Natural Energy

I taught a rockin’ kickboxing class this morning and still have my exercise high so I thought I would draft a post. After class I had some awesome members come and chat with me. They were so sweet and told me that they were so glad that I’m back to teaching (after being off for several months with the baby).

To be honest I love it when I get my ego stroked a bit. When you are a new Mom, you are 100% dedicated to a little person that cannot say “thank you,” or “Momma you look pretty” or even tell you what it is they need. Ok, so I don’t always look “pretty” as I do the early morning feedings or am cleaning up his cute little bum. In fact, I probably look a little rough. P.S. yesterday I never got a shower in!

All that being said, I was more than happy to chit-chat with the girls. One of my new “best friends” was telling me she is so motivated by my high energy and asked if I take any sort of energy supplement or drink an energy booster before class. They were shocked when I told them that the truth is, no, I take nothing. I don’t believe in energy drinks or any supplementation other than a multi-vitamin. I have been known to drink a shake with vitamins and such, but nothing that has any energy boosters or weird ingredients.

I believe that I am one of those people with natural energy, which is why I seem to excel at teaching Group Fitness. However, I think that energy is part state of mind and part healthy living.

We pump so many toxins into our diets – from the preservatives in the food we eat to sodas and alcohol. It’s a wonder we can even drag ourselves out of bed in the morning! While I don’t live completely preservative free, I try to eat as many fresh ingredients as possible. You feel more full and can see the difference on the scale.

The other two critical ingredients to my energy success are sleep and water. You cannot drink enough water in my opinion. I keep a water bottle on hand and probably fill it up 6-8 times per day. I also get plenty of sleep. Even with a newborn who wakes up many times a night to feed, I always make sure to go to bed early and eliminate anything that may decrease the quality of sleep (i.e., alcohol, caffeine, etc.)

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cup of coffee and haven’t met a Sauvignon Blanc that I didn’t like. But, I enjoy both of those indulgences in moderation. You’ve heard it before and it is SO true. Most things in moderation are ok for you – caffeine, alcohol, dessert…sex. My husband would say that the last one is best enjoyed everyday (like taking my vitamin)! Ha!

Did I cross the line? Ok, I’ll steer it back to my point. My point is energy cannot be found in a bottle. If you look for some type of quick fix, you won’t find it. You can find it inside yourself (another word for energy is drive.) Find the drive within you to rock your workout and rock your lifestyle.

I’m sipping on my water as I type, just finished eating grapes and am about to take a nap! Ok, the water part is true.