Instant Energy Boosters - REAL SIMPLE Magazine

As some of you already know, Mr. Pain and I recently drove 6 hours to visit my baby at school. Long drive, so I had a few magazines, Mr. Pain likes to do all the driving. Well, I came across this article that is quite informative and interesting. I thought I would share with you.

The title is:   25 Instant Energy Boosters, written by Eleni Gage
 from:            REAL SIMPLE magazine July 2010

I'm not going to list all 25 here, only the ones I like and I realized I have been doing these things already.

1. pop a peppermint 

smelling peppermint stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which stimulates the area of the brain responsible for arousal and can make you more alert
 

2. be nice to a stranger.

When you do something kind, your energy goes up.

Starbucks customers at drive-thrus around the country have been paying for the next customer behind them in a grassroots acts-of-kindness movement. Find other ideas at  http://www.actsofkindness.org/

Teri's 2 cents: This really works, to be nice to random people. I do it all the time.

3. Beware of energy vampires

Ever get off the phone with someone and instantly want to hit the sack? Then you’ve been bitten by what Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist and the author of Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions (harmony, $26) calls an “energy vampire,” someone who drains your lifeblood. Here, she identifies common types to watch out for, as well as the “garlic” you can use against them.

* The chronic talker: the motormouth never takes a breath, and standing there listening is surprisingly   exhausting.

The garlic:  Fake a small bladder. Say, “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I have to go to the bathroom”

*The Sob Sister: A whiner who loves a captive audience, this fiend isn’t interested in solutions; she just wants to vent…..and vent.

The garlic: Say “I love you, but unless you want to get into solutions, I have only 5 minutes to listen.”

*The blamer: This is the person who is always saying:”If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

The garlic:  Don’t apologize or agree.  In a firm but kind tone, say, “When you talk like that, it hurts my feelings. Please stop.”

*The controller:  This vampire likes to tell you – and everyone else- what to do.

The garlic:  “Never try to control a controller”, says Orlogg. “Speak up, but don’t make a big deal of it. Just state your needs. Say “I appreciate your advice, but I’d like to work through this on my own.” Then say it again. With this species, repetition is key.

*The go-for-the-jugular friend:  Wildly ambitious, this vampire cuts you down to build herself up.

The garlic:  “Try to eliminate this person from your life,” says Orloff. “If you can’t, do not react to her zingers – what she wants is to see your horrified look.” Instead , “visualize a protective shield around you so her toxic comments can’t get into your gut.”

Teri's 2 cents: Beware of these energy robbers. They are all around us, maybe it's family, friends, strangers, could be anyone. Usually they are very negative people, maybe they are depressed, maybe jealous, maybe angry, maybe insecure. Doesn't mean you don't love some of these people, just means you can't be of any help to them if you allow them to suck your energy away.

4. Forgive and forget

“If you carry resentment, it’s like carrying a bag of rocks,” says Judy Irving, a Las Vegas-based executive coach who helps companies improve their efficiency. “Your energy is depleted because you’re giving it away to the person you’re resenting.” Even if the forgiveness is internal but unacknowledged, it will help bring that energy back.

Teri's 2 cents:  bag of rocks is a perfect analogy

5. Exhale

Flushing out toxins helps the body run more efficiently, which also means you will have more energy.  Simply lie in bed for 2 extra minutes in the morning and focus on taking deep breaths, since “many of our toxins are expelled by breathing,” says Jim Karas, a coauthor of The 7-Day Energy Surge.

Teri's 2 cents:  I like to get out of bed when I wake up in the morning, and sit in the cushy chair I have in my bathroom for a few minutes. This works wonders.

6. Pull your hair.

No. Really. “If you gently take handfuls of hair and pull the skin away from your scalp to get blood flowing to that area of the head, you can relieve a lot of potentially tiring tension,” says Marlene Merritt, a doctor of Oriental medicine and nutritionist at the Merritt Wellness Center, in Austin, TX

 Teri's 2 cents: Oh yes to this one. I love my hair pulled, lovingly of course.

7. End your shower with a burst of cold water.

Your body responds more quickly to a cold stimulus than to hot, so ‘a quick, short blast will perk you up,’ says Karas.

Teri's 2 cents: yep, do this too, works. Also, I wash my face with cold water, not warm or hot.

8. Think like a golfer

Whatever goes through your mind during the 30 minutes before you sleep is replayed throughout the night in your dreams, so think of three successes you had during the day to ensure you wake up feeling like an achiever. Most golfers don't focus on all the bad shots they have had. They focus on the great shots, and it makes them want to go play again and again.

Teri's 2 cents: Is this true Patty and Bobby? about the golfer's thinking? 

9. Write a thank-you note.

Stress zaps energy and it's tough to be stressed and feel grateful at the same time. Think of things you are grateful for : examples (a coworker who helped on a last-minute project, a fellow mom who covered for you when you forgot all about snack day), then put pen to paper.


Teri's 2 cents: You know, some people don't take the trouble to hand write a thank you note, and I tend to frown upon that. I don't care if this is the age of computers and emails, and facebook and twitter and such. I don't care....nothing like actually sitting down with paper and pen and taking a few minutes of you life to express some gratitude! Receiving those handwritten notes/cards/letters can mean the world to some people - could be some nice memories established too, and you know what they say about nice memories....they're priceless.


10. Crank up the tunes and dance


And don't stop til you get enough. Brain-imaging techniques have linked music and its effects on our nervous system to improve mood and well-being. Your mental and physical energy get a big boost every time you immerse yourself in music that moves you.

Teri's 2 cents:  I love to dance to Mexican music!


11. Fill a vase with fresh flowers.

A Harvard study showed that people who looked at fresh blooms in the morning reported higher energy levels for the rest of the day. 

12.  Embrace the 3-minute meditation.

Think of something beautiful and powerful, like a waterfall, to get the endorphins flowing, which, in turn, boosts energy levels.  If you can't sustain 3 minutes, start with 10 seconds. It's about stopping the cycle of frenzy.