4 Energy Boosters Everyone Should Try
You don't need a vacation to rest, recharge, and refocus. Try these simple tips to have more energy at home - even on the toughest of days.
1. Walk your way to mindfulness.
The lapping of the waves, the view from the mountaintop, the clouds rolling by...noticing the beauty around you is a form of meditation, and it can clear your mental cobwebs. Research suggests that doing mindfulness meditation for 30 minutes a day may actually change the brain's structure, beefing up areas related to performance on challenging tasks. And you can meditate wherever you are, even while walking down the street. "Put your right foot forward and think the word 'right,' then put your left foot forward, thinking the word 'left,'" says Reeve. Even doing dishes mindfully helps. When you're in the here and now, you can tune out distractions and unproductive thoughts and concentrate more deeply on your goal.
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2. Take a break from gadgets.
When you're toggling between texts, Google, and the nightly news, you can't process info as effectively; you end up feeling sidetracked and spacey, so it takes more time to do less. "A hiatus from your electronics can help you feel more focused and in touch with your dreams," says Cameron. One night a week, from dinner until bedtime, stow anything with a screen and play cards or board games with your family, clean out a closet, paint a dresser, or simply sit on the porch and stargaze. Savor how revived you feel in the A.M.
3. Just inhale.
The lush aroma of growing things can hone your powers of concentration, according to research by the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Those who inhaled a mixed-floral fragrance increased their learning speed by 17%. Try anointing your pulse points with something floral-we like Lisa Hoffman Beauty's Madagascar Orchid Variations Duo ($52, hsn.com) - and inhale deeply.
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4. Be lazy.
It may sound counterintuitive, but if you promise yourself that you'll be able to stop working soon (After this task, I'll go for a walk), you'll be more productive, says Adam Galinsky, Ph.D., a business professor at Columbia University. Try working in 45-minute spurts and taking 15-minute breathers-you'll be more efficient when you hunker down again.
-- By Mariel Goodson
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