We could all use a bit more energy, right?
Life is busy. For everyone. No matter your job, if you’re a stay at home parent, if you have kids or not, TIME IS MOVING FAST. To bring the best version of ourselves to the table, to accomplish all we need and want to do, we need ENERGY.
Well, as always, I got you.
These tips are all things that really help me boost my energy. They’re things I’ve discovered & tips that I’ve picked up from interviewing professionals on The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER podcast.
So on top of eating well and getting quality sleep, here are some of my top tips.
Healthy Ways To Boost Your Energy
The Skinny Confidential’s Tips For Boosting Energy:
♡ Wim Hof’s Breathwork:
The Wim Hof breathing method totally changed my postpartum experience.
Wim Hof was introduced to me by 2 of my favorite people: Tim Ferriss & Ryan Holiday. He’s known as The Iceman & has set many Guinness World Records for, well, basically, being an Iceman.
His body can withstand super cold temperatures & he is the definition of an extreme athlete. He was on the HIM & HER podcast not too long ago too.
Wim has run marathons barefoot & shirtless near the Arctic Circle, he’s swam under the ice at the North Pole & has sat in ice baths for 1.5 hours. He says what got him through these accomplishments was his breathing practice.
As my research into Wim went on, I found out that his wife had committed suicide after a long depression & Wim had developed this meditation to help people live happier, healthier, stronger lives. What he ended up with is a method that has amazing benefits.
Oh, & Gwyneth Paltrow is a big fan too. So much so, that Wim is featured on episode 2 of The Goop Lab on Netflix.
Anyway, let’s get right into it…
How To Do The Wim Hof Method:
First, find a comfortable place to sit. Lately my favorite places have been somewhere in nature or in front of the Joovv red light ( the founders were on the podcast & it’s a must-listen ). So sit down, relax, & follow Wim’s method on YouTube which is about 10 minutes long.
What you do is take 30 quick, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose & exhaling through your mouth. Then you take another deep breath, & exhale for as long as you can until you need to take a breath again. Inhale again, hold it for 10 seconds & repeat.
It might sound confusing but check out his video for specifics. It’s super easy to follow when you do it with him & seriously, it’s been LIFE-CHANGING for me.
♡ Freezing Cold Showers:
Here’s the real cherry on top…the second you’re done with the breathwork, hop into a freezing fucking cold shower for 3 minutes. Personally, I like to listen to The Daily Stoic podcast by Ryan Holiday while I do this because most of the episodes are 2-4 minutes long.
So set your alarm for 3 minutes & scrape your tongue, dry brush ( but it’s not dry cause it’s in the shower LOL ), & wash with the best ever Nécessaire eucalyptus body wash.
Afterwards you will immediately feel rejuvenated from the breathwork & the cold shower. Wim recommends doing the cold shower RIGHT after the breathwork.
Yes, Michael and I have an outdoor ice bath, but I still love a freezing cold shower when traveling or I need a little energy boost. Cold plunging combined with sauna is a gamechanger (more on that here).
♡ Sexing Up Your Water:
After learning about hydration from experts, I realized that drinking tons of plain water isn’t the proper way to do it. To hydrate properly we need to be getting our electrolytes.
Chervin of Cymbiotika said in his recent TSC epsiode that his favorite way to hydrate in the morning is with water and Celtic sea salt. Other electrolytes I like:
+ LMNT
+ Liquid IV (use code SKINNY for 25% off)
+ Harmless Harvest coconut water
I also love to have Kion aminos pre workout. The point is, keeping your water interesting will help you drink more, and keep you staying properly hydrated. Another HOT TIP: love your water bottle. Let’s be honest, a Stanley is a statement. A chic glass and bamboo situation is everything. This Simple Modern one is perfect for the car.
♡ Meditation:
When you’re new to meditating it can seem a bit daunting, elusive, and just like WTF do I do? I used to feel the exact same way. In fact, if you told me a few years ago that I would be spending about 30 minutes meditating every morning (and sometimes at night too) I’d say you were batshit crazy.
After Melissa Wood came on the podcast, she inspired me to start meditating. I was very resistant but she told me to just try it. Since I always like to be a guinea pig for you guys, I figured I’d do it for 70 days straight, and if it works- fab, I can inspire others to do it too. And if it doesn’t work- oh well, at least I tried it. I found it VERY hard at first. Like, 5 minutes felt like forever, but after 70 days, 30 minutes felt like 2 seconds. It’s wild.
Anyway, if there is anything that has significantly changed my life, it’s meditation. It’s like a strategy session with yourself, for your life. And yes, it does give me more energy for the day. I think it’s because it makes me feel calmer and less reactive, so when things come up that I can’t control I’m not wasting my energy on them? It’s hard for me to articulate, but if you want to get started with meditation, check out this post for the best ways to get started.
♡ Grounding:
Getting outside, taking walks & immersing yourself in nature is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
And while you’re out there, another great thing to do is grounding. Sure, it’s kinda like walking, but you have to be barefoot. Bear with me…
Grounding, or ‘earthing,’ whatever you want to call it, has absolutely changed the game for me.
First, let’s start off with this question: when was the last time you let your bare feet touch the actual earth? Not your marble or hardwood floor, or your carpet. I’m not even talking about your balcony. The actual earth- the grass, the sand, the beach. 99% of people can’t even remember.
Basically the grounding theory is that our body is supposed to have contact with the earth as much as possible ( like with no shoes ). Electrons in free radical form ( yuck- from wifi ) accumulate in us & direct contact with the earth balances this out with the opposite effect. Back in the day this would happen naturally because we weren’t wearing shoes…now we need to make it happen… But let’s dive deep.
Let’s get sciencey:
So essentially, it’s allowing your skin to touch the ions of the earth. My absolute favorite way to do this is by putting my feet in the sand. You should know that I even do this with my daughter. I’ll take her little feet & hands and make sure they touch the earth as often as I can.
How To Ground:
♡ Go outside & get your feet in some grass, sand or dirt.
♡ You can even use the ceramic tile or concrete floor in your basement if you have one. There just shouldn’t be any kind of material between it & your feet ( ex. carpet, hardwood, etc. ).
♡ Earthing sheet. “Every house has a network of grounding wires that connects the electrical source to the ground. This helps complete the circuit using the ground instead of your body, so you can touch your TVs and blenders and whatnot without getting a zap.
An earthing sheet plugs into a normal outlet and connects to the grounding wires in your home’s wiring (not the electrical source, so don’t worry about plugging in all night). Since it conducts energy all the way into the ground, you can get in a full night of earthing in without sleeping in the grass. It’s usually made of cotton and fine silver thread for conductivity, so the sheet will deliver negative electrons from the earth to your body and neutralize the positive charges.” ( via )
♡ Earthing shoes actually exist. They are shoes that have some kind of conductive material built into them so you can ground all day while you get your steps in. In fact, it seems like there are a lot of moccasin style shoes that are ‘earthing’ out there.
Just remember, these are special shoes & if there’s rubber on your shoes, that means they are NOT grounding you.
♡ Grounding mat. This would be a great thing to use while you work to kind of cancel out the electromagnetic field from your computer, phone, or tablet. You can even get grounding mats for your bed so you can get all the benefits while you sleep. Speaking of benefits, let’s get into it.
Benefits of Grounding or Earthing. ( There are a ton !! ):
♡ Regulates cortisol.
Cortisol is your body’s stress hormone & I’m all about lowering it. You may have heard me talk about this 1 or 50 times. When your cortisol is regulated it means that a stressful situation won’t affect you as long. You can recover easily & not feel anxiety for too long after.
♡ Gets rid of free radicals.
You’ve probably heard all about free radicals before & how antioxidants neutralize them. Well, grounding also neutralizes them which means they won’t be around to damage the cells in our body.
♡ No more fight-or-flight.
Grounding helps your body go from the stressed out fight-or-flight feeling to a more restorative state.
More benefits….
♡ Reduces inflammation.
♡ Improves sleep.
♡ Improves immunity.
♡ Reduces some factors of cardiovascular disease.
♡ Reduces pain.
♡ Speeds healing time.
♡ Helps with period cramps.
♡ Reduces electric fields induced on the body.
♡ Improves glucose regulation.
♡ Reduces indicators of osteoporosis.
♡ Reduces anxiety & depression.
♡ Supports adrenal health.
♡ & like I said, can really cure a hangover.
The only technique I’ve ever tried is putting my bare feet on the ground- the beach is my favorite. But I’d love to try a grounding mat soon.
Trust me & just try it. You’ll feel better. Plus, it’s the best hangover cure.
TA-DA! Boost your energy. All it really takes is a bit of self care each day, routines that become habits & it’ll set you up to take on anything that comes your way.
What’s a habit you have that gives you the most energy? Share below.
x, lauryn
+ the best green smoothie that Reese Witherspoon loves.
++ gluten-free sourdough bread you need to try, plus no-hangover wine.
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