Body By Kit: 5 Ways To Maximize Your Energy

Body by Kit

"5 Ways To Maximize Your Energy" by Kit Rich

Have you ever observed children and noticed their endless amounts of energy? It would be hard for us to keep up without a triple espresso, right? Children jump, run, scream, climb, cry and laugh all in the blink of an eye without exhibiting any sign of fatigue. Yet when they do get tired, they nap easily. When they’re hungry, they eat, and stop when full. Now, given, they have the luxury of a life without jobs and deadlines, but the fact remains that children don’t fight energy. Without even knowing it, they are masters of the art of conserving and nurturing energy and have a completely symbiotic relationship with their own bodies.

As an adult, this relationship becomes corrupted, and napping is replaced with mocha lattes and running around the couch is replaced with sitting on it after a long day of sitting at work. Responsibilities pile up, stress ensues, and sleep becomes a privilege, not a right. Our lives push up against the clock, and in this fast-paced society, we believe that those who nap miss out on opportunity.  So we down another quadruple espresso and live our lives…tired.

Energy is like a bank account. If you don’t watch your funds and spend too much,  there will be nothing left. Another way to look at energy is like looking at a relationship. In any healthy relationship, it is equal parts give and take. If one person feels as though they are being taken advantage of, most likely it will not last. Energy and its relationship to the body are the same. The energy you take, you have to replenish with sleep, exercise and proper nutrition. If you are not doing this and are just expending energy, eventually your supply will give out and no amount of caffeinated drinks will do the trick.  

Now that the New Year is here, I'm sure many of you have created a list of resolutions you wish to achieve. I’m also sure that many of these resolutions are action-based and require energy. For instance, do you wish to lose weight? Do you want to get a new job? Do you want to be more social and go out more? All of these goals, although wonderful, require lots of energy to pursue them! It takes energy to go to the gym and work out. It takes energy to sit down and write a resume. It takes energy to meet up with friends after a long day of work.

But if you’re someone who spends a lot of your life claiming you’re “just too tired,” then now is the time to add one more resolution to that list and place it at the top. Make it your goal for this year to have the energy you’ve always imagined, so that you can become the person you’ve always dreamed of being. Because life, my friends, is all about having the energy to live it!

So follow these quick tips and coffee alternatives to give yourself that much needed pick me up!

5 Energy Maximizing Ideas:

1. BODY PAT DOWN

A great wake-up call! Starting with your bare feet, palms of your hands open, start gently hitting your feet. Make sure to engage the finger tips as they are major energy points of the body. As you hit the feet work your way up your body, patting your legs inside and out. Pat your arms, pat your back. Try doing this for one full minute and notice how great you feel!

2. GET MOVING!

In the morning, if you aren’t going to work out, do 25 jumping jacks or 20 push-ups or BOTH! It takes one minute and you will feel the difference. Obviously, if you can go for a full workout that day, please do. But this is a great alternative to wake up the system first thing in the morning.

3. EAR MASSAGE

Throughout the day, if you start to feel tired, rub your ears for one full minute. Start with your earlobes and work all over the ear. The fingertips and ear are major energy points in the body and the two combined, do wonders.

4. 5 MINUTES OF DEEP BREATHING

First of all, there is a reason you’re tired. You’ve spent years trying to avoid being tired by fighting it! Instead of racing to get a cup of coffee, let yourself be tired. Try it, this is only temporary. This is a way of getting connected to your body again and learning its rhythms.  There is actually nothing wrong with being tired sometimes. It is a sign that your body needs rest and a yawn is actually a way for the brain to wake up. By closing your eyes, and focusing on your breath for 5 minutes, it allows your body to align itself as it should and helps you connect to your energy levels. Focusing on your breath also allows you to have more present and focused energy. 

5. FRUIT AT 4 pm

Do you find that you get tired around 4 o’clock a lot? Instead of grabbing a cup of coffee, reach for a piece of fruit instead. It will give you a natural boost and it won’t interrupt your sleep that night.

Kit Rich is Los Angeles-based fitness trainer with endless exercise and nutritional know-how. Hollywood's hottest stars are addicted to Kit's unique, multi-disciplined approach that combines cardio, yoga, Pilates, and weight training. Kit's clients are immediately taken by her funny and honest approach to health and fitness. She treats her clients as she treats herself, "with a hard challenge, sensibility, sensitively, and a good laugh." Follow Kit on Twitter @kitrichfitness