Healthy Energy for a Healthy Body
Would you be surprised to know that only one of the ways the body creates energy is healthy?
It’s true. The body can produce energy in three different ways, and each has a purpose, but only one of those is healthy energy.
Good energy is the energy that runs through your body making you feel good mentally, physically and spiritually. It makes you optimistic and boosts your self-esteem and creates happiness from within.
Your body must go through a series of biochemical and electrical processes for you to feel energetic. Each step in the process adds to the next so each subsequent step builds from the previous one.
Your body has certain basic requirements to produce energy and this begins with ingesting the necessary nutrients. The body must have sugars, proteins and fats. Sugar is the quick energy source but it runs out very quickly causing your body to crave more. After a period of time the body is unable to deal with this process and adds fat to the body. Proteins give you five times the energy of sugar and are sustained longer, making them a good choice for energy over the long haul. Fats give your body eight times more energy than sugar but still isn’t a healthy choice for maintaining sustained energy.
Once your body has taken in these nutrients it has to process them through metabolizing them. This is what gives the body sustained energy so it must have the proper amounts of these nutrients to work right.
The second type of energy the body creates is from the startle effect. This happens when you step off the curb, hear a car careening towards you, or walk by a dog that seems vicious. This energy is produced to allow you to get out of harms way quickly. This energy drains your cells very quickly and inhibits functions like dreaming, being creative and hinders your imagination. This energy can be useful and should be used for its purpose.
The third type of energy comes from an adrenaline rush. Its purpose is to be used when the flight or fight response is needed. Imagine the days of Neanderthal man. While he was out hunting and gathering for his family’s food he would encounter many dangers. If a tiger or other vicious animal appeared ready to pounce on him, he would need some quick energy to either fight the animal off or to run from the animal. Which ever scenario he chose to do would use up this adrenaline energy and all was fine.
In today’s society our bodies still have the same flight or fight adrenaline rush due to stress and worry. The problem arises from that energy source not being used up immediately. The adrenaline begins to wreck havoc on the body. This happens because in the flight or fight response it diverts the body’s energy from major organs to deal with the threat. The body’s priority is survival and when we are dealing with prolonged stress the body doesn’t distinguish that from a real life threatening occurrence. When the body is in this state and energy is being diverted from the major organs, digestion doesn’t work properly; the immune system doesn’t work properly. All of these bodily systems are slowed down to a crawl so the danger can be dealt with.
If we used this adrenaline rush of energy to flee danger or fight for our lives, it would be used up properly and pose no threat to the body. But since this response is constantly brought on by societal, everyday stress it doesn’t get used up the way it should.
How can you create the kind of energy that your body needs to cope with everyday life, feel vigorous, feel alive and get more done without feeling bogged down? Simple, you can change your habits and start living a healthier lifestyle.
Eating healthy, nutritious foods and taking nutritional supplements will give your body what it needs to fuel the energy cycle.
Breathe deeply and take in plenty of oxygen. Fresh air is one of the key components to feeling refreshed and healthy.
Drink lots of water. Water is the basic necessity for life. Every bodily function and process requires water to work properly.
Get plenty of restful sleep. The majority of the body’s hormones are produced while we sleep, making sleep an important part of good health.
Manage stress and get physically active. These two can go hand in hand together. Often when we are stressed it’s simply due to a lack of activity. The next time you feel stressed talk a short walk and see if it doesn’t help. Being active is more than taking walks though; working outside in a flower bed or garden can help reduce stress and give your body some physical activity. Finding active games that you enjoy like volley ball or croquet can be stress relieving and fun.
The next time you feel anxious, remember that it’s a form of energy but needs to be removed from your body as quickly as possible.
