Let's Make Healthy Changes - Part 2
How’s your energy & sleep?
It can be really hard to know where to start when it comes to healthy changes, so I’d like to simplify it a bit – If you’re tired, healthy changes are almost impossible.
But, if you have a little bit more energy, then it becomes SO much easier and doable.
How low is too low?
Take a moment and rate your energy from 1 – 10, 10 being the most energetic you’ve ever felt.
If you rate your energy a 4 or above – then skip this section and move onto healthy eating. If your energy is closer to 4 or 5 than 10, start slowly. Healthy eating is the best way to bring your energy up <3
If you rate your energy between 1 – 3, or even a 0 – this section is for you. Change feels almost impossible when your energy is this low, and pulling your energy up to a 4 doesn’t need a huge lifestyle change…it just needs a few specific energy-boosting habits :)
If your energy is at 4 – you could go either way. Check out this section and see if there are any easy changes you can make to give you a bit of a boost. Or skip it, it’s up to you :)
Easy Energy Boosters –
These ideas will naturally boost your energy AND help your adrenals heal (tired adrenals = super exhaustion).
Extra caffeine, sugar, and easy-to-grab processed food will seem super attractive right now, but they’ll drain you further. Try your best to keep these low, and keep coffee to no more than one large mug per day.
Sea salt, lots and lots of sea salt –
Salt isn’t the villain we’ve been told it is. It’s actually very healing, especially for our adrenal glands. But! There’s a world of difference between sea salt and table salt. Table salt is highly processed, only sea salt (or himilayan) is medicinal.
Add it to your food to your taste (especially if you’re craving salt), and add a pinch to your water. This is particularly helpful if you’re feeling low blood pressure dizziness.
4pm snack –
We all need a 4pm snack, but it’s especially important for you. Lunch and dinner are way to far apart and our cortisol and blood pressure are on their natural decline in the afternoon. This makes us EXTRA tired and foggy.
Grab a piece of fruit, dark chocolate, veggie juice, or a handful of nuts. Have it before you’re feeling hangry if you can :)
Fresh veggie juices -
There’s a time and a place for fresh-pressed veggie juices, and this is exactly the time and place. Juicing gives your body TONS of nutrients, without having to go through all of the work digesting. Head to a juice bar or borrow a juicer to see if this feels good to you.
All fresh veggie juice combos are good for you, so find one that tastes delightful. More veggies, less fruit is best for your blood sugar :)
Fruit, fruit, glorious fruit –
Because sugar is out of style right now, fruit has become a bit of a villain in some circles when it’s actually super good for you. It’s chock-full of vitamins, it’s super hydrating, and it has just enough sugar to give you a boost along with stabilizing fibre.
It’s an easy high energy snack. Enjoy 2 – 4 pieces of fruit each day, especially if you’re a sugar craver. Watch those sugar cravings lessen once your body starts lovin’ fruit :)
Eat every 4 – 5 hours –
Just for now, you don’t have to do this forever. When you put a large gap between meals, your body uses the stress hormone cortisol to bring it back up. A lot of your low energy and fogginess comes from low levels of cortisol, so don’t waste this precious hormone this way. Instead, grab a meal or a snack every 4 hours or so and keep your blood sugar steady.
What this looks like for many people –
Breakfast at 7:30am, lunch at noon, a late afternoon snack at 4pm, and dinner around 6pm.
If you don’t like to eat breakfast, that’s okay. Just eat something by 10am to keep your blood sugar steady :)
Sleep
If you’re like 11% of the population and struggle with sleep most nights, working on your sleep will make the biggest difference in your health and your healthy diet will be SIGNIFICANTLY easier when you’re better rested.
Check out the Sleep masterclass for ideas and tips.
PLUS! Check out this Facebook Live by Lisa Dumas for tips on how to get back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night. And here’s a link to the amazing Yoga Nidra she mentions (it’s a guided meditation to put you to sleep :)
Got any questions or comments? Jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)