5 Ways to Start Your Day Out With Energy and Enthusiasm

Day in and day out, people roll out of bed after hitting the snooze button at least a dozen times and then spend the rest of their days chasing after the energy they thought they started the day out with, but never really had in the first place.

You know the drill. You go to bed exhausted, wake up exhausted, drag yourself through your morning until the coffee kicks in, spend the first 3 or 4 hours of your day with a reasonable amount of energy until you crash mid-afternoon and want to do nothing more than nap away the rest of the day until it's finally time for bed again.

That's no way to live your life!

I should know. That's what I did for the last 26 years of my life, until a few books and the realization that I was wasting away, made me rethink how I started out my day and how I could make changes to have better days every day.

Seriously, I cannot explain thoroughly enough with our limited vocabulary, just how much this simple little tip changed the flow of my days from start to finish. I went from being a total night owl who got up in the early afternoon, spent most of the day grumpy and finished it with late night snacks and sour faces.

Going to bed excited about something, anything really, means you'll wake up excited and you'll be much more able to jump right out of bed instead of slapping down that dreadful snooze button. Just think about the last time you were excited to get out of bed. Was it xmas, your birthday, an anniversary? Maybe it was the morning of a coveted vacation or the day you decided to change your life.

Think about everyday in your life when you've had a hard time going to sleep because you were too excited and wanted the next day to begin as soon as possible. Even if you only got 3 hours of sleep, you can bet your booty you felt fine when you woke up!

That's the very key to have an energetic and enthusiastic day - by starting it out right and being excited before you even go to bed.

Water is one of the most beneficial elements that can be added to the human body, especially when you consider that our bodies are supposed to be 86% water. The only challenge with this, is that most people drink something other than water 99% of the time. We drink coffee, sugared water drinks, energy drinks, juice, beer and all sorts of other non-essential beverages.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "You are what you eat"??

The same rings true with what you drink. Our bodies are constantly shedding cells and regrowing every part of our bodies, inside and out. That means that our bodies depend on what we put in them, to regrow and renew every organ, every piece of skin and especially every ounce of our brains. What we eat and drink, are what our body uses to make those new parts of ourselves, which means we literally become what we put into our bodies.

That means that unless you want to continue becoming that coffee and having lousy days that start out crappy, you need to start bringing up your intake of water, especially in the morning and the evening. Once you hit about 3pm, all non-essentials should be cut from your diet. Stick to water until you go to bed and you'll find yourself tired on time and getting more restful sleep.

Combine that with the circulation and activation benefits of starting out every morning with a fresh glass of ice cold water and you'll find that your days are fantastic, even if that's the only large change you make. Heck, within two weeks I dropped 8 lbs just from making sure I had nothing but water 3 hours before bed and that water was the first thing my lips touched when I got up. The effects only get better as you increase your intake of water throughout the day.

A good rule is this: Two 8 ounces glasses of water for every non-water beverage you have, one before and one after.

This might seem like a lot, but when you consider that your body actually loses water every time you drink something other than pure water, it makes sense why you lose so much energy throughout the day. Everything you eat, everything you drink (except water) and every motion you make, takes water to fuel it. Your blood needs water to get enough oxygen, your stomach and colon needs water to digest and your brain needs water to think clearly and be alert. With the 8 ounce rule, you'll not only cut down on non-essential beverages, but you'll be fuller in terms of hunger and anytime you do have something else to drink, you can feel secure knowing that it won't be hurting your body or sapping your energy.

• Eat a healthy breakfast and find more fuel throughout the rest of your day
• Keep healthy energy boosting snacks with you in the afternoon to help you stay alert and active throughout the day.
• Remember that your body creates new cells out of the foods you eat and the beverages you drink, so if you don't want to become a big coffee donut, don't eat that crap!
• Avoid anything that gives you fake energy such as coffee, energy drinks or sugar filled snacks.

Believe it or not, an apple a day really does keep the doctor away.

This is true for a number of reasons. First, apples are loaded with Vitamin C and B vitamins, which are known to boost and regulate your immune system. They are also slightly crunchy which cleans and keeps your teeth healthy and strong (dentists are doctors too!), and apples have the unique ability to taste good AND be good for you.

The same is true for many beneficial foods that you can add into your diet morning, noon and night, especially if you're looking for ways to boost your energy throughout the day. Some foods you'll find have extra energy boosting abilities are:

• Pumpkin Seeds
• Huckleberries
• Bell Peppers
• Hemp Seeds
• Raspberries
• Watermelon
• Cranberries
• Blueberries
• Mangoes
• Bananas
• Potatoes
• Almonds
• Onions
• Apples
• Oats

Now, while I and many others will recommend you add these foods to every meal of your diet and cut out all the other crap you really don't need in the first place, it's completely understandable that these foods might not be on your list of top 10 most desirable foods, especially if you've been living the life of luxury with fried foods, burgers and other conveniences of modern living. So if you don't find yourself salivating at the thought of eating these foods 90% of the time, do yourself a favor and at least make sure you have two or three of them for breakfast and as an afternoon snack.

The most popular way to do so is to have a home made fruit smoothie in the morning with oatmeal and fresh fruit, and then to take a smoothie with you to work along with some dried fruits and nuts. This way you're getting all the right antioxidants and omega fatty acids needed to keep you strong, energetic and alert throughout the most important parts of your day.

Instead of crawling out of bed like a primordial slug that just evolved to walk on land, get out of bed with enthusiasm and spend just 10 minutes getting your body really moving. With the advent of netflix, pandora and prerecordable television, there really is no excuse not to be working out. You can do it in the comfort of your own home, or you can do it before you jump in the shower. You can even do it on the way to work by simply walking instead of driving. Either way, instead of thinking about the temporary discomfort you might experience within the first few days, consider all the endorphins that will be rushing through your body because of all that exercise.

Endorphins are those "feel good" hormones that get pushed through our bodies when we are excited, aroused and happy. The are also pushed into our blood stream when we exercise, to keep us alert and free from physical pain. Ironically, they are the same hormone induced by most intoxicating substances like pain killers and alcohol. Ever heard of runners high? Pushing yourself to get into a routine of regular pre-day exercise has more perks than you can imagine.

When you combine your pre-day workout with a quickie workout in the middle of the day, instead of sitting around pitying yourself because your tired and you wanna go home even though you have five hours left in your shift, will bring you such a boost in energy that your co-workers won't know what to do with you. Can you imagine every day being that day you get your work done early? Can you imagine spending 98% of your time in a happy mood, despite the moods of those around you?

Adding even just a little bit of exercise to your day can do this. Don't take my word for it though, it's much more profound when you do it yourself. Ten minutes in the morning and five minutes in the afternoon is all you need to get started.

Even if you decide that you cannot possibly do anything else in this hub (which is silly), this is the one thing you can and MUST do if you really want to have happier and more energetic days.

It's simple really, though that doesn't mean it will be easy. All you need to do is start your day out with gratitude. Wake up and be grateful that you actually woke up, and nobody found your lifeless body under a pile of rubble, at least it's a start.

My dad always says, "Any day above ground is a GOOD day", and he's totally right. Any day you wake up alive, you have at least one good reason to be grateful.

When you get up in the morning, make it a habit to get out a pen and piece of paper (not your cell phone or computer) and write down at least 3 things you're grateful for. It can start out (and even continue) as anything, as long as it's all gratitude. You can list things such as:

• I'm grateful to be alive
• I'm grateful to have a roof over my head
• I'm grateful to be waking up from a warm bed of my own
• I'm grateful for the clean water that runs from sinks
• I'm grateful to have a shower to jump into in the morning
• I'm grateful to have a job/project/hobby/kids
• I'm grateful the sun came up this morning
• I'm grateful that no one called me with an emergency need last night
• I'm grateful for another day to work on changing my life
• I'm grateful to have ten fingers and ten toes
• I'm grateful for.....

The list can go on and on and on, as it always should. It may seem silly to list these things, but honestly, don't you spend enough time taking all the little things for granted? Think about all the people across the world who don't have a bed, or who have to share there bed with 6 other people. Think about all the people who wish they had so much food in their lives, they could just skip breakfast. Think about the people in impoverished countries who don't get to choose to walk or bus to work, because all they have is walking and it usually includes a ten mile walk with no shoes.

One of my all time favorite proverbs is this:

"I used to feel sorry for myself because I didn't have any shoes, until I met a man with no feet."

Think about that quote every morning and I can guarantee you two things:

1. You'll find many things to be grateful for every morning

2. You'll have much more energy during the day than on days when you don't start out with gratitude in the morning.