energy, we are compromised in any activity we undertake.   

Imagine you are an expensive luxury car that needs a little gas.  If you had a choice between a cheap grade of fuel and first class premium gasoline, which would you choose?  Now think of your life in the same light.  What constitutes a substantial and sustainable form of energy?   The desire to live passionately, healthy perspectives about failure, new and rigorous undertakings and the elimination of life clutter (all previously discussed strategies for outsmarting the status quo) make wonderful options, yet there is another energy source that rarely makes the front page in the world of human performance-our physical energy.  To the contrary, the practice of depleting physical energy to increase energy output is ubiquitous.  In a frenzy to keep up with life, we rob our bodies of sleep, we skip our regular workouts and we fuel ourselves with fast food, but therein lay the irony.  Creating physical energy allows our bodies to do more with less effort.

What if you could go all day without relying on caffeine, sugar or artificial stimulants? What if everything you did, from getting the kids ready for school and grocery shopping to attending all day meetings and making presentations, required less physical effort?  Creating, storing and managing physical energy is the key to living a full, active and productive life.  Here are few tips for building up a physical energy reserve:

Eat Smart.  The food we eat has a huge impact on how we perform.  The right combination of nutrients, vitamins and minerals is essential for energy output, as is eating breakfast regularly, eating frequently during the day (mini-meals containing 250-300 calories) and getting enough fluids. Thought: Work with a certified and licensed nutritionist to determine how well you eat and where you can improve.  It is really worth the investment.

Get a Move On.  Moving more to increase energy might seem a bit counterintuitive, but a new study conducted by the University of Georgia found overwhelming evidence that regular exercise plays a significant role in increasing energy levels and reducing fatigue.  Exercise also increases energy-promoting and mood-enhancing neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Bonus! In addition, just being ten pounds overweight can make the body work harder than it has to.  Moving more means burning more calories thus eliminating excess weight.  Thought: Hire a certified personal trainer to get you started on a fitness program.  If you are on a budget, hire a trainer for a few jump-start sessions.  Another great investment!

Get your Zzzz's.  Cheating the body of sleep to get more done is a huge temptation. I am guilty of this occasionally.  But according to the The National Foundation for Sleep, there are plenty of reasons to think twice about burning the midnight oil.  Sleep is a time for restorative healing.  Even 1-2 hours of lost sleep can impair functioning the next day, not to mention interfering with reaction time (not good for driving), decreasing focus and attention and decreasing the ability to perform a variety of mental tasks.  Make those Zzzz's mandatory!  Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

Relax.  Unmanaged stress does more to rob us of energy than anything else.  Stress generates negative emotions, disrupts sleep, fosters poor eating habits and interferes with exercise routines.  In addition, stress hormones can wreak havoc on our cardiovascular and immune systems.  The results can be disastrous for outsmarting the status quo.  Learning proper ways to respond to stress is an essential life skill.  Yoga, deep breathing and meditation are all great options and should be incorporated into a daily routine.

Practice Prevention.   Fact:  The majority of illnesses in the United States are preventable.  Preventable!  Not only can illness zap your physical energy, it can destroy your livelihood.  No excuses here!  Women- click here.  Men- click here. Get yourself on a regular preventive health screening schedule today!

As a life coach, certified personal trainer and health education specialist, I often speak with clients about their desire to become healthier.   Often their intentions stem from a one-dimensional view of health.  Without a doubt, looking better ranks first among the motivators, but being healthy has so many other benefits, among them being the exponential increase in energy.   Looking through the lens of life enhancement, these healthy changes make sense.  More importantly, we can't outsmart the status quo without the help of our physical bodies. 

"He who has health, has hope; He who has hope, has everything."  - Arabian Proverb

See you next week for strategy #6, my final post for this series.   

disclaimer

Comments

[Cindy]

I don't think our society really understands the importance of Prevention when discussing illnesses and obesity in the mainstream media or households. What a great point about the fact that many of the illnesses in the U.S. are Preventable. Thank you for contributing your article to Fitness for Moms Blog Carnival.

[Cindy]

I'm really enjoying this series. I can definitely tell the difference in myself, husband and children when we don't get enough sleep. Everyone is edgier and off.