3 Simple Steps to Having All-Day Energy

Want more energy?

I bet you do.

After all, if you feel tired and sluggish you certainly won’t be getting up early and making the most of your days…

You won’t have the energy to soar over that afternoon lull…

You’ll feel scattered and less productive…

…and barely have enough fuel in the tank to be present with your family after a long day’s work.

You see, energy is everything.

And here’s something else to think about…

Low energy is a warning sign that something more problematic is going on inside your body.

Think back to the last time you were sick and bed ridden. Didn’t feel too energized, right? That’s because your body required more energy to heal, repair, and fight off that infection.

If you’re exhausted most of the time, that exact same process could be happening in your body right now…without you even knowing it. That’s why energy should be seen as an important overall indicator of your health.

If you wake up feeling energized and don’t require coffee and sugar to soar through your days, then chances are you’re probably pretty healthy.

Otherwise, some internal love is required.

Here, I want to show you some simple strategies that will give you all day energy in just a few days time. Yes, it’s 100% possible and what I’m about to share works for everyone, regardless of health status or age.

My question to you is… “Will you take action?” If you don’t, then you can’t expect much. If you do, you will likely feel like a new person in less than 7 days.

If you want to be the best version of yourself, get more done, and live your life to the fullest, then sit up and pay attention.

Step 1: Avoid The Energy Vampires

There are 3 specific foods that suck the life out of you. These foods act as stimulants that impose unneeded stress on your adrenal glands, cause spikes in blood sugar, and eventually send you crashing.

The irony is that these 3 foods are often what most people turn to for a quick “pick me up” when they feel down. Although they can give you a temporary jolt, they are a big reason why so many people (perhaps you too) have such low energy.

These 3 energy vampire foods are caffeine, sugar, and wheat.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t elaborate on each one here since they mostly impact your body in the same ways.

Because they are stimulants, they prompt your body into the good ol’ “fight or flight” stress response. For dodging an immediate danger, this response is desirable. But when it occurs chronically, every single day, it wears you down and creates serious health problems.

Furthermore, these stimulants act like drugs. And when you’re off them, you don’t feel great – at least initially. Yet, if you want to experience all-day energy than removing these sugary stimulants is a must.

If you love your morning coffee, then, at the minimum, switch to decaf. If you’re addicted to bread, then opt for the gluten-free options when possible.

NOTE: Gluten, the protein complex in wheat, is dangerous to your health. Among other things, it attacks your gut lining, making you more susceptible to deadly inflammatory processes in your body.

Its protein structure also closely resembles your thyroid tissue and, as a result of chronic exposure, your body can eventually mount an auto-immune response against your thyroid (ie. Hashimoto’s disease).

Since it regulates your metabolism, if your thyroid no longer functions properly, then you certainly won’t feel very energetic and you’ll have a tough time losing weight.

Step 2: Eat Real, Fresh Food That Alkalizes Your Blood

The second step to having all-day energy is to eat more real, fresh food that restores a slightly alkaline pH in your blood.

Although that last part may seem a little technical, just understand that oxygen is a necessary ingredient for energy production and that for oxygen to be transported properly throughout your body, it requires an alkaline bloodstream.

In order to create this alkalinity you must eat a predominantly plant-based diet. This is not to say that you have to become vegan or give up meat and eggs…

But you need to add more vegetables and fruit into your body because of their inherent alkaline minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium), rich amounts of fiber, and disease-preventing antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Personally, I find the easiest way to get more vegetables and fruit into your diet is by adding just ONE green smoothie into your day. If you did nothing else, just having one smoothie each day could give your body a quick source of 4-6 servings of fruit and veggies.

That’s more than DOUBLE what most Americans currently get.

To get you started, here’s one of my favorite green smoothies that you can whip together in 2 minutes to get your morning started. Just throw everything into your blender, blend it up, and you’ll get about 750 ml of green alkaline goodness.

1 head of kale or Swiss chard or lettuce

1 apple

1 pear

1 banana

½ handful of cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

500 ml of water

The take home message from all of this is simple – limit your consumption of foods that wreak havoc on your body (ie. the energy vampires) and focus on eating more foods that bring more nutrients, fiber, water, alkalinity, and anti-inflammatory benefits (ie. plant foods).

You can certainly have your favorite animal products (from grass-fed, organic sources, of course) on occasion but just do your best to balance them out with a hefty side of veggies.

Step 3: Get Energy From Tranquility – NOT Stimulation

It’s ironic that stimulants like caffeine and sugar ultimately leave you feeling more tired than before you consumed them…

Likewise, any “go-go-go” type of activity – be it excessive high-intensity exercise, constantly spinning your wheels at work, or entertaining non-step mental chatter and “to-dos” – will drain you.

I am a firm believer that intense exercise is a must for improved fitness and good health. However, it must be balance with adequate recovery. As a former pro soccer player, I can speak from firsthand experience that it’s what you do BETWEEN your workouts that matters most, especially if you want avoid running your body into the ground.

Similarly, if you ever feel like your head is going to explode because of all of your racing thoughts, then you need to slow down and clear your mind.

Your body can only handle so much stress before it falls apart.

That’s why I’m a huge fan of calming activities like yoga, meditation, gratitude journaling, spending time in nature, and spending time in silence.

The next time you feel yourself racing to the finish line to complete that project for work, take 5 minutes to step away from your desk…

Go sit on your couch…

Close your eyes…

And breathe deeply for 5 minutes.

Allow all thoughts to leave your mind.

This simple act of tranquility will recharge your batteries and do more for your energy than any amount of stimulation ever will.

I know some of these recommendations may seem a little unconventional. And that’s good. Because quite frankly, considering how many millions of people suffer with daily exhaustion, it’s time for something new.

And having helped hundreds of thousands people energize their lives through simple strategies like I’ve shared here, I’ve seen (and experienced) how quickly you can transform your life.

Take action on these simple steps TODAY and if you don’t feel better by this time next week, I’d be shocked.

Now, it’s up to you.

[Ed Note: Yuri Elkaim is a health and fitness expert, “energy nutritionist”, and author of The All-Day Energy Diet. He’s most famous for helping people enjoy all-day energy and amazing health in a very short period of time without radical diets or gimmicks. He’s also a former pro soccer player and served as the strength & conditioning and nutrition coach at the University of Toronto for 7 years. He’s on a mission to transform the lives of more than 10 million people by 2018. For more visit http://www.alldayenergydiet.com]