■ Trash it Did you know that cleaning out your wallet or deleting old e-mails can get your pumped up? When you clear out one small area, you let new energy flow in. Whether it’s a pile of old ATM receipts or a drawerful of shirts you haven’t worn in three years, get rid of clutter today. You’ll feel like a weight has been lifted—leaving you with a bust of energy.
■ Listen to slow tunes… followed by faster songs. In one study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine an Physical Fitness, people who began their workouts listening to slow songs, then switched to songs with progressive faster rhythms, pushed themselves harder that those who listened to either all fast, all slow, or fast followed by slow songs. Reap the benefits without stepping on the treadmill: Make a CD of your top five favorite songs, starting with the slow stuff and ending with the upbeat ones. Keep it in the car to combat afternoon carpool slump.
■ Pig out in the a.m. Then have a regular lunch and mini dinner: That’s the recipe for more energy. They found that people who ate the majority of their calories earlier in the day had more energy than those who consumed them later. Eating more early will kick your metabolism into high gear, giving your more pep.
■ Get grateful Focusing on what you’re grateful for—from your amazing marriage to Desperate Housewives on Sunday night—can actually give you more energy. In a University of California, Davis, study, subjects were divided into three groups and told to keep a list of things they were grateful group felt more energized (and optimistic) than those in the annoyed and indifferent groups. Taking stock of the good stuff keeps your energy fixed on the positive, rather than getting sucked up by regrets and frustrations. Take a break right now and jot down one thing you feel so lucky to have in your life—you’ll feel energized in no time.
reference: Nicole De Coursy
