Regardless of how motivated you are, or how much you love to exercise, sometimes you need a little help. Everyone does. Particularly in the middle of day, most people tend to experience a significant – and frustrating – dip in energy. So what can you to do? Here are four healthy ways to boost your energy.
Take a power nap. It might seem a little obvious, but when you’re tired you should sleep. The key is to keep the nap to about 10 to 20 minutes – no more. These brief power naps have been shown to be exactly long enough to help restore your energy levels for the next few hours, without noticeably affecting sleep patterns. If you’re worried about the lost time, though, don’t be. The same encouraging body of research has also shown that the increased productivity that results from a properly-executed nap can make up for the brief amount of time invested in them.
Stick to slow carbs. Much like the rest of your body, your brain loves sugar. While this is generally seen as an unhealthy and destructive habit, the truth is that these sugar cravings are a sort of natural imperative for the human body. Carbs – particularly glucose – is the main fuel for your body, with your brain demanding incredibly high qualities of the sweet stuff. When you get tired, these cravings tend to go worse as your body desperately tries to regain some energy. But fast-absorbing carbohydrates, like candy and baked goods, will disappear from the blood quickly and ultimately result in a blood sugar crash. This is clearly counterproductive. Slow carbs, like oats, can give you a nice steady boost of fuel without the resultant crash.
Have a little caffeine. The key phrase here is “a little.” While it might be tempting to chuck down gallons of coffee – or whatever your caffeine carrier of choice is – this is almost exactly what you shouldn’t do. Large amounts of caffeine might help you for a little while, but as the caffeine wears off, you’re going to suffer a fairly serious dip in energy. You might end up worse off than you were before. A single cup of coffee – roughly equivalent to 80 to 100mg of caffeine – has been shown to been just enough to provide long-lasting energy without a crash.
Try some NO. Interestingly, your body produces a signally gas, called nitric oxide (NO), that causes your blood vessels to dilate. While NO isn’t a stimulant, increasing your energy in the more traditional way, the increased blood flow allows more oxygen and nutrients to get to your muscles. Waste can also be more effectively removed from your system. All of this ultimately helps your body work more efficiently, requiring less energy while producing more. The trick this about NO, however, is that you can’t supplement it in it’s natural gaseous form. Instead, precursor chemicals like citruline can be taken to spike levels of NO in your system.
To get this boost right before your workouts, you should think about investing in a quality pre-workout supplement like Gnarly Pump. This formula combines just the right amount of caffeine with substances that are proven to increase your NO levels, quickly getting you ready to go without suffering a crash later. Why not take a few minutes to learn more about this helpful product?
