So it’s the end of the work day. Whether you work a 9-5 or night shifts, or retail hours, doesn’t matter. At the end of your shift you’re so dog tired that you can’t even fathom doing exercise let alone anything productive. You keep telling yourself, “I’m gonna work out today” or, “I’m gonna get this laundry done” and what happens when you get home after a long shift? Nothing. You simply zone out in front of the TV or your phone. Some people don’t have this problem but others, like myself, do. Are we inherently lazy? I’d like to think not. At the end of the day, the problem is we wish we had more energy. Now some people are anemic so if you think you might be then stop reading this and go to your doctor. If you’re pretty sure you’re not anemic then I have some recommendations for how you can tweak your lifestyle so you can find more energy.

The first and most important change is your diet. Now I’m not saying it’s time you become a vegetarian or vegan or anything like that. I’m talking about doing the simple stuff like cutting out fast food as much as you can, drinking more water to hydrate your body (which I’m a huge believer in), and buying a multi-vitamin. Notice I didn’t say “eat more fruits and veggies”. There a lots of people I know that hate the taste of vegetables and fruit so they choose not to eat them. That’s fine but know that your body is missing out on important nutrients, so swallow a pill once a day instead! It literally takes 10 seconds to do and it’s not hard to remember once you get into a routine. Another thing you need to do, which lots of us are guilty of, is cut back on the coffee. It’s a temporary solution to a long term problem. Not only does your body get addicted to caffeine, but you’re not hydrating yourself at all with coffee. If you’re at the point where you’re drinking 2-3 cups a day then it’s time to cut back.

Sleeping patterns are another huge factor in your energy levels. It’s not just that you need 7-8 hours of sleep because lots of people can do that, it’s more so establishing a healthy pattern of sleep. What I mean by that is, your body isn’t meant to stay up until 3am and wake up at noon. Trust me, I used to be this person. I would spend my whole day with barely any energy and at night repeat the same cycle over again. This is not healthy boys and girls. So what’s the solution? Well I used a sleep aid myself but I know lots of people don’t like taking meds to fall asleep so here’s another alternative. Turn off the TV, or your phone, or your computer 30 minutes before you intend to go to bed. The blue light emitted by our electronics actually prevents your brain from slowing down like it normally would when you get tired. It prolongs your restlessness so instead of watching TV until you fall asleep, try reading drawing, or crossword puzzles. I promise you’ll settle down faster. It’s a really hard habit to break but your body will thank you later.

The last part is commitment. Even if you do everything I previously mentioned there are still going to be times when you get off work or get out of school and feel exhausted. This is the mind-over-matter part that’s the hardest for people to do. Quick side note, if you started eating healthier, hydrating, and getting better sleep, then your body will allow you to fight past the mental exhaustion. If you just try to mentally force yourself through barriers without taking proper care of your body, then you’re just going to make yourself sick or hurt yourself (I’ve done both). So when you get home and you’re really feeling like “I can’t do this right now” then take a second and relax. Listen to some inspiring music or simply sit in silence until you get your head in the right place. Give yourself 20 minutes of no distractions that you can mentally coach yourself into taking that step out the door to go to the gym, or jog, or whatever you need to do. The gratitude and sense of accomplishment you will feel by pushing yourself past your perceived limits is far great than the so called “relaxation” you get from spacing out in front of the TV. As always, I hope this helped somebody and I’ll end with another quote. This one is from one of the weirdest teachers I’ve ever had the misfortune of coming across. He simply yelled the Nike slogan at me so….

“NIKE, JUST DO IT!”