In Part I of this series, I talked about how often, what guys think is fear of approaching, is really just, or in large part,  fatigue; a system so low on energy that you just don’t feel like doing much of anything.

I also mentioned that taking on new behaviors, thoughts, and ways of thinking requires extra energy; it’s not enough to be operating at “getting by” levels.  When you are tired, it is far more likely that the old ways of thinking and acting and interpreting events will be the default response

 Energy For Clarity

Here is another key point: in the beginning, when you are first trying out the skills, often the results you’ll get in the field are confusing. It can be hard to interpret what events mean: did the pattern actually work? Are you succeeding or failing?  Especially when you do 90% of everything right, but miss the last 10% of skill you need to “close the deal”, it can be easy, in a tired state of mind, to misinterpret the entire thing as failure.

Bottom line: when first using new ways and new tools, usually the results are ambiguous, and it is up to our clarity and discipline to properly interpret them. Clarity and discipline require a strong state of mind, which in turn is dependent on a supporting physical state.

Ok, with all of that introductory stuff out of the way, here are my tips of maximum energy. Please bear in mind I’m not a doctor, not offering medical advice, and always check with your physician before undertaking any kind of regimen involving a change of diet or exercise(Don’t sue me mode now switched to “off”.

Tip 1: Keep Your Blood Sugar And Insulin Levels Even: Cut Out Or Cut Down Refined Carbs And Eat More Frequent, Smaller Meals

This goes right at the very top of my list. I had no idea-and I mean NO idea-how profoundly my blood sugar and insulin levels effected my mood, emotional state, and over-all sense of well-being and energy.

I strongly urge you to get your fasting blood sugar and insulin levels checked. Mine indicated I was border-line diabetic(and a battery of tests I took along with this showed I was a sickening 36% body fat, quite a wake-up call), although subsequently my general practitioner, who has been treating me for 17 years told me that the specialty doctors who ran those tests created their own artificial and bogus values for what is diabetic, to scare me into signing up for their incredibly expensive diet plan.

In any case, I do see the value of keeping insulin and blood sugar levels even, and have pretty radically changed my diet.  I’ve cut down my chips, pasta, potatoes, bread and rice to a total of three servings a week. 

Additionally, I now eat between 4-5 smaller meals a day.  By eating about every 3-4 hrs while I’m awake, my hunger for junky snacks has virtually vanished.  I typically balance fat, unrefined carbs, and protein, and it makes a huge(HUGE) difference.  

Tip 2: Stay Hydrated

I used to wake up in the morning feeling tired, and one of the big differences was simply drinking a lot more water when I woke up, and then with my meals.  The ratio I have is for every cup of coffee I also have 12 ounces of water.  It has made a gigantic difference in my alertness. 

And, occasionally, I’ve had a cramping sensation in my legs when I try to sleep. Again, for me, drinking a large glass of water solved the problem.  

I realize this sounds like a common sense tip, and it is: yet more people are running around de-hydrated, and it is an incredibly simple thing to address.

 Tip 3: Breathing Meditation

I won’t get into techniques for breathing meditation; I teach them in my courses and you can find some free videos on the resources section of my website.  But I strongly urge you to do at least 10 minutes of deep breathing exercises/meditations every day.  It will make a giant difference for you; and if you are especially stressed, a breath meditation break, even for 5 minutes, can make a huge difference. Stress can be exhaustive. 

Tip 4: Physical Activity Every Day

I come from a pretty physically inactive and lazy backround.  But after being told that more than 1/3 of my body is pork, I got up off my ass.  

I started pretty slowly; I’d ride my bike every morning about 15 blocks to the Starbucks for morning coffee. 

But a funny thing happened; as I rode, I would visualize myself as a more active person, hiking, biking longer distances, doing yoga, etc.  And sure enough, that is more and more the person I am becoming, to the point wh

ere I actually plan time in my day to be active. It’s made a big difference.

Tip 5: Juicing

No, I don’t mean “juicing” as in “steroids”.  I mean I use a Breville juicer to make fresh vegetable juice almost every day. And when I skip a day, I feel the difference. 

I had to go through 4 different crap models of juicers from different companies until I met my juicer soul-mate, the Breville.   I usually juice before lunch, or around the 5 PM hour when I used to go for coffee.  Try cucumber, spinach, celery, kale and chard.  But stay away from juicing fruit: way too much sugar, even if it is “natural”.

 Tip 6:  Cat-Naps

I’m  a sleep-a-holic. I love to sleep. And during the day, I’ll doze for 10 minutes. It makes a big difference, even that small amount of sleep.

 Tip 7: Regular Massage

I’m lucky enough to have a Chinese massage place about 2 miles from my home, and I go 2-3 times a week. This is very vigorous massage, emphasizing pressure points.  Extremely useful, if you can find it.  Any regular massage will do.

Tip 8:  20 Minutes A Day Of Insight Meditation

This is entirely different from breath meditation or energized breathing. Insight meditation, or “vipassana” is  a remarkable practice, and as taught by my teacher, Shinzen Young, assists me in powerfully removing my every day resistance to the flow of experience in my life.

The result? Far less internal friction in my emotional circuitry; the exhaustion that can come from suppressing emotion on the one hand or indulging and dramatizing on the other, gets removed, and far less psychic/mental/emotional energy gets wasted.  Priceless.

 Tip 9:  Fix Your Digestion!

This one is very crucial if you suffer from any kind of digestive disorder; FIX THE PROBLEM! 

Digestion is one of the most energy-demanding processes the body can undergo; if you’ve got any kind of food intolerance, irritable bowel, etc, you’ve got to get this handled.

I’ve suffered on and off with digestive problems for years, and only recently have gotten a handle on it.  On days when my digestive problems show up, my energy levels plummet, my focus goes to hell, and my sarging slips into the toilet. 

Here is what I have done to fix the problem, but bear in mind your mileage will vary, that I’m not a doctor, and that I’m not giving medical advice.  

1. Ginger tea, Yogi Tea brand.  This is a unique combination of ginger, peppermint, licorice and a few others thrown into the mix. It is the only brand of ginger tea that I’ve tried that really works and it has a profoundly positive effect for me.  2-3 cups a day when things get bad and at least one cup per day at all times.

2. Lactase supplement.  I’m Eastern European heritage, and Jewish at that, so I’m very lactose intolerant, which means dairy products send my gut into painful places.  So lactase supplements are a must for me.  

3. Digestive Enyzmes-I take huge amounts of these; about 6 capsules with every meal, and then whenever I walk out the door of my house I take a handful. With today’s food virtually having all the enzymes cooked out, these are a must even if you don’t appear to have digestive problems.  I use E3 Live brand(www.E3live.com) but there are cheaper brands at your local health food store.  DigestGold brand is pretty good.

4. HCL supplement.   Many people have digestive disorders because their stomachs don’t produce enough acid.  HCL supplements are incredibly cheap, but made a massive difference for me. 

5. Aloe vera juice.   This one I don’t do regularly, but when I’m having a bad bout, I drink it by the glassful.  I know some people who swear by it, but I think of it as a supplement to the supplements.  Still useful and good to know about.

I cannot possibly emphasize strongly enough what a difference fixing my digestive problems has made in my mood, focus, energy levels, and motivation. It is deeply crucial.

In sum, often what people think of as fear is just being plain burned out.  Follow these suggestions and you’ll find yourself better functioning through all of life and not just in the pick-up/seduction game.

Peace and piece,

RJ

P.S. I want to emphasize again, I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  What you have just read is not medical advie and you should always consult a physician before taking on any kind of exercise or dietary regimen.  This is for information purposes only.  

Ok, there are my 8 tips. Again, your mileage may vary, I’m not a doctor, and I’m not nearly as disciplined or regular with any of these practices as I should be.