“You know Satish … I was someone who woke up each morning raring to go and always eager to step outside and seize the day. I was more than able to get through an 8-6 schedule with a lot more energy left in me to hang up with my buddies and head home late in the night.
I believed nothing could stop me and I was on Top of the world. Now it’s a different world all together. I barely manage to drag myself out of the bed, disturbed sleep has become more of a daily ritual and I am just about pulling myself at work with shots of caffeine loaded drinks.”
Sounds familiar?
Well these were exactly the words I did hear from an executive with more than 2 decades of experience and in a Sr Leadership role. When I asked him as to what happened he did not have a clue as to how he changed from being someone who was extremely energetic and was destined to be a CEO in a few years to suddenly moving into a space where he was struggling to survive in his job.
He was desperate to break away from a struggling and a surviving mindset to a thriving mindset which he had before.
If you are someone who could relate to the discussion I did have with this Sr executive then read on to find out why most of the people in high profile jobs are low in energy and how they could tweak their lifestyle without much of an effort to build on their stamina and energy to get to their biggest goals.
Working on one’s energy is a step by step process and a series of consistent efforts done over a period. You can refer my previous blog article to give you a heads up. However, first things first … we need to identify the culprits which are draining your energy and pushing you over the edge. They are as below …
You Hardly Drink Water
I am surprised that so many people commit this one mistake often. You need to remember that water is a major constituent of our own body and it is one of the prime sources of energy for our vital organs of which one of them incidentally happens to be the brain.
Most of the executives, entrepreneurs do work in an Aircon environment and it is common not to feel thirsty and skip sipping water altogether. You might be surprised to hear some of the most absurd of the reasons I do come across when it comes to not drinking enough water. Top of the list is always
- Do not want to visit the washroom too often
- Do not remember to drink water
- Do not feel thirsty
- Only have water during meal times
- Have coffee/beverages which is zero calorie
Now you might be one of them who can relate to all or some of these reasons. However, do remember that if you are looking at working on your energy level, then it is mandatory to drink at the least 8-10 glasses of water.
This is a great article on water and brain efficacy.
So, that means at least one glass of water every hour or so. After a few days, it becomes a conscious habit just like any other empowering habit. I always keep my bottle at arm’s length through the day when I am at work, working out or even playing a round of golf.
You Sit For More Than 8 Hours
Are you aware that sitting for a long period is an energy Zapper? Well that’s a fact. If you are reading this sitting down, then try to atleast stand on your feet and read. Since we do spend most of the time working while sitting, we must develop some ingenuity to be on our feet for a couple of hours during the working hours.
With hardly any time for exercise, the best thing you can do when it comes to being healthy is to develop a habit to move around every one – two hour. This is easier said than done but with consistent effort you will master it in no time.
When you are on your feet you help the body to get the circulation flowing again which in turn does get oxygen rich blood to your system which replenishes your energy level. This article talks about the damage done by sitting for long hours at the cellular level.
This will eventually flow towards your brain which is an energy guzzler. I personally aim for about 10 K steps in a day which does work out to 6-7 Km of walking a day. See what suits you and you can begin to at least get to 4 figure of Steps taken in a day.
You Have Become Good At Bottling Up Emotions
Your emotions do play a big role in your energy management. If you are someone who have unresolved conflicts or bottled up your emotions, then it’s just about time to work on it now. Negative and disempowering thoughts are the number one energy killers and the sad truth is that people do become good in harboring these thoughts over a period of time.
There is no one way to deal with this habit except to work on it head on. You must address this from this moment. If you have tried dealing with this and not succeeded yet, then click on the link to sign up for a No Obligation Call with me and I will try and teach you some proven techniques which have worked magically for some of my own clients.
This is a great article on the ill effects of bottling up with Emotions.
You Believe Sleeping For 8 Hours Is A Waste Of Time
One of the most common traps most high performing executives fall into is to compromise on the sleep by doing with just about 5-6 hours of sleep every night. Now always remember that your body does more than rest when you go to sleep.
It is a critical time where a lot of data is processed and your body & mind uses these golden hours to heal, repair and most importantly grow. Just like how muscles are never built in the gym but while being asleep, the same logic works for your biggest growth both Emotionally & Physically.
I always tell this to my clients “Compromise just about anything in life, but not the 7-8 hrs. of sleep which is critical for personal growth. Another important activity most of the people do tend to miss out is what you tend to do in the hours before you hit the sack makes a world of difference. This is a great article on Sleep deprivation & Cognitive functions.
What you feed your mind just about in the 15-20-minute window is what is fed into the subconscious mind when it begins to process the data. Some of the empowering activities I strongly recommend to my own clients are
- Meditate for at least 5 minutes before you hit the bed
- Read something positive from a physical book
- Have a shower at least an hour before going to sleep
- Brush teeth just before winding up.
Now all of these activities might sound mundane to some of you. However remember these are activities which can help you to trigger the thought process in you which will have a direct impact on your growth and according to me, the best time to do this is in the 30-45 minutes window before going to sleep.
Your Food Habits Are Cockeyed
What and when you eat plays an important role in your energy management and eventually your thought process. The body and the mind does require fuel on a consistent basis to fuel you towards your goals. I always ask my own clients – do they wait for the fuel tank to run empty or worse add knowingly adulterated fuel to their shiny car?
Surprisingly, not even one of them in the last one decade has given an affirmative answer but when it does come to eating healthy and on time for them it’s more often the regular story of missed breakfast, rushed lunch and to make up for all this a late heavy dinner. This article by Harvard Business Review talks about healthy eating and performance.
Falling into this trap is something which is becoming a norm nowadays for most High performing executives & large business owners. Simple solution I sometimes make my own clients to follow and maintain a food journal and keep a record of the eating and drinking habits.
Believe me, in a weeks’ time you will get some great insights and you can do your own course correction. Some of the recommendations for my clients which I would like to share with you would be
- Have a healthy breakfast within 2 hours of waking up
- Include 2-3 servings of fruits & salads in a day
- Avoid simple carbs like white sugar and white flour completely.
- Include food rich in complex carbs like whole grains, beans, lentils, sweet potatoes etc.—
Now these can be included in your regular meal plans. There is no need to work on lot of planning or experimentation. A responsibility to eat healthy is all that matters. If you are someone who is overweight or at times underweight then you might have to work around this. However, for most of the adults this should work like a charm and help to move in the right direction in the shortest period of time.
If you are someone who has been struggling with Low Energy and are unable to work to your potential , just click on the link to
Energy Management
- Identity the area of low energy issues
- Get a new perspective on your action steps
- Get a clear road-map to work on your energy issues.
If you are an executive in an organization and are looking at “Employee Transformation” then you will be glad to hear that I do “Strategic Intervention” personally for your core team. By the end of this intervention your team will be able to
1.Work on their low energy level issues.
2.Double or even triple their productivity, by developing laser-like focus and maximize their energy.
3.Create an absolutely clear road-map to work on their Energy management .
You can see how our Strategic Interventions can help your core team to perform at their best by clicking on
Yes I Want You To Work With My Team
You can also reach out to my team by sending out a mail to the following email id enquiry@satishrao.in
One of my team members will be happy to reach out to you and discuss about these “Strategic Interventions”.
Thank you for reading my post. I regularly write about Leadership, Peak Performance, and Health & Wellness.
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