Want to increase energy, strength and motivation right now? We know big changes take time, but sometimes you get to a point where you just want things to be different within a week. Biohacks can make a difference in a short space to time, impacting depression, mood, mental clarity, stress levels, vitality and productivity . These tips can have an impact very quickly, and once you’re feeling a little better, you can build on them even more. Try these things for seven days and see if they help, then as always, find what works for you and do more of that.
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Take Cold Showers
Cold water shocks your body, makes you fill your lungs with oxygen, changes your posture, impacts your parasympathetic nervous system, fills you with energy and invigorates you. It doesn’t have to be cold from start to finish, try getting in when the water is icy cold, add some hot to wash with warm water, then finish with a 30 second cold blast. It sounds horrible, but plenty of people find this is the best way to start the day.
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Move… Just a Little
Exercise is always touted as the most underutilised drug, and while that’s true in part, it can also be abused. If you’re lacking energy, don’t hit the gym for an hour a day at 6am. Quite frankly, you’d be better with the sleep in. That doesn’t mean you should be a total lazy bones. A little exercise might be just the answer. How much is going to depend on where you are right now. If you generally do nothing, add a brisk 20-minute walk to each day. If you’re already doing something, try changing it up with some high intensity interval training, or a slow rep weight session. Keep sessions to less than half an hour. Work as hard as you can in this time then give yourself a break. (This advice is for the 7 day reset, long term it’s good to have a bit more variety in your exercise routine.)
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Use Ketones
Give your body and brain a second source of fuel in the form of ketones. You can get these through fasting, but fasting is hard, so cheat with exogenous ketones like MCT oil. If you really want to make an impact, try starting your day with a Bulletproof Coffee followed by fasting until lunchtime (the easiest intermittent fast on the planet). You’ll be surprised how eating less can increase energy levels.
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Sleep More
Drop your excuses and go to bed earlier. Look at what you’re doing for the last few hours of the day
and consider whether it’s that important. If you’re watching TV to unwind, try replacing this with reading a book for half the time then hit the sack. Screens have blue light properties that impact melatonin production and cause sleep problems. Not only that, often people are just watching mindless shows that aren’t helping their life. Set your TV to record all the shows you watch for a week and then turn the TV off. If you really feel like you’re missing out, you can watch them at a later stage. It can be quite confronting to check out your saved list and realise there’s 20 hours there that you really don’t need to watch. Use the time more wisely and sleep to boost your energy levels.
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Breathe
When we’re stressed we tend to take shallow, fast breaths that signal to our body that we’re in danger and keep us in that stressed state. It’s a vicious loop that’s easy to break once you’re aware of it. Box breathing is a really simple way to bring yourself back to a centred state. Imagine drawing a square with your breath. Breathe in for a count of five which is the first side of the square going from the bottom left corner to the top left. Hold your breath for a count of five as you imagine drawing the top line from the left top corner to the right top corner. Breathe out for a count of five as you draw the imaginary second side from top right to bottom right. Complete the square by holding your lungs empty after the exhalation for a count of five as you imagine drawing the bottom line from right to left back to the starting point. Repeat this sequence a few times and notice how you feel.
