10 Tips for Sustained Energy
Sustained energy – what does that mean to you?
Andrea du Plessis, Vital dietitian investigates.
We certainly all desire to feel energized and able to cope with life’s demands and to still have enough energy to enjoy our free time. Endless energy is probably out of the question, but is it possible to achieve at least some degree of sustained energy? It seems that science is on our side, revealing the secrets to help us to get the most out of every day, without constantly feeling tired.
1. COUNT (ON) YOUR CAFFEINE
Caffeine is worldwide the most popular stimulant used to boost and sustain energy levels, especially when the pressure is on, or when we feel tired. Caffeine is commonly used by endurance athletes to support their energy release during long-distance events. Research has shown how coffee’s stimulating properties support metabolism of fatty acids during prolonged exercise.
Caffeine content of popular beverages
Coffee (instant) – 1 cup: 27-173 mg
Coffee (percolated) – 1 cup: 95-200 mg
Cappuccino – made with double espresso: 150 mg
Espresso – single: 75 mg
Espresso – double: 150 mg
Green tea – 1 cup: 25-30 mg
Rooibos Tea – 1 cup: 0 mg
Ceylon / breakfast blend tea – 1 cup: 35-60 mg
Popular energy drink – 1 can: 80 mg
Cola soft drink – 1 can: 34 mg
Caffeine free cola – 1 can: 31.2 mg
Did you know:
It is true that coffee drinkers cannot start their day without their caffeine fix. It seems that the alertness levels of caffeine users are below normal when waking up, compared to people that rarely use caffeine. After their first caffeine fix, their concentration and alertness levels come back to normal.
Why would this happen?
It seems that caffeine allows us to push our concentration abilities beyond our normal capacity and many caffeine users get less sleep than what their bodies actually need. However, working under pressure for prolonged periods with the help of caffeine is likely to result in “burnout”, which explains the below normal levels of concentration and memory on waking up.
Does chocolate contain caffeine?
Cocoa beans contains negligible amounts of caffeine, but high levels of theobromine, a substance very close to caffeine, which is responsible for the stimulating effects of dark chocolate, which has a high concentration of cocoa powder. Recent research seems to indicate that cocoa powder’s potent antioxidant and stimulating properties may stimulate the fat burning process in our bodies – beware fellow chocoholics, the sugar and fat we find in chocolates is still fattening.
2. NATURE’S ENERGY BOOSTERS
It seems that apart from caffeine containing plants, man has been very successful in sourcing stimulating herbs and plants all over the globe. Popular examples include tea leaves, coffee beans, cocoa beans, ginseng, maca, guarana and many other plant sources with stimulating properties. However, it seems that all of these substances should be used with caution by those that suffer with high blood pressure, seeing that most of these herbal energy boosters are likely to increase blood pressure.
Green tea:
Green tea can also be considered as one of nature’s stimulants, as it not only contains small amounts of caffeine, but also potent antioxidants that modify our energy metabolism. Initially, when it became known that green tea has the potential to increase our fat burning capacity, scientists believed that this effect was due to the caffeine. However, on closer inspection, through studies done on decaffeinated green tea extracts, it was identified the potent antioxidants found in green tea is likely to hold these energy modulating benefits. How much green tea do you need to drink per day for this benefit? 4-6 cups seem to provide sufficient levels of these potent antioxidants.
Fruit / antioxidants:
Many people start their day with a fruit or vegetable smoothie – this makes perfect sense if one considers the natural energy providing fruit sugars and antioxidant nutrients that are abundant in fresh fruits.
3. VITAMINS FOR VITALITY
Many people turn to multivitamins or potent Vitamin B complex cocktails when the pressures of their demanding lifestyle deplete their physical and mental energies. B-vitamins are vital in the conversion of the energy we get through our foods, in the form of carbohydrates, fats and protein, into glucose which eventually provide our muscles, brain cells and body cells with the energy required to perform our bodily functions. It comes as no surprise why people that follow unbalanced diets dislike exercise. When they increase their activity levels, their bodies have sufficient energy stores in the form of fat or glycogen, but insufficient levels of the B-vitamins and other essential nutrients that on a bio-chemical level, facilitate the conversion of the stored energy into actual muscle power.
Diet alone not good enough?
It seems that even if we include 5 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables per day, we still do not get sufficient intakes of the essential nutrients we need to maintain our energy levels – especially if we expect our minds and bodies to perform at their peak under regular and sometimes constant pressure. Supplementation is therefore vital for optimum nutrition, provided that we aim for good nutrition first through a healthy balanced diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole-grains, as nutritional supplements can never substitute a healthy diet.
Product recommendation:
Try Vital Multitime Gold, a comprehensive multivitamin designed to meet the increased nutritional needs of a pressured lifestyle.
4. PLAN YOUR MEALS AND SNACKS
Eat regularly for sustained energy: dietary guidelines indicate that 5-6 small meals per day helps to sustain energy throughout the day. If you currently eat 2-3 meals per day, this does not mean you can now add extra snacks into your diet. The secret is to have 3 small meals per day and to enjoy fresh fruit or other healthy snacks in between these meals, to add up to 5-6 meals per day.
Green light for late night snack:
Many people frown upon the idea of a late night snack. However if you have your last meal of the day fairly early, for example at 18h00, you may find that a late night snack can help sustain your energy levels during the night, to prevent hunger waking you up in the middle of the night.
Late night snack meal:
A rice cake with plain low fat cottage cheese and honey is the ideal snack. The rice cake is easy to digest, plus the combination of cottage cheese and honey supports the serotonin levels in our brains, that help us to feel peaceful and support restful sleep.
5. KNOW YOUR GI’S
The most widely available and dietary source of energy is carbohydrates, which we find in the starchy and sweet foods we eat, as well as fruits and vegetables. However, carbohydrates come in different forms: simple and complex. And to complicate things more, they have varying glycemic index (GI) levels.
The GI level of a food item tells us how quickly a food item is digested and converted to glucose, the main energy source used in our bodies. High GI foods are converted to glucose very quickly, helping to boost our energy in the short term, but is followed by energy dips shortly thereafter. Low GI foods are better to support energy, as they result in gradual and sustained energy release – therefore gradually increasing energy levels, but helping to sustain them for a longer duration.
Table 2: GI classification of selected food items
High GI (70-100)
Intermediate GI (56-70)
Low GI (0-55)
Instant oats
White bread / bagels
Pasta / Noodles
Potatoes
Polenta
Banana (very ripe)
Regular oats: regular
Bran muffins
Couscous
Beetroot
Brown rice
Apricots
Vital Original High Fibre Muesli
Health rusk
Basmati rice
Sweet potatoes
Lentils, beans
Apples
Source: G. Steenkamp, L Delport The South African Glycemic Index Guide
6. AVOID ALCOHOL
Alcohol deserves a mention, as this is one of the most significant energy robbers we find in our diets.
A high alcohol intake in the evening is known to reduce blood glucose levels - this could last until the next morning, contributing to the sensation of fatigue after overindulgence.
Alcohol is a toxin and on ingestion, is taken to the liver for degradation to harmless substances. The bio-chemical breakdown of alcohol in the liver uses up our valuable B-vitamins, that are important for our energy metabolism.
One of the most common effects of alcohol intake is dehydration, which further exaggerates the sensation of fatigue.
7. SIX GLASSES PER DAY
Dehydration:
Through research in exercise science and sports nutrition, it has been shown that dehydration creates the sensation of fatigue. Your body may have sufficient energy levels and sufficient vitamin levels to maintain good energy, but if you are dehydrated, the sensation of fatigue sets in prematurely.
Remember:
Too much of a good thing can be bad - avoid drinking too much water. Unless you are physically very active, which results in excessive sweating, you should not drink more than 8 small glasses of water per day. Include fresh fruits and raw vegetables into your daily diet – they also contribute to your water intake.
8. GET YOUR ZZZZZ’s
Don’t: even though this seems like a no-brainer, so many people try to survive on less than 6 hours of sleep per night and cannot understand their chronic feelings of fatigue.
Do: get 6-8 hours sleep per night. If that is not always possible, try to sneak in a few naps when your schedule allows
TIP: A warm cup of milky chamomile tea with honey can support peaceful sleep, as chamomile is known in herbal medicine for its soothing and relaxing properties.
9. EXERCISE BOOSTS ENERGY
Yes it does….
Many people that feel tired are actually unfit, which makes it so much more of a challenge to get through your normal day’s activities. A strong, fit body certainly helps a great deal to help one cope with the physical, mental and psychological demands of a pressured lifestyle
Dawn better than dusk: early morning exercise is well known to help boost energy levels during the day. Intense exercise in the evening may regrettably result in insomnia, due to these exact stimulating effects of exercise.
Don’t overdo it – 30-60 minutes 5 times per week is regarded as a healthy exercise routine, to support good health.
10. KNOW WHEN TO STOP:
If you want to maintain good energy levels, especially if you have a pressured lifestyle, it is vital to know when you need to take a break. Nature tends to restore balance, even when we want to resist, which may explain why people that overdo their attempts to tick off all their to do’s in record times, sometimes get sick when they are under pressure – the human body certainly knows how to claim it’s well deserved rest when it needs to recover.
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