How to Maximize Your Energy Levels

 

It is normal for our energy levels to fluctuate throughout the day - swinging from one extreme to another. During these highs and lows, you will switch from highly motivated and battle-ready to sluggish and lethargic, barely mustering the strength to get out of bed.

Success as an entrepreneur mostly boils down to optimizing and maximizing your energy levels. Yes, you can increase your energy levels from their baseline to new highs, but you may have to make a few changes to your daily routine.

Here’s everything you need to consider and do to maximize your energy levels as an entrepreneur:

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Sleep is highly underrated. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to think of sleep as the secret to the fountain of youth. As a rule, you need to squeeze in at least 8 hours of sleep per day. Any less, and you may be jeopardizing your recovery rate.

Your body lets you know very quickly when you’re not getting enough sleep. Yet far too many entrepreneurs regard all-nighters as a virtue that could unlock success.

Going without sleep has an almost immediate effect on your cognitive skills. Your ability to think on your feet, make quick decisions, and take calculated risks becomes severely hampered.

Lack of sleep also throws the body’s balance between testosterone and cortisol out of whack, leading to mental stress, weight changes, and other health concerns.

What’s the solution to the sleep problem? Find time for your beauty sleep without any interruptions. Unplug and turn off any electronic devices when it’s time to sleep. Wear a sleep mask to block out light and find your circadian rhythm.

If you’re unable to find enough time for sleep, you’re doing too many tasks at the same time, and you risk crashing and burning. Lighten the load and reap the benefits of sleep.

Are You Dealing with Too Much Stress

There is a difference between good stress and bad stress. Good stress has a beneficial effect on your mind and energy levels and motivates you to reach your daily goals.

Bad stress does the exact opposite. It contributes to a slew of problems, including headaches, skin conditions, cardiovascular problems, and high blood pressure, among others.

Try to identify your stressors and eliminate them to the best of your ability. In some cases, something as simple as taking a break from watching the news or morbid stories on social media could help you unwind.

Ultimately, everyone’s journey is different, and as such, dealing with it will be highly experiential.

You Need a More Balanced Diet

Eating a balanced diet may be more important than sleep because your body needs energy to think, make decisions, and stay competitive. All your vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and protein should come from natural food sources. Multivitamins and supplementation should be used as a last resort and not your first priority.

Most people are deficient in the following minerals:

• Vitamin A (eat more leafy greens
• Vitamin C (incorporate citrus fruits in your diet)
• Magnesium (try to eat spinach and peanuts)
• Zinc (eat more red meats and dairy products or whole grains if you’re a vegetarian)
• Boron (eat more raisins and avocados)
• Choline (you need more eggs, meat, and poultry)

Use an online calculator like this one to get an idea of the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals you need based on your age. Use the information as a rough guide and consult with a dietician or your doctor for a more accurate analysis.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Hydration plays an important role in your health, and dehydration can easily devastate your energy levels, mood, and brain function. This makes sense when you realize just how much of our body is water. Our body is about 60% water, and the brain is about 73% water. Everything from our body temperature and blood flow to our ability to think is related to our hydration levels.

As a rule, you should drink whenever you feel thirsty. Another built-in mechanism that should remind you to drink more water is the shade of your pee. If your pee is dark orange or brown, it’s time to drink water.

Work Out Regularly

For most people, maximizing their energy levels is simply a matter of picking up heavy weights and putting them down.

The benefits of working out go beyond muscle gain and weight loss. Working out releases stress hormones like norepinephrine and epinephrine that can energize you. This is why something as simple as getting up from your work desk and walking around the office could energize you.

Besides, working out also makes your cardiovascular system work more efficiently because it delivers oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. And when your cardiovascular system is working properly, you have more energy to take on everyday tasks, as well as the burden of being an entrepreneur.

Try to get in at least 30 minutes of high-intensity training to see quick results. Exercise can also help improve your sleep, which can boost your energy levels.

Try to Stop Smoking

Smoking may feel good in the short run, but its cumulative effects will zap your energy levels and lead to all manner of health issues. Tobacco smoke alone contains over 7,000 chemicals that could have a negative impact on your energy levels.

The scientific explanation behind this is simple: smoking reduces blood oxygen and makes the lungs and heart work extra hard, which is fatiguing. No matter how you slice and dice it, smoking can have detrimental effects on various aspects of your life that could trigger a cascade of mental health issues, including depression, lack of motivation, and anxiety.

Many entrepreneurs are using vapes as a less harmful substitute for smoking to help them cease the activity - and with great success too! However, we recommend consulting a healthcare professional to help you quit smoking.

Wrapping Up

Your overall diet, activity levels, sleep, and hydration levels play a crucial role in determining your energy levels. It is easy to maximize your energy levels by optimizing different areas of your lifestyle. Limit smoking. Eat a more balanced diet. Prioritize your sleep. Drink more water. These are all changes you can start making right now to help positively impact your energy levels.

Let us know what steps you took to maximize your energy levels!