help me be energetic?!

After working for 7 hours a day, I want to workout an hour, like 3 days a week as minimum. I find myself without energy once I reach home, so I would like to find out something that could give me energy? I wish I could take red bull, but I stopped drinking it.

Any suggestions?

Rather than trying to find the energy to work out for an hour after a long day's work, why not just set a goal of 20-30 minutes every day. Then once you start if your energy picks up you can work out longer, and if not you can stop after the 20 or 30 minutes.

And even if you have no energy, do it anyway. Put on your shoes and go out for a walk. You'll probably find that once you start you just keep going.

Perhaps a cup of coffee in the late afternoon? You can google caffeine and sports performance for more information about the pros and cons.

I get up early to exercise before I go to work. Get it out of the way. If I waited until after I put in a full workday, I would never get in the exercise I need. Plus, doing your exercise in the morning will boost your metabolism all day long, and if you wait, you may have a hard time falling asleep.

try having a bananna about twenty minutes before you work out, they have a high sugar content, and patasium. they will give you a burst of energy. I take a vitiam called AM/PM..they have seemed to help me keep my energy level up.

just make sure you dont have anything to heavy to eat before, and always make sure you have lots of water with you.

ang

I have a cup of black coffee.

Also ... I give myself permission to do a shortened version. I'm allowed to do 17 minutes instead of 20 on the elliptical. But ya know what? ... I usually just soldier on for the full amount. It's never so bad after I get going.

Oh I just thought of something. If it has been a long time since I've eaten, I have a yogurt first.

eat a carb!! Instant workout energy-- piece of fruit, small bagel with honey, whatever......it will fuel your workouts..

And don't forget that although you will be tired at the start, your stamina will develop and increase. Boosts to your energy levels through caffiene, for example, may actually not help in the long term.
I personally would work through it, push through it, and see how I feel after a month...

Kira

I take a b-complex vitamin every afternoon, about 2 hours before I want to work out. It gives me a lot of energy.

If I'm really dragging and want to work out in the afternoon, I'll get my Starbucks skinny iced latte for a boost. It's basically caffeine and skim milk so you get a little protein/carbs too. I just try not to do that too often, because I don't want to get dependent on that afternoon cup of coffee. But for an *occasional* boost, it works like a charm.

Also, usually, when I'm dragging, once I get going on my work out I really perk up. You can try just going anyway and telling yourself that it will be a short/easy workout (just start!) and you may find that you feel much better and can keep going through the entire workout. I usually feel much more energetic after my workout than before!!

This actually isn't true. Caffeine, particularly in supplement form, has been used for a long long time to increase sports performance. People who have ingested it can perform their workouts at a higher intensity for a longer period of time. That'll improve physical fitness more than forcing through for a while, meaning you'll be more fit at a faster rate. It doesn't have many benefits for short term exercise (like sprinting) but improves endurance on longer bouts. Obviously, exercise longer = bigger calorie deficit = more weight loss, which will probably help a lot more with the tiredness than any supplement.

One thing you may want to consider about caffeine...if you have high or bad cholesterol levels it's encouraged to stay away from caffeine. I usually eat a protein bar after work to get me going It's VERY tough some days, but I'm trying to stick with it too. We can do it!

Oh, yes, I should have mentioned...obviously anyone with a caffeine sensitivity or medical issue shouldn't take it just to make their workouts better! If I worked out at night, for example, caffeine would be a definite no-no...being up all night would NOT be conducive to having more energy.

I'm curious, though, where you get the info about caffeine and cholesterol? I know there's a correlation between unfiltered coffee (french press/espresso) and raising cholesterol, but haven't seen anything on caffeine in general or filtered coffees. There is even some evidence that small amounts of daily caffeine can reduce the risk somewhat of Alzheimers in patients with high cholesterol (which is higher than in those with normal cholesterol). Of course, individual people have found that, for them, cutting coffee tends to cut cholesterol levels, so those people (like those with medical issues) should avoid it.

Oh sure! Well, I had a check up recently at my work (physicians were giving free, basic exams through our insurance) and they told me my cholesterol was very high and told me several steps to help bring the number down. Among those suggestions were exercise, eat healthier and reduce caffeine intake. I don't know if it's accurate, but that's what the physicians told me. I got pamphlets about it too, but it would be interesting to see where they are getting their alleged facts.

My concern about caffeine is its addictive nature. I'm already dependent on my one (large) morning cup of coffee, without it I get headaches and feel lethargic. If I made an afternoon "pick me up" cup a habit too, then pretty soon I'd feel bad *without* it.