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How to Increase Energy
How to Increase
Energy
Understanding the causes of fatigue
and learning what to do to increase your energy
By Sue-Anne Hickey
by Sue-Anne Hickey. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, without written permission
by the author.
Disclaimer: This book was written as a guide only. The information contained here is designed for
educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. Always
seek the advice of your physician before undertaking any health program of any kind.
How to Increase Energy
Table of Contents
Table of Contents..................................................................................................3
Introduction ...........................................................................................................4
Increasing Energy by Building a Solid Foundation................................................6
The 4 Pillars of Health .......................................................................................6
1. Follow a healthy diet...............................................................................6
2. Exercise..................................................................................................6
3. Environment, lifestyle, thoughts..............................................................7
4. Vitamins, Supplements and Herbs .........................................................7
10 Causes of Fatigue and Ways to Increase Energy ............................................9
1. Lack of Sleep, Insomnia.............................................................................9
2. Poor Diet and Hypoglycemia....................................................................10
Hypoglycemia ..............................................................................................10
3. Poor Digestion..........................................................................................11
Intestinal problems.......................................................................................12
Liver.............................................................................................................13
4. Depression...............................................................................................14
5. Dehydration..............................................................................................14
6. Stress.......................................................................................................15
7. Lack of Protein .........................................................................................16
8. Anemia.....................................................................................................16
9. Lack of B 12 .............................................................................................17
10. Glandular Problems..............................................................................17
The Adrenals ...............................................................................................17
Indicators of Adrenal Stress.........................................................................18
The Thyroid..................................................................................................19
Summary ............................................................................................................20
How to Increase Energy
Introduction
Are you tired of feeling tired? Would you like to wake up every day, ready to jump
out of bed, with enough energy to do everything you want to do all day?
No matter what age we are, if we are full of energy we feel great and we feel
young.
The purpose of this e-book is to allow you to look at the causes of fatigue and
discover which ones might be affecting you. Learn what you can do to achieve
optimal energy!
Our natural state is one of health and vitality. I believe everyone can enjoy
vibrant health and non-stop energy just as I do. I’d like to share with you some
helpful practices and ideas I have gained over the years. I hope to inspire you to
make the changes you need to, to increase your energy.
Although I always followed what I considered to be a healthy diet, I had no where
near the strength and endurance that I have now. I had hypoglycemia and my
energy was up and down all day long. I would boost it up with sweet fixes and
then it would crash. By mid afternoon I would be completely exhausted, yawning
nonstop for half an hour.
When I began practicing yoga in 1990 I completely transformed my life. I stopped
smoking, changed my diet and developed an interest in spirituality and
meditation. My self-confidence increased and I traveled around the world on a
solo spiritual journey for one and a half years. In 1998 I began teaching yoga full
time.
For over 20 years I have been learning and reading everything I can about
nutrition and diet, implementing changes along the way.
How to Increase Energy
In 2006 I decided to turn my passion into a career. I began taking classes to
become a naturopath which resulted in further transformations in my own well-
being. The eczema that plagued me for over 15 years is gone. There are no
more afternoon energy slumps. And my stamina and strength continue to
increase. While I was once struggling to keep up with the slower groups of the
450 members in my cycling club, I am now among the fastest women.
In this book, I have gathered what I consider to be some of the most important
causes of fatigue and with a little detective work; you should be able to discover
which of them might be affecting your energy. Why are you tired? When are you
tired? What’s the root cause? With the answers to these questions in hand you’re
all set. Are you ready and able to make a few changes?
Changing long-term habits is a challenge and takes determination. Many years
ago I did a cure for candida (overabundance of yeast). I went cold turkey, no
sugar or anything containing sugar. The first month was a nightmare, but
gradually it became easier. Keep your goals in mind. Nothing will change if it
doesn’t give you pleasure. The pleasure of having a strong healthy body with
non-stop energy must be greater than the pleasure of eating junk food.
Implement changes slowly. If I can do it so can you!
How to Increase Energy
Increasing Energy by Building a Solid Foundation
The 4 Pillars of Health
In order to build up to optimal health and high energy, we start with the basics.
You can think of the four pillars of health like the four legs of a chair. If you’re
missing one of the legs, the chair will collapse. If you find you are weak in some
of the four pillars, begin by implementing changes in the easiest one for you and
then move onto the next.
1. Follow a healthy diet
Choose whole foods, living, growing foods, plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit.
Reduce or eliminate processed, packaged, fast foods and the 4 whites:
• White sugar
• White flour,
• White pasta
• White rice (yes white rice is a refined food, choose brown rice)
Replace refined carbohydrates with whole grains, grains that you can see with
your eyes. Choose good quality protein and fats.
My website gives a good overview of healthy eating guidelines
2. Exercise
Most important, exercise increases your sense of well being and happiness, as
well as many other obvious benefits, such as increasing endorphins resulting in
the “runners high.” It helps your mood, enhances sleep, alleviates depression,
increases energy and helps stress management.
How to Increase Energy
How unfortunate that people say “I need to exercise,” equating exercise to an
inconvenient, unpleasant chore. Along the same lines as I have to diet. Both
eating healthy delicious food and exercising can be an absolute joy and two of
life's greatest pleasures. What could be better than walking along a forest path
close to nature? Find something to do that you love, simply...
Get up and get moving!
3. Environment, lifestyle, thoughts
What is your home environment like? How about at work? What kind of lifestyle
do you lead? Are you constantly stressed or do you create time to recharge your
battery? Do things that do things that are pleasurable, take some down time,
relax, get together with friends, create balance in your life.
Through your thoughts and feelings you attract everything to yourself, both good
and bad.
The good news is that you are in control of our thoughts and with some practice
you can train the mind. You can learn to let go of the negative thoughts such as
anger, bitterness, jealousy, and focus on the positive, attracting more positive
into your life.
“You Can Heal Your Life”, is an excellent book by Louise Hay. It helps you heal
and transform your life by recognizing and addressing the mental patterns that
create “dis-eases” in the body.
4. Vitamins, Supplements and Herbs
Do you need to take vitamins and supplements?
If you :
• Eat only organic food
• Get plenty of rest and never burn the candle at both ends
• Do not have any stress
• Eat plenty of raw food, rarely cooked
• Are never exposed to any air pollution or chemicals
• Live in the southern hemisphere and get adequate sun exposure
• Drink only pure water
Then no, you do not need vitamins, supplements or herbs!
How to Increase Energy
What and how much you should take is a completely individual matter that will
change over time. An evaluation with a naturopath can help you determine
exactly what you need.
Let the 4 pillars of health be your 4 pillars of strength.
Implement them and watch your energy soar.
How to Increase Energy
10 Causes of Fatigue and Ways to Increase Energy
Do you know why you are tired? Is it simply lack of sleep or could it be something
hidden that you may not have considered? Often medical tests don’t reveal a
liver that is overworked or weak, glandular imbalances, etc.
The following list will determine the causes of your fatigue and offer some
solutions.
1. Lack of Sleep, Insomnia
In our fast paced busy lives, most people are sleep deprived. This is sometimes
the most obvious reason for fatigue, but often the most difficult to overcome.
How much sleep is enough? Everyone is different, aim for 6.5 to 8 hours. People
that sleep between 6.5 to 7.5 hours per night are said to live the longest.
How to Increase Energy
Here are some suggestions to help you improve your quality of sleep.
• Go to sleep at the same time every night, get into a routine.
• Never deprive yourself of sleep.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• De-stress and slow down before bed time. Prepare the body for
sleep by taking a bath, reading, doing what you need to relax. Soon
you'll connect these activities with sleeping and they'll help make
you sleepy.
• Work out emotional issues.
• Keep a journal by your bed to write down and let go of all your
worries before you sleep.
• Exercise
• For some, eating a light protein snack at night can help, but don't
eat too much right before bedtime.
• Don't nap during the day if naps seem to make your insomnia
worse.
• Avoid or limit your use of caffeine (coffee, tea, soft drinks,
chocolate)
• No screens for 3 hours before bed to reduce stimulation. Turn off
the T.V. or computer.
• Getting out of bed when you're not sleepy and restricting your time
in bed will actually help you to sleep more.
2. Poor Diet and Hypoglycemia
The most important thing to do to increase energy is cellular nutrition. Your
healthy diet needs to nourish your cells for optimal function. Fortunately, the
more you eat a nutritious diet, the more you crave healthy food and the easier it
becomes. I briefly discussed healthy diet above and more information is available
on my website www.health-and-natural-healing.com
Hypoglycemia
We are a carbohydrate addicted nation. Years ago, it was thought that eating a
diet high in fat was the cause of many of our diseases. Doctors told their patients
to limit fat intake. What resulted was a huge increase in eating refined
carbohydrates along with a drastic increase in obesity.
How to Increase Energy
Refined carbohydrates spike your glycemic levels, offering short bursts of
energy. This results in the ensuing crash or hypoglycemia as your blood sugar
levels drop too low after the quick fix. It also leads to insulin resistance and
diabetes.
Many have no idea that they are hypoglycemic, because when their blood sugar
gets low they simply reach for more food or another coffee to boost themselves
back up again.
What to do?
Increase protein! Eat a breakfast high in protein and three meals with complete
protein, avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. Never skip or delay meals. Have
healthy protein snacks on hand if necessary.
For more balanced energy throughout the day, eat foods that have a low
glycemic index such as vegetables. Choose complex carbohydrates such as
brown rice or quinoa that offer long lasting, sustained energy. They will give you
more balanced energy all day long.
See my website for more facts about sugar.
3. Poor Digestion
You may have heard the saying “You are what you eat.” This is only partly true.
We may add, “You are what you eat, absorb and assimilate.”
Many health issues and fatigue are caused by poor digestion, in the stomach,
intestines or a liver that is weak or overworked. If you are not properly digesting
and absorbing the nutrients you are eating and if they are not being transported
to where they are needed, you will feel tired and have other health issues.
Do you feel tired before a meal?
This can be a sign of hypoglycemia.
Do you feel tired after a meal?
A good, nutritious meal will leave you feeling satisfied, not full or tired.
How to Increase Energy
Unless you have eaten too much, if you feel tired after a meal you may lack
hydrochloric acid - HCL or stomach acid. This starts the digestive process and
stimulates the secretion of bile and digestive enzymes from the pancreas.
Lack of HCL or hypochlorhydria is quite common and becomes more prevalent
with age. Increasing digestive enzymes or taking a digestive enzyme supplement
is key.
Digestive enzymes are found in raw foods and a great source is fresh sprouts.
Here's a simple test to see if you lack HCL. After a meal, drink a glass of water
with a teaspoon of pure apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar mimics stomach
acid. If you feel better, you could lack HCL and a digestive enzyme supplement
could be beneficial.
Intestinal problems
Over the years, particles of food that we eat can become encrusted on the
intestine. This hinders the nutrients ability to pass through the intestinal wall into
the blood stream.
We are also constantly being exposed to chemicals and toxins. A periodic
cleanse or detox is absolutely necessary and beneficial to everyone, to rid the
body of the accumulated wastes and toxins and increase energy. There are
many different kinds of cleanses depending on your particular need.
How to Increase Energy
Liver
The liver performs over 500 functions and at almost 3 pounds, it is our largest
intestinal organ. Yet for all the liver does, it remains overlooked and largely
abused, often by a diet including processed and fried foods, alcohol, a sedentary
lifestyle and environmental pollution.
When the liver is congested and lazy this causes:
• Digestion difficulties
• Sleepiness after meals - from 30 minutes to an hour after eating
• Headaches, migraines
• Constipation or diarrhea, gas, bloating
• Waking up at night between 1 and 3 AM
• Allergies
• Inability to lose weight
• Feeling tired upon awakening
• Low energy in general
One way to check your liver:
After eating, drink a small glass of tepid water with the juice of ½ lemon. If you
feel better this indicates that your liver is toiling. Lifestyle and dietary changes
and supplements can help.
Suggestions to boost your liver:
• Exercise
• Reduce stress or better manage stress
• Ensure proper digestion
• Make the necessary changes to your diet especially reducing any fried, fatty
foods.
• Reduce exposure to chemicals in cleaning products, beauty products, etc.
• Work out any negative emotions, anger, bitterness, etc.
• Do a cleanse
A consultation with a Naturopath can help find the right vitamins, tonics or herbs
specifically for you.
How to Increase Energy
4. Depression
Every thought we think has a direct effect on our health and well being. What do
you do when you’re down in the dumps and your energy is also in the basement?
Open the curtains, let the sun in, go out, get some fresh air, meet with friends,
change your ideas, exercise, but do not stay isolated!
Do you know what is causing your depression? Some hidden causes include:
• Hypoglycemia (sugar addiction)
• Stress
• Lack of minerals, iron, protein
• Tired liver
• Unresolved anger
Bach flower essences and some natural herbs can help. Always seek
professional help if problems persist. My site has suggestions for depression
during PMS
5. Dehydration
Your fatigue may be simply because you are not drinking enough water. You
want to be a river, not a stagnant pond! It is important to drink before you are
thirsty, if you are thirsty it is already too late, you are dehydrated.
How much water you need depends on your size, weight, and lifestyle. Your
urine should be transparent. Aim for 6 to 8 glasses per day. This does not include
coffee, as coffee is a diuretic.
It is important to note that many people mistake thirst for hunger and overeat
simply because of lack of fluids. Drink pure water, not tap water.
How to Increase Energy
6. Stress
It is not the stress in your life that’s the problem. We all have stress. The
important thing is how you handle it. Learn to respond mindfully to stress rather
than react.
One of the best things to do when stressed is deep abdominal breathing .
Usually during the day we practice shallow breathing using only the top part of
our lungs. When you practice deep abdominal breathing you use the full lung
capacity. Breathing through the nose, take a full deep inhalation filling up the
lungs, right to the clavicles. Long, slow exhalation, without exaggerating or
forcing anything.
The benefits of deep abdominal breathing:
• Gaining a sense of control over the body and emotions
• Blood pressure decreases
• Heart rate slows down
• Anxiety decreases
• Muscles relax
• Body and mind become calm
Take time for you and do what you need to do to de-stress, whether it is yoga,
tai-chi, meditation, a hobby or exercise.
Find more tips on stress management on my site.
How to Increase Energy
7. Lack of Protein
Protein forms the building blocks of the body. It provides optimal health, repair
and replenishment.
Protein is also important for:
• Structure and connective tissue
• Enzymes
• Muscle contraction,
• Protection, ie white blood cells
• Skin, hair
• Hormones
• Neurotransmitters,
• Digestive enzymes, and so much more.
I know first hand what happens when we lack protein. Being a vegetarian for 16
years I was certainly feeling the effects and my body was becoming weaker.
When I started eating chicken, fish and more eggs, as well as making other
changes, my energy and strength began to skyrocket.
Does everyone need a lot of protein? No, it depends on your metabolic body
type, which I will discuss in my upcoming e-book. It also depends on your age,
how active you are and if you are hypoglycemic or diabetic. In general, get 20 to
30 per cent of your total daily calories from protein.
8. Anemia
It is estimated that iron deficiencies are the most prevalent deficiencies affecting
human populations today.
Iron is part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of the blood. Iron-
deficient people tire easily because their bodies are starved of oxygen. A simple
blood test will tell you if you are lacking iron or not absorbing iron correctly.
Iron is best taken on an empty stomach with vitamin C or food high in vitamin C
for absorption. Avoid taking iron with calcium or any foods containing calcium as
this will prevent iron absorption. Take ferrous gluconate rather than ferrous
sulfate.
How to Increase Energy
9. Lack of B 12
The B vitamins offer many health benefits and influence the health of most of the
internal organs of the body. They help promote energy, maintain the nervous
system, improve immune functions and buffer the effects of stress.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency may take more than five years to appear
after the body stores have been depleted. Unfortunately, blood tests are not
always a good indicator of lack of B12.
Many people are deficient in Vitamin B12, especially those over age 50 as the
stomach does not produce enough gastric acid to release vitamin B12 from food.
Also, vegetarians are often deficient since dietary sources are mostly foods of
animal origin, although it is difficult to get enough B12 from food.
A high quality liquid B12 supplement taken for 3 months will give you enough for
one year.
10. Glandular Problems
The Adrenals
These two small glands sit over the kidneys. They are responsible for many
important tasks, including secreting over 50 different hormones and regulating
stress.
With so many functions to perform it is easy to see how the adrenals can become
exhausted. Stress, lack of sleep and hormone imbalance can cause adrenal
imbalance. Prolonged stress will cause adrenal exhaustion from continuous
hormonal output, leading to burn out.
How to Increase Energy
Indicators of Adrenal Stress
Are you usually tired when you wake up, but still "too wired" to fall asleep at
night? Do you rely on coffee to get going? Is it hard for you to relax or to
exercise? Do you find that you get sick more often and take a long time to get
well?
There are distinct energy patterns in adrenal fatigue. Beginning with consistent
morning fatigue, most experiencing this will not feel awake until around 10 am
and will usually not feel fully alert until after lunch. The energy levels usually
swoon again around 2-4 pm but will pick up again around 6 pm. This fluctuation
continues into the evening with fatigue setting in by 9 pm, sometimes
accompanied by napping, which creates difficulty falling asleep later and
intermittent waking during the night.
Some other key signs of adrenal imbalance include
• Salt cravings
• Increased blood sugar under stress
• Increased PMS
• Peri-menopausal, or menopausal symptoms under stress
• Mild depression
• Lack of energy
• Decreased ability to handle stress
• Muscle weakness
• Absent mindedness
• Decreased sex drive
• Mild constipation alternating with diarrhea.
To restore adrenal balance you need more rest, protein and B vitamins. There
are other supplements that can help.
How to Increase Energy
The Thyroid
Hypothyroidism or weak thyroid is often caused by an emotional shock, such as
a divorce, or separation of some kind.
A blood test will indicate low TSH - Thyroid stimulating hormone levels, revealing
hypothyroidism or a weak thyroid. Here are a few symptoms that indicate
hypothyroidism:
• Feeling cold, especially at night
• Cold extremities
• Difficulty losing weight
• Hypoglycemia or sugar cravings
• Easily fatigued
• Sore back
• Feeling depressed and not knowing why
• Weak muscles
If you have a weak thyroid or hypothyroid:
• Avoid anything containing chlorine, fluoride, bromide (i.e. especially.
toothpaste with fluoride and water with chlorine)
• Eat organic
• Reduce acidity
• Avoid coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, spicy food, chocolate
• Avoid cruciferous vegetables in large quantities (broccoli, cabbage, turnip,
parsnips, and cauliflower)
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid dairy products for 3 months (notice the change)
• Avoid antibiotics
• Make sure you get enough essential fatty acids
• Eat healthy, whole, fresh foods
The thyroid can regenerate itself given the proper tools, even if part has been
surgically removed. You can completely rebuild your thyroid and eventually no
longer need Synthroid. Contact me for more information
How to Increase Energy
Summary
There is a world of possibilities open to you when you start to take control and
make changes in your diet and your life. Focus on the positive, your goals, and
what you will be able to do when you achieve them.
We live in a society of quick fixes where we are expected to be Superwoman and
Superman. Got a headache? Take a pill. Feel tired? Drink some more coffee.
Ignore the symptoms, cover them up and keep on going.
However, the choices we make today affect our quality of life tomorrow. The
longer you ignore the symptoms the worse they will become.
It seems very simple to me. In health matters there is always a cause and once it
is determined a natural solution can be found. The body has an innate ability to
heal itself when given the proper tools. A few small changes taken slowly, one
step at a time and will put you on the road to optimal health and high energy.
I welcome all of your questions and comments. Please feel free to contact me.
To your lasting health and increased energy.