Dr. G’s Tips for Renewing Your Energy, Naturally Part 2 of 2 – Your Health Detective

As promised, this blog continues on tips for renewing energy:

Get your vitamin D – experts suspect D helps regulate metabolism and insulin secretion –both impacting our energy levels. If you eat your lunch at your desk, don’t for many reasons. One important reason is that sunshine helps boost vitamin D levels. If you’re taking vitamin D and still don’t have the energy you should, consider supplementing with a form of vitamin D that is better absorbed – known
as high potency D₃ 10,000 with K₂, available only from health practitioners. This form is in a bioactive microtablet delivery system…click to continue reading…

Go ahead, give in to your snack attack, just make sure it’s the healthy snacks. Protein and fiber help blood sugar boost last longer. Why not try making your own trail mix with ingredients like nuts, high fiber gluten-free cereal, hemp and sunflower seeds, coconut, small amounts of dried cranberries or cherries or banana chips. Remember that dried fruit contains concentrated sugar so use sparingly. Another great treat is some quality cheese and an apple – the typical European snack, and for good reason.

Okay so now it’s evening and you can barely function because your last reserves of those energizing hormones are long used up. In addition, melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep is now rising and you still have a lot on your plate before you can actually get to bed and sleep. The trouble is, if you’re like most of us busy people, is that the melatonin rises too early
and we actually need it when we go to bed. I have taken various forms of melatonin for many years, otherwise I don’t get good restorative sleep, or get to sleep at all when my brain won’t shut down. Try various forms, especially those formulas that are time-released and also contain L-tryptophen. For more information about the formulas that I rotate between, contact the Health Matters Store at 888.352.8175 (Monday through Thursday, 8: to 2: Pacific Time, Closed Friday).

Create a transition schedule from work to home – don’t walk in the door stressed and then begin more activities. Have a short period of time where you can get into comfy clothes and either take a walk or simply clear your head from daily pressures. It’s amazing when you begin to have your personal down time how much more energy you have later that evening and how
much clearer our brain functions. Years ago when I lived in the San Francisco Bay area I had to commute two hours to work each way daily and attend classes three nights a week. By the time I got home my body and brain was mush. A physician friend of mine shared his program for distressing and it included a “time-out” for 45 minutes after arriving home – we didn’t have the internet yet. He didn’t allow any external stimuli like phone calls to interrupt his own self-proclaimed “time-out” — he shut off the phone ringer. I began implementing the same practice and was amazed at the renewal that followed. I’d get home from crossing two bridges in bumper-to-bumper traffic and change into lounge wear. Then I’d pour myself a cup of herb tea and either put on soft music or simply sit on the patio, relax and do some gentle stretching. After about 45 minutes of that I was refreshed and ready to cook dinner and finish out my evening. Try it, you’ll wish you’d carved out that “media-free time-out” way before now.

If you have challenges sleeping like I do, do not have that glass of wine or alcohol two hours before bed – it causes restless sleep or down right insomnia. If you’re going to have a drink, have it as soon as you get home before dinner. Additionally, for those with blood sugar disorders, the wine earlier in the evening is better metabolized because the protein from dinner will balance the blood sugar high it creates.

It’s important we all understand why we often get late night cravings. These cravings usually indicate we’re actually sleepy, not hungry. This indicates your brain has been awake way too long and it now is signaling it needs glucose to stay alert. If you must snack, opt for something light like yogurt with berries or hot chocolate made with organic cocoa powder, sweeten with an all-naturalsweeter like SweetLife™ and made with organic non-fat milk or a milk alternative.

I hope some of my tips “planted a seed” that maybe you hadn’t considered. We all struggle with generating enough energy for our busy lives, remember that good hydration is also at the forefront of good health and energy. Additionally important is the quality of food you consume. Learn to read labels and take time to do it so you can avoid all the legal aliases used to hide health-depleting ingredients like MSG under deceptive names like hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), etc.

For more information on dietary additives and preservatives, read my book Chemical Cuisine: Do You REALLY Know What You’re Eating? Available on my website at www.gloriagilbere.com.