While there are numerous valid medical reasons for fatigue and exhaustion (thyroid issues, clinical depression, poor nutrition, heart conditions, and medicine side effects, to name just a few), many of us otherwise healthy Americans still feel like we’re running on fumes. So we reach for caffeine (dropping $2.24 billion on cans of Red Bull in 2016 alone), trying to prime the pump. Instead, what we really need is a tune-up.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

So often, our approach to exercise and energy is focused on one thing: burning calories and expending energy. The more, the better, right? Well, not exactly. Sometimes, you just get left behind. I’ve learned the hard way: on a 40-mile bike ride when my quads were spent and I “bonked” (as we say in cycling), which meant I couldn’t keep up with the group and faced a long, lonely, painful trek home. I was far from energized after that ride—and humiliated to boot.

The trick is to exercise your muscles and body in a way that doesn’t leave you zapped and listless, but leaves you pumped and energized. But how?

Elev8d Fitness: A Natural Energy Boost

Created by the experts at Sonima, Elev8d Fitness workouts use dynamic, multi-directional movements to align the body. When your body is aligned, your core muscle groups can fully turn on and work at 100 percent capacity, meaning you fire the larger, deeper muscles in your body, not just the smaller, surface ones.

Consider this: You sit all day at a desk with your back rounded and your shoulders slumped. After work, you head out for a long run. More likely than not, you’re running with that same rounded back and slumped shoulders. And exercising from a place of postural dysfunction means your effort is coming from the wrong muscles.

On the other hand, when you use your deeper, core muscles (for example, the hip flexors and the psoas), it requires more oxygen, which is the fuel for our muscles. And when these large, foundational muscles are oxygenated, you burn energy more efficiently and feel more energetic. Working these larger muscle groups with proper alignment actually recharges your body.

Related: Your Workouts Really Don’t Need to Be That Long

Endurance athletes such as long-distance runners and cyclists tend to overuse one or two muscle groups, and are typically lean and frequently exhausted. Studies have shown that sustained effort over long periods of time can raise cortisol (a stress hormone) to unhealthy levels. And when cortisol gets out of whack, fatigue can result. But shorter, low-intensity intervals, like the Elev8d Fitness workouts, keep cortisol in check.

So, work smarter when it comes to exercise. There is a place for building endurance and many athletes, myself included, enjoy the mental and physical benefits of a long bike ride or run. But to be more efficiently energized, engage your deep, larger muscles in shorter, more focused workouts. The goal should be to get more out of your day and your life, not just your workout.

Get more results in less time with Elev8d Fitness! Try these popular workouts and see for yourself:

8-Minute Total-Body Transformation
24-Minute Fat-Loss Workout
Boost Your Energy Workout Series
Weight-Loss Workout Series
16-Minute Challenge Workout Series

The post A New Exercise Method to Naturally Boost Your Energy appeared first on Sonima.

Boost Energy: Straighten Your Spine

In a 2018 San Francisco State University study, 125 college students were asked to subtract 7 from 843 sequentially for 15 seconds while either sitting up straight with their shoulders back and relaxed or while slumped over. Fifty-six percent of the students reported it was easier to perform the math while in the erect position.

“The slumped-over position is a defensive posture that hinders abstract thinking,” says study co-author Erik Peper, PhD, professor of holistic health at San Francisco State University. “Think about it from an evolutionary perspective: A tiger is coming at you, so you curl up to protect yourself. You don’t care about the future or the past, just the present. When you’re in a slumped over or slouchy position at your desk, it essentially shuts the brain down so you can’t think as clearly.”

Peper says math is a metaphor for any cognitive activity, regardless of whether you’re a web developer, teacher, doctor, musician, or public speaker. Try a few of his suggestions for improving your posture—and thus your performance—at work:

• Ask a colleague or friend to snap a sideways picture of you when you’re not expecting it. This will give you an unbiased view of your work posture.
• Set an alarm on your phone, watch, or computer to go off every 15 to 20 minutes. When it sounds, get up and move your body in some way: Take a short walk or march, skip, or dance in place. Previous research conducted by Peper found that skipping significantly increased students’ energy levels after sitting in a long lecture.
• Have your vision professionally checked. Many instances of poor posture are the result of people leaning in toward their computer screen because they can’t see well.
• Working on a laptop? You’re almost surely collapsing your posture, bringing your head down to see the screen. A simple fix: Buy a detachable keyboard and raise your laptop on a riser or some thick books.

Boost Energy: Fit in a Mini Yoga Session

The more muscle mass you have, the more energetic you’ll feel, says Mark Moyad, MD, MPH, who is the Jenkins/Pomkempner Director of Preventive and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan. “Even a 1% increase in muscle mass will give you a metabolic increase, and that translates to more energy.”

Moyad does pushups to break free of a desk rut. Lunges and squats will work too. Or try this desk-friendly vinyasa sequence designed by Katy Hanlon, a yoga instructor at Studio Three Yoga in Chicago. The poses stimulate energy and focus, and your body is all the weight you need to build muscle mass:

Seated Tadasana with Cactus Arms

• Sit up tall and ignite your abdominals, stacking your head directly over your torso.
• Keeping a soft bend in your elbows, extend your arms above your head. Palms should be facing out, fingers spreading wide, and wrists aligning over your shoulders.
• Inhale through your nose, reaching high with your hands without shrugging your shoulders to your ears.
• Exhale through your nose and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you bend your elbows out to the sides until your upper arms are at shoulder height, creating “cactus” arms. Lift your heart toward the ceiling and, if you have no neck issues, release your head back slightly.
• Repeat 10 times.

Related: How Yoga Provides a Natural Energy Boost

Boost Energy: Move Your Lymph

“Increasing energy is all about improving lymphatic flow,” says postural alignment specialist Brian Bradley, vice president of Egoscue. The lymphatic system consists of the spleen, thymus, tonsils, and adenoids, as well as multiple channels and nodes throughout the body. While it plays a role in protecting you against infection and disease, it also contributes to our energy levels.

“Lymph travels through the joints in your body—your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles,” Bradley explains. “When you drive to work, sit at a desk all day, drive home, and relax on the couch, you’re not moving your joints through their full range of motion and, as a result, lymph becomes trapped and grows stagnant.”

Bradley recommends moves that re-align your joints to get your energy flowing again, such as the Overhead Extension:

• Stand with your feet pointing straight ahead and about one fist’s width apart.
• Extend your arms in front of you, drop your shoulders, interlace your palms, and point them away from you.
• Bring both arms overhead so your palms face the sky. Gaze upward toward your hands as you actively work to keep your arms straight up without leaning back.
• Hold for 30 seconds as you breathe deeply.

The post Desk Exercises for an Instant Energy Boost appeared first on Sonima.

One of the greatest tricks that has really helped me live a happier, healthier life is establishing a rhythm to the day. This allows me to sustain just the right amount of energy needed to get me through my daily tasks without feeling depleted. Staying evenly energized isn’t just good for your productivity, but also your health: Ayurveda teaches that if you overheat or have too little energy, you are prone to a host of systemic problems including attention and memory issues, bad temper, a low immune system, restlessness or interrupted sleep.

In Ayurveda, we understand the world as a place regulated by natural rhythms and laws. We each have a distinct, easily accessed, innate ability to cultivate our minds and bodies to subvert negativity and aim for the positive. Our systems appreciate regularity, and reward you for routine. Set yourself with a healthy mental and physical hygiene program and you’ll find yourself more productive, less stressed and anxious, better rested, and with a stronger immune system.

Here are three strategies to prepare yourself for balanced success. Use these morning, afternoon and evening meditation tools, which are all much more effective than coffee or chocolate, to tackle your to-dos with vitality.

1. Rev up your engine and set yourself on a clear course.

Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion. First thing in the morning, when your eyes open to the sunlight, take a few deep belly breaths. Then do a quick survey of your system: Are you feeling sluggish or ready to seize the day? If sluggish, take a few more vigorous breaths, massage your scalp, and rotate wrists and ankles before getting out of bed. If you’re up for it, roll out of bed and do a few simple rotations of all joints, including the hips to lubricate them and get the blood and lymph flowing.

Once you’re standing, and if appropriate, do a few forward bends, hands on hips, then stand and reach for the sky. Repeat three times. Execute three graceful side bends—right, left, right, left—to open up the side waist. Lean against the bathroom sink and alternately stretch your calves. If you are into body brushing, now’s the time for it, followed by some body balm or lotion applied smoothly along the long bones and in circular motions over the joints.

Next, try setting an intention for the day. An intention is formed by the heart and mind, a solemn vow or determination, that is meant to harness the will and your focus in harmony with the mind and body. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask what you want to accomplish today. Is it something specific at work or does it relate to your behavior or a relationship? Focus on what it is and decide on at least one good, simple way to address it. Make it practical and doable. If nothing comes to mind or you find yourself settling on negative thoughts, try reframing it. Instead of “this is hard, I can’t do it,’ tell yourself, “this may be difficult, but let’s see how I do with it today!”

Related: A Nighttime Meditation for Setting Intentions

2. Avoid the afternoon slump without reaching for caffeine or sugar.

By mid-afternoon, no matter how effectively you’ve primed your physical and mental self that morning, many of us have stopped breathing deeply. We get tired and sluggish. We are getting less oxygen to the brain and nervous system. We have allowed our shoulders to get tense and hips to tighten. The logical solution may be to grab a coffee or candy bar. Don’t do it! Instead, follow this standing meditation (the complete guided meditation is in the above featured video) to get naturally reinvigorated in five minutes. The practice is simple: 30 seconds of deep, slow breathing followed by 30 seconds of quickened breaths accompanied by physical movement.

3. Unwind, detach, and sleep well.

By the end of the day, our shoulders may have tensed up all over again. A to-do list of things unaccomplished has likely built up. Sleep hygiene basics give us some snooze-happier tricks based on the idea that to sleep well, the mind and nervous system need a reset. Dim the lights as the evening goes on. Turn off electronics. Drink some sleepy-time tea to ease into a relaxed state. Gentle stretches may help set the mood by your bedside. Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing, followed by a few long, deep breaths.

Once complete, take out your journal or a piece of paper and make a list of any lingering thoughts or to-do’s. You can refer to your morning intention(s) here. Now, the priority is calm, worry-free sleep. This is a great time to sow the seeds for something positive that you would like to ponder in your dream. Be creative, but practical. Lay a thought or two in your mind that may feel like a resolution or a desire you can cultivate in your sleep. Now dream on.

Related: Sleep Better Tonight with This 90-Second Workout

The post 3 Daily Practices to Keep You Energized appeared first on Sonima.