Need An Energy Boost?

Do you ever find yourself slumping down into the chair after work, unable to move another muscle because of fatigue? Do you find yourself constantly yawning and dozing off during the day? If so, here are some great energy tips from Dr. Oz...click to read entire article

Power Up
Meet the true nutritional heroes of the last decade: DHA and ribose. DHA is the active form of omega-3 that helps constitute nerve membranes and keeps the nerves to your muscles firing, as well as helps encase muscles.You can get DHA in fish oils or from the algae that fish eat. Try getting 600 mg of DHA a day, which is equivalent to 2 grams of fish oil if you like that taste better.

Move More to Move More
One of the best ways to increase your energy is to jump-start it with some physical activity such as walking. Doing that brings in more nutrients since nitric oxide is released from the linings of arteries to allow blood vessels to move blood more freely.One of the greatest things about your body is that it responds to what you're doing through mechanisms called feedback loops. You tell your body that you want to watch reruns all night, and it responds by downshifting energy production. But tell your body that you need to walk around the neighborhood or swim a few laps or do an early-morning stretch-to-the-ceiling routine, and it responds by giving you the energy you need.Take advantage of these feedback loops by integrating more exercise into your routine. And start early in the day, when you have the energy to exercise. Ideally, aim for 45 minutes a day of physical activity with at least 20 minutes a day involving the sore muscles.Start by doing gentle exercise such as walking or warm-water stretching. The trick is to do only the amount or intensity that makes you feel "good tired," not "bad tired" or in pain afterward. Tell your body which way to go, and it's going to follow.

Sleep Eight
Blame it on the invention of electricity, more demanding jobs or great late-night TV, but we sleep a whole lot less nowadays than we used to. On average, Americans awake at 5:47 a.m. and do not hit the bed (not when we actually sleep) until after 10:15 p.m. That, simply, is not enough.Why not? Sleep has the ultimate restorative powers and you need it for your hormonal balance and for increasing the rejuvenating human growth hormone, which is needed to choreograph the looking and feeling beautiful dance in your body. Growth hormone is secreted primarily when we sleep and is dependent on your sleep.We're just not doing enough of it. Eight high-quality hours a day will help you restore energy, decrease pain and lose weight. If you have trouble falling asleep, you may need to include some sleep tactics in your bag of bedroom tricks

Check Your Plate
When it comes to increasing energy, food is still nature's best medicine. Try these dietary tactics:

Drink Up
One hidden cause of fatigue is a little bit of dehydration. It's something that many people can't quite identify, so if you're feeling a little low, a glass of water may be the jolt you really need. Drink as much water as it takes to keep your mouth and lips moist throughout the day, so that your urine is clear enough to read through. If you have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia and have low blood pressure, you can increase your salt intake—especially sea salt, for minerals—when your body craves it.

Avoid simple sugars.

These end in "-ose" like glucose, sucrose, maltose or dextrose—but not ribose. You should also avoid syrups, any grain that isn't "100-percent whole grain" and saturated and trans fats.
Aim to consume a diet of high-quality protein from nuts and fish, and cut down on carbs. And include lots of fruits, vegetables and 100-percent whole grains.

Get Rid of Infections
While most of us want to treat infections because of their acute symptoms, we can't ignore that they can have chronic implications as well. Since inflammation and infection can be two of the dominoes in the cascade of low-energy symptoms, one of your goals could be to monitor your body so that infections don't linger.

This means:
1. Regular flossing to decrease the risk of gum inflammation.
2. Probiotics to treat such infections as prostatitis, bowel infections and vaginitis.

Many infections are viral. This means good sleep, frequent hand washing and good food choices that avoid all simple sugars and saturated fats can help.

Go B
You need B vitamins for your mitochondria to produce energy from glucose. Most of us absorb the B vitamins well in either liquid or pill form, but 99 percent of us don't get enough from our diets.Take a multivitamin in the morning and evening (twice a day to keep stable levels, since we pee the water-soluble ones out) to keep you energized. If you're having symptoms, check your vitamin B12 and D levels.Get your vitamin B and D levels checked yearly. You may be the rare person who doesn't absorb them well from your stomach and intestine and needs a B12 vitamin injection yearly.Much of the world is short of vitamin D—and you need it to help fight cancer, to keep arteries young and to aid brain function. So make sure you get it measured and take what is needed to keep its level normal.

Go Green
Green tea has been shown to have the highest content of polyphenols, which are chemicals with potent antioxidant properties believed to be greater than even vitamin C's. They give tea its bitter flavor. Because green tea leaves are young and have not been oxidized, green tea has up to 40 percent polyphenols, while black tea contains only about 10 percent.Another interesting note: Green tea has one-third the caffeine of black tea. Even better, it's been shown to yield the same level of energy and attentiveness, but in more even levels than the ups and downs associated with other caffeinated drinks. Just don't drink milk with it; the casein in milk has been shown to inhibit the beneficial effects of tea.