Do You Want More Energy?
I think for almost everyone the answer is YES! For my whole life I have always been looking for ways to have more energy, to do more, be more, have more and live more. Energy is everything and without it you are not fully living.
So how do we go about getting more energy?
Well, some people use drugs or natural stimulants like coffee (I’m a big fan of coffee) but this is only temporary and eventually will lead you to the inevitable crash where you are less productive and more tired than before.
I’m talking about lasting energy and power to live life more fully.
Get ready, because I am going to throw conventional, status quo health and nutrition advice right out the window.
Here’s How:
#1 KEEP MOVING
First of all, we need to be moving our bodies with exercise and activities.
“A body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force.” — Isaac Newton
Once you get yourself in motion don’t stop! When you move your body in the right way with exercise and activity 300 minutes a week you will become an unstoppable force and you feel more energetic.
#2 BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
People often over simplify metabolism when in fact it is really quite complicated and many factors can affect human metabolism.
I used to think that it was necessary to eat or snack on 5 to 7 small meals a day to improve and speed up my metabolism and I have found for me and many other people this is not true.
Back in the days when I was following the status quo health advice of eating 5 to 7 meals or snacks a day I didn’t feel energized I felt hungry. I always had to be planning my next meal because I was eating every 2 or 3 hours. Not only did it not work it was inconvenient.
In fact, I feel more energized when I am in a fasted state. My mind is alert and I feel sharp and focused. Think about how you feel after you eat a big meal. Satisfied but slow and lethargic, right?
I am not saying you should never enjoy a heavy meal, for goodness sake enjoy your life by eating the foods you like with family and friends.
Just be aware that tapping into fat stores and feeling energetic comes from eating less not more. If you can get used to doing workouts in a fasted state you will be able to really skyrocket your gains.
#3 STOP SNACKING
I have a theory that the widely promoted health advice to eat every 2 or 3 hours and snack on “healthy foods” throughout the day comes from Big Agribusiness marketing. Whether this is true or not really doesn’t matter because the advice is crap.
Unless you have medical considerations like diabetes and need to regulate your blood sugar levels, constant snacking is most likely only going to make you fatter not give you more energy or boost your metabolism. Especially, if it is already sluggish.
One of the analogies I used to hear a lot was to compare our metabolism to a fireplace or furnace. The experts used to say “You have to eat small, frequent meals to stoke the fire and keep it burning hot”.
This seemed to make sense to me at the time but now the more I think about it, not really.
Actually I used to heat with a wood stove when I lived in Vermont and the only time we constantly stoked the fire and threw logs on it every 2 or 3 hours is when there was a tremendous demand for energy (when it was freezing cold outside).
Under normal conditions we would just load up the stove and let it burn down to the embers before adding more wood.
This could be compared to an athlete operating at peak levels like a marathon runner or triathlete vs. a normal person with medium or low activity levels.
If you are not an elite athlete then it’s probably not necessary or a good idea to be constantly eating (stoking the fire).
This is because your body will never have an opportunity to tap into fat stores for energy and you will most likely get fatter or at the least not lose weight.
