You may feel like eating food is the best way to give yourself a shot of energy during the middle of the day. However, when you’re fasting, food isn’t an option. If you trouble keeping energy level high, try employing these methods, or any combination thereof. Mix and match, play around, and see which ones work best for you.
Move. Oftentimes when you find energy lacking while fasting, you can blame it, not on the absence of food, but on the absence of movement. In general, modern society is quite sedentary. People log many hours in front of a computer screen, behind a steering wheel, or on the couch watching TV. Don’t make the mistake in thinking that a couple hours a week in the gym makes you active.
In fact, despite working out on a regular basis, if you aren’t actively seeking out ways to stay active, you may be leading a more sedentary lifestyle than you think. Make the time to take a walk, do a mini-workout, and/or stretch. If you’re at a desk for most of the day, set an alarm to remind yourself to get up and get moving for five minutes every hour. You’ll find the activity, though short in duration, is powerful in terms of getting blood flowing and keeping energy high.
Hydrate. Dehydration is a sneaky cause of fatigue. Dehydration often masks itself as hunger. Next time you feel hungry during your fast, instead of reaching for a snack, reach instead for a glass of water.
Play. Set aside time each day for play, both physical and mental. Go outside and engage in your favorite recreational sport or get on the ground and roll around with your dog. True play, which can really be thought of as unstructured exercise, excites the mind, boosts energy, and burns calories.
Have sex. Humans are programmed to enjoy sex and to reap some wonderful health benefits from this intimate act, including an increase in endorphin production. Endorphins create a sense of well-being and can provide a much needed boost of energy. So although you may not be able to (or maybe not want to) have sex while fatigued, try and have sex more frequently. By increasing the amount of sex that you do have, you’ll actually help keep energy levels higher in the long run.
Sleep. A quick catnap reenergizes the system. So, if you feel sluggish, shut your eyes for a few moments — just don’t doze off for too long, else you may throw off your sleep cycle. A 15- to 20-minute nap is often more than plenty to get the spark you need.
