Written by Edgar Luna

I consider myself an average person that has a normal eight-hour office job, might dabble in other activities, in my case teaching Yoga classes and trying to write a few blog posts every week, plus working out and spending time with my family.

And when I talk to people and they inquire about me, I am open and let them know what I do in a day and they often look at me and say:

“I wish I would have more energy “

And when they ask me how do I do it?

I simply say.

“I generate my own energy”

Then they will give me look, maybe a sigh and then leave, with a comment like:

“I wish I was like you and had your energy”

Then the dreaded word comes up.

” BUT”

Followed by so many excuses.

• I have kids and invest all my time on them.
• I don’t have time, there are not enough hours in a day.
• I feel tired.
• I work very hard and the only thing I want to do is rest.
• I am not built for that.

And I can list so many more more. You might already have yours for not having more energy.

Could I make excuses and lean on them?

Absolutely.

• I have a comfy bed and don’t have to wake up at 5:30am and I could sleep in for another hour.
• I could go to work later then leave later.
• I could stop teaching and go home to sit and relax, watch tv and eat some chips and salsa (my salsa is the bomb, just saying).
• Instead of walking the dogs just let them go to the backyard, it’s outside anyway.

Definitely that would be a more comfortable lifestyle and less active.

But the reality is that the comfortable lifestyle is not for me, and I would rather move, embrace the uncomfortable and enjoy more from life.

So how do I generate my energy?

Well I have to be practicing for many years and even though I don’t think that I am that high energy, a lot of people think otherwise.

So let’s start with a few recommendations I have learned through the years

Posture

Your posture says a lot about how you approach life and the energy you transmit to others.

Do you slouch, always walk looking down?

Just pulling your shoulders back, engaging your core and lifting your chin gives you much more energy.

And just doing that expands your thorax and allows your lungs to expand and have the extra capacity to inhale more oxygen into your lungs.

Nourishment

What you eat matters and maybe you have a habit of either not eating enough or a habit of eating too much and not so healthy foods.

Check yourself and check if you are running your body with cheap fuel or a better quality fuel.

I can’t say I’m extremely strict here, but I do moderate what I eat and try to eat only till I feel satisfied and not make a habit of overeating, even if it’s something that I really enjoy.

Activeness

Posture helps but in order to maintain that posture , you need strength to help all those muscles keep you in that great posture. Also being physically active gets blood flowing and all those body parts moving. Sitting for a long period of time affects your lower back and hips which are essential for good health.

Rest

Sleeping too much or too little is a big issue. You don’t want to lay in bed for more than what you actually need and avoid that urge of just lying there for “another 10 minutes” and keep pressing the snooze button.

Also not sleeping enough can cause tiredness and not wanting to do the other stuff.

One good tip that I got was to find a few moments during your day to just stay still with no distractions. Just sit for a few minutes and breathe and let your mind rest for a few minutes. If possible, a ten-to-twenty-minute power nap does wonders.

Live with a purpose

When you are engaged in an activity, commit to it and focus all your attention on living it, experience the moment. In other words:

“Make an effort”

If you are constantly thinking about something else, that is a sign that you are not committed or don’t like what you are doing.

“It’s time for a change“

Doing something and wishing that you were somewhere else or doing something different, does not allow you to feel the energy flow.

Have the courage to say “NO” and go do what you really want to do.

I can keep talking a lot more about all of these points, but I think this is a good introduction.

I feel very blessed to be able to do as many things as possible at the age of fifty-two, but I did not get here overnight, took practice and during my life I got discouraged many times, but kept practicing.

If you feel energy is lacking, then why not try to change something in your life and start generating your own energy.

It’s never too late to start.

Just take that effort to change your status quo.

“Try it“

“It’s worth it“

E. Luna