If you're always tired and it's starting to impact your life, it's time to find a natural energy boost that will last.
Tiredness, it's unavoidable - right?
It can be hard to juggle a busy work schedule, social life, home life and time for self care. It often seems like there aren't enough hours in the day, and sacrificing sleep to gain a few extra productive hours can seem tempting.
However, this can soon snowball into not getting enough sleep and feeling tired all the time - which can have debilitating effects on every aspect of your life.
If you often feel tired and lack energy during the day, or find that this holds you back - it could be time to slow down, focus on rest and nurture some natural energy that will last.
Signs you need a natural energy boost
You may be surprised by some of the signs and symptoms of poor energy. A lack of energy can manifest in many different ways, often as common issues which you might simply dismiss as a consequence of your busy lifestyle.
By getting to the root cause of these issues and improving your energy levels, you can help yourself to feel vitality and motivation again - rather than slogging through each day and counting down the minutes until bedtime!
Here are some of the most common signs that you'd benefit from a much needed natural energy boost.
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Tiredness and fatigue - One of the most obvious signs that you're in need of a natural energy boost is feeling tired often. Fatigue is a feeling of constant tiredness which can be physical or mental - or even both. If you feel as though you suffer with chronic fatigue, please be aware that this could be a sign of a health condition and so you should always discuss that with your doctor. If no underlying cause is found, diet and lifestyle changes could help to fight fatigue and boost your energy levels.
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Your stress levels are high - When we are stressed, our cortisol levels are higher which causes us to feel over-stimulated and keeps us awake. This can have a direct impact on energy levels, which are lower when quality sleep is lacking. Stress also provides an immediate energy supply to our muscles (part of the fight or flight response), so chronic stress can be really draining.
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Struggling with your mental health - A lack of energy and poor mental health can be a vicious cycle, with each worsening the other. In fact, tiredness, fatigue and a lack of motivation are all common symptoms of many mental health conditions. On a basic level, feeling tired makes everything more difficult and also lowers our mood - which can really take a toll on our mental health over time.
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Getting sick often - We all know that feeling run down can come hand in hand with being poorly. Frequent illness or infection and catching every bug going could be a sign that you're burning the candle at both ends and not getting enough restorative rest.
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Lack of energy and motivation - Waking up without your usual pizzazz and with a feeling of of overwhelmingness in its place is a sure sign of poor energy. If your usual daily routine seems that little bit more difficult or simply less enjoyable, a natural energy boost could help to get a spring back in your step.
- Always reaching for an energy boost - Whether it's energy drinks, coffee or sugary snacks - finding yourself relying on quick fixes of energy to keep you going could be a red flag for underlying poor energy. Caffeine and sugar may make you feel energised at the time, but they're quickly followed by an energy slump that can make you feel worse.
If you experience any of the above often, especially if most of these sound familiar, it's time to prioritise improving your energy levels.
How to Naturally Boost Your Energy Levels
Diet and lifestyle changes are some of the most effective ways to tackle the root cause of a lack of energy. Here are some of the best ways to naturally boost your energy levels with some daily healthy habits.
Make sure your diet is working with you, not against you
The power of a healthy, balanced diet should not be underrated! The food we eat is converted into something called ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the currency unit our cells use for energy.
So, what we eat has a huge impact on energy metabolism biologically and also how energised we feel in our day to day lives. Here are some of the best ways to make sure your diet is supporting better energy.
- Balanced diet, better energy
Having a healthy, balanced diet helps to give your body the full spectrum of nutrients it needs to function optimally.
Our main sources of energy from food are protein, fat and carbohydrates. So don't be afraid to enjoy plenty of healthy fats and remember that carbs are not the enemy! Enjoy a source of each of these macronutrients with every meal to maintain stable blood sugar levels for more sustainable energy.
A healthy diet will also include lots of fruit and veg, which are packed with micronutrients. These are things such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which are used to fuel almost every bodily function.
- Consider supplements if your diet is plant-based
Avoiding nutrient deficiencies is also really important for normal energy metabolism.
If you're veggie or vegan you might like to consider supplements for nutrients which are hard to get from plant-based foods - such as B-Vitamins, Omega-3, iron and Vitamin D.
Magnesium supplements can also help to promote sleep, which can in turn boost your energy levels.
- Avoid energy drinks & too much coffee
Energy drinks are a no-go as far as your overall health is concerned - they're packed with refined sugar, artificial ingredients, preservatives, additives and just about everything your body does not like!
As well as being full of nasty ingredients and terrible for your teeth, energy drinks also provide a huge spike of energy that is closely followed by a dramatic slump - which will make you feel even worse than you did beforehand.
Replace your energy drink with a fruit and veg smoothie instead. The natural and unrefined sugars they contain provides a sustainable source of energy which will last much longer and won't be followed by a slump. You'll also get a whole spectrum of healthful nutrients which your body will love.
Here are some of our favourite energising smoothie recipes:
🌱 Wild blueberry smoothie with Berry Beauty
🌱 Clean Greens gut nourishing smoothie
🌱 Pineapple smoothie with Balance Tonic
🌱 Mint chocolate chip smoothie with Clean Greens
Finally, if you're a coffee fiend and find yourself relying on caffeine to keep you going - try replacing your usual cuppa with Shroom Coffee. This is our Organic Arabica coffee with added Lion's Mane, Cordyceps and Chaga mushroom extracts.
It contains just 50mg caffeine per serving, which is just half that of a regular cuppa. The medicinal mushroom extracts help to keep you energised and focused for longer, so that you can say goodbye to the post-coffee crash.
Stay Hydrated
Poor hydration can often manifest as fatigue and low energy levels. Even mild dehydration can affect your mood, energy levels and mental clarity.
Getting enough water is the best way to ensure you stay hydrated, but if you don't fancy a glass of water you can also stay hydrated with juice, smoothies, milk, soup and even fresh fruit - watermelon is great.
Remember that drinking alcohol and excess caffeine will have the opposite effect, as these are dehydrating.
If you struggle to drink enough water or other fluids, invest in a large water bottle and sip throughout the day. That way you can always aim for the same amount and make sure you're staying hydrated.
Make Movement Part of Your Daily Routine
Regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to boost energy levels - even if you're feeling tired!
Exercise gets our heart rate going and releases a surge of endorphins throughout the body. This is immediately energising, but also stops us from feeling tired and sluggish long after we finish exercise.
Low energy levels may be an obstacle to starting exercise, but you will soon tip the scale and feel the energising benefits once you make movement part of your daily routine.
Even light movement such as a lunchtime walk, some yoga and even cooking and cleaning can be enough to enjoy these benefits.
Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is the body's opportunity to reset, recuperate and build a fresh supply of energy for the following day.
Put simply, that is why we feel more alert in the morning and get tired gradually throughout the day. Our Circadian rhythm uses cues such as light, dark and what is happening in the body to let us know when we should feel awake and when we should feel sleepy - so that we can get enough rest to function!
We all know how much better we feel after a good night's sleep compared to a bad one. Sleep quality has a huge impact on our energy levels and poor sleep is the most common cause of a lack of energy.
Aiming for at least 7 hours of sleep each night is a staple healthy habit to ensure you are well rested and energised. Don't be afraid to take an occasional power nap, and aim for longer sleep on weekends or when you can have a lie in.
You can learn more about the benefits of sleep, as well as some natural ways to improve your sleep, in our blog post below:
🌱 5 Natural ways to improve your sleep
Rheal Organic Superfood Blends to Keep you Naturally Energised 🌱
Our Organic superfood blends are easily added to healthy meals and drinks for a boost of nutrition and natural energy.
🍄 Shroom Coffee and Magic Matcha - each contain medicinal mushroom extracts for sustainable energy, replace your usual cuppas with these for natural energy with less caffeine
🌸 Balance Tonic - promotes optimal hormonal balance to lower cortisol levels and help manage stress, with a potent blend of adaptogens to provide a natural energy boost
🌱 Clean Greens and Berry Beauty - provide a spectrum of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to help avoid nutritional deficiencies and give your body all it needs for better energy
😴 Coco Dream - contains Reishi mushroom extract to help you relax, unwind and destress for a better quality sleep
Superfoods are a convenient and reliable way to give your body all it needs to stay naturally energised. Together with some mindful swaps and daily healthy habits, you can help to fight fatigue and get that spring back in your step!
