I've seen many people go through the same trials and tribulations with their bodies, and, fortunately, the same core solutions cover most of the bases.
If you feel any of the following:
sluggish when waking up
crashing in the middle of the day
amotivated to work out
in a generally lousy mood
overstimulated mentally, overexhausted physically
then you can name it: you are drained.
Step #1 is to recognize the guileful hungry ghosts that are gnawing at your ATP.
Step #2 is to recognize where you are saying "yes" to these mean caspers.
Step #3 is to--nope, not fight back, ignore them and crowd out the negative energy you've let into your lifestyle with positive energy habits.
Just like I shared in yesterday's article --a 3 step formula for overcoming the top five fitness phobias I see running women's lives (and hey, men it might apply to you too ;)), solutions can be simple and practical without overwhelming you. In fact, a really great formula for habit change is just that...it has a few steps that you repeat again and again, with advancement as you go, and before you know it, you have transformed greatly.
So back to that drain...YUCK!
I want you to start feeling better today. So I'm giving away my top five observations of what helps women turn the dial from in the dumps to in the heights, from the inside-out. If you are already both feet in to a full mind, body, spirit transformation but just need the right guidance, accountability, and knowledge, just click below and we'll chat.
5 Ways To Come Alive Today (And Beat The Funk out of an energy slump)
Truth be told, this list will be your back-pocket guide to any valley of energy you find yourself slipping into. Especially if you are an active person, you have to be a vigilant watcher and player in this self-care game. Keep reading and gobble up (partially literally).
Note: These are general recommendations, not doctor's recommendations. I am not a doctor. If you have questions about the applicability or usefulness of these strategies for you, please consult a doctor.
Hydrate properly.
Easy check. What color is your pee? If it is in the range from the light beer to burnt orange on the left side, it's a surefire sign that you are not well hydrated.
Hydration is easier to get ahead of than to fix, and the way to do that is to take in water and minerals throughout the day that match your unique hydration needs.
Divide your bodyweight by 2 and that is your baseline level of water intake per day. Add in how much weight you lose in water during your workouts/living in a hotter climate (16-24 oz per pound lost) and you've got your water intake for the day.
However, water alone is not enough.
When you sweat, you lose high concentrations of sodium and chloride (a.k.a SALT). Conjunct with the many processes your body goes through in a single day (pooping, peeing, burping, farting, NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis like walking around the house or commuting to and from work), and you are also losing chlorine, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorous.
You need all six of these essentail minerals to:
balance blood pH levels
facilitate waste excretion from cells
maintain fluid balance
maintain proper functioning of nerve, muscle, brain, and heart cells
transport nutrients into cells
Do you see the high cost of being dehydrated?
Of course you'd feel like shit if you aren't replenishing both your water and mineral stores.
My solution for you is to begin each day with a packet of LMNT IN 24 oz of water.
There is a ton of magic habit work packed into this one exercise; from gaining momentum in the habit of drinking water to kicking off the day with a message to your body-mind that you honor your life force to physiologically balancing yourself for optimal presence and performance...
JUST DO IT: DRINK ELECTROLYTES AND WATER UPON WAKING.
2. Eat more.
Listen to this grandma.
What? Did I just tell you to eat more?
Am I nuts?
No.
I'm honest.
When I give my clients the task of tracking what they eat for 3-7 days, they show themselves that they have been grossly overestimating how much they eat and grossly underestimating how much they need to eat to thrive.
If you are undernourished in any macronutrient (carb, fat, protein), you are gonna feel it in the way of depletion somehow.
Every one of those macros has a purpose:
Carbs fuel your body with immediate energy.
Protein provides amino acids, which are essential for building muscle, skin, blood, and important structures of the brain and nervous system.
Fat is vital for brain development, insulation, energy reserves, cell function, and protection of your organs.
Keep in mind that this suggestion is for those who are feeling drained, and who are pretty darn active.
Rather than just haphazardly tell you to eat more, I'd suggest you:
Honestly evaluate whether you are meeting your caloric needs for the day. The only way to really do this is to track so you have an objective measure of what is going in.
Honestly evaluate how many calories you need to be healthy and vital--to add life to your years and years to your life, day by day. Try this free macro/calorie intake calculator from Precision Nutrition to get a rough sketch of how much and how much of waht you need to eat each day.
Additional commentary on food psychology: Gardening a mindset that is constantly critiquing your physique trains your brain to look at every calorie, every meal in as more than you should be ingesting. That's a dangerous rabbit hole. Unforutnately, media and society has created the soil for that type of thinking--and you gotta listen to people like me who will set you free from it.
JUST DO IT: FIGURE OUT YOUR CALORIC NEEDS AND MEET THEM.
3. Think positively.
I mean, 🎤 drop.
Your mind is way more powerful than you give it credit for.
Of the 70,000-100,000 thoughts you have each day, 90% (63,000-90,000) of those thoughts are a record of the past, on repeat, UNLESS you bring conscious awareness and intention to change your emotional state to the present moment. In other words, committing to raising your emotional state will give birth to more positive thoughts.
Affirmations alone are okay, but if only 10% of your subconscious is on board with the energy the words carry, it's a bit of a dull method.
For this setp, I recommend you dedicate one hour, one day this week to doing this meditation guided by Dr. Joe Dispenza , where he will teach you how to use your internal technology to think positively and become more vibrant. If you devote yourself entirely to it, you will become somebody, biologically, who is full of vibrant energy!
JUST DO IT: COMMIT TO AN ENERGY YOU LOVE.
4. Do Less.
Haha! I hate it when people tell me this.
From the bottom of my heart, what I mean is: “stop overcommitting yourself.”
Saying “yes” and saying “no” is one of the most viable superpowers at your lips tips to come alive again.
It’s like hitting the gas or hitting the brakes.
I hear and see people become so insanely more positively energized by cutting out the commitments that drain them of their vital qi—more than adding any nutrient into their diet, drinking more water, or exercising more.
If your social and career lives are stressing you out and your are committing to things that drain you, cut them out. You are too important for that shit.
Check in with yourself—even give yourself what might feel like ‘extra time’ to feel your gut sense about whether an invitation is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to you, and go with your gut.
I’ll admire you for saying “no” when you mean “no”, and for saying “yes” when you mean “yes.”
5. do boundaries.
Dang, one of the hardest of them all. Boundary setting.
If you are a free-spirit, big-lover like myself, it will take a lot of practice to do this one. But you absolutely will get stronger with it over time.
Just like saying “no” when you authentically feel a “no,” so you aren’t sabotaging your own happiness, setting boundaries and keeping to them is about reframing the way you see yourself in the world.
If you see yourself as someone who is constantly giving, you end up with an empty cup with nothing to pour over into others. This is why it is necessary to draw lines in different areas of your life.
For example:
Setting specific work hours (including the time frame during which you will email and text clients).
Drawing social media time boxes (i.e. check once at night and answer messages during that one time).
Limiting your workouts to an amount of time that is repeatable, aligned with your goals, and won't drive you into the ground (at least not too often).
Discerning who you feel safe and comfortable sharing your emotional experiences with.
Speaking up if someone is talking to you or crowding your space in a way that makes you feel unsafe.
All of these examples of “doing boundaries” are so important, because—within each one, when your true boundary is crossed, you feed that guileful hungry ghost.
JUST DO IT: HONOR YOUR BOUNDARIES.
These five things are built on the intention of vitalizing the garden that is your body-mind, giving rise to bright energy and vibrant presence. May you dare to give more life to your life!
In Radiance,
Coach Abby