4 Ways To Get Energy by Expending It

We already explored the idea of investing our time well, so we open up more time in our lives. Today, let’s move into the idea of expending energy in order to have more of it every day.

Energy is a funny thing. I often observe in my own life, when I am tired and in a worn-out rut, it often quickly bleeds into being a bit lazy and unmotivated. When something snaps me out of it, and I start putting some fire back into the tasks of my day, I tend to feed off of that and feel more energized as a result.

Here are 4 energy investments that pay off huge dividends and keep us feeling juiced and energized.

I. Putting energy into making healthy food

Yes, making fresh whole foods prepared by hand takes more energy than picking up convenience foods, but the exhaustion, poor health, weight gain and mood swings that you pay for the convenience ends up making it a much more costly choice in the end.

The most efficient way to make this happen is to bring in time-saving strategies for making healthy food yourself –– this way, your end result is an excellent energy investment which still allows it to be workable in your busy lifestyle.

II.  Doing something you love

This is about the energy “drain or gain” question.  Learn to listen to your inner gauge that tells you whether something in your life is draining or replenishing.

When we reserve some of our energy to do the things we love to do, that fill us up and makes us feel more alive…our whole person gets revived. We remember how exciting it is to be awake.

Just a little time every day or so being creative, working toward a cause you believe in, spending time doing something that simply makes you happy — gives you more of an energy boost than any beverage could!

III.  Taking excellent care of yourself

It may feel like the path of least resistance to just default into an exhausted frazzled state, but ultimately it is draining your life energy away.

It’s like running a car for way too long, without a tune up or oil change. It may seem like too much energy to do the upkeep, but you are wasting precious gas and breaking down the life of the car in the long run.

Spending the energy to take care of ourselves on a daily/weekly/monthly basis is essential for running at the top of our game.  And as moms, we really do need all cylinders running most of the time!

IV. Working out

Yup, that simple, age-old advice to simply exercise — did you think it wasn’t going to make the list?

But perhaps even more than exercise,  I’m talking about movement, breathing, getting things flowing, connecting with your body, massaging your inner organs, and building strength.

There are many, many ways to do this beyond the treadmill.

The key is to expend the energy you need to just start something.

Play around with what does work for you — early morning stretching, after-lunch walks, trail hikes, bike rides, a yoga DVD in your living room…the only thing that won’t cut it is not moving. The energy return is huge on this one, increased blood flow, oxygenated body, invigorated mind, resiliency to stress — just to name a few.

In this two-part series, I just began to touch on the truth that how we spend our time and energy makes a huge difference in how we experience our whole lives.  And yet I know that time and energy are two obstacles that keep busy moms from feeling a whole lot healthier.

What are your biggest obstacles to feeling healthier and more energized?