5 Secrets for Higher Energy
I have been reading Frederic's newsletters for a number of years. Although I probably
have not switched my diet as much as he would want me to, he has had a positive
influence on my eating habits, and I've noticed some good changes in my body.
This is the first of his articles that I have chosen to reprint. Enjoy it, and
learn some of these techniques for added energy for your days.
5 Secrets for Higher Energy
By Frederic Patenaude
All right. Today we’re going to talk about energy. Are there
any of my readers who do NOT want more energy? Please raise
your hand... no takers? Okay, let’s keep going then.
My "secrets" for higher energy are actually key concepts to
understand about energy. Those concepts are really obvious
but often not understood by those who try to sell us their
latest gimmick on how to get more energy.
Here they are...
Secret #1 — Energy Comes From Sleep, Not Food
Every day we go to bed with less energy than we woke up
with, and we lay down for 6,7, 8 or more hours to recharge
our batteries. Ideally, this is how our body is supposed to
function.
Although there are different scientific theories on the
function of sleep, we all agree that it is essential to our
well-being. Sleep is a time for repairing and restoring and
it is the true source of our energy.
Food doesn’t give us energy. Food provides fuel and other
raw materials that the body uses to function. We require
energy just to digest that food, and this is why when
someone is sleep-deprived her digestion is greatly
disturbed.
Your car may have a full tank of gasoline, but if the
battery is dead it won’t start. The same is true for you.
You may eat all you want but in the end if you don’t sleep
enough to recharge your batteries you won’t have energy.
So how much sleep do we need? There is no set number of
hours, as each person’s requirements are individual. What
you need is *enough* sleep.
The likelihood that you’re not getting enough sleep is very
high. 56% of the adult population reports that drowsiness in
the daytime is a problem.
If you experience daytime sleepiness or drowsiness, or if
you need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, you are
sleep deprived. If this has been going on for a long time,
then you may have accumulated a large "sleep debt."
The solution? Pay off your debt. Sleep more.
Secret #2 — A Low-Fat, Raw Diet Gives You More Energy
Did you know that not all of the food that you eat becomes
available to you as food, since digestion itself requires
work and therefore fuel (calories)? Is it any wonder that
after a big traditional meal people literally fall asleep?
The digestion of their meal took so much energy that they
had to "sleep it off" in a comatose state!
On the other hand, the digestion of fruit takes literally no
energy. Fruit contains simple sugars that require no
digestion. The water it contains also requires no digestion,
as well as the fiber, which is evacuated.
In fact, the sugars in fruit start being absorbed under the
tongue as soon as you take that first bite of peach or
melon. It is the ultimate "high-energy food": no digestion
required, plenty of fuel available.
Raw vegetables also require very little digestion, but what
they give us are mostly vitamins and minerals, as well as
water, but very few calories.
Fatty foods as well as starchy foods require more energy to
digest. They require more digestive enzymes, they stay
longer in the stomach, and they require more energy to be
available to you as fuel.
It has been my experience that eating a low fat diet
composed essentially of fruits and vegetables gives you more
energy, as long as you eat enough fruit to meet your caloric
(fuel) needs.
Secret #3 — Exercise Takes Energy, But You Need It Anyway
We often hear that exercise gives energy. "Exercise more,"
they say, "you’ll have more energy." Right there, there’s a
big misunderstanding. How could physical exertion give you
energy? It *takes* energy!
After a long day of physical labor, you are more tired than
when you just woke up. All that work took energy to do. And
it will take the body a good night of sleep to recover.
People who are physically active, as well as athletes, need
more sleep. Sleep requirements increase as training
intensity increases.
However, the good thing is that by being physically active
you increase your levels of fitness, which will make an
impact on your capacity to handle your daily chores.
In other words, you will have greater physical abilities to
go through your day without getting tired as easily as a
sedentary person. The quality of your sleep will also
improve, although you might need more of it.
A fit person will enjoy better digestion, improved sleep,
and will feel more awake during the day, as long as they get
enough sleep to recover from their physical activities.
Secret #4 — Energy Is Not Stimulation
Chronically-tired and low-energy people are always looking
for something that will "give them energy." They confuse
energy with stimulation, and want a quick fix to feel better
now, without thinking about the long-term consequences.
Let’s take caffeine for example, keeping in mind that the
same principles apply for other stimulants such as those
foods in chocolate or raw cacao, recreational drugs, Chinese
herbs and mushrooms, and any other product that is sold for
the purpose of giving you "a quick boost of energy."
Caffeine does not give you energy. It is not possible to
scientifically measure any increase in energy when caffeine
is consumed. What can be measured are higher levels of
stress. This means that there is an increased production of
stress hormones (such as adrenaline) and there is an
increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
This is because caffeine "stimulates" you. It does not give
you energy. You could say that caffeine "lends" you energy,
which you must eventually pay back at a high price in
health.
Let’s add to that that caffeine and other stimulants are
powerful addictive drugs. They do not give you any energy at
all.
Secret #5 — You Need to Avoid Energy Drainers
If you want more energy, you must avoid the numerous energy
drainers: all of those things that tend to drain your
physical and emotional energy, as well as the things that
decrease your motivation to take care of yourself.
Of course, sometimes stuff happens that isn’t under your
control, such as the death of a relative, but since your
energy is limited it should be your goal to get rid of as
many energy drainers as possible.
Energy drainers include: negative relationships, stressful
jobs, pessimistic or cynical friends and relatives, the news
on television, debt or other financial concerns that cause
stress, living in a polluted environment, and many more.
Motivation drainers include: a messy office where you can’t
find anything, a long list of to-do’s you’ve been trying to
maintain in your head without success, lack of purpose in
life, lack of self-esteem, being unfit and fat without any
desire to exercise, living a life that is incongruent with
your innermost values, and so on.
Actions Steps You Can Take Now to Get More Energy
Go to bed an hour earlier — You might not realize how much
sleep debt you’ve accumulated. Start paying it off by
allowing you an extra hour in bed everyday. And no guilt
please! You’re doing this for your health. If necessary, get
a night mask that blocks light in order to fall asleep more
easily.
Start a fitness program — Being unfit decreases your
motivation and your ability to perform everyday tasks with
ease. In addition to that, you can’t be healthy if you’re
not fit. The best way to start a fitness program is to start
now. Find something you can do and do it every day. Please
stay in tune for more articles on the topic in future issues
of Pure Health & Nutrition.
Discard the use of stimulants — What stimulants do you use
to fake energy? Choose the best for yourself and get in
touch with the real source of energy, not the illusion of
stimulation.
Lower the fat content of your diet and eat more fruit — By
lowering the fat content of your diet and increasing your
fruit consumption you will have more energy available. To
learn how to do that, please refer to my book "The Raw
Secrets." (click here)
Identify one energy drainer and get rid of it — The energy
drainers are almost too numerous to tackle all at once.
Instead, identify one energy drainer, such as perhaps a
negative relationship, and take the necessary step to get
rid of it. You will feel much better for it.
A final quote to inspire you: "Love the moment, and the
energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries."?--
Corita Kent, American Muralist and Printmaker (1874 - 1963)
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best-selling e-book "The Raw Secrets" and is known for his
no-gimmick, BS-free approach to health and nutrition. To
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