Everyone is searching for the edge in business. (Heck, we’re all looking for the edge in life.) The need for increased productivity, innovation, and bottom line sales is what drives us to buy Inc. magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and business books such as the fabulous, “Bounce! The Path to True Business Confidence” by Barry Moltz. There are many books, articles, and guru’s that can teach you what to do, but if you don’t have the energy and stamina needed, you’ll be hard-pressed to implement their great ideas.

In my experience, it’s the people with the most energy that seem to have the most success. If you want to know how to have an abundant supply of true energy, please read on. These are not difficult in and of themselves, but you may find it challenging to get your mind around some of them. Here’s the kicker though, THEY REALLY WORK! If you want more energy for more success in business and more energy for a better quality personal life, try these! I guarantee it or your money back!

Here are 10 concrete tips that you can add to your day to gain the energy advantage.

1. Get Off the Caffeine Roller Coaster. Caffeine does not add energy to your body. It simply makes you use the energy that you have. So if you are tired in the morning and you drink caffeine, guess how you will feel later on? Even more tired! So what do you do in the afternoon? Drink more caffeine! And then at night what happens? You go to bed late or your sleep is interrupted in the middle of the night. And on goes the cycle. The bottom line is caffeine makes you more tired in the long run. I know that this is an idea that may be difficult to implement, but let it swim around in your brain for a while and then try it. To replace the coffee habit, try some of the ideas below to get true, natural, and non-frantic energy that you can use for success in business (and life)!

2. Eat the Right Foods. We all know what they are. Or do we? Fruits, vegetables? Yes and yes. Lean meats and dairy. No and no. Again this might be another idea that folks won’t initially be open to. The truth is that the best diet you can eat for health and energy is mainly whole foods plant based. If you are looking for proof check out this this book: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II. Meat based foods (meat & dairy) cause obesity and all the dread diseases of our time such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of auto-immune diseases. If you are carrying extra weight, that is using up extra energy that you could be using towards your life goals. A whole foods (non-processed) plant based diet automatically causes your body to shed excess weight. OK, so this is a big idea to swallow. (It was for me! It took me a year to mull it over and finally convert, and I can attest that it is The Magic Bullet!) What To Do: In the meantime, just think about it, read up on Veganism (plant based eating), and substitute fruits and vegetables as much as you can at every eating opportunity! Start slow, build on that habit daily, and watch your energy grow! (Check out VegWeb.com for delicious recipes!) Or try a green smoothie for breakfast!

3. Get Enough Rest. Recent studies have shown that there are major health risks if you are getting less sleep than you need, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you are chronically tired every morning when the alarm goes off, if you “need” caffeine in the morning, if you would do anything for a nap on a daily basis, if you lose your cool with your family at least once every night, then that is how you know you need more sleep. So how do you get it? Do an inventory of how you spend your time. What can you cut out? What can you trim back on? TV sucks away a lot of our time, and now the internet is doing the same. Set limits for yourself and make your bed time a non-negotiable event. Establish a relaxing bed time ritual.  Set aside one hour before bed to wash up, read, meditate or whatever helps you to wind down from the day.

4. Deep Breathing Baby! Whenever you find yourself in need of some energy here is a quick and easy exercise that never fails. Before I tell you how, though, let me quickly explain why. When you breathe deeply you stimulate the lymph system. This is your body’s cleansing and immune powerhouse. The lymph system does not have a pump like the blood system does. The lymph system relies on your breathing and body movements to move things along. When the lymph system is stimulated your body will more readily rid itself of toxins which drain you of energy. It will also fight off any germs in your system better, giving you more energy also. Lastly, deep breathing brings gobs of oxygen to the cells in your brain and the rest of your body. Oxygen is what you need to drive the engine of your cells. So more oxygen equals more energy creation. How to do it:
3 or more times per day, take 10 deeps breaths. Breathe in, hold, and exhale in this ratio 1:2:2. For example, breath in for 10, hold for 20, and breath out slowly for 20. The point is to breath deeply, hold, and exhale slowly.

5. Exercise Daily. Get 30 minutes of exercise daily. Exercise is good for you ! Exercise strengthens and builds cellular components and tissues that support greater production of energy. Do any moderate exercise for a total of 30 minutes daily and you will feel the difference. Trouble fitting it in? Break it up into three 10 minute segments and get the same amount of benefit. Do things you enjoy and vary your exercise every once in a while. Try to incorporate weight bearing exercise 1-2 times per week to maintain muscle mass that is otherwise lost with aging. And you don’t have to do things you don’t like or spend a lot of money. Brisk walking or energetic dancing will do the trick!

6. Avoid Sugar, but Do Eat Fruit. Eating foods and drinks high in sugar will spike your blood sugar. The excess (which is most of it) gets stored, as, you guessed it, fat. After this happens your body experiences a subsequent low. You might feel this as sudden tiredness or irritability. So stay out of this energy-draining trap by avoiding high sugar/low fiber food choices. This does not mean fruit. You can eat as much fruit as you want because fruit has fiber that prevents spikes in blood sugar. In fact fruit is a perfect snack. You get flu
ids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes for digestion, fiber. You also get the right kind of sugar, fructose, which is delivered to your body over time because of the fiber, just the way your body needs it. If you get hungry after eating fruit that is because fruit is digested quickly. So have some more. It won’t make you fat. In fact, tt will actually make you skinny!

7. Free Your Body from Toxic Burdens. Eliminate nicotine, alcohol, other drugs your body doesn’t need. I know this is easier said than done. How to quit smoking or alcohol fills many books, articles, and seminars. Find a way to do it. Go through the short term pain to be free of that monkey on your back. You can do it! Get all the support you can. These toxins along with pollution are a burden on your body. Energy is needed to filter them out. So try to have less toxins enter your body to begin with. If you live in a polluted city or environment, think of ways that you can spend less time in that pollution.

8. Take Breaks. To restore energy, take breaks every 1-2 hours to rejuvenate your mind and body. Try stretching, deep breathing, and meditation during your breaks. Go to a different location. Try to go outside if possible. This will help keep you from getting bogged down in one task, it will give you new perspective, and new energy from moving your body.

9. Seek the Middle Road. Be in control of your emotions. Don’t let circumstances dictate your mood. Don’t allow things to get you too angry or upset. Vent when you need to, but listen to your rational mind and find a way to move on and keep moving forward. People and circumstances don’t “make” you upset. You have complete power over how you react to them. React with too much anger and you waste precious energy. Do this daily and you wear yourself out. Change this habit by starting slow. Observe yourself at first, and then take baby steps by choosing to be less upset each time in the future. Also, ask yourself the right questions and you’ll find answers that support you and that ensure you have maximum energy. So, for example, don’t ask “Why does this always happen to me?” Instead ask “How can I fix this?” or “How can I make this less likely to happen again?” or “Where is the silver lining here?”

10. Laughter and Smiling. Laugh and smile as much as you can everyday. This should probably be number one. But being last, you’ll hopefully remember it. Tell a joke, hear a joke, or watch a funny YouTube video. Seek out and spend time with fun, happy, funny people every day. Smiling and laughing release endorphins which are your body’s natural feel good drug! Free, legal, and good for you!! Smiling and laughing is a habit. Frowning, being serious, and being quick to anger are also habits. Replace the frowns with smiles. Replace the serious habit with lightness and laughter. Again build this habit slowly over time, and pretty soon you’ll be the fun happy person that people are seeking to spend time with. And you’ll be happier, healthier, and more energetic. (And don’t worry. You can smile and get lots of work done. Being serious all the time is not required.)

Of course all this new energy needs to be channeled into a daily focus on your goals. If you want to know how to focus your energy, check out Barry’s books “Bounce! The Path to True Business Confidence” and “You Need to Be a Little Crazy: The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Own Business.”  Or join me over at my blog for some articles on business and productivity tips. A few of my most popular articles are 25 Tips to Become More Productive and Happy at Work, Should You Start Your Own Work at Home Business?, Ultimate Goal Setting Guide + Free Download, and Break These Rules for Success!

K. Stone is a writer at many popular blogs including her own, Life Learning Today. She is also an author of the ebook, “Secrets to a Healthy Life.”