Welcome to January – the “Monday” of the calendar year. The holidays are over (though they left their mark on my waistline), and now we hunker down into winter and start praying for an early spring. Even though we might feel like hibernating this time of year, there are actually some really simple things you can do today to set yourself up for more energy as 2020 gets underway.
Personal story: A dear friend of mine Ronda Stevens is a life coach in Howard, and from time to time she offers online classes and Facebook workshops through her business, Ready, Set, Live Holistic Life, and Wellness Coaching. On a whim, I signed up for one of her workshops last spring, hoping maybe to reduce some stressors in my life. The resulting energy boost was an unexpected (but much-needed!) bonus. Here are her five tips for more energy:
- Drink more water: I can see some of you are already rolling your eyes. We hear this a million times a day, no? I was skeptical at first, too, because I *thought* I was already drinking enough water. Big mistake! The Mayo Clinic recommends that women, on average, consume about 11½ cups of fluids every day for optimal health—more if you are pregnant or nursing. A general rule of thumb is to take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half; that’s how much water you need in fluid ounces. Every. Day. I started to challenge myself to fill up my Contigo bottle three times every day, as well as track my water consumption on an app on my phone. The result? Definitely more energy! I’m also noticing that my skin isn’t as dry this winter, and I’m using less moisturizer on my face and hands. Even if you start with one extra 8-ounce glass per day, you know you are doing something healthy for your body. Plus, it’s a free way to improve digestion, maintain blood pressure, prevent kidney stones AND boost your energy!
- Get good sleep: I might lose some of my moms of littles on this one. But hold on! Before you click off this post, hear me out for one more minute. I KNOW that sleeping through the night is all but impossible when your kids are young; neither one of my girls was a good sleeper, even through the toddler years. And that line about sleeping when your kid sleeps sounds wonderful in theory—if you never wanted to take a shower, tidy the house or fold a load of laundry, right? While the perfect practice of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day might not be attainable for most of us, we CAN make a conscious effort to practice good sleep hygiene. That is, shutting off screens, avoiding caffeine in the afternoons, eating only light snacks before bed and keeping your bedroom on the cool side. I was skeptical here, too. But once I started getting ready for bed at an earlier hour (instead of getting sucked into Netflix or social media), I was amazed at how quickly my body fell into a routine—and rewarded me with more energy the next morning.
- Plan your meals: When we are starving and there’s nothing healthy in the house, even the most careful of eaters is going to be tempted by a Twinkie. Yes, sugary snacks will fill us up temporarily… until we crash later in the afternoon! Meal planning is a resolution that has so many benefits. You’ll save time and energy by not worrying and wondering, “What am I going to make for dinner?” You’ll save money at the grocery store by having your “must-buy” list in hand and sticking to it. And your waistline will thank you when you have fresh produce to snack on instead of Little Debbies. Ronda recommends doing your meal planning and prep for the week on Sundays to eliminate the guesswork of what to make on busy nights. And don’t forget to plan your breakfasts as well as snacks and lunches to take to work! For me, I know that avoiding heavy, starchy meals (like potatoes and pasta) at lunch allows me to have more energy to get through the day. More meal planning tips here.
- Move your body: January is get-in-shape month, right? And we’re all being bombarded with ads for this gym or that piece of workout equipment. The way to find more energy through exercise is to find something that you love to do and stick to it. Hate group fitness classes in a studio setting? Don’t go! Find an activity—any activity!—that you enjoy, and make that part of your regular exercise routine. This time of year is perfect for skiing, skating or snowshoeing. Love to dance? Several area studios offer classes for adults—everything from belly dance to barre or ballroom. Working out with a friend is twice as fun!
- Plan your day: This last tip speaks mostly to our emotional energy—that is, removing the weight of worry from our shoulders. Most busy moms carry around a mental to-do list at all times. Not only do these thoughts distract us (and oftentimes keep us from getting good sleep), they can be easily eliminated by simply planning out our day the night before, which will free up more energy. Ronda recommends sitting down with your day planner each night and scheduling out the following day—remembering to include time for yourself to eat, exercise, shower, etc. She also emphasizes the importance of prioritizing and identifying your three top “must-do” things that you absolutely need to accomplish the next day. Whichever of those three things you are dreading the most—surprise! That’s the one you do first. This little trick (and once again, I was SO skeptical) has been the biggest game-changer for me in how I approach my day. My three things are done? Great! Now I can take a deep breath and relax, knowing anything else I can accomplish today is just one more thing off my to-do list for tomorrow.
What would you do if you had more energy? Please tell us in the comments section!
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