Your energy levels will depend on several factors, including genetics, nutrition, sleep habits, and emotional stress. Some of these you have no control over But there is one VERY important factor that you do have control over and that is your ability to take part in physical exercise.Need a source of vast power and energy?
Look no further than your gym.
The link between physical fitness and energy is so strong, that doctors have lately been prescribing exercise as treatment for chronic fatigue, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and insomnia, for instance.
If sufferers of
most stubborn kind of fatigue can be energized with exercise, imagine what can do for those of us who experience ordinary, every-day fatigue.
* Feel Great At Mid-Afternoon *
Your brain thrives on oxygen. Blood transports oxygen to brain, so greater blood flow to brain, greater oxygen supply brain has. As you increase your heartbeat with a vigorous workout, more blood surges through brain, more oxygen gets absorbed by your brain cells, and you feel more mentally alert and energetic.
Experts point out another long-term cause-and-effect relationship between exercise and blood flow to brain: as you continue exercising, number of capillaries (small blood vessels between your arteries and veins) throughout your body will grow. More blood flow through your "pipes" means more oxygen will be supplied where you need it.
Regular exercise also keeps pipes clear and circulation healthy by preventing atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque). Regular exercise can actually REVERSE atherosclerosis when combined with a healthy nutrition plan. When you have atherosclerosis in check, your brain is virtually guaranteed for rest of your life.
Blood also carries glucose, simple sugar that's primary fuel source for your entire nervous system of which brain is command center. Glucose's production starts metabolism of carbohydrates. Various enzymes, plus your body's ability to use glucose to produce ATP, more important energy chemical in body, control this production. When you exercise, you increase level of those enzymes and their activity.
In other words, when you exercise regularly, you boost your enzymes, resulting in more glucose, and your body is more efficient in using glucose. You get a larger supply of ATP, which helps fight off mid-afternoon energy drop-off.
* Increase Metabolism *
It's no secret that strength trainers are firmer and stronger than sedentary folks. How could it be otherwise?
Resistance exercise builds muscle, pure and simple. The more muscle you have, higher your metabolism, and more calories you burn even at rest.
So why does "strong and toned" equate to more energy?
For starters, heavy people have to lug around more weight all day long. When overweight climbs a flight of stairs, do yard work, or even just carrying garbage can to curb, they're also carrying that excess weight, making almost everything they do more exhausting.
