Do you consume cold cereals, ketchup, hotdogs, aspartame, chocolate, powdered sugar, high fructose corn syrup, pop, or cakes/cookies/donuts? Are you a sugarholic? Chances are…you are! Have you ever attempted to remove sugar from your diet for even a short period of time? If so, I’ll bet life became REALLY unreasonable for you, huh? You probably went through withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, shakes, depression, decreased study habits, or even arguments with your roommate!
If you are anything like me when I first tried to remove it from my diet, you seriously considered getting back on the sugar fix pronto! Yes, I decided that I wanted to keep sweet stuff “in the mix” even though so many people advised otherwise. I know how hard it is to give up something you absolutely love. So, for the purposes of today’s energy booster, I will focus on strategies that help you adjust what you are already consuming, OK?
In strategy #1, we focused on how much you can boost your energy just by focusing on your breath and in strategy #2; we explored the idea of listening to your body and responding appropriately to its requests. Here is the third strategy to help boost your energy the natural way:Adjust your sugar intake.
I know, I know you’ve heard experts say to “reduce your sugar intake” a thousand times over again! This time though, we are focusing on adjusting your sugar intake, not going cold turkey! Besides, it does provide energy. And you certainly need energy for making it through all-nighters, long lectures, frat parties and road trips to other campuses. Let’s face it, sugar is oh so sweet to the palette and is to be enjoyed!
The key is to make sugar choices that enhance your vitality rather than deplete it. Did you know that you can actually consume some sugar that supports you body and mind? Some ideas to help you get started on your road to adjusting your sugar intake include:
- Use agave nectar in your coffee or tea instead of honey because it doesn’t spike blood sugar levels like honey does,
- Eat real raw chocolate from the cacao plant (minus added refined sugar) because it enhances heart energy,
- Choose fruit for an “in between class” snack instead of chips & salsa or crackers (yes, chips and crackers have sugar in them, just check the labels!),
- Drink 8-16oz. of water 1st thing in the morning because it reduces your feeling of hunger which will lead you to make food choices that may not be so energizing!
Adjust your sugar intake by making responsible choices. When you decide to create just a small shift in the way you consume sugar, you feel better, study better, think clearly, and ultimately boost your energy!
Take care of yourself,
Felicia
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About Felicia: Felicia Harlow is a certified spiritual life coach and self care consultant. Her vision is to inspire personal growth and positive change in others. She helps female students and advisors create the link between what they want to "do" in life and how they want to "be" in life by challenging their intentions, thoughts, words, and actions - particularly about self. A former executive with Merck & Co, Inc. and Warm Spirit Self Care & Wellness, Felicia's experience includes nearly two decades in the healthcare, self care, and wellness industries. She is a substitute teacher in the public school system. She is passionate about introducing simple ways to overcoming personal, college life, and career oriented challenges using heart-centered and self care techniques. |
