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7 Easy Rules For Attaining More Energy

By Chad Cannon

Ever have one of those days where you completely have no energy? I mean absolutely NO energy! I'm having one today. Yes, even me, a fitness professional has the luxury of being completely exhausted.

I know, you're thinking? this sure isn't sounding like a health/fitness story so far. Well just wait another minute and I'll get to my point.

You see I have been out of the state for 4 days prior to yesterday helping my mother get her house ready to put up for sale, looking for somewhere else for her to live, test driving 23 different cars so she can get something more reliable, and so much more on top of all that. I arrived back home very late Sunday evening after a very long layover in Charlotte, then came to work early (6:30am) Monday morning and didn't leave until 7:30pm.

Again, what's the point to my story you ask? It's this: I ate like crap (mostly restaurant food) from Thursday through Monday. I didn't do any exercise, even though I did a lot of labor, like yard work and hulling heavy things up and down stairs, but to me that is not exercise. Today, Tuesday, I have absolutely no energy because I ate so unhealthy, did no activity, and now it's affecting me. I absolutely never have caffeine, but it's only 8:30am, I've trained 5 people already today and I'm seriously thinking about caffeine! Usually after eating healthy day in and day out, my energy level stays pretty darn high, but this really proves to me what unhealthy eating and lack of exercise does to you.

I know that I will get back on track so I'm not worried. It's just getting back on a routine of eating healthy and exercising again, which is easy. Once on a routine, it's just maintaining it.

These are my rules I go by for attaining a higher energy level:

Rule #1:
Eat first thing in the morning with some kind of complex carbohydrate for energy.

Rule #2:
Eat very small meals every 3-4 hours, no matter what, or snack every 1-2 hours all day long.

Rule #3:
Carry a water bottle with me all day and take sips of water every 5-10 minutes throughout the day.

Rule #4:
Combine close to the same percentages of a lean protein, fibrous carbohydrate and starchy carbohydrate by the end of the day. (example: 40% lean protein-chicken, fish, 30% fibrous carbs- whole wheat bread and pasta's, whole wheat cereals, brown rice, sweet potatoes, 30% starchy carbs-most vegetables, dark green veggies are better)

Rule #5:
If liquids are needed after 6pm, drink only water.

Rule #6:
Do an average of 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity three times per week such as taking a power-walk.

Rule #7:
Do 2-3 30 minutes resistance training sessions per week of the entire body.

It's as simple as this. Nothing hard about it! No diets to follow. All you have to do is plan ahead. Follow these 7 simple rules and you'll feel like a million bucks in no time!

About the Author:

Chad Cannon is a certified personal trainer, weight loss expert, author, speaker, and director of Shaing Concepts in Hilton Head, South Carolina. His website is www.shapingconcepts.com