Where do we get the energy to be amazing?

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 Energy. 

I hear you all groan at the mention! Me too. As I have got older my energy levels have definitely lowered. I find myself avoiding things that will help because I feel so tired! When you’re tired all you want to do is stop, but sometimes stopping (as I have found out over the last two years) is not the best thing for you! I had some time to rest after a near breakdown, but so that I didn’t fall into a depressive state, I needed to get up and about. It’s so easy to get trapped! Doing nothing is itself energy zapping (or should I say, energy non-creation), and it can make us feel exhausted.

So, here's what I did…

Exercise.

I came very late to real exercise. By ‘real’ exercise, I mean regular physical, get-my-heart-pumping exercise. I dabbled when I was younger (well, actually, I would be inspired by all the models in magazines running about looking fab and then realise I had to actually do it to get anywhere near making my thighs twice the size of theirs – and yes, I was always a chubby one, so not much hope of looking like Cindy Crawford, no matter what!). Later, I ran around after two small children and after that, work pretty much sealed the lid on any sort of habitual exercise. I hadn’t established the routines early on in my life to get the motivation for it.

I chose to start a weekly Clinical Pilates class about 6 years ago, having been recommended to me by a physio after some back treatment. My option was to put up with lower back pain because they couldn’t find anything wrong, or try Pilates and see if it helped. It did, and I love it! It is demanding, but my once-a-week stint was all the exercise I was doing – until June last year.

And then, I took up the couch potato challenge (as I’m in the UK, it was the NHS one - https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/get-running-with-couch-to-5k.aspx). I downloaded the app and worked through it – walking, then running all the way up to 5K! Now I try to run 5K twice a week, depending on the weather. No, I am not that dedicated that I run in the rain, snow, minus temperatures or high winds! But I do run. And if I can do it…

Photo by Oscar Söderlund on Unsplash

Has it boosted my energy?

Hmmm… I guess it has helped… I do notice that I am able to climb steps more easily – by steps, I mean longer than a flight of stairs. I walk faster, I don’t puff when I run to catch something, I do feel better. Boosted is a strong word. Do I ever feel boosted after a long run? Actually, I happen to feel anything but boosted. My limbs ache, I’m the colour of a beetroot and I’m sweating like a pig. Other than that, I’m fine! I enjoy it though, so the feeling of achievement is a boost. I feel proud when I talk about it too – that gives me a boost, so aching aside, yes, it does give me a boost, but not necessarily of energy! I continue aching into the next couple of days and then need to do something again. I am sure daily running would be better; maybe shorter distances, but I like it this way for now.

What else?

Well, when I have found myself googling for advice about upgrading my energy at 50 (after you have bypassed all the male directed advice – is it only men that have energy issues??!!), it seems to be the same thing – exercise – tick; good nutrition – tick; sleep – like a baby; avoid caffeine – one coffee a day limit – and, finally, manage your mental health – ongoing and definitely the hardest thing (we’ll talk about this later). I would agree that all these things are important of course, but even sticking to these things doesn’t always help me feel like a spring lamb… maybe my expectations are too high. I know that I have only been running now for 10 months, and doing any other heart pumping exercise was unheard of prior to this, so maybe it will take more time to build the reserves I need to get through the next century. I’d love to hear what you do to boost your energy and any tips you might have for me that I can’t get on Google.

Yesterday I was watching BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby with Giles Coren and Monica Galetti - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b08l2m2x. They were in an amazing hotel in Switzerland – the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. This luxury hotel is about health and well-being, and although a lot of us wouldn’t be able to afford the luxury of a dip in the pool, let alone a 10,000 euro-a-night stay, watching Giles getting his medical while he was there made me think. The doctor said that his sleep wasn’t great, and that it was down to the blue light emitted from tablets and phones… hmmm… So often I am browsing right up until bed, or chatting with my daughter on the other side of the world, without a thought for the impact on my brain. I have often dismissed advice I’ve read about turning off devices at least an hour before bed, thinking that I’m not using it that much, but maybe I am. Maybe the energy zapping is coming from a restless brain while I’m sleeping. I think it’s time for an experiment! This week’s challenge: all devices will be tucked up before I am. Let’s see what impact it has.

Photo by Nikolay Tarashchenko on Unsplash

“You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself…” 

Oprah Winfrey.

Do you have an inspirational story you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it! It will help the rest of us to find and keep the motivation 😊