Energy Up Energy Down

It’s normal for a person to feel high energy then low energy, I am a firm believer that it’s about how you think you feel in addition to diet and exercise. I haven’t ever felt such highs and lows in a long time. I was at my best a few weeks ago ready to move forward and could have run a mile (well maybe if I quit smoking I could run a mile), but you know what I mean. Then it hit me, a really low energy spell. It came with a sickness for a couple weeks in a row it seemed that every Sunday and Monday I would get very ill and I would have blamed it on drinking, however, I only drank alcohol on the weekends my kids were gone and one of the Sunday/Monday combos I was sick was a weekend I had my kids.

I am still trying to determine what it is that’s making me sick, I know that cigarette smoking is making me feel ill, so each morning I wake up ready to quit and test myself with the “I can do this” attitude to see how long I make it before I give in and go outside for my nasty habit. I am confident that I will quit smoking when I can find that mindset to quit, for now I just take it one day at a time. I know my coffee has been making me sick, I used to drink two travel mugs every morning and it didn’t even bother me. Now I can barely drink one travel mug of coffee before my stomach is turning and I can’t handle finishing the cup. The lack of coffee could be causing low energy as my body is used to that caffeine high.

Another thing I have noticed is that I let my kids eat fairly healthy but I actually don’t eat much at all so as a way to find out what foods are said to boost energy and mood levels I used my favorite search engine Google and here are some foods that may be able to help you and me get moving forward to higher energy and higher spirits:

• Blueberries – YUM! help fight off urinary tract infections and contain tons of antioxidants with cancer fighting properties.
• Salmon – I don’t eat this but have heard it can help with fat cells in your blood vessels I think I watched news story on this versus fatty foods like McDonalds. a top source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, and can help decrease your risk of heart disease and cancer. There is also some preliminary evidence that shows that fish oils can help increase fat loss.
• Almonds – LOVE ’em but rarely buy ’em. Snacking on almonds between meals can help to decrease you appetite, helping you to maintain or lose weight. They are a healthy fat and a rich source of protein.
• Green Tea – LOVE IT! A great source of powerful antioxidants. With less than half the calories of coffee, it’s also a better energy boosting choice.

Question for Thought: What foods do you eat to help maintain a healthy weight and energy/mood balance? I would love to hear what works for you!