Boost your energy levels and get more done with your day.
By Yajen Tan
We’re all obsessed about efficiency. We want to finish that task in half the time and still produce double the results. But amidst all the conversation on improving efficiency, we often forget what truly drives us as humans. In between having to work more hours or take care of the kids, exercise seems to be slipping further and further down our list of priorities. We’re starting to become more and more detached from the reality that lack of exercise literally reduces your lifespan. In order to better grasp of how exercise can benefit you, take a look at the improvements in energy levels that exercise produces.
It might seem strange that using more energy would result in more energy, but research repeatedly shows that maintaining moderate levels of activity can increase your energy levels. A study has shown that just moderate levels of exercise are able to boost mitochondrial production in the body by around 50%. That results in a huge increase of efficient energy production in your muscles and your brain. If you’ve ever had a period in your life where you exercised consistently, but then dropped off, you probably know exactly what it feels like to lose that boost.
You don’t have to be smashing the heaviest weights in the gym in order to reap the productivity benefits of exercise. A study, held at the University of Georgia, observed how sedentary young adults, who regularly experienced fatigue, reacted when placed on a 6 week low and moderate intensity exercise program. Surprisingly, the results showed that the low intensity exercise program beat out the moderate intensity program for improving energy levels, by very slightly.
As much as you might think that this means that you won’t have to push yourself during your workout, I’m afraid to say you might miss out on more than you could gain.
If you have to take care of the kids or work two jobs, then it might seem difficult to squeeze in time for a workout, but I would argue that putting your workout as a priority will boost your efficiency and create better results of your time spent. For anyone else, you probably should just get your butt off your bed and do a few rounds of your favorite circuit before you shower. If you truly don’t have time to do a quick workout, 20 minutes a day, then try to break it up into short intervals, so that you can knock one out when you’re on your lunch break or while you’re waiting for the shower to heat up.
Exercise is meant to be a staple in our lives, not something that you’ll get to once you find time for it. I challenge you to go out next Monday and do some kind of exercise, any exercise, for 20 minutes a day for 5 days straight. If you don’t feel better by the end of those 5 days, I will personally show you how to make it work.
