I help my clients permanently increase their physical and mental energy so they can do more of what’s meaningful.
The natural chemicals in your brain and blood, your cellular hardwiring, and the relationship between your thoughts and actions can all be upgraded to deliver the energy you need to live the life you want.
I work with my clients for a minimum of a hundred days so we can create a permanent shift in all the above.
If you’re reading this though, you’re probably looking for something to give you some pep right now.
While permanently upgrading your physiology and psychology takes some time, there are “in the moment” strategies that can help deliver the natural energy chemicals you need to feel the way you want.
These are perfect habits for first thing in the morning, during the 3pm slump, and/or right before you get home at the end of the day to tune up your brain and body.
These won’t keep you up at night, increase your anxiety, or cost any money either.
I don’t pander to trends.
If I’m sharing something, both my clients and I have done it, and have noticed a clear difference in how we feel and perform.
Hurry and Hydrate
When you wake up in the morning, you’re dehydrated enough to have it impact how you feel.
This sluggish feeling can last long into the morning.
You probably avoided drinking liquids right before bed so you wouldn’t wake up to pee in the middle of the night.
The problem is that you also went to bed with a belly full of food that required a lot of water for digestion.
That’s not to mention any dehydration lingering from the day before.
Hydration levels directly impact your energy levels for many reasons.
Put a 16-22 oz. glass of water next to your bed and drink it immediately after you wake up.
You’ll feel a difference right away, but you’ll really notice better energy and mental clarity about an hour later.
Repeat this at about 2pm, then again at 5pm, in addition to sipping throughout the day.
You’ll feel a big difference.
The Shivering Shower
You’ve probably heard about the cold tub craze.
Immerse yourself in ice cold water for as long as you can stand it, preferably around 3 minutes, and you feel amazing for hours afterward.
Athletes have been using cold tubs for recovery for a long time, but now I have neighbors putting them in their backyards.
When your body is exposed to something that sucks but doesn’t injure you, it releases pain-killing “feel good” hormones to help you manage the discomfort.
What they found with cold water immersion is that these hormones stay elevated for a long time.
This is most likely a survival mechanism that kept us alert and mentally/physically capable when we were frequently exposed to extreme temperatures.
Based on what my clients and I have experienced, it works really well.
If you don’t have a cold tub, just flip the shower all the way over to cold, take a few deep breaths, and hang in there for as long as you can.
Set a goal for 60 seconds, then move to 2 minutes, then 3.
I do it outside in our surf shower so I can take advantage of the cold outdoor air in the early morning.
(Yes, I wear board shorts. Sometimes.)
Give your head a rinse but keeping it under the cold water too long can cause a headache.
You get the most out of this hormone rush when you don’t finish with hot water.
Slowly warm yourself up by drying off and putting on clothes.
It’s a few minutes of “suck” for hours of “supercharged”.
“Blow” Breathing
The depth and frequency of your breathing is controlled unconsciously by your brain.
When you take conscious control over this function, you can send signals to your brain that impact your energy, alertness, and stress response.
In general, when you breath in, you stimulate your “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system.
When you breath out, your “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system is lit up.
When you breath out for an extended period of time, it can put your mind into a clear, relaxed, and focused state.
When you breath out quickly, it signals your brain to be alert and ready to rumble.
Most breathing and meditation strategies highlight focus and relaxation, but breathing can be used to give you an energy boost as well.
When discussing specific breathing techniques, you can really get in the weeds with what part of your mouth/nose to use, how many seconds to do what, and what sound to make when air passes in or out.
It’s all good, but today I want to keep it simple so you have something you can use right away.
For this exercise, stick to breathing through your nose.
There are techniques through your mouth as well, but again, keeping it simple.
Draw in air for about 2 seconds, then forcefully blow it out through your nostrils as quickly as possible.
Repeat this 10 times.
If you’re prone to light-headedness, you may want to start slow with 5 times.
What you’ll notice is a state of alertness and energy.
This will last for a few minutes, enough to break a mid-morning or afternoon funk.
Use these simple “in the moment” strategies to deliver better energy right now!
