Simple, free ways to reset your body (and not break a sweat)

It is a lot harder to love your neighbor when you’re tired and don’t have energy. Ask me how I know. Or better yet, ask my closest neighbors — my husband and children — how I know that. It is also much more challenging to pray when you are both wired and falling asleep at the same time. Usually I can pray in the morning or evening, but when I don’t have much energy or haven’t slept well then I face a predicament. I try to stay awake but can’t focus on anything because I keep nodding off and then waking up with my mind racing.

I have found a few small changes that have made a significant difference in my mood and my overall alertness. If you tackle the deadweight of lethargy in your life it is a gift to your family, your coworkers, your friends, your prayer life, and your mental health.

Here are a few simple strategies to try.

Reset your circadian rhythm through your light intake. Light affects our physical well-being -- from our mood to our sleep cycle and more. The goal is to increase natural light during your day, especially in the morning and evening. This can help regulate your circadian rhythm and allow for more restful slumber and thus more energy throughout the day.

☀️ Get some sun before you look at a screen in the morning. Don’t look directly at the sun, of course, but consider grabbing your coffee and sitting outside for a few minutes before you pick up your phone to check your email and the news.

💡 Limit your artificial light use after the sun sets. Also keep your screen use relegated as much as possible to daylight hours. Try going to bed when the sun sets if that is a possibility in your life.

⏰ Wake up at the same time every day and eat at similar times every day.

Reconnect with the earth beneath your feet and move around a little.

👣 Help your mood, lower inflammation, promote healing, and even avoid autoimmune diseases by doing a little grounding. What does that look like? Just take off your shoes and walk outside for a few minutes every day, if you are can safely do so in a yard or park. You can tie this in to resetting your circadian rhythms by walking shoeless in the morning with your shot of sun or in the evening when you’re trying to avoid screen time.

🎾 Exercise is a surefire way to help boost your energy, but even just reading the word exercise is intimidating for me. Visions of gym memberships and workout videos and special water bottles fill my head and I quickly move on to other thoughts. Personally, I focus on walking as my form of exercise. Walking doesn’t feel burdensome or unattainable to me the way other forms of exercise do. I’ve found that a daily 20-minute walk (a walk with a purposeful pace, not a 20-minute meander) is what I need to help replenish my energy and mood. 

Abstain from or decrease one substance that zaps your energy.

🍰 Choose one food to abstain from or intentionally decrease for a few weeks. Reducing my caffeine intake to one cup of coffee or black tea a day did wonders for my energy. Other things that might be affecting your energy are added sugars or alcohol. Try giving up candy or soda.

💧 Add water. When you’re trying to form a new habit, it might help to replace what you are giving up with something else instead. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, and are avoiding soda, try a sparkling water instead. If you need a warm, comforting beverage, but don’t want the caffeine, try decaf tea or even just hot water instead. I’ve created new afternoon rituals with hot water in the winter and ice water in the summer to help hydrate and lift me through the hours between midday and evening.