Positive energy boost tip #1 - Drink more water
I had a really lazy Sunday. I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. I stayed in my jammies all day, watched movies, ate a little (ok, a lot…), played cards with Loik and just relaxed in the house. Boy did I feel crummy by the time I went to bed; I felt exhausted, I had a headache and I felt as though I needed to recharge my batteries. Ironic isn’t it? I mean, I appreciated the time I took to relax but my energy levels fell so low that I felt less rested and relaxed than if I had had a super productive but mindful day.
Sometimes I think I fall into hibernation mode sometime in November. Then again, I live in the forest so that could explain it. On a side note, It sure is beautiful here when it snows… sometimes I feel as though I live in a snow globe.
The thing is, hibernation time or not, it’s important to keep my energy levels high if I want to maintain the momentum I’m creating in my life. For me, it’s all about making today better than yesterday so it’s important to feel like I’m getting things done and making progress every single day.
I’ve often wondered what was the single most important thing I could do to feel energized… although everything you do helps, I’ve noticed the results increase tenfold when you combine a number of different things throughout your day like; drinking water, breathing properly, meditating, visualizing, exercising, etc. But you do have to start somewhere and it’s better, in the long term, if you make one change at a time.
The trick is to start, get a momentum going and to follow through each day. It’s easy to fall off the wagon… life has a way of interfering sometimes… and it really doesn’t matter how good you feel today, you will probably forget about it tomorrow and it will take effort to keep going but the real benefits will reveal themselves when we learn to be consistent.
Over the next few days and weeks, I’ll be working at raising my positive energy levels again and I’ll track my progress here. So, This is the first post in a series of post outlining the top 10 things I do to boost my positive energy levels.
Please note that I’m not a doctor and I’m only sharing what works for me. Please consult your doctor or alternative health practitioner if you have any additional questions.
1- Drink lots of water - You may think you drink enough water in a day but chances are, you don’t. Water makes up 60-70% of your body weight. Think about that for a minute. You are essentially made of water and you need considerable amounts of water each and every day to keep your body and mind functioning properly.
If you experience these symptoms : Dry lips, dry mouth, dizziness, headaches, you feel lightheaded, fatigued, dry skin, dark or clouded urine, constipation, etc. chances are, you are suffering from mild dehydration. Personally, I also find it very hard to maintain a positive attitude if I don’t drink enough water. I think it has a lot to do with not evacuating the trash and toxins in a timely manner… if you know what I mean.
As a teenager, I used to suffer from chronic headaches. My mom brought me to doctors and specialists and they tested me for a bunch of things but never found what was causing these constant headaches. Years later, I decided to consult an alternative health practitioner. The first question she asked me when I told her about my headaches was how much water I drank in a day. At that time, I was drinking 1-3 glasses a day and was shocked to learn that I should have been drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day and that I had to add one to two extra glasses per cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage I drank. No joke here. Needless to say, I solved the headache problem that had plagued me for years within a week just by drinking more water.
That being said, It’s a huge amount of water and I still struggle to achieve this goal on a consistent basis.
The trick is to start early … I try to drink at least 4-5 glasses before lunch time… if not, I’m stuck trying to drink all that water in the afternoon and after dinner and then I’m up half the night. And then if I’m up half the night, my energy levels are down the next day…and so on and so forth.
The hardest part of this task is to actually remember to drink the water. You can keep track of where you are at by marking it down on a piece of paper or on a white board. You can set a reminder in outlook or you can just get a large pitcher that contains your daily ration and then know you have to drink it all before the end of the day.
Drinking water is an excellent opportunity to be mindful and to cultivate gratefulness in your life.
Every time I drink a glass of water, I can’t help but think of the millions of people on our planet who don’t have access to clean water. According to the World Health Organization 1.1 Billion people don’t have access to a water source and 2.4 billion have no access to an improved sanitation facility. Think about that for a minute. It boggles the mind doesn’t it? We are on the eve of 2008… you think we would have solved this problem by now.
We are so fortunate to have access to clean drinking water wherever and whenever we need or want it. Let us use this resource wisely and work at ensuring that everybody can drink fresh, clean water till their heart is content and their body is replenished.
I work at being conscious of that every time I turn on the tap… my goal is now to appreciate and be grateful for every drop of water I drink.
Have a nice day everyone!
