This is part 4 in my series on How to Get more energy. The topic today is Exercise. I know what you are thinking if you don’t have energy how can you exercise. Most of that resistance is in your mind. Once you can overcome those thoughts in your head and just start moving your body will actually start pumping out those “feel good” hormones which will keep you going and give you that boost of energy!

This was a Live Presentation I did on this part on Facebook:

This does not mean you need to do a 2 hour power session at the gym. As a matter of fact if you haven’t exercised in awhile start out with just 10 minutes. You will still get the benefits of extra energy in that short of time. Once you are doing that for 3-4 days start increasing it a little more.

Do something you enjoy! It is easier to find motivation to exercise when it is something you like. When I wake up feeling less than motivated to start my workout I turn on music and just start dancing. I have a playlist on my ipod just for this. Yeah luckily my house isn’t awake yet to laugh at me, but if you have young children get them dancing with you! Do you like going on a walk? Then go on a walk. Do you like yoga or pilates? Then do that. When you are just starting out with exercise it is not about what you do, it is just about doing.

Slow, quiet yoga is a form of exercise that has been found to de-stress and you know less stress means you will have more energy which I talked about in Part 2 Lose the Energy Drainers.  It is important to allow yourself time to not think about anything. When I am finished with a workout I spend an extra 10-15 minutes quietly stretching. It is best to stretch only after your muscles are warm. I’m not quite to the clearing of the mind yet, and have to multiple times go back and focus on my breathing or repeat something like “in with energy, out with stress”, but this is something I try to do 4-5 days a week.

If at all possible workout first thing in the morning, be sure to listen to your body. Some people need to have a little snack so as not to be lightheaded. Others are just fine. The thing about morning workouts are that you have set the tone for the day. You gave yourself that burst of energy right at the beginning. Wake up 30 minutes earlier to fit it in. I’ve found if I don’t do a workout in the morning, I just don’t get it done. If you absolutely can’t get in a morning workout at least have it completed three hours before bedtime so it doesn’t keep you awake.

You know that tired feeling you get after eating? A good way to alleviate that is to take a walk afterwards. Back when I was researching Diabetes when we found out my husband was Type 2 I found that walking after eating is really good for preventing blood sugar spikes too. So take a walk after eating lunch or dinner. If you will be doing a long or more intense workout though wait at least one and half hours to let your food settle before starting.

A fantastic way to get more energy with exercise is to strength train. This is by using weights or your own body weight. You can even start out with things you have around your house like water bottles and milk jugs. When you are strength training you are making little tears in your muscles. Your body will continue to keep the metabolism up repairing the muscles. Ladies don’t be afraid that you will all bulk up. The lack of testosterone will prevent you from building muscle like a man. You may be thinking that you want to just do cardio because you burn more calories. The thing is you may burn more calories during the actual cardio workout, but the strength training will continue to burn calories all day. This is one big reason I personally concentrate on a strength training program with days in between for cardio or rest.

There has been research that suggests that exercising activates sleep inducing cells in your brain to help you sleep better at night too. I completely believe this. I know that on my rest days I don’t feel as much energy and I tend to not sleep as good either.

If you need some extra motivation or ideas on getting started with exercise I’m your gal just reach out I would be happy to chat more about that.