How To Get More Energy
5 Tips and 3 Supplements That Will Help
November 17th, 2011
By Jackie Wicks PEERtrainer Founder
I recently recorded a 40 minute workshop on energy with JJ Virgin, who is a PhD nutritionist. She has brought a lot to the discussion here at PEERtrainer. She is an excellent problem solver, and can communicate complicated ideas easily.
You can download the MP3 of the call here.
We have also summarized some of the main points of the call right here for you to read. Here are the notes:
Introduction
We have lots of energy zappers during the day. The GREAT news is that there are some simple switches we can make. Most people self-medicate with coffee and carbs. So people have no idea how to have real steady energy, not "latte and a muffin energy".
Question: Do you really know what steady energy feels like? Do you have energy up to a certain point?
Wherever you are, you energy can be better. There is always room for improvement. Things that help support steady, sustained energy. This is the goal. People want more energy.
Sounds Obvious, But Sleep Is Critical
Step 1. How are you sleeping? You MUST be getting 7-9 hours for your body to repair. Melatonin helps a ton when you are traveling or have to wake up early. 5HTP helps to raise seratonin in the brain. Sometimes it helps to "hit it with the good stuff" to get a good nights sleep
Supportive herbs. Combo products are the best. Herbal cocktail- valerian, hops, passionflower, chamomile. Help to calm down an overactive mind.
People don't plan for sleep. (Related PEERtrainer article: How To Sleep Better). Dumb chick flicks, novels, putter, whatever it is, shut down the brain. One glass of wine, hit the bathtub. If you are in the bathtub, you are not in the kitchen!
Anything like laptops and TV are very neuro-stimulating. Tip:Don't read inspirational books before bed! Read dumb books. The sleep bundle that JJ put together works really well. (A separate call on sleep is coming up, so stay tuned!!)
If You Don't Eat The Right Kind Of Breakfast, You Are "Toast"
Step 2. You have to eat well, especially first thing in the morning. We have talked about dessert for breakfast a bunch. You want to avoid the mocha latte sugary stuff. Sugar is the worst thing for you. It drives up adrenline, blood sugar, and creates false "chaotic energy" that will bring you really high and then really low.
Related PEERtrainer article: Why Sugar Is Your Mortal Enemy
Berries and apples are slow release sugars, which keeps glucose going to your brain without a surge and a crash. Nice shake where you have protein, carbs, fiber and healthy fat. Steady energy. When you eat this way (tons of kale, spinach into the mix!!) You really don't taste the greens btw- jam them in.
When you do this you create steady sustained energy- you should be able to go 4-6 hours on the right breakfast. Also sets the right tone for hormonal balance. If you avoid the blood sugar crash, you win!
Important Tip: Don't snack. Snacking makes you fat. Raises sugar, makes you fat. And STOP eating 2-3 hours before bed. BUT, the research is clear- people who eat the right breakfast lose more weight. Don't go to bed on a full stomach.
You Must Chill, And You Must Get Some Perspective
Step 3. Don't sweat the small stuff, it is just stuff. You success in life depends on your ability to handle the stuff. If nobody is dying, it doesn't matter. It's just a couch, it's just stuff. Remember this great scene from American Beauty?
(If you haven't seen this film, you can get a used copy on Amazon for $2)
If you want to have crappy energy, be stressed out. At first it is energizing and your cortisol and adreneline kicks uo. But then you start to crash. You then feel tired and wired.
Then you feel flat out tired. But this destroys your hormones and kill you ability to burn fat and create energy. It is just the worst. You really have to de-stress.
Slow and Low Carbs
Step 4. Slow, low carbs. This is probably the most confusing thing for people. We can't live without protein and fat and water. But we can live without carbs. But they give us some energy, and the quality really matters. Lentils, sweet potatoes. Quinoa is a good grain, but the more refined the faster they go. 1/2 cup serving size-- lentils.
Tip:Put a little cinnamon on the sweet potatoes, helps to balance blood sugar. A small amount of slow carbs will help keep you steady.
Related PEERtrainer Recipe: Asian Fusion Chicken Salad
As Little As 1% Dehydration Can Raise Your Stress Hormones
Step 5. Being well hydrated. Mild dehydration- even 1 or 2 percent, can raise stress hormones. Caffiene and alcohol- JJ is definitely not a purist here. We both consume these. A little caffeine fine, a lot, no good. But, you will need to drink more water.
Comes down to how well you metabolise caffeine. Yerba Mate- has caffeine in it. Caffeine is caffeine. Sugar is sugar, and fructose is a whole different ballgame.
Watch your overall caffeine.
Alcohol is dehydrating and will impact your sleep. One up of coffee fine, whole pot not fine. Glass of wine at night fine. Bottle not fine. Can be tough to monitor, especially for us wine conneisuers.
Hydration Tip:
Get up in the am do 16 oz. Then do 16 oz and hour before each meal and 8oz before you go to bed.
Those are all the things you need to be thinking about.
Supplements To Help With Energy
Supplements that can help this. The right supplements can really help you make a difference, and you will feel this pretty quickly. Here is a summary:
1. B vitamins are #1 most important. You have got to have good B vitamins for good energy. Stress flushes your B vitamins. Most are made from yeast, which is an issue.
Why are these important. Need these to synthesize your energy producing molecules. If you don't have the B's you can't produce the energy!
B12 helps convert fat and protein to energy. You want a good, B vitamin, not from yeast. This will really help you if you are stressed.
Most people need extra B.
2. CoQ10 is our sparkplug, and helps produce ATP which is our energy source. Incredibly important, and a HUGE part of heart treatment and care. We have written about CoQ10 recently, and will note how hard it is to get adequate amounts, especially as we get older. This can be a critically important supplement.
Only one company, one guy (Bill Judy) has figured out how to make this without crystalizing this. Thorne bought the rights to this. CoQ10 is an expensive supplement, so you want one that absorbs well. You can test this by squeezing the capsule onto a paper towel. You will see the Thorne version absorb much better. As a general rule, Thorne blows other manufacturers out of the water, which is why we have partnered with them.
Beware of the hype behind ubiquinol. You can spend a lot of money on something you are not absorbing.
3. A really good adrenal balancer, and help your body adapt. Adaptogenic herbal formula. Helps take the pressure off the adrenals. Helps balance out your cortisol. Helps your body handle the stress.
We put together this energy bundle. May take a day or two to feel this, so there should be an immediate benefit. This bundle contains a one-month supply, and we are offering 10% off until the end of November for PEERtrainer readers. (You can't get this price or bundle anywhere else)
PEERtrainer/Thorne/JJ Virgin Energy Supplement Pack
This supplement bundle consists of the highest quality CoQ10 available, B complex and the adrenal balancer.
The adrenal balancer contains Vitamin C Thiamin, Vitamin B6,Pantothenic Acid, Zinc, Ashwagandha extract, Astragalus, Asian Ginseng extract, Eleuthero extract, Ginger extract and Licorice.
The B-Complex contains: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, and Choline Citrate.
[Editorial Note: For maximum weight loss results and overall better health, cleanses are often used. This aids the body with detoxification and balance, but also helps with weight loss reduction. But there are some things to be aware of before you cleanse. Nutrition, health and weight reduction expert, JJ Virgin PhD, has spent the last 15 years educating doctors and patients on how to cleanse properly.
She recently held an extremely popular webinar for the PEERtrainer community, sharing the "real deal" on cleansing to overcome weight loss resistance and more. To get this webinar, plus a free report containing JJ's top tips for cleansing, detoxifying, and dieting as well as the free PEERtrainer Cheat System, illustrating which foods to avoid when cleansing, please click here now]
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