How To Have More Energy

Everybody wants more energy – especially firefighters! There are many things that we do to sabotage our energy level and today I’m going to tell you about a major one.

Eating the wrong types of foods, while they may feel good at the time that you eat them, can lead to major energy crashes throughout the day. Even worse, those energy crashes then cause you to eat more and you’ll likely eat more of the wrong foods. So, now you’re not just tired all the time, you’re also overweight.

Don’t eat foods that sabotage your energy level throughout the day

Simple carbohydrates are the main culprits for sabotaging energy level. Simple carbs are found in white grains like white bread, pasta, and rice; they’re also in basically anything sweet like Oreos and donuts. Even a lot of cereals, such as Rice Krispies and Apple Jacks, are just simple carbs.

Simple carbs seem like they’re filling when you eat them. The problem is that we digest them VERY quickly, so that energy that we got when we first ate vanishes rapidly and we’re left feeling tired and like we need to eat again. So, a “sugar crash” doesn’t just occur after eating candy and desserts, it also happens any time you eat white grains – because they’re also full of simple carbs.

So what foods give you energy?

To maintain a high energy level you should eat complex carbohydrates because they are digested much slower. These are found in whole wheat pasta and 100% whole wheat bread (don’t let the packaging trick you – “honey wheat” and “7-grain” are usually mostly white bread), brown rice, oats (like oatmeal), beans, quinoa, bran, and fruits and vegetables, among other foods. There are lots of high fiber cereals on the market these days too – these ones will fill you up for a much longer period of time than sugary/simple cereals.

So take notice of the times that you feel really low on energy and think about what you had to eat just prior. If you’ve been taking in simple carbs, consider changing things up. Not only will this help you feel better energy-wise, but it’s also MUCH better for your health overall to eat complex carbs over simple!

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