First, thanks to everyone who has stopped by to visit me here!! Love that :) I hope my attempt to make my life yummier has made your life yummier. So, in that spirit, I want to share a little bit about staying energized, especially since today is Wednesday – half the week behind you but still half left to go!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about personal fuel – where people get their energy from and how they use that energy — because I’ve decided to try some new things.  Taking more chances, embraces changes, living The Life, right? But doing something new, better, different or just again takes energy. Loads of it.

Here are few habits I’ve built that help me recharge these days:

 

Drink and sweat. It bears repeating that your lovely bod is 60 percent water. So, the more you drink (don’t drown your organs though) the better. Doctors recommend about 6-7  cups or roughly 2.2-3 liters. Water is necessary for cell repair and nutrient absorption – both of which contribute to your feeling of well-being.

Now, let it be said that I have never run in my life. But in the spirit of opening up to new experiences, I started running 2x a week last August.  I expected my muscles to feel stronger and my back to hurt less. Those things did happen but I also felt rather fabulous. Running regularly brightened my mood, made my skin smoother and I was genuinely glad to be waking up in the morning (Usually I hate the winter). By December, I had enjoyed it enough to run a 10k in the freezing cold!!

When you feel enervated and you just want to lie around, DO something. Sometimes just going through the routines without ever challenging yourself or stretching your limits will lead to a feeling of exhaustion that is caused not by action but by inaction. Excess potential inside of you –> put it to good use. Do something you’ve been considering – a home project or planning a new adventure. When your body and your mind have been exercised, they will be very tired indeed — deliciously exhausted — and beautiful sleep will be yours.  Also:

Recent research confirms what world travelers and adult-education addicts already know: New experiences give you a rush. “We’ve known that when people do something novel, the brain’s reward chemical, dopamine, is released,” says Gregory Berns, M.D., a neuroscientist at Emory University, in Atlanta, and the author of Satisfaction: The Science of Finding True Fulfillment. But novelty has an added benefit. “What we’ve discovered in the last five years,” Berns says, “is that dopamine is also a motivating chemical that gears us up to do more.” In other words, take a trip or learn Spanish and you may also feel inspired to start a new project at home or work. – Real Simple

Get the Rhythm. It seems rather simple but it has proven effective for me. I never work without music, if I can help it. I use a combination of my own itunes playlist, Pandora, Classic FM, Delilah. Better than listening to good music? Dancing to it. When I am writing or reading for several hours, I stop for dance breaks. Completely serious. Effective alone and in groups. I actually think it might be a good idea for employers to consider dance breaks. I think employees might actually be less stressed and tired and therefore more productive.

What do you think? Yes? Who’s dancing with me? Also, do tell me if you’ve got some funky way to recharge when you feel low. Any other great Radio Webs out there I should know about?