How To Improve Your Energy So You Can Ride More

We could all use a little more energy. Whether it’s energy to get up in the morning and start the day or another burst of energy in the afternoon to keep us going. The truth is horse riders are generally pretty active, but one thing I consistently hear is the lack of energy.

I struggled with my own energy for many years. I had severe adrenal fatigue from burning the candle at both ends and simply doing to much without adequate care of myself. I learnt my lesson and without health, we have nothing. Without energy days are long, hard and unproductive.

So I wanted to take the time to share with you how I view energy in the hope it will help you bring balance into your day and most importantly be able to spend more time ridng.

The key to remember about your body’s energy is that it’s similar to that of your cell phone. As soon your cell phone reaches a dangerously low percentage you plug it in, right? But you don’t just leave it there for a minute or two because it will only increase your battery by one or two percent, if you’re lucky, before it will go flat again.

When you start to feel your energy depleting, it’s common to reach for a caffeine or sugar hit for an extra burst of energy. But caffeine and sugar will only give you that one or two percent battery charge as your blood sugar levels surge up.

Unfortunately, you’ll go flat again pretty quickly and need to go back on the charger. So while you may be getting an energy boast now, you’re doing it at the expense of your energy later.

Ultimately, you want to have a full cell phone battery of energy. You want to have energy that powers you through the day.

 

Make healthy choices to increase your energy, one bar at a time

That comes through a whole lot of good choices throughout the day. It’s not only thing that will help sustain our energy levels.

• Energy comes through drinking water throughout the day – that’s one bar
• Energy comes through getting 8 hours of quality sleep every night – that’s one bar
• Energy comes through eating a varied wholefood diet – that’s one bar
• Energy comes through getting outside in nature, moving your body and making good choices with nutrition.

The more good choices you make throughout the day, the more charge your battery attains. Make enough good choices and you’ll achieve a full tank of energy that will sustain you the entire day without the need of a sugar hit.
As you can see, it’s not just one thing. If it was as easy as plugging yourself into a power point, the problem of low energy would be solved!

Think about how you can bring more nourishing things into your body so that you can gain more energy that will sustain you day in, day out. Just like you would plug your cell phone in for a good solid 8 hours to obtain more charge, you want to make sure you give your body the attention it needs as well.

 

Healthy habits to bring you more charge

Here are 5 healthy habits I encourage you to introduce into your days to avoid taking short cuts and instead, achieve long lasting energy.

 

1. Fuel up to maintain your blood sugar levels

Consuming caffeine and sugar when you’re feeling your energy plummet or consistently eating is wreaking havoc on your blood sugar levels. Fuel up on whole foods that keep you feeling full for longer to balance your blood sugar levels and improve your energy over the entire day.

 

2. Ditch the sugar and processed foods

Sugar and processed foods are going to give you the one or two percent charge and then leave you out of battery as insulin is produced. If it has a high glycaemic index you know it’s going to give you that fast energy and spike your blood sugar, leaving you feeling flat immediately afterwards.

 

3. Keep hydrated

Ditch the coffee and energy drinks and replace them with water. Water is what is going to transport the nutrients from your food to your cells. It’s going to improve your mental concentration, help with digestion and relieve your fatigue.

 

4. Eat plenty of leafy green vegetables

Leafy green vegetables are energy powerhouses due to their nutrient density. They contain all the nutrients your body needs to generate energy. Think spinach, broccoli, kale, silverbeet, Brussel sprouts, alfalfa and mustard greens.

 

5. Move your body

Moving your body will do wonders for your energy levels as it helps the body detoxify, increases your insulin sensitivity and improves your mitochondrial functions. If you’re struggling with your energy levels, try low-intensity exercise like walking or yoga to get your body moving without too much stress.