We all work very hard in both our home life and work life. How can we maintain work-life balance if we’re too pooped to enjoy life after all that working we do?

Others of us are just chronically always tired, whether its health reasons, boredom, or just plain laziness (guilty!).

Let’s talk about how to increase your energy regardless of the reasons you feel tired. Below are some “energy boosters” that just might work for you. Some of them may work, some of them may not. Just try them all to see which work best for you.  You may find you need to do a few, and that’s OK too.  The goal is to get pep in your step so you have the energy to do the work, then enjoy life!

1. Turn on some energetic music. Find the type music that wakes you up and gets you going, and keep it ready. Keep a CD of energy boosting music in the car or store some songs on your iPod for when you are on the go.
2. Once the music is pumping, move your body! Even just getting up and washing the dishes, watering the plants or walking around the house helps to raise your energy levels. Or even try a few quick exercises – 10 quick jumping jacks are sure to get your heart pumping.
3. Try a hot / cold shower mix. Shower for a minute in hot water, then a minute in cold, alternate like this for six minutes. Not only can this actually boost your immune system (research shows…) but it will definitely wake you up!
4. Have a chat about something that interests you. Have you noticed that people get excited when they talk about something they love? And sometimes you can’t get them to stop yapping about it LOL. Think about the topics that get you excited and grab a person who’s willing to listen.
5. Try to sleep better to ward off the energy slumps before they even start. It’s not about the amount of hours, but also the quality of sleep. Is your room dark enough? Quiet enough? Is your bed comfortable enough? How is the temperature in the room?  If you sleep for eight hours and  don’t wake up feeling refreshed, try to analyze what’s happening at night while you are sleeping – locate the issue and try to fix it.

Alright, there you have it – 5 tips to help boost and increase your energy!