Magnesium – One Of The Best Natural Energy Boosters

It’s always harder to get out of bed in the morning when it’s dark out. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, winter involves later sunrises. I normally get up and go for a jog first thing, as one of my natural energy boosters for the day.

I don’t like jogging in the dark too much though, so I’ve been doing some yoga inside.

Phil and I just moved to Ottawa this week, and I’m ecstatic because we live 2 blocks from the Rideau Canal, which is a 7km skating rink in the winter. So the past few mornings I’ve been getting my fresh air while I whizz along on the ice.

I really notice a difference when I don’t get exercise and/or fresh air in the morning. I feel groggy all morning, but I can snap out of it if I consciously try to energize myself. If you’re feeling sluggish or low-energy, check out my free 7 day program to get you healthier by eating better.

One of the most overlooked ways to boost energy is to look at magnesium deficiency. Most people think of B vitamins for energy, and they are important, but magnesium is another important nutrient in converting carbohydrates into energy. If you are low on magnesium, you may feel drained of energy.

An interesting point to note on magnesium is that it works to help calcium be properly absorbed, and the ratio of calcium to magnesium is very important. Even if you are getting the right amount of magnesium, if your calcium intake is higher than it should be you could create a relative magnesium deficiency.

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Whole grains and dark green vegetables are the best ways to get magnesium. They’re great natural energy boosters for other reasons too. Nuts, particularly cashews, almonds and hazelnuts, are a good source of magnesium but be careful not to eat too many since they are also high in calories and fat.

If you have excess calcium in your diet, the solution is to cut back on things like dairy or concentrated supplements, while making sure your magnesium intake is appropriate. There are a ton of other reasons to cut out dairy, but that will be a topic for another day.

A healthy eating plan can drastically increase your energy levels if you do it with certain things in mind. Here are some foods that contain magnesium, and are excellent natural energy boosters bringing other value to your healthy eating plan. The average recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium is 420mg/day for adult men and 320mg/day for adult women.

Data from nutritiondata.com