What one thing has given you the most energy?

[jbischke]

Hey all. I'm continuing to make improvements/refinements in my nutrition strategy. Lately the focus is on energy. I'm trying to figure out ways that I can eat that will lead to strong, sustained energy throughout the day and allow me to adhere to a demanding schedule.

I'd love to hear from others what things they've found have led to the largest increases in energy levels. For me, it's probably shifting to more raw foods. When I eat mostly raw foods my body seems to function on all cylinders almost all of the time.

What's done it for you?

(BTW, Steve's recent article is a great read on this subject.)

[cdn2wheeler]

I've never been able to really pin down a cause-effect relationship with food and energy. Wish I could.

But - and I'm not joking here, I swear I'm not making this up or trying to be funny or provocative (yea, really... me!) - the thing that I find gives me the most steam is... sex. After an evening of active, healthy lovemaking, the next day I'm chomping at the proverbial bit and have energy to burn.

No wonder I've felt so tired lately...

[Angela]

You're an odd duck, cdn. That's the opposite of what I've seen happen to guys. Maybe they're all allergic to grass, though.

Jon, I've found the biggest difference in when I eat, rather than what I eat. Switching to eating small amounts every two hours has made a huge difference. I was inspired by the Eat for Life plan of having protein+carb+as much vegetable as I want, and not go more than 3 hours between food. Lately I've added whey protein shakes as snacks and before and after weight training and that seems to make a difference, too. Also the shakes satisfy my desire for sweets.

[cdn2wheeler]

Originally Posted by Angela

You're an odd duck, cdn. That's the opposite of what I've seen happen to guys.

s'OK, I've been called odd before.

I hasten to add that I don't mean immediately post-orgasm do I have the energy of the Marine Corp. I'd rather sleep, or maybe get a sandwich. The energy part happens the next day.

I have read, though, that dairy products for some reason have a depressive effect on energy. But as I don't drink milk I can't really speak to that from personal experience.

[Nick Hansen]

One thing that has given me the most energy has been regular, light exercise. A bit of running here, and some weights there. It feels great the next day having sore muscles.

I do also agree that small amounts of food throughout the day is alot better. It makes sense though, when you eat food (depending on the type of course) it raises your blood glucose. If you eat large amounts of food then it raises your blood glucose substantially and then you have a time of low blood glucose afterwads because your body is producing alot of insulin. At this time you are most likely going to feel abit tired and lethargic.

If you have smaller meals your blood glucose doesn't go up so much, and as such doesn't go down so much afterwads, so you don't experience the lethargy and tiredness as much.

[MartialDev]

Daily martial arts practice.

[Freelancer]

What I noticed is;
1) If I excersize frequently
2) Drink plenty of water throughout the day (for me about 3l)
3) A good nights sleep

Then the end result is usually solid energy to do everything I need.

If I skip any of these 3 then I will have a very noticable change in my energy levels, especially water is a big one for me.

[Uplift]

I'm with Angela, eating smaller meals every couple of hours made a huge difference to my energy levels. I try to have protein and fat/oil with every meal, and carbs when I need them. I make up mixes/smoothies, that I can sip if its not convenient to make a meal. I use protein powder (whey and casein), oil (hemp seed or flax), and whole, organic unhomogenised milk (plenty of carbs and nutrients). A wide mouthed thermous with some ice cubes works good to keep them cold, and is easy to clean.

I also learned the value of chewing your food properly, eating slowly and enjoying it, to enable it to digest well and be usefull. Likewise with the mixes/smoothies, sipping them slowly, not gulping them, makes digestion a lot better. Thats also one of the reasons a lot of people have trouble with milk, they gulp it quickly, and saliva can't do its job in the breakdown process.

[Catlover]

Good quality sleep. For years, I let my cats sleep in the bedroom, awakening me several times per night. When I had a young child, things were even worse. Since child has become a teen and cats have been banished to the basement at night, I have never felt better because most nights, I sleep through without interruption. I don't know if this is a problem for anyone else.

Second to that, I would agree with the others about smaller, frequent meals to keep blood sugar steady, while avoiding the simple carbs. I have hypoglycemia, and nothing will tire me faster than having my blood sugar crash. It ruins my energy level for the rest of the day, among other things, so I work very hard at not having that happen.

Another thing I've noticed over the past year or so is that the better I deal with stress and limit the mental tapes playing through my head, the less tired I will be. Those types of thoughts are very tiring for me.

[aabbcc]

I have much more energy when I do the following:

1. eat smaller meals w/ less fat
2. don't eat junk food
3. drink a lot of water
4. go for a walk every day
5. do strength training [weights]

I would love to comment on the good sex = good energy remark, but sadly I cannot at this time. Maybe some day soon. *sigh*

[Ilya]

I'm with those who mention frequent small meals, and physical exercise (jogging).
Also to make my small meals to work better, I used to to eat with the chopsticks. It really slows you down. This way you become satiated not because your stomach is full, but because glucose level has risen. So I don't overeat.
Actually I don't do it anymore now. I've experimented in the past and found out what amount of food is enough for me. Now I eat this amount of food fast, don't let my self eat more than that and glucose catches up with me in a few minutes. With frequent meals it is not even noticeable.

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by jbischke

For me, it's probably shifting to more raw foods.

Same here. High quality raw meat, particularly steak and seafood, provides me with the best energy boost. Other raw animal products (dairy, honey, eggs, etc) can also be lovely, in addition to berries and veggies from a juicer, but meat provides the most energy for me.

[cdn2wheeler]

Found this today which might be useful for some:

How to Eat to Fight Fatigue

[NotesMaeve]

Hard for me to pinpoint one thing, really. A lot of sex definitely makes me feel more energized. Becoming vegetarian has helped. Regular exercise has helped. Loving my body has helped.

I guess simply the best way to put it is being happy. If you're happy, the energy to do stuff follows. I have a lot of love in my life, and the energy to do stuff sort of follows that.

[cdn2wheeler]

Originally Posted by NotesMaeve

A lot of sex definitely makes me feel more energized.

See there, Angela? It's not just me..!

[Jim11]

I will reemphasize the point that a couple people have already made because it is the biggest thing for me.

Dehydration = tired. I have found that even if I eat very balanced foods if I don't drink enough water I have far less energy. It's the cheapest and easiest drink to find.... there is no excuse to short yourself on it.

I have coffee in the morning fairly often. I used to fall into the routine of having another cup of coffee a few hours later. But as a rule I MUST drink 500ml of water before I have a 2nd beverage of any other type. Sticking to small things like that ensures i get at least around 2l a day.

And, similar to above... LOTS AND LOTS OF SEX while you drink all the water so it doesn't get boring!

[4Mind4Life]

Exercise, being around other people, and fish oil.

[kat]

Raw, fresh fruit juices, especially in the morning. Having a couple of large glasses of carrot/spinach/apple juice, possibly with parsley, lemon, or anything else that's around and appealing in it for variety, ends up giving me a lot of energy within a few minutes of starting to drink it.

[aabbcc]

Originally Posted by Jim11

And, similar to above... LOTS AND LOTS OF SEX while you drink all the water so it doesn't get boring!

Oh, you be quiet.

[rrandolph]

Some things that have helped me increase energy:

1) A Session with an Energy Healer
2) Working on my laptop instead of my desktop
3) Exercising
4) Eating Live Raw Vegan Food
5) Eating smaller portions
6) Balancing my chakras before I go out

[Dbarker]

A switch to a vegan diet
Waking up at 5 am every day
Exercising daily
Meditating all have helped me gain energy. The 25 pounds I lost after the diet switch helped quite a bit, I believe.

[escapee]

A balance omnivores diet devoid of processed junk food, trans fats, ruined vegetable oil and etc

A good sleeping habit

Exercise in moderation

[mlc82]

I'm going to 2nd sex and water as well. I have loads after energy a little while after having sex (initially afterward I want to fall asleep or at least lay around for a good 15-20 minutes, but then I'm usually wide awake and energized).

I don't really notice an energy "boost" per se with water, but WILL notice if I'm not getting enough of it because I'll really start to drag, and having a a big glass of water when I'm probably low will really pick me up then.

Oterhwise, I also haven't noticed any direct effect between moderately eaten food and energy either, even though I generally eat healthy foods and avoid most junk food. Processed sugar and I don't get along so well though.

[ripcurly]

Low Fat Raw Vegan 80-10-10!

Copious amounts of fresh ripe fruit and loads of excersise throughout the day!

foodnsport.com

vegsource.com/talk/raw/index.html (Dr. Doug Graham's forum)

This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I just biked 20 miles and now I am eating 15 huge bananas. I love it. I'm probably gonna work out after I'm done eating.

[Chris Davis]

1) eating less food always gives me much more energy

2) exercising in the morning before work at roughly the same time every day always gives me more energy

3) eating more fruits and vegetables always gives me more energy


Chris Davis
The Healthy Snacks Blog

[spaceistheplace]

switching from a vegetarian diet high in carbs to a balanced omnivorous one.

[GreekMystique]

I think many of the strategies suggested can be shown to have the types of effects your looking for. I'd like to suggest that you can't get the optimum amount of beneficial biochemical support from food alone - no matter how much or often you eat.
My finger would first point to a high potency B vitamin complex in the 50-100mg range, supported with at least .8mg of folic acid daily. Often, in the first day of use people notice a marked improvement in felt energy, usually due to poor diet which you don't seem to be guilty of. However, you may be surprised if you haven't taken this type of supplement in the past. This has always been where i first turn when i find myself in a demanding situation. I think mental energy can also account a great deal in stressful situations, and can usually supersede physical limits of energy when things just need to get done.
In this vein, i like to take both phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl serine daily, supported with omega fatty acid supplements. These things generally take a bit longer to be 'felt' as they replenish and rejuvenate cellular membranes which can take a while, up to about 6 weeks initially. The difference is practically night and day in terms of mental acuity. Theres a heck of alot of other stuff, but ive written way more than i wanted to at this point. Good luck with your experimentation!

[The David]

Eliminate caffeine.

[Iamsuperman]

1) Eating fruit and low GI carbs
2) Eliminating dairy and meat
3) Doing lots of activities I enjoy - when I don't get a goods night sleep and I get caught up in something i enjoy I will useually forget that i'm souppossed to feel tired!

[Amandaaa]

I'm trying to figure out ways that I can eat that will lead to strong, sustained energy throughout the day and allow me to adhere to a demanding schedule.

^i've been struggling to figure that out, too.


the only thing i know for sure is that i definitely feel more energetic when my diet is about 95% fruits & vegetables.
for example: if i had a fresh strawberry-banana smoothie in the morning, a cup of fruit salad in the afternoon, and a bowl of raw spinach/cucumber/tomato salad in the evening... i would feel elated and energetic, and would wake up feeling amazing the next day, too.
if i spent the next day eating wheat products, or some kind of heavy protein, i would ruin the "high," and would spend the day feeling groggy and lethargic and unmotivated.


(dairy makes me sick and tired, too. cheese makes me congested. so i have to steer clear of that.)



i've tested this about 1,000,000,000 times, so I know that it's true for me... but, who knows...everyone's different.




(oh yeah-- getting some deep sleep definitely helps with energy, too )