What if you could have more energy than just what it takes to make it through the day? If you often wake up tired and immediately start counting the hours until your day is over, it’s time to try something new to increase your energy levels and improve your lifestyle.

1. Eat breakfast: A healthy breakfast gives your body the energy it needs to start the day. They key to getting the most out of your breakfast is avoiding the sugar trap that comes with most prepackaged, convenient breakfasts like cereal, pop-tarts, and frozen pastries. Avoid sugar and artificial ingredients and strive to make your breakfast a healthy meal of real food. Filling your breakfast plate with vegetables prevents the energy-sabotaging blood sugar crash that sugary breakfasts create. Vegetables also require less energy of your digestive system, leaving you with more energy early. Add plenty of veggies to an omelet or throw
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   spinach and an apple into a breakfast smoothie to fill up and get out the door with more energy to spare.


2. A morning exercise routine is a great way to get your energy levels up before your workday even starts. FitClub has early morning hours, of course, but also group exercise classes and lap swim times. If that’s just not in the cards for you, though, just adding movement to your mornings and mid-afternoons can give you more energy. Fit a quick HIIT workout into your morning, stretch, or take a walk anytime your schedule allows.


3. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it. The body needs a strict sleep schedule to keep it functioning at its best. Irregular sleep patterns often cause the alarm clock to wake you up when you’re in the middle of a cycle of deep, high quality sleep, leaving you feeling groggier than usual when you wake up. Sticking to a regular schedule allows your body to consistently build towards a gradual, natural wake up.


4. Step away from the technology. Spending too much time mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds or constantly updating your screen for the latest breaking news headline is probably costing you more energy than you realize. At least one hour before bed, shut down all electronics. Give your mind the time it needs to fully unwind before you’re ready to go to sleep. Constant exposure to news also spikes stress and anger levels. Disengage and see whether you naturally find your energy peaking and your outlook getting brighter.


5. Try something new. Often energy levels dip when we get bored with our day to day routine. Instead of moving through your same schedule and sticking to your same patterns, try small changes throughout the day to activate the creative part of your brain. You don’t have to radically alter your life to take advantage of small changes. Take a different route to work, try a new class outside your comfort zone at FitClub, or pick up a new skill or hobby that requires you to think in a different way.

Do you have an expert tip to increase your energy level when you’re feeling low? Share it with us in the comments!