Most of us want more energy but how do we get it?
Editor Jane Garton shares some top tips on how to revive your zest for life.
Following a well-balanced, healthy diet and taking regular exercise are obvious routes. Getting plenty of sleep, keeping yourself motivated and not getting stuck in a rut are other important factors.
There are also plenty of herbs that can help you renew your zest and love for life. Here are some common energy blockers and the herbs that may be able to help.
YOU’VE LOST YOUR GET-UP-AND-GO
If you can hardly get out of bed in the morning and then when you do everything is a struggle, you need something that will give you a quick boost to kickstart you into action. And the herb that springs to mind is ginseng. Long regarded as something of a wonder herb, it is a highly respected herbal tonic, which will give your body the injection of energy you are looking for.
YOU CAN’T GET TO SLEEP
A good night’s sleep is essential if you are to function at optimum levels: your body goes through the vital processes of cell repair and rejuvenation while you sleep. So maybe it’s time for a little herbal help to get you through the night so you are full of energy when it comes to dealing with the day ahead.
Valerian is the most popular herbal sleep remedy. It will make you feel sleepy if you take it at bedtime, while taken during the day, it can help you deal with stress, which may be what is keeping you awake at night.
Camomile is another sleep- inducing herb, which you can make into a tea and drink during the day as well as before bed. To get maximum benefit, buy it in loose form and use a tablespoon to a cup of boiling water. Infuse it covered for 10 minutes before drinking.
YOU FEEL LOW AND LETHARGIC
If this is an apt description of how you feel, it sounds like you might belong to the ‘slumper’ brigade – feeling slightly low, unhappy and moody. But don’t despair as you are definitely not alone. In a recent on-line survey of 3,000 UK adults almost 70% admitted to sometimes feeling down or unhappy without really knowing why. And the good news is St John’s wort, often known as the sunshine herb, may be all that’s needed to bring back the smile to your face.
At least 30 studies on more than 1,700 patients show that St John’s wort can be an effective remedy for mild- to-moderate depression without the side effects of more conventional anti-depressants. It is not known exactly how it works but it is thought to help prolong the action of the brain neurotransmitter, and happy hormone, serotonin – a deficiency of which can result in depression.
ENERGY TIPS
- Get minty: Sprinkle a few drops of peppermint oil on your handkerchief and sniff for a quick energy boost
- See red: According to colour experts, red is the colour that stimulates us, so fill your home with red object and wear red whenever you can
- Laugh: Chuckling away boosts feel good hormones, which in turn ups those energy levels
- Try something new: Breaking with routine is incredibly energising so take up a new hobby, book a weekend away or simply do something different
