by Janet Gomez
“From the food we eat, the air we breathe, the things we see, feel, hear and touch, our environment is formed and this in turn profoundly influences and shapes out internal environment”
-Swami Vishni-devananda
A few years ago I offered a teleseminar to provide simple solutions on how to increase energy and to have better health. Some subscribers contacted me with specific questions and I’ve decided to share my response to a particular question that concerns us all.
The subscriber asked me how to increase her energy levels in a stressful work environment.
Our inner state depends on what happens outside. If we live in a stressful situation, all our body systems are affected.
There are three points I want to make to answer this question.
Firstly to increase energy levels in a stressful working environment it is important to be aware of how you eat. When you’re under stress, the body does not direct energy towards the digestive system but rather outward to support the “fight or flight” response. Since the energy is not going to the digestive system, the conditions to promote healthy digestion are missing. The result – less energy.
Proposed Action:
Eat calmly, for example, stop for a moment before eating to think about what you are eating and create a calm environment within yourself. It takes a second. Chew your food slowly and pay attention to every bite.
Follow a routine, regular hours, since routine offers balance and security. Since your body is prepared and able to digest more efficiently during these periods, you’ll have more energy than normal after eating.
To learn to breathe correctly. Correct breathing is important for physical and mental health. If you learn to breathe correctly, you can increase your strength and energy levels. If, for example, you are in a stressful situation and you get angry, breathing helps you to reduce acidity in you body and to focus emotional energy so that it has a more positive effect on the nervous system and your internal (and perhaps external) environment. So, breathing techniques can help you manage stress and bring more oxygen into the body for more energy
Proposed Action:
Take yoga classes or other specialised courses because Yogis have know for a long time that we can get most of our energy from the air. They developed a system of breathing exercises called “pranayama” to control the “prana” or subtle energy
To ensure that you drink enough water every day because even if you are 1% dehydrated your attention span and concentration can fall by 13% and cause dizziness, irritability, headaches and fatigue.
Proposed Action:
Drink a glass of (warm / hot) water instead of a cup of tea, coffee or a glass of wine. Caffeine and alcohol have a diuretic effect (increases urine production), and the body loses water accordingly.
Drink a glass of water for every cup of tea or coffee or glass of wine you drink.
Always have water with you during the day, e.g. on your desk, in your bag so you can take a sip whenever you want.
Be regular in your water intake – the body likes regularity. For example, drink one glass an hour after breakfast, one glass an hour before lunch.
Need further guidance because you are feeling tired or have a lingering cold you just can’t shake? Drop by and see me in March for a by-donation session or email to arrange a short Skype call (also by donation).
Janet Gomez, ayurvedic practitioner & nutritional consultant, produces the “Nutri-Jyoti News”, a free e-newsletter for busy professionals. Feel ready to learn how to use nutritional strategies to manage your energy levels? Then sign up for her FREE e-course “5 Nutritional Keys to Vitality in your Life” on the Nutri-Jyoti http://nutrijyoti.com home page now.
Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved Janet Gomez
