People are really looking to have more energy to live their lives. I’m not just talking about being able to keep your eyes open during a boring meeting at work. I’m talking about having the energy to perform at a high level both in mental pursuits (working on a hard problem at work or in school) and physical pursuits (like a power yoga class!).

I thought it would be good to share my top 5 tips for energizing your life. These are things that I do on a regular basis – and they work. I think experience is the best teacher – and I have learned well

1. Avoid Caffeine. I know I know – sacrilege! Despite the supposed health benefits of drinking coffee (and even tea), the reality is that when you borrow energy you need to pay it back. This might not be what you want to hear, but it is the truth. If you are serious about energizing your body – cut the caffeine. Or (as I do right now), limit it to 1 serving in the morning.
2. Hydrate. Your body is 75% water. Your body also has 2-3x as much lymph fluid in your body as it does blood. Lymph is the watery substance in between your cells that allows nutrients to flow in and toxins to flow out of your cells. Staying well-hydrated is critical to proper energy transfer into and out of the cells. A great way to stay hydrate is not just to drink water, but to avoid dehydrating your body with caffeine, refined sugars and other highly processed (and dehydrated) foods.
3. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods. I’ve written a great post about this. In summary, you should focus on eating plenty of fresh fruits and green/bright colored veggies that have high water content and high nutrient contents on a per-calorie basis. Did you know that broccoli has more protein than steak on a per-calorie basis? The truth is sometimes surprising but it is the truth nonetheless.
4. Eliminate Refined Sugars. If it says “cane sugar,” “brown rice syrup,” “corn syrup,” or any other kind of processed sugar on the package, don’t eat it. This includes most energy bars! Your body will just experience a sugar rush and crash cycle when you consume these things. Instead, eat fresh fruits. The sugar in the fruits is processed differently by the body and they won’t cause the same spike in blood sugar. You’ll also help your body to stay hydrated.
5. Breath Properly! This is perhaps the single most effective thing you can do. I wrote a long post about the importance of proper breath work. If you are at all committed to having more energy in your days – you should read this post. Essentially, cultivate a practice of consistent and deep nasal breathing – especially under times of stress and while sleeping. It may take some practice but the benefits are well worth it.

Have any other tips to share? Please let me know in the comments!

You are what you eat.

This statement is so simple but true. I’ve written at length about the importance of eating a wholesome diet full of fresh and organic plant-based food. I’ve also written a bit about the power of an alkaline diet – a way of eating that focuses on supplying the proper nutrients to the body so it can naturally cleanse and provide you with sustainable power.

I’m really happy about today’s post, featuring an interview I recently finished with Ross Bridgeford – Co-Founder of Energise for Life, Europe’s #1 alkaline diet and nutrition store (check out his Energise Blog for more great tips!). Ross has been living the alkaline lifestyle for a while, and has a ton of great insights on how to live a healthier and more energized life.

I think you’ll find this interview incredibly informative. Enjoy!

Ross and Callum (Left to Right) – founders of Energiseforlife.com

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Hi Ross, thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview. I’ve been checking out your blog and website for a while now. When did you first start to develop an interest in energizing and healthy foods and proper nutrition?

I probably first had an interest when I was about 14 and I became vegetarian after reading an essay by Moby.  It changed my way of thinking about meat and food in general and from that day onwards I’ve not eaten meat.  It helped that my Dad has always grown his own vegetables so I’ve grown up absolutely loving fresh foods.  Cutting out meat wasn’t a big deal at all because I just loved vegetables!

But I still wasn’t really healthy, and my real interest in energizing and being healthy came from day four at UPW London in 2003. [Ravi: note - UPW stands for Unleash the Power Within, and is a personal growth program led by Tony Robbins] I had set so many goals and thought that if I’m going to achieve all of this I’m going to need some energy!

The concept of alkalizing just made so much sense right away and so I spent the next year learning and then launched energiseforlife.com in 2004.  Since then reading and learning about health, nutrition and fitness has been a healthy addiction

Who are your mentors? Who do you look up to and learn from?

I have a few.  Tony Robbins is always someone who I draw inspiration from, learn from and I am enjoying his tweets immensely!

Dr Young is an inspiration in terms of his work and research into the alkaline lifestyle and his commitment and energy towards spreading this knowledge as far and wide as possible.  His work ethic is truly admirable.  He is also a very kind and funny guy.

There are heaps of other bloggers who I respect: Rand Fishkin of seomoz has built something spectacular from being a really nice guy, a strong personality and through constant, dedicated application.  I think a lot of people relate to him and respect him because he is always humble.  Steve Pavlina because his work ethic and drive are incredible.  Darren Rowse of problogger because he is just so smart and Seth Godin for being able to blog absolute genius in less than 200 words every day.  He is so prolific, I’m still not sure how he does it.  Oh and Tim Ferris because reading his book took the life I was trying to create forward about 10 years in 2 weeks.

I think my mentors are all honest, driven and able to communicate in a way that makes you want to get out of your seat and DO SOMETHING NOW!

Well, after that UPW in 2003, Callum (my brother) and I really wanted to apply all of this info we had learned.  We wanted the energy of Tony Robbins!  But we found pretty quickly that not only was there very little info on the web at that time, but every site said something different and nobody seemed to say anything useful!.

Alongside this, buying the products such as sprouters and juicers and the supplements was impossible!  You had to order greens from America, sprouters from Europe, pH drops from Canada and other bits from Australia.  All of of these sites were really badly designed too which didn’t give you much confidence that your products would ever turn up!

I was previously a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and Callum was an IT guru for Accenture, so we figured we could do a better job and both set about creating energiseforlife.com.  We just wanted to make it really easy for people to a) learn all about alkalizing and b) get hold of everything they needed to make it happen.

Five or so years later here we are…!

The alkaline diet can be explained really simply, or really scientifically – so I’ll go for the simple version.  When you are living an alkaline lifestyle you are aiming to consume 70-80% foods & drinks which have an alkalising effect on the body.  These foods include vegetables, good fats, low sugar fruits, salads, nuts, seeds, fatty fish, water, herbal teas etc. while acidic foods include meats, dairy, sweets, sugar, fizzy drinks, alcohol etc.

To put it most simply you eat the foods you know are good for you and avoid the ones you know are bad.  There are only a few gray areas, so it really is that simple.  I’ve read so many different explanations of that and most people really overcook the explanation.

It makes sense doesn’t it?  It just makes sense to focus 70-80% of your diet around healthy, fresh, raw, vibrant foods rather than unhealthy fats, processed, sugary, refined foods.

And if you are into the science of it, here is the philosophy behind it all:

Your body HAS to keep the pH of your blood, cells and other fluids at just slightly alkaline (pH 7.365) and it will do ANYTHING it has to in order to maintain this pH balance.  To do this, your body calls upon its store of alkaline buffers, which it draws upon to neutralize the acids we ingest or create through bodily processes.  This store of buffers is very easily depleted because most of us eat and drink such strong acids.  To put this in context, the pH scale is logarithmic – so pH 6 is 10x more acidic than pH 7, meaning pH 5 is 100x times more acidic than pH 7 and pH 4 is 1000x more acidic.  Coke has a pH of between 2 and 3.  So you can see how a diet filled with meats, dairy, fizzy drinks, alcohol etc would quickly deplete these buffers.

And when we deplete these buffers and still ingest more acids…what happens? The body is forced into drawing upon the alkaline minerals it has to buffer which causes havoc in the body – for instance, if the body is constantly drawing calcium to neutralize the acids we consume then the symptoms of osteoporosis emerge (hence the recent research articles linking cola consumption with osteoporosis).

This is just one example.  Another outcome is that the body also hangs onto excess fat to protect our body/organs from the damage caused in an acidic state.   Another outcome is that we ingest high levels of sugar, the sugar ferments in the blood, creating more acids, which creates acid wastes, which feeds the sugar which has fermented into bacteria, yeast, fungus which create more acid wastes etc and a vicious cycle of acid creation further depletes the alkaline buffers resulting in skin conditions, yeast infections, mood and emotional problems, diabetes and a whole heap of other symptoms.

By eating 70-80% alkaline foods we not only take this stress away from the body, but we also flood our body with vitamins, fiber, minerals, nutrients, good fats, proteins, antioxidants etc.  which build the blood, cleanse our system and ultimately make us feel great.

Still, the simple explanation is the one I prefer – eat lots of great, fresh foods and treat treats as a treat.

Where to start!  Personally I have experienced more energy than ever before, I never get ill any more (I used to get coughs, colds, flu every 6-8 weeks), clear skin (I used to have pretty terrible acne), perfect weight (I always struggled with being underweight), I need less sleep, I don’t get afternoon fatigue anymore, my thoughts are clearer and I get MUCH better results from the gym, both in terms of weights and running.

This is a good time for you to ask too because I launched an online Alkaline Diet course in December so I have had plenty of people emailing me their results lately!  Some highlights include:

• a lady who was housebound with Fibromyalgia for 3 years is now active, exercising and feeling great
• people are losing serious amounts of fat after many years of trying
• libido increases!
• people with years of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and other digestive problems are saying they are completely back to normal
• eczema and other dermatological problems are clearing up
• people are reporting having heaps more energy

These emails are so motivating to me and make me pretty proud that I did a good job with my designing the alkaline diet course!

Apart from the benefits listed above to my health, this has impacted me in so many ways.  With the extra energy I have these days I simply get so much more done – work wise and fun wise!  I am achieving so many personal, professional and fun goals – it is just fantastic.  There is no way I could have ever been so productive before!  And you know how success breeds success, so feeling so fantastic physically makes it easier and more fun to achieve my goals which makes me feel great emotionally and it all snowballs.

And when you’re in such a great state of mind it draws more into your life and you put more energy and more positivity out there – which can only be a good thing!

Heh – the question I get asked more than any other!  My advice is always to try and start with the few core, big areas you can apply right now and which will make the biggest impact on your health, life and energy:

• water:  aim for 3-4 litres of good quality, clean water every day
• fats: learn about good fats!  They are so important!  Consume 3 tablespoons of omega 3 each day (read here for more info)
• exercise: if you exercise aerobically for 30+ minutes 3 times per week you will seriously notice the difference!
• greens: try to eat a salad, even a small one with lunch and dinner each day and make one meal per day 80% raw, fresh vegetables
• one vice:  try to pick the once vice that once eliminated would make the biggest difference to your life.  Then set a 3 week plan to cut it out!

If you do these then I PROMISE you’ll feel amazing!

If anyone is serious about increasing their health and vitality then I have to recommend my online Alkaline Lifestyle Course.  I’m so proud of it!  But second top of my list for anyone who wants to learn more about health is always The pH Miracle by Dr Robert Young.

More recently I’ve enjoyed The China Study by Colin Campbell – very eye opening and Tom Venuto’s new book/ebook – The Body Fat Solution which is a good build upon his first book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.

With all health books I think there is something to learn, even if you don’t agree 100% with everything said.  It’s good to always keep an open mind!

What is your typical daily diet like?
I try to keep it quite relaxed.  In the beginning I had to be incredibly organized to make sure I always had the right foods, but now I am in good habits so I know that if I have a core of 10-12 ingredients in I can make it a good healthy day!  When I first started I found it very useful to plan out my meals for the next three days, breakfast, lunch and dinner and then buy the ingredients specific to those meals.  If I didn’t do that I would always find myself with an empty fridge – and that is when most people slip up.

Anyway, so an average day would be something like:

Breakfast: green vegetable juice or smoothie (like your green ones!).  For the juice I’ll happily just juice whatever is in the fridge, but it is usually a core of spinach, cucumber, celery and lettuce.  Additional bits and pieces might be capsicum, green beans, kale, broccoli, carrot, tomato etc.

For smoothies, I usually have a base of avocado (makes it lovely and creamy), cucumber, spinach and then add whatever else I fancy, with a little bit of veggie stock.

A couple of times a week if I am in a hurry I might have oats cooked in water and soy milk, with LSA, wheatgerm and maybe a banana thrown in.  Or a wheat/gluten free muesli with almonds, seeds etc.

These breakfast foods keep me going til lunch with a few snacks thrown in.

For snacks I will usually have nuts, seeds etc if I am just peckish.  If I get more hungry I might have some sprouted bread with avocado, tomato & olive oil, or a wrap or something like that.

Lunch: often either veggie wraps and/or a big salad.  If I have cooked a big healthy meal the night before I’ll have leftovers from that too.

Dinner: there are all manner of lovely alkaline dinners to be had!  Check out some of the recipes on my blog.  I’ve developed alkaline green curry, alkaline lasagnas and all manner of stir-fry’s.  I’ll also happily have a big bowl of soup, heaps of veggies with olive oil and lemon squeezed over, giant salads etc or a combo of all three.  Dinner is so easy to have healthy, 60% or more raw and still be delicious.

If I’m cooking for others I’ll often do fish too (still quite alkaline and better for non-veg, non-alkaline girlfriend/guests etc).  My favorite to do for them is either steamed salmon in a lemon and dill or to stir-fry prawns in coconut oil and  cover with a chili-lime dressing.  I just substitute in organic tofu for me!

Drinks: I’m always sipping green drinks and green juices (like these) or warm water with lemon squeezed in.  Oh, or herbal tea.  It’s easy to stay hydrated!

Me and my girlfriend recently made up/stumbled upon two crackers – a Creamy Zucchini Pasta sauce that we have with spelt pasta and Tom Yum Soup.  My staple lunch is to simply have brown rice with sliced tomato, avocado, spinach and lightly steamed broccoli with lemon and olive oil over the top.  Always a winner – the textures are so awesome together and it is really filling!

There is nothing more effective for increasing your daily energy levels than drinking 3-4 liters of good quality, clean water each day.   Even if this sounds like a lot, build up to it and try it and you’ll be amazed at how you ever got by being so dehydrated!

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Thanks a lot Ross! I’m gonna try out some of those recipes for sure! For those of you interested in learning more about how to alkalize your body, please check our Ross’s blog and the Energise for Life supersite!

I’ve been fascinated with the study of endurance for years. I am always amazed at people who are able to endure and outlast more than anyone else.

In the case of endurance, the best study is through direct personal experience. In my own experiences of pushing my edge -  whether through racing Ironman Triathlons, cycling 200+ miles in a day or swimming across Puget Sound – I’ve discovered more about my self than through anything else.

By enduring, I’ve also stumbled across a few techniques that anyone – regardless of physical ability – can apply to significantly increase endurance.

One word of warning though: the tips I’m going to provide are incredibly simple, but applying them will consistently in your life will not come easy, at least not at first.Yes, they are easy to grasp and put in practice, but tough to stick with. However, at the end of the day, I think you will find that the benefits will come once you push through the initial difficulties.

So what are the 5 simple tips for superhuman endurance? Here they are:

1. Breath through your nose
2. Adopt a slower carb diet
3. Slow down
   
4. Reduce stimulants
5. Cultivate presence

1. Breath Through Your Nose

The single daily practice of nasal breathing has had a greater impact on my overall well-being than any other single technique. The ancient yogis have known this for years, and have developed an entire study to the science of pranayama to gain mastery over the breath.

It is also the most simple thing to do, and unless you have a severely blocked nasal passage, it open to anyone to apply right away. Mastering the full technique of nasal breathing while training, however, takes much more practice.

Babies are natural nose breathers. While eating, playing and sleeping they go about their businesses breathing effortlessly through their nose That means you were at one time as well! Chances are though, that you now spend much of your waking (and perhaps sleeping) hours sucking in air through your mouth and not using your lungs effectively.

Why is this so critical? Consider a few facts. First of all, the body was built to nose breath. The nasal passages act as turbines, that not only cleans and moisten air (important for healthy immune support) but also create a vortex as you breath that helps air to travel down further into the lungs. While most of us limit our breathing to the upper portions of our lungs, it is the bottom of our lungs that contain the most capillaries for exchange of oxygen into the blood and waste out of the blood. More oxygen and less waste = a cleaner body that is able to do more aerobic work.

Furthermore, mouth breathing is linked to the fight or flight response system of the body. When you breath through your mouth, you are engaging the nervous system in a manner that stimulates more stress and heart activity (raising of heart rate), whether you are being chases by a lion or not! On the other hand, nasal breathing has a cooling and calming effect on the body. While nose breathing and exercising (after you have conditioned yourself to do so) you will be able to train at a similar intensity but at a significantly lower heart rate.

The more oxygen you can get into your bloodstream, the more toxins you can remove and the more calm you keep your nerves – this will all help you to endure more, with less effort.

Many other benefits exist, as I have written about in my previous post on nasal breathing. Take a look, and start making it a point to breath through your nose NOW. Start applying the technique throughout your day – especially in light exercise like walking around or up stairs – and eventually start applying it to your exercise routine as well.

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2. Adopt a Slower Carb Diet

Note that I did not say “Low Carb Diet,” as a vegan and endurance athlete, that would be incredibly unwise. Furthermore, there is plenty of research that indicates a moderate amount of carbs are actually beneficial for health.

By Slower Carb  I am referring to a diet that is structured around plenty of whole grains and fresh vegetables and a reasonable amount of fruits. The important is to eliminate completely any white starches or sugars from your diet. This includes white rice (go for wild or brown rice instead), white bread (stick to whole grain bread), pastas, sodas, juices and any other refined carbohydrate source.

Typically, “Slow Carb” diets also limit fruit intake, but this is not something condone. I think fruits (in moderation) are superb foods and important for overall health. Slow Carb dieters are also fans of animal proteins, which of course I am strongly against……for many reasons. Overall however, the point is to eat foods that are low-glycemic (i.e. don’t cause a big spike in your blood sugar) and in their natural/whole food state where possible. This is the key.

Perhaps the greatest abusers of refined carb sources are endurance athletes! Eating lots of rice, pastas and energy drinks while training a lot might be OK for a while, but ultimately (especially in the off-season or when you are done racing) your body will revolt. The pounds will pack on and in some cases you might be left with lingering health issues (especially in old age).

I remember a dramatic example from my high school cross-country team, where one of our star runners was famous for drinking at least 1 x 3 liter of Coca Cola every day (sometimes 2 x 3 liters on the weekends)! Half-way through our junior year, he hit a wall. He was running in a race and had to stop…he could barely finish. He went from the rising star of the team to almost not finishing the 3.1 mile race. What happened? The overload of sugar eventually caused his body to force him to stop running. He had chronic fatigue that lasted for weeks. Eventually…he got of the Coke and was able to run again. It was a hard and slow slog.

By sticking to slower-burning sources of fuel – primarily from whole grains and veggies – you’ll avoid the ups and downs that come with eating processed foods. While training, you’ll find that your energy will be more stable, and your recovery will also improve. I just finished reading a great book, Ultra-Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes….where he is a proponent of Slow Carbs. Dean frequently runs 100+ mile ultras and has run >200 miles at one time on several occasions….I think he knows a thing or two about endurance . Check out his book, especially the epilogue where he discusses the details of his dietary habits.

3. Slow Down

We always like to move so fast. Rush to work, rush home. Work out quickly so we work up and sweat and can go rush back home to quickly eat dinner and then crash on the sofa. Training quickly is good if it is done deliberately quickly for a specific purpose. The problem is that when we rush we also run the risk of burning our selves out before we reach our true potential.

I experienced this first hand in high school, with races (be it running or swimming, both sports I competed in) limited to fairly modest distances. I really struggled to be competitive. I saw my peers running or swimming circles around me, even though I put in a good effort. It wasn’t until I moved on to college and started training for longer distance triathlons (with swims over 1 mile, and runs 10K and longer) that I started to see more potential. It wasn’t just the distance that was the issue, my training was done way to fast. Most workouts I would be pushing my body at 80% of my max heart rate….day after day. I wasn’t training my aerobic endurance engine by training in this way.

Every body is built differently, but I believe that we all would be well-served to take more time to train our selves to operate at a lower intensity for longer periods of time. This applies to any sport, be it running, swimming, tennis, hiking, skiing…or even yoga (yes I know…yoga is not a sport, but you know what I mean!). For running, try running at 30 seconds to even a minute slower than normal but go 20% longer than normal. Try to keep your heart rate relatively low (at most 60% of your max, if you track that), even if that means slowing down. If you are up for an extra challenge, try nose breathing while running!

It also applies to weights….next time you are in the gym, use less weight that you normally would use and slow down each rep to a minimum of 4 seconds down and 4 seconds up. See how you feel about that!

Over time, you’ll notice your endurance engine tuning in and you’ll bound to be going longer and feeling better – even as you continue to do carry on with your other/shorter/higher-intensity workouts.

4. Reduce Stimulants

When you borrow money from a bank, you not only need to pay the money back, you also owe interest. When you borrow energy….through coffee, Red Bull, colas or your other stimulant of choice…you have to pay back….in forms that are not pleasant. There is no free lunch. Sorry.

I am not saying that drinking coffee or other forms of caffeine and sugar is bad, I am just saying that when you borrow energy and stimulate yourself through artificial means, it takes its toll. Own up to that, it is a fact.

When you jack yourself up on sugar, for example, you have an inevitable crash. We’ve all experienced that, and those of you with kids can witness this effect first hand! The same thing happens when we drink that Venti Latte first thing in the morning. We can plow through the stack of papers and power meetings, but at the end of the day we’ll feel worse for wear….which is why we often recharge with more stimulants in the afternoon.

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Real endurance comes from within. Detoxing from caffeine and sugar addiction is not easy, but there are plenty of tools and tips on the net to help you wean yourself (I’ll post more about these resources in another post). Even if you have no intention of completely going off stimulants, it is worthwhile to trim down your intake and witness the results. After an initial (albeit painful) detoxing period, I think you’ll find a new-found energy that lasts longer and brings with it deeper clarity and insight. Remember, life is a marathon not a sprint.

5. Cultivate Presence

During some of the most difficult feats of endurance in my life, I’ve entered into a space where I was completely aware of the present moment. I wasn’t thinking about how many miles left to run, the heat radiating off of the pavement, or the choppy seas. In fact, I wasn’t thinking at all, I was just being.

Athletes frequently talk about “the zone,” that experience of being totally and completely engrossed in an activity. In fact, during Michael Phelps epic quest for 8 gold medals in swimming this summer, he stated  that the most important thing for him was to maintain his focus on the race at hand. Thinking about the days of head would just be a distraction…and overwhelming. His intense focus was the real key to his success.

Athletes, business-people, moms, students and people from all walks of life can apply present moment awareness to improve the quality of their lives. Relating to endurance, when you are completely present, you stop telling yourself excuses about why you should stop running, riding or doing what you are doing.

Instead, you see situations for what they are – and the inevitable result is a sense of peace with what is rather than a revulsion to it. For me, cultivating present moment awareness during my yoga practice helps me to practice longer and hold even the most challenging postures without much strain.

A great way to bring this practice into your own life, is to find a comfortable seat and for a set amount of time every day (say 10 minutes – 20 minutes is even better), close your eyes and focus on your breathing (through your nose please!). If thoughts come, just let them pass like clouds overhead, and come back to your breath. This simple meditation can then be applied to any activity you might be doing – physical or otherwise.

If you want to learn more about this topic, I highly recommend reading The Power of Now by Eckhardt Tolle.

Next time you are out exercises or playing a sport, try to just focus on your breath instead of getting wrapped up in your thoughts. Over time, you’ll notice an ability to endure longer – without getting caught up in the drama of fatigue or boredom.

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So there you have it. Five super simple tips for superhuman endurance! I didn’t say they would be easy to apply, but they absolutely are simple and can be put into practice by almost anybody, regardless of physical ability.

So I urge you to now take on one (or maybe all five) of these tips and apply them to your life for the next 10 days (30 days would be even better!). Just do it and see what happens. With consistent and sincere application of even one of these tips, you’re bound to see your endurance skyrocket.

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p.s. if you have endurance tips of your own to share, please leave a note in the comments!