I have been really tired lately, like really tired. Too tired to do anything but strictly restorative yoga. I went to a yoga class with an old friend on Thursday and I slugged through it. I’ve felt like this a lot this year. Raising young children is wonderful and the best thing I’ve ever done, it is also incredibly exhausting! I also do all of the cooking, cleaning, and dog walking for my household and so I get pretty tired!
The kids are back to school next week, and I need to save my energy for those early mornings and all the after school activities coming up all while caring for a toddler at home. Not to mention I’ve taken on new clients in my freelance work and I run and operate this very blog! At the end of the day, I am positively pooped!
I’ve been trying to find ways to increase my energy without going back to pounding coffee like it’s my job like I did after my first two babies. So I’ve been online researching the best, no BS ways to naturally increase energy without drinking coffee or taking any supplements. Here’s what I found!
Have a morning routine
I’m going all day and get very little time to myself. That’s why I love getting up early before the rest of my family wakes up. I haven’t been doing this a lot lately because I’ve been so tired I felt it was worth getting a couple of extra hours, but even if I get a little less sleep, I do find myself rejuvenated and ready for the day when I have a morning routine that I stick to.
I love getting up at 5:00 am and doing yoga, walking the dog, eating a quiet breakfast, reading my news updates, doing a load of dishes and a load of laundry all before anyone in my house is even awake. I feel so productive and relaxed just taking a little time to nurture myself at the beginning of the day and knocking a few chores out of the way so I don’t have to do so while juggling my sweet toddler. I also use this time to meditate on my daily mantra and set goals for the day.
Have an evening routing
This helps too but in a different way than my morning routine. I’ve been homeschooling my kids over the summer and I plan on continuing to keep some of our homeschool activities throughout the school year because the kids just loved it so much.
So I take a little time in the evening to plan out our schedule of activities for the next day, what lessons we’re going to focus on and where we’re going on our outings. I actually also use this time to plan what we’re eating for dinner the next day, which helps me prepare it without stressing at 7:00 like “what's for dinner?!?” I also do a little restorative bed yoga before hitting the hay, it helps me sleep.
My morning and evening routine help me feel more relaxed and organized, and that gives me energy and makes me feel like I can take on my day!
Add healthy fat to your morning beverage
I swear by this hack for losing or maintaining your weight, actually because the fat in my morning cup actually satiates my hunger straight through to lunch which helps me easily stay within my calorie goals for the day. I might have it with a healthy breakfast or if I’m not feeling very hungry I’ll just have the beverage.
This is also a great strategy for a boost in energy. I’m trying to limit my caffeine intake and will only drink small amounts of caffeine - something I highly recommend. More on that here. If you are drinking any amount of caffeine in the morning, adding two tablespoons of coconut oil or butter in your beverage will slow down the body’s digestion of the caffeine, making its’ effect less intense but spread out for a longer period of time throughout the day.
Exercise
It’s the last thing you want to do when you’re tired, but squeezing an active session into your day can actually increase your energy levels for the rest of the day. This is mainly due to the good endorphins your body produces when it’s active. These endorphins continue working all day to keep you energetic and positive.
I personally find this is only true when I exercise in the morning, as it does not have an energizing effect for me if I exercise midday or in the evening. It also doesn’t work if you over-do it - it will instead just put you on your but! But I do agree that exercising in the morning (especially with a nice yoga session) definitely makes me feel more positive and energetic throughout the rest of the day.
Eat a healthy breakfast
The one caveat here is I don’t force myself to eat breakfast if I’m not feeling hungry in the morning. Maybe I over-indulged the night before and just don’t have an appetite. That’s fine but most of the time eating a healthy breakfast with balanced macros will give you a nice energy boost that should last you till lunch.
Drink warm water with lemon juice
I like to add honey to this lovely little concoction too. Drinking warm water with lemon is a great all-natural way to flush out toxins and aid the digestive system. It also is a great source of potassium, calcium, and vitamin C. Drinking this in the morning helps to keep your body nicely hydrated and oxygenated which naturally increases energy throughout the day. Want another great way to keep your body oxygenated? Try an inversion pose or two in the morning.
Avoid added sugar
Eating sugary foods or drinks can give you a short-term spike in energy, but this wears off quickly with a crash in energy too.
Try essential oils
Don’t knock it till you try it. I have a little roller ball dispenser of a scent I labeled “awake” that I use throughout the day. I used 10 drops of peppermint, 10 drops of orange, and 10 drops of lime and mixed it in with olive oil as my carrier oil and it smells fantastic and really helps to keep me awake and alert - especially at 3:00 in the afternoon. Other energy-boosting oils include lemon, lavender, rosemary, and cinnamon.
Go to bed earlier
Obviously, but it’s worth mentioning because it is hard to do, especially if you have the kind of day where you feel like the evening is the only time you’ve had to relax but it is so worth it just to get that extra hour or two of shut-eye. When I really need it I will fall asleep in bed with my kids as early as 7:30 or 8:00 at night. I don’t plan it, but if my body needs it I will just conk out this early when I’m laying down putting my kids to bed. I always feel fantastic the next day.
Drink plenty of water
Keeping your body well hydrated will help to give you more energy for the day. After all, the body is approximately 55-75% water! Dehydration can not only make you tired and lethargic, but it can affect brain function too.
Avoid smoking and drinking
Smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your body, so it makes sense to not smoke anyway, but the toxins and tar in cigarette smoke make your lungs less effective at transferring oxygen to the rest of your body, making you feel more tired. Alcohol will also make you snoozy because it can act as an effective sedative.
I am not really a drinker, but I do enjoy the occasional celebratory beverage. I recently hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law, and had about half a glass of champagne and almost immediately felt an overwhelming need for a nap! I’ve sworn off the stuff ever since.
Mind over matter
You may be able to trick yourself into having more energy simply by changing your mindset and deciding that you are full of energy. Energy can be contagious so surrounding yourself with energetic people can help too. Play some positive music really loud! Get up and get something small accomplished. All of these little “mind tricks” may be just the ticket to making you feel more energetic.
The bottom line
I hope this has been helpful for you and helped you learn some new ways to bring more energy to your day. What do you do to boost your energy when you’re tired? Comment down below with your thoughts!
Namaste.