If you struggle with low energy, you’ll know how frustrating it is to simply be told to sleep more. While I’ll be the first to say that sleep is important for energy, there are a number of other factors that could be at play seriously impacting your energy, over and above sleep. If you are looking to boost your energy naturally, don’t forget to also click here to grab my free guide: 7 Natural Boosters For All Day Energy.

If you find yourself lethargic, unmotivated or just wanting to lie on the couch, make sure you’ve thought about the below 6 factors as they can have a massive impact on your energy.

1. Hydration Levels

It sounds so basic, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to under-consume water. Just a 5% drop in hydration levels can lead to a 25-30% drop in energy. One of my tricks to drinking water is to have a 1L glass or water bottle on your desk or nearby at all times. That way, you only have to fill it up twice during the day to hit your daily recommendation.

2. Low Iron

This one’s important for the ladies due to your menstrual cycle. Iron is necessary to produce hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells whose primary job is to carry oxygen from your lungs throughout your body to your cells. Low iron can mean you’re not transporting oxygen to your brain, tissues and cells, leaving you feeling tired, regardless of how much sleep you get.

Eating grass fed red meat is an excellent source of heme iron. Just make sure it’s grass fed as this is a less inflammatory source of meat than grain fed red meat.

3. Lack of Routine

You’ll understand this one most clearly with jet lag. You don’t need to be flying across the country though to still experience similar effects. In fact, just a one hour change to your routine - as in the time you go to sleep and wake up - can impact your energy levels. Aim to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.

4. Nutrient Deficiencies

It’s not just iron you have to watch out for. Low B vitamins, in particular B12, can also impact your energy negatively. The B vitamins help your body create energy at a cellular level. Foods high in B vitamins include salmon, avocado, sweet potato, spinach and chicken. For a list of other ingredients and nutrients that act as natural energy boosters, click here to download my free guide: 7 Natural Boosters For All Day Energy.

5. Sugar

The unfortunate news about sugar is it’s easy to underestimate the sugar you’re consuming, and not realize the major impact it’s having on your energy. What goes up must come down. While sugar gives you that short term boost, it’s followed by a blood sugar crash, resulting in lower energy than before you had the sugar. Try tracking your added sugar intake for three days. I find with my clients, writing it down can be eye opening as to how much is sneaking in.

6. Lack of Movement

I know this one’s tough because the lower your energy, the less enticing exercise feels. Here are a few tips to get you moving more:

• Schedule your exercise with a friend so that you have an accountability partner. It’s much harder to cancel on a friend than yourself
• Do what you love. If you hate doing bootcamps, but love zumba, then do zumba! The key here is movement of any kind, and much of the research behind the health benefits of exercise shows significant benefits of low intensity or low impact exercise.

When my clients come to me with barely enough energy to get through the day, the first place I look is at their diet and lifestyle. Often it's the small things, and the most overlooked, that can have the biggest impact. If you've already covered your bases, the next step is to think about the key energy-boosting nutrients you can incorporate into your diet, which you can learn more about here.