5 ways to get more energy back into your life

Are you feeling exhausted by mid-afternoon? Do you have all the energy of a hibernating bear in winter months? Do you find it more and more difficult to get up and go? The following 5 tips will help you bring some energy back into your life.

Visual clutter is not only distracting, it's frustrating and energy-wasting. Think about it: How many times have you scoured the house for lost keys or bills that were right in front of you?

• To keep track of your bills and other mail, buy an open box file or some hanging files from an office supply store.
• Place it in your kitchen and use it to sort your mail into categories such as bills, receipts and letters.
• If you work on a computer all day long and receive a lot of unrelated notifications, create smart folders and set up filters to redirect any emails towards those specific folders. You can set aside a time of day, such as lunchtime, to check, e.g., your social media updates. It's another way of "sorting" your mail.

You'll be amazing at how less tiring it is to look at an uncluttered kitchen table, office desk, or inbox.

Sit in a chair with a straight back. Place your hands over your stomach and breathe into your tummy so that your hands rise and fall with your breath. Imagine you're inhaling a white light that fills your body with vital energy. Do this for five full breaths. Then, as you inhale, tighten the muscles that connect your shoulders and neck, pulling your shoulders up towards your ears.

• When you've inhaled all you can and your shoulders are snug around your ears, hold your breath for just a second. Then exhale as you release the tension and your breath in one big whoosh – as if you were releasing the weight of the world from your shoulders.

Repeat until you feel clear, refreshed and revitalized!

It's much better to refuel your body continually before it hits empty than to wait until you're in the danger zone, then overdo it.

• Every four hours (except, of course, when you're sleeping), have a mini-meal or snack.
• A mini-meal might be a handful of roasted peanuts, a hard-boiled egg or a slice of lean cold meat and a sliced apple.
• Fat-free yogurt sprinkled with flaxseeds also makes a good, nutritious snack.

You wouldn't think stillness would lead to energy, but often that's just what you need to create your second wind.

• Simply sit for 10 minutes in a comfortable chair and stare out of the window. Let your mind drift wherever it wants to go. Allow yourself just to "be," something we're often too frenzied to do.

Stand up, get on your toes and lift your fingertips as close as you can to the ceiling. Keep the stretch expanding for several seconds, feeling it in your calves, your abdomen, your shoulders, your arms and your fingers.

• After a few seconds, relax, take a few deep breaths and do it again. By doing this, you activate almost every muscle you have, sending oxygen-rich blood throughout your body, which pumps it back to your brain and reinvigorates your alertness.
• By repeating this several times the effects can be as stimulating as a cup of coffee but will cost you nothing!