Читать книгу 100 Ways to Boost Your Energy - Theresa Cheung, Theresa Cheung - Страница 12

When blood sugar levels dip or fatigue sets in, many people turn to stimulants such as tea, coffee, sugary drinks, cigarettes and chocolate to keep them going. Although they can give you a temporary high, the long-term effects of stimulants are always bad.

Alcohol is made from yeast and has a similar effect to sugar in your body, giving you a temporary high followed by a long low.

Coffee is a diuretic which depletes your body of nutrients and it also contains caffeine which disturbs normal sleep patterns.

Many fizzy drinks contain caffeine, as well as sugar and colourings which act as stimulants.

Tea is a stimulant with similar but weaker effects to coffee, and it contains tannin which interferes with the absorption of minerals.

Chocolate contains theobromine which has an action similar to, but not as strong as, caffeine.

Medications for the relief of headaches also contain caffeine.

Cigarettes contain cancerous chemicals and the stimulant nicotine which is sedative in large amounts.

Stimulants are your body’s greatest energy-drainers, so one of the most important steps you can take to beat fatigue is to give up or cut down on stimulants. Giving up all these stimulants at once would be impossible for most people, as well as being incredibly stressful. The first step, therefore, is to identify which stimulants you are using as pick-me-ups to get you going when your energy is flagging, and to cut consumption of them down gradually.

To cut down on stimulants without suffering try the following:

Sugar: When you crave something sweet, eat some fruit. Don’t replace sugar with sugar substitutes, as these do not help you re-educate your taste buds. Take the sugar bowl off the table and give yourself a month to gradually cut down. Read labels and find healthier alternatives. Stick with it and after a few weeks you will find that your taste buds adapt.

Coffee: Coffee is addictive and it takes about a week to break the habit. You may find yourself feeling groggy for a few days, but this will remind you how addictive and bad for you too much coffee is. Instead of coffee, drink herbal teas or coffee alternatives such as dandelion coffee. After a week you can go back to one or two cups of coffee a day, but as a treat, not as an energy booster.

Tea: Tea isn’t as energy-draining as coffee unless you drink gallons of it a day. Two or three cups a day is fine, but it is still worth experimenting with herbal teas or drinking your tea slightly weaker.

Chocolate: If you adore chocolate, you don’t need to give it up completely. Just eat it in moderation, for example four times a week rather than every day. Most important of all, don’t use it as a pick-me-up as it will have the opposite effect. Go for fruit with a handful of nuts and seeds instead if you need something sweet and satisfying.

Alcohol: If you drink a lot, start by reminding yourself that you don’t actually need to have a glass in your hand to have a good time. Set yourself a weekly target of five to seven drinks a week and stick to it. If you find this impossible, seek professional advice.

Smoking: This is perhaps one of the hardest energy-draining habits to break and one for which you may need to seek the advice of your doctor if you want to quit. It really is worth persisting, though, as many people who give up find that their energy levels soar. To reduce your cravings you need to boost your body’s ability to eliminate chemicals. A healthy diet, plenty of exercise and drinking lots of water can all help detoxify your body.