7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Energy Levels

7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Energy 

Have you ever struggled with your energy?  You know what I mean, you struggle to wake up in the morning, depend upon caffeine and stimulants to get anything done, need an afternoon nap and then to top it off…you can’t even fall asleep at night.  In this article you will learn 7 easy ways to improve your energy levels naturally.

Fatigue and low energy are at an all-time high.  We have a serious energy crisis in our country and much of it has to do with our digestive tract.  When we have poor digestion, we assimilate less nutrients and accumulate more toxins.  This process increases inflammation throughout our body and drains our energy reserves.

When I struggled in my early 20’s with irritable bowel syndrome, I also had adrenal fatigue and felt like I was always tired!  Once I discovered the strategies that I explain in this article, I was able to heal my IBS and regain my energy.  These are still my go to steps to boost and maintain my energy at a high level.

3 Core High Energy Strategies

1) Hydrate Well  

Staying hydrated throughout the day is essential to good energy and digestion and the strategies in this guide will help you optimize your hydration for all day energy!

2) Stabilize Your Blood Sugar  

Blood sugar imbalances will steal your energy and brain faster than anything (1).  Stable blood sugar will help you feel on top of the world!!!  Reduce your consumption of carbs and be sure to have healthy fats such as coconut oil, grass-fed butter, avocados, olives or nuts and seeds in every meal to keep your blood sugar stable.

3) Move Your Body and Your Bowels

Movement is SUPER key to energy and digestion.  You want to move your body with regular exercise and go outside every day and get a good walk in nature.   Nature is extremely therapeutic to our adrenal glands and movement will help to improve blood and lymphatic flow and stimulate your brain.

In addition, it is essential to move your bowels and get rid of all the wastes from the foods you consumed the day before.  If you don’t, the fecal material will be a breeding ground for bad microbes and amplify the toxic stress on the digestive tract and body (2, 3).  Following the strategies in this article will help you to have healthy bowel motility to get rid of the wastes, which will reduce stress on the body and significantly improve energy and mental clarity.

Here is How We Put in Action

I really could have made this 20-25 ways to improve your energy levels…but I wanted to give you easy things that you could do immediately starting today.  In addition, you will see that these action steps cost very little and can make a very big impact.

If you are new to all of this, begin by taking one strategy and doing it everyday for a week and then add one of the other strategies.  Once you add in 2-3 of these, you should have a noticeable difference in your energy, cognition, mood and quality of life.  Can you just imagine if you applied all 7 of these?  Try it and see!

1) Drink 8-12 oz of Clean Water Every Hour

Staying hydrated is great, but staying super hydrated will take you to an entirely new level!  We are told we need to eat for energy…but actually food is for recovery…consistent hydration and electrolytes will give you incredible energy (4).

How To Do It

Be sure to use clean filtered water.  I recommend a reverse osmosis or strong carbon filter.  You can add back trace minerals and antioxidants with a pinch of Himalayan Salt and a few drops of lemon essential oil or fresh squeezed lemon or lime.

You will hear many people say to drink half your body weight in ounces of water.  I say, drink your entire body weight in ounces of water daily.  You will notice a HUGE DIFFERENCE in your energy, bowel motility, skin, hair and mental clarity!

Do’s and Do Not’s

Do drink water away from meals, but don’t drink much water within 30 minutes of a meal or 30 mins to an hour after a meal so that you don’t interfere with the stomach acid and digestive enzyme production.  I only drink enough to take whatever supplements I may be using with my meal and avoid additional water for my solid food meals.

2)  Drink a Super Smoothie Everyday

Smoothies are one of the best ways to get nutrients into your body.  This is because they are pre-metabolized, which takes stress off of your digestive tract as compared to consuming solid foods.  Because the food is essential pre-digested, you are able to absorb more nutrition from the smoothies than you would from a solid-food meal.

How To Do It    

Take a good milk base such as organic coconut milk, almond milk, hemp milk or grass-fed goat or cow’s milk.  Adding healthy fats such as 1-2 tbsps. of coconut oil or an avocado or 1-2 tbsps. of almond butter.  Then add in ¼- ½ cup of organic berries (fresh or frozen) and 1-2 scoops of a healthy protein powder.

My favorite protein powders include bone broth protein which comes in a variety of great tasting flavors including chocolate and vanilla.  If you are a vegan or do better with a plant based diet then I recommend our Gut Healing Protein which is a pea protein base.

Do’s and Do Not’s

If you are using a thinner milk that has 5 grams of fat or less per cup than you MUST add in good fats such as coconut oil (1-2 tbsps.), an avocado or a healthy nut butter (1-2 tbsps.) or you will not get sustainable energy.

Be sure not to put too much fruit into your smoothie or you will cause a blood sugar imbalance be tired and hungry a few hours later.  I recommend keeping your fruit content to no more than ½ a cup per smoothie.  Ideally, use organic berries as they are the most nutrient rich fruit and in general have a weaker effect at throwing off our blood sugar levels.

3) Use Fermented Beverages

Fermented beverages contain organic acids, enzymes, B vitamins and potassium which all help to increase our energy and stimulate healthy bowel motility (5).  The fermentation process reduces the sugar content of the beverage and increases the enzyme and B vitamin content making it nature’s natural energy drink!

Some of my favorite fermented beverages include apple cider vinegar, coconut water kefir, kombucha and beet kvass.  Fermented foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles and pickled ginger.  Feel free to use these as well as they are great for digestion and energy but the beverages will give you more immediate energy.

How to Use

I recommend consuming 1 tbsp of ACV in water each day and also putting ACV on salads and meat dishes.  If you have never used fermented drinks than I would recommend starting with 1 tbsp of coconut water kefir or kombucha and see how you do for 3 days.  If you do well, then go up to ¼ bottle for 3 days and then ½ bottle for 3 days.

You may notice that you thrive on drinking one full bottle each day.  But take it slow when you introduce these, if you have never used them before.

Do’s and Do Not’s

If you notice headaches, skin outbreaks or fatigue when you consume fermented beverages and other fermented foods, you may have a histamine intolerance and it would be wise to avoid these foods and follow the recommendations in this article.

If you feel good with fermented foods and drinks than include a wide variety of them daily.

4)  Use Fennel Seeds

This is a concentrated form of minerals like calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, selenium, zinc, copper, & iron.  Additionally, it is rich in the powerful flavonoid antioxidants kaempferol & quercetin.

They are called a carminative herb, which is a classification for things like ginger, mint and thyme that all help to reduce gas and bloating, gently stimulate bowel motility and improve overall digestive function.

How to Use:

Fennel seeds neutralize acids, aid in digestion, and are an incredibly good breath freshener.  This is perfect when you are in a hurry, on the road, or eating out at restaurants.  Simply put a small container of fennel seeds in your purse or car and pop these seeds throughout the day to keep your breath fresh and your saliva alkaline.

Do’s and Do Not’s:

Be sure to chew the seeds well to release the nutrients for absorption.  Swallowing the seeds whole could be stressful on your digestive tract.

5)  Drink Aloe Vera Juice

This is incredibly alkalizing and loaded with electrolytes, trace minerals, antioxidants, and polysaccharides.  Pure aloe juice or gel gives one of the best ways to improve your energy and the motility of your bowels.

How To Use

Drink 4-8 ounces of aloe vera juice in the morning upon arising to help improve your morning energy and get your bowels moving properly.  If you feel constipated and low on energy during the day, try another 4-8 ounces.

Do’s and Do Not’s

Many aloe vera companies use plastic bottles and have added preservatives such as sodium benzoate.  I recommend getting an organic aloe vera juice that is in a glass container and has no additives or preservatives.  The aloe vera juice I use personally can be found here

6)  Snack on Celery or Cucumber

These water-rich veggies are an excellent acid neutralizer.  You can eat them before, during or after a meal.  It contains a perfect electrolyte balance that powerfully quenches thirst and reenergizes & alkalizes your body.  This is great for easy snacking during the day between meals to maintain healthy hydration and electrolyte balance.

In addition, the act of chewing can help to stimulate a sluggish bowel to move more effectively.  If you feel as though you aren’t moving your bowels well, try chewing on celery, cucumbers, radishes, carrots and other veggies.

How to Use:

I like to dice them up and put either apple cider vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon or lime on them.  Then I add Himalayan sea salt for flavor and added minerals and some Italian herbs like oregano or a full herb mix like Bragg’s sea kelp delight that has thyroid supporting kelp in it.

Do’s and Do Not’s

Celery and Cucumbers are thin skinned veggies so it is best to get these organic to avoid exposure to toxic pesticides and herbicides.   It is best to rinse them off before using.

7. Intermittent Fasting

Our ancient ancestors grew up in a world of stress and scarcity.  Food was not often not available and intermittent fasting was common.  This form of life left a genetic blueprint with key information pertaining to our health and wellbeing.

Intermittent fasting is one of the most powerful modalities for reducing inflammation, boosting immunity and enhancing tissue healing.  This is a practice that I do every day.  Fasting helps our body build a level of metabolic flexibility and energy efficiency.

How to Do It

The best way to begin fasting is by giving your body 12 hours between dinner and breakfast every single day.  This allows 4 hours to complete digestion and 8 hours for the liver to complete its detoxification cycle.

After this is a standard part of lifestyle try taking one day a week and extending the fast to 14-16 hours.  As you do this, you may notice that your energy is great.  Try doing it several times a week and you may be hooked.  See how your body responds.

Do’s and Do Not’s

With intermittent fasting, you will want to drink A LOT of water, herbal teas, etc. while doing your fasting phase.  This will help to keep you satiated so you aren’t hungry and it will help your body cleanse, hydrate your system, give you more energy and keep your stress hormones balanced.  The hydration will also help you to stimulate your bowels and the better you move your bowels, the easier the fast will be and the more benefits you will get from it.

Hydration is where most people go wrong when fasting, they just don’t drink enough.  You want to follow the principles above with hydration.   Most people find that super hydration and fasting in the morning works best as we tend to sleep better when we are fed.  You can find out a lot more about intermittent fasting in this article here

My Favorite Energy Supplements

Supplements can be extremely helpful tools to enhance your energy and improve your digestion.  I am a huge fan of using supplements, but they do not replace the natural lifestyle principles that I described above which are foundational to optimal energy and great digestion.

Be sure to apply the above principles and then look to add a few key supplements.  These 3 are my favorite that I use on a regular basis.  I put either Gut Healing or Bone Broth Protein in my smoothies and use brain calm magnesium every day.  Energy charge is another one I use periodically as a pre-workout drink and a performance enhancer when I have a lot on my plate.

Brain Calm Magnesium

If you fall prey to habitual symptoms of brain fog you may be deficient in magnesium. Over 300 enzymes require magnesium to perform biological reactions essential to tissue and organ function. Magnesium supports optimal cognitive health by maximizing the various intricate functions of the brain.

Magnesium is to the body what oil is to the engine of a car.  We use it up with everything we do.  The more stress, exercise or blood sugar imbalances we experience throughout the day, the more magnesium our body uses up.

Most people in society are highly deficient in magnesium leading to lower energy, poor bowel tone, anxiety, brain fog and so many other very common symptoms people experience.  The form of magnesium that is in the Brain Calm magnesium crosses the blood brain barrier and modulates stress hormones.  This helps you feel more relaxed, improves mood and helps you think sharper and sleep deeper.

How to Use

I recommend taking 1 scoop of this in water to help improve your bowel tone, mental clarity and to help calm your body.  If you feel like you are fatigued or have anxiety, headaches or depression than use 1-2 scoops in water and you will notice the difference.

It is also recommended to use after dinner to help you to sleep deeper and wake up more refreshed and energized in the morning.  Using this in the evening will also help you to have good bowel activity in the morning.

Do’s and Do Not’s

This is a great tasting powder that is flavored with stevia.  If you have a sensitivity to stevia than avoid this.  You can use this while practicing intermittent fasting.

Gut Healing Protein

The Gut Healing Protein has clinically effective dosages of the following compounds that support energy production, liver and body detoxification, bowel motility and an anti-inflammatory environment.

This protein powder is the best for healing the gut and stimulating healthy bowel movements.  This powder is LOADED with anti-inflammatory compounds that support healthy energy and brain function.

The Gut Healing Protein provides high quality, vegan, hypoallergenic amino acids in the form of pea protein and powerful anti-oxidants that help to improve liver function and strengthen the gut lining.  We also have a bone broth protein that is awesome and I often recommend.

How to Use: 

Use 1 to 2 scoops in a shake each day.  The serving size is 2 scoops, but if you are under 150 lbs. or want to be under 150 lbs., then only use 1 scoop per shake.

Do’s and Do Not’s:

This product is flavored with monk fruit extract which is the most hypoallergenic natural sweetener that contains no sugar.  It also contains a lot of fiber which is good for most people, but some individuals with severe digestive problems struggle with fiber.  If you have issues with fiber than avoid using this and instead use bone broth power protein here.

Energy Charge:

Energy Charge™ is a new and revolutionary product that transforms water into a great-tasting, revitalizing energy drink. Each stick pack provides a combination of B vitamins, electrolytes, trace minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, a small amount of natural caffeine and specialized herbs such as green coffee bean extract to fuel your body’s energy production.

This combination helps to stimulate bowel motility (in a gentle but effective way) and will boost your energy and mental sharpness.  Forget about the processed energy drinks…this works WAY BETTER without the harmful chemicals and toxins.

With just 5 g of carbohydrate per serving and zero sugars, Energy Charge simply gives your body what it needs to produce energy without any of the crap that burns out your adrenals and causes you to crash later.  I personally LOVE using Energy Charge on my long days and it really helps fuel my brain and body for high performance.

How to Use

Although you can use one whole packet at once, if you are a slow caffeine metabolizer like I am, than use 1/2 a packet at a time.  I will use it in the morning while I am super hydrating and it helps sky rocket my energy and get the bowels flowing well.  Then I will use it in the early afternoon for more energy and mental clarity.

Do’s and Do Not’s

I would not recommend using this in the late afternoon and evening as it can affect your sleep.  If you have adrenal fatigue, then mix it with one scoop of brain calm magnesium and only use ¼ or ½ packet per day.  You can use this while practicing intermittent fasting.

Sources For This Article Include:

1. Perlmuter LC, Flanagan BP, Shah PH, Singh SP. Glycemic Control and Hypoglycemia: Is the loser the winner? Diabetes Care. 2008;31(10):2072-2076.

2. Ghoshal UC, Srivastava D. Irritable bowel syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: Meaningful association or unnecessary hype. World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG. 2014;20(10):2482-2491.

3. Sachdev AH, Pimentel M. Gastrointestinal bacterial overgrowth: pathogenesis and clinical significance. Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease. 2013;4(5):223-231.

4. Popkin BM, D’Anci KE, Rosenberg IH. Water, Hydration and Health. Nutrition reviews. 2010;68(8):439-458.

5. Selhub EM, Logan AC, Bested AC. Fermented foods, microbiota, and mental health: ancient practice meets nutritional psychiatry. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. 2014;33(1):2.