July 16

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Energy building rituals

By Carthage

July 16, 2014

energy management, enthusiasm, health, performance management, producitivity levels

The working world is getting more and more demanding. In difficult economic times, the employee is asked to give more and increase their productivity. If not managed properly, this can add a significant amount of additional stress to the lives of each employee. To increase productivity, you often need to increase your energy levels. When you find yourself short on energy, you may resort to quick fix measures which give you an instant boost. Energy drinks and sugary foods are among the most common temporary solutions. However, the effects of these methods are only short lasting and the effects of over reliance and over consumption can have terrible effects. Stress causes enough damage to your health without resorting to unhealthy measures to try and overcome it. The answer is energy building rituals. Energy building rituals are regular activities/actions which you take to maintain higher energy levels.  You make these rituals an important part of your daily life; like any other positive habit. Rather than depend on quick-fix solutions; energy building rituals allow you to implement lasting solutions. At first, when you implement new energy building rituals, you will notice that you are better able to sustain your efforts throughout the course of the day. After a while, you will begin to notice a gradual improvement in your energy levels, allowing you to achieve more, in less time. Forget about energy drinks, coffee and other quick-fix solutions. Energy building rituals allow you to increase your energy levels naturally, and have a healthy supply to get you through the day.

Energy building rituals

By adjusting your personal eating, sleeping and exercise patterns, you can create increased, reliable and sustainable energy levels which will improve your performance and productivity. And, unlike the quick-fix solutions, these methods won’t damage your health; they will boost it.

1. Sleep

When trying to increase productivity, many people try to increase the number of hours in their day by cutting down on sleep. This approach will usually lead to some quick gains before the lack of sleep catches up on them. Sleep is vital for restoring lost energy. Sleep allows for the repair of any damage or strain which has occurred during the day. After a few days without proper sleep, your body starts to break down, your mind is fatigued and your performance levels begin to drop dramatically.

The smart people take the opposite approach. Rather than attempt to increase the number of hours in their day, they focus on getting sufficient quality and quantity of sleep. They know that when they are well rested, they are able to get more quality work done during their working hours as they are better able to sustain their energy output throughout the day. As counterintuitive as it may seem, if you are struggling with productivity, you may need to increase the quality and quantity of your sleep.

2. The mid-day rest

Your energy levels naturally drop for a period of time during the middle of the day. You can try and fight it but you actually end up making matters work. One of the most powerful energy building rituals that you can adopt is to make the most of this time by consciously deciding to rest. If possible, taking a nap in the middle of the day will maximise the recovery that your body and mind achieve during this period. This will allow you to return to work refreshed; with more energy and enthusiasm. If you are not in a position to take a nap, you may be able to take some time to meditate or just switch off all technology and find a quiet corner to relax and unwind.

By making the most of this time and relaxing fully, rather than fighting the fatigue, you can greatly increase your energy and productivity. You may think that your work/life is too important to take such a break but bear this in mind; during World War II, UK Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, continued to take his nap in the middle of the day. He insisted that it was that important. Many of the world’s leading CEO’s have followed his example.

3. Exercise

It is easy to think that exercise robs you of energy but it is one of the greatest ways to build your energy levels. Having a daily exercise regimen, it can be as simple as 20 minutes of cardio exercise per day, will boost your fitness and strength. Not only will this give your more energy but it will increase your resilience, allowing you to cope more effectively with pressure.

4. Adjust your diet

Your diet provides the fuel that you need to survive and thrive. What you eat and drink has a profound impact on your performance. Ideally, you want to avoid foods and drink which give you a short sharp spike of energy and, consume more foods and drink which will give you a slow, steady release of energy throughout the day. Managing your diet is one of the most important energy building rituals. The following tips, though not exhaustive, will help you to improve your energy levels:

  • Drink more water. Keep a water bottle nearby and you will be able to keep yourself hydrated and, keep fatigue at bay.
  • Cut down on caffeine. Caffeine is one of those products which give you an initial burst of energy but the effects soon wear off. The more reliant you become on caffeine, the more of it you need to consume just to achieve the same effect.
  • Eat more protein. Proteins are a source of slow releasing, sustained energy. As well as being more filling, they allow you to better regulate your energy levels throughout the day.
  • Eliminate excess sugar. Excess sugar messes up your blood sugar levels which, in turn leads to decreased energy levels.
  • Eat small and frequent meals. Smaller, more frequent meals, allow you to sustain your energy levels throughout the day. They also reduce the stress that your digestive system experiences when it is forced to digest large meals.
For powerful strategies to help you boost your energy levels,  check out Limitless Energy. One of the greatest assets that you can have, as you fight to increase productivity and reduce stress, is the sustained, high energy levels. There are many products available which claim to increase your energy but many of these products are unhealthy and unhelpful, if you become reliant on them. A steady, and healthy, supply of energy can easily be achieved by adopting energy building rituals. Energy building rituals are simple habits which, when implemented consistently, allow you to gradually increase your energy levels allowing you to achieve more with your time and efforts. The most important thing about energy building rituals is that they are healthy, positive habits which allow you to experience more success and more joy in life. For such a small amount of effort, great rewards are received. Image credit: Free Range Archive