Do you feel tired ALL the time? Odds are, you aren’t eating right.
Would you try to drive your car on an empty gas tank – or put the wrong type of fuel in it?
Probably not, as you wouldn’t get very far. It’s the same thing for your body.
You can’t expect it to do everything you need it to if you don’t eat a healthy diet.
One of the first things to consider is hydration.
If you don’t get enough to drink, you’ll feel light-headed, dizzy and confused.
Even a small amount of dehydration impairs the body’s ability to perform at its best! It can make it difficult to get your work done and nearly impossible to exercise.
Sipping water throughout the day will help keep you hydrated, your energy levels up, and even prevent cravings for unhealthy snacks.
Also keep in mind that when you workout, it’s important not to wait until you feel thirsty – be sure to drink about 8 ounces of water before and after.
If you exercise for an extended period of time or in hot weather, you may need to sip water about every 15 minutes or so during your workout too.
If you don’t like plain water, add a squeeze of lemon for flavor and vitamin C.
Breakfast is a must!
You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth saying again and again until it becomes an ingrained habit.
In the morning, many people dash out the door to work or school without taking time to eat. It’s an easy meal to forget, but it also has a huge impact on your entire day.
Eating breakfast improves your concentration, focus and alertness – and, it’s also been shown to assist in weight loss by preventing overeating throughout the day.
Of course, eating donuts isn’t going to cut it. While all food is for energy, that doesn’t mean that all foods are created equal.
You need energy-boosting foods.
These work to enhance the metabolism and support the body’s ability to convert food into energy. A mix of complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein and healthy fats is ideal.
One of the easiest ways to accomplish that is to throw everything into a blender for a tasty smoothie.
This recipe, one of my favorites, contains everything you need to get your day started out right.
Just mix all of the following in your blender:
♦3/4 cup water
♦2 scoops of Organifi protein powder in chocolate or vanilla
♦1 Tbsp hemp seeds
♦½ cup greens (spinach, kale or romaine)
♦1 Tbsp raw peanut or almond butter
♦1/2 tsp turmeric
♦Handful of ice
Follow a similar pattern throughout the rest of the day, keeping high-energy snacks at ready in-between meals, such as raisins, raw almonds, carrot sticks and fruits, particularly citrus fruits which are chock full of vitamin C.
In fact, they’re even known to enhance energy and improve alertness from their scent alone!
A salad made up of leafy greens, such as kale, chard and spinach, helps promote energy with high levels of brain-boosting folate, vitamins C and K, calcium and beta-carotene.
Top it with wild-caught salmon, and you’ll also be getting a powerhouse of omega-3 fatty acids, used by the body for energy and as building blocks for muscle.
Using unrefined, extra-virgin coconut oil for cooking.
This is one of the best things you can do for your energy levels and your health overall.
It contains about 90 percent healthy saturated fat, composed of medium-chain fatty acids, which are easy for the body to break down for energy, and are not stored as fat in the liver – unlike many other fats, which contain long-chain fatty acids.
Medium-chain fatty acids can boost the metabolism and also help us to feel fuller longer too.
The bottom line?
Your physical health is a direct reflection of what you put into your body. While pre- packaged, processed foods are convenient, sticking with the originals – whole organic foods, is a must for keeping energy levels up, a slim waistline and good health!
Yours in Health,
Danette
