Bad Habits that Suck All of Our Energy

There are many bad habits that suck all of our energy out, even though we may be thinking quite the opposite. We may think that sleeping in on weekends, eating a huge breakfast, not snacking in between main meals, not drinking water and not stretching before working out may help you gain energy during the day. The truth is, we're wrong. Read on to find out the explanations as to why these habits are such energy zappers.

1. You know how we all become very sleep deprived during the weekday and then promise ourselves to "make up" the sleep on the weekend by sleeping in? Sure, you may be thinking that you're "making up" on the lost sleep, but the reality is that your body actually becomes more exhausted. The reason why you may wake up all groggy and pissed off after having slept in is because your body isn't accustomed to waking up so late or having too much sleep. When you sleep longer, your body falls into a deeper stage of sleep, resulting in you waking up still feeling tired.

Suggestion: Take half an hour to an hour naps during the weekend to "catch up" on your sleep. You'll feel more awake after taking a short nap. Be aware that if you take too long of a nap, the same can happen. You'll end up waking up fatigued.

2. Many of us are accustomed to eating a huge breakfast or consuming the wrong foods right after we've woken up. We tell ourselves that we don't have time to eat later on, so we stuff ourselves so that our body doesn't starve to death. The reason why doing this is bad is because when a meal with tons of fat and calories is consumed, more energy is needed to digest the food. This leaves you feeling like not doing anything productive because your brain can't function as well. However, this isn't to say that you shouldn't eat breakfast at all because without it, you would feel worse. You'll have no energy to run on after 8 hours of sleep.

Suggestion: Control your portions on your plate. Eat a smaller breakfast that doesn't contain as many calories and fat in it. Grab a granola bar, it's quick and for on-the-go people.

3. If you're constantly on diets that require starving yourself and you don't believe in snacking, then you're probably always feeling worn out and drained. The reason to this is because your blood sugar level is low. It drops as you go hours without food in your body.

Suggestion: Snack on healthy foods like salads, veggies and fruits. You can also try eating some nuts and almonds as a snack.

4. If you don't drink water before, while, and after you exercise, then your body is more likely to become tired out easily. The fluids in your body help regulate body temperature and aid in blood circulation.

Suggestion: Drink water before and after exercising.

5. If you have a tendency of skipping the stretching before and after exercising, the possibility of becoming injured or sore increases. And ultimately, you'll feel less energetic. If you don't spend the extra 5 minutes to stretching, you're not allowing your muscles to recover.

Suggestion: Spend 5 to 10 minutes before and after working out. Don't think of it as a waste of time because it isn't!

I hope the above suggestions help you on your journey to becoming healthier!