10 Ways to Boost Energy Instantly

Woman feeling full vitality

Can't keep your eyes open at the 2 p.m. meeting? Having trouble waking up for an early morning run? Here are 10 tips to keep your energy up — no matter the time of day.

Put down that energy shot! There’s no need to be sipping several cups of coffee to get through the day. We found 10 quick and easy tips to up energy levels.

1. Go for Complex Carbs

One of the most obvious ways to increase your energy levels is by improving your NUTRITION. Regarding the foods which provide the body with the most energy-boosting nutrients, foods with a low-glycemic level are ultimately the best options.
 

Foods like beans, bran cereal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, and nuts have less impact on your blood sugar than foods with a high glycemic load (like white rice, spaghetti, potatoes, corn flakes, and sugary juices and drinks.) Even though we’ve been taught to associate these starchy foods with energy-providing principles, the long-term effects of consuming this kind of food have negative impacts on your energy levels.

The main issue with these foods is that the carbohydrates they provide are refined carbs which can play havoc on blood sugar levels. While they’ll boost your energy short-term, they are definitely not a good long-term solution.

2. Spending Time in the Sun

Did you know that the sun has a direct effect on our energy levels? It’s easy to feel lighter, brighter, and more energized when the sun is out, and as Vitamin D is quite a rare nutrient to find in foods, the sun is the most important source of vitamin D that we can get naturally.

Vitamin D has a direct relationship with our energy levels. When we are lacking in vitamin D, we are more likely to experience fatigue and low levels of energy. As the sun is the most important and potent source of this vitamin, it’s easy to see how spending time in the sun is a more effective way of boosting our energy than trying to increase supplements or intake of it.

3. B-Vitamins

There are many aspects to the energetic effects of taking B Vitamins as they function as catalysts for the food energy we take in.

Only food provides “energy” in the form of calories, carbs, fat, and protein. B vitamins help convert dietary energy into ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate, the form of energy that your body uses) in a series of complex chemical reactions carried out by the mitochondria in cells.

B12 is just one of the members of the B-vitamin family, but it’s one of the most important to your body. You can get a good amount of this vitamin if you eat lean animal meat or take a daily multivitamin.B12 is vital for healthy red blood cell formation, neurological function, proper energy creation, and so much more.
 

If you are looking for top-brand supplements, here are our recommendations.

4. Reducing Screen Time

A notable change comes over us when we reduce the amount of time we spend ‘plugged in’ to our devices. Not only do we become more ‘present,’ but we become more alert, which can also contribute to improved fitness levels.

Although it may initially seem that removing ourselves from technology gives us more energy when you break it down, it just means that all the energy that would previously have gone on mental analytics and online scrolling is now free to be used elsewhere.

Understanding your energy usage can be likened to understanding exactly where your electrical energy is going - there are many outlets, most of which we have minimal awareness of. Screen time is one of these.

Too much screen time has also been proven to lower the levels of cortisol in the brain, which helps the body to balance out stressful situations. When we lack cortisol, we lack the ability to process experiences and problems as well as we normally can.

5. Set your Alarm

Getting up earlier has been proven to get us that extra boost of energy and positivity we need to get the most out of the day.

By getting our bodies moving and engaging in light to moderate exercise in the early hours, we are kickstarting our metabolism, productivity, and energy levels to ensure a more sustained release of the energy gained during the night.

Waking up earlier means:

• More time to exercise

• A Better Diet

• Increased productivity

• Reduced levels of stress

The time spent on these activities in the morning is a crucial time for self-reflection and giving ourselves the opportunity to tune in with how we’re feeling before starting to the day’s work.
Even Forbes has studied the benefits of being an early riser:

6. Do what you love

‘Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you’ - Oprah Winfrey
Regarding getting energy from non-food related sources, drink or exercise, there has been a recent surge in an understanding of how activities and engagement with our environment can also affect energy levels.

Regularly doing activities, we love and feel strongly about not only increasing levels of happiness and contentment, but also helping to produce more energy physically. I like to think of it more as increasing our ‘vitality’ - the passion for engaging with people and activities that help us to shine and become the most positive version of ourselves at a given moment.

By being honest with ourselves and open to exploring passions, talents, and hobbies and making time for them in the bustle of everyday life, we are automatically injecting a little bit more happiness into our day!

What is it that you love to do? Notice how much more energized you feel next time you engage in this activity, and then the next step is simple - DO MORE OF IT!

7. Exercising

Increasing fitness levels is another KEY way to encourage overall energy levels, and although it seems counter-intuitive, the endorphins from an intense workout and shot of energy received after a period of activity function as a way to increase overall energy.

It’s essential, however, to engage in the right kind and intensity of fitness activity to encourage energy levels.

Activities that encourage ‘calm energy’ are more effective at sustaining energy release throughout the day and avoiding the danger of burnout or slipping into fatigue. These are things like yoga, tai chi, pilates, and specific strength training.

Increasing fitness levels also encourage more profound, more improved sleep patterns, better heart health, and sharper focus.

8. Meditation

Your mental health has a direct effect on your energy levels - just as physical health does. When we consider the mental energy that’s expended during periods of intense anxiety or depression, or even just a day of being very worried, this becomes evident, and so it’s important to maintain awareness of this as we aim to increase overall energy.

Becoming aware of where our energy is going is key to mastering it and cultivating more, and this is where things such as meditation and yoga are beneficial.

Meditation helps us learn how to direct our energy where we need it to go. It may seem simple, but being able to recognize where and how our thoughts affect our physical energy is SO important if we’re going to learn how to let it go into cultivating more positive relationships and connections around us.

9. Hydration

It’s a relatively simple recommendation, and yet so many of us neglect to fuel our bodies correctly to optimize the oxygen production in cells, which is where energy is created.

We can become drained and fatigued if our bodies haven’t consumed enough water. Besides providing an energy boost and fighting off fatigue, drinking water also produces many other benefits, such as warding off headaches, increasing metabolism, helping with weight loss and aiding in clearer skin.

In this way, many physical symptoms of low energy levels are all intertwined, and so increasing water intake can often be the most basic first step towards increasing energy. Hydration is more than just water - make sure you replenish your electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium.

Dehydration is a massive issue that causes low levels of energy and general fatigue. With less water in your system, your blood volume decreases (meaning your heart has to work harder to pump it around!). Your blood vessels also constrict, so don’t be surprised when dehydration headaches strike.

All of this extra energy loss can be avoided by merely increasing the amount of water we drink!

10. Natural Supplements

It’s common for the supplements available for boosting energy levels to be unknown combinations of ingredients and unnatural products that we don’t question purely because it helps us to achieve our goal - they expand our energy.

But most products marketed as ‘energy boosters’ actually contain more harmful substances than beneficial ones, and so the best advice for those seeking to boost their energy levels naturally would be to steer clear of them altogether.

Despite being labeled 'natural,' over 90 percent of vitamin supplements are synthetic and new evidence is emerging that these unnatural forms of vitamins could do more harm than good.

According to the Organic Consumers Association in the USA, man-made vitamins cannot be used by the body in the same way as their natural versions.

Herbal energy supplements (such as the ones listed below) are much more efficient at relieving symptoms of fatigue.

• Ginseng

• Eleuthero

• Suma Root

• Guarana

• Green Tea

• Licorice Root

If you have any health condition including high blood pressure, you are pregnant or breastfeeding - please consult your physician before taking any herb or supplement.

Looking for top brands? Check out our recommendations here.