If you’ve watched the news at all lately, you’ve likely heard about the dangers of energy drinks, especially in regard to how they are affecting our children – the largest consumers of these particular beverages. While the intent of these drinks is to give us more energy, it is becoming apparent that it is perhaps more energy than our bodies can safely handle.

What Makes Energy Drinks So Damaging?

We’ve known about the negative effects of too much caffeine for ages, which is why there are tons of recommendations about limiting the amount of coffee we drink. Therefore, it only makes sense that energy drinks would fall under this cloud as well as some of the brands have more than twice as much caffeine per serving as a cup of coffee. So, if you’re drinking two or three of them per day, you’re having about a pot of coffee, which isn’t good for you but, unfortunately, the negative side effects don’t stop there.

Drink energy drinks when you’re exercising and you risk possible dehydration. Mix them with alcohol and you’ll get intoxicated more quickly without realizing it, which may cause you to make bad decisions, such as driving a car or crossing a busy road when it is unsafe to do so.

Essentially, energy drinks aren’t providing you real and true “energy” anyway. In reality, they are a stimulant that is speeding up your system, making you feel like you are more alert, much like speed and other similar drugs. So, how can you energize yourself if you’re supposed to stay away from these types of stimulants?

The Negative Effects of Energy Drinks Are Worse For Kids

In an NBC Nightly News Report, Linda Carroll explains how a new study shows that the dangers of energy drinks and excessive caffeine rise for kids who are in their late teens. It raises their blood pressure and, when taken in excess, also has the ability to raise their heart rate.

The report goes on to explain how these types of substances can also create heart arrhythmias and seizures. They are essentially taking our happy, resilient, active, and smiling children and turning them into little people with big, adult-like problems.

Health experts also warn that the future ramifications of their consistent consumption are not well known. Can these types of beverages be causing permanent damage to their heart and circulatory system? Will your children have lower quality of life as they age simply because they drank highly caffeinated soda and energy drinks when they were younger? Quite possibly, yes.

At a minimum, energy drinks aren’t helpful or healthy because they supply a lot of sugar and nutrient-void calories to their young, growing bodies. They should be drinking things like water and milk that will make them stronger and healthier as opposed to beverages that will make them weaker and more susceptible to illness and injury.

Natural Energy

The best way to increase your vim and vigor is to do it naturally because the fewer chemicals and unnatural substances that you put in your body, the better it is for you. Here are just a few energy enhancing alternatives for you to consider:

• Drink more water. When you are dehydrated, your body slows down and your energy takes a nosedive. Therefore, you want to make sure you are getting enough of this top quality beverage if you want to feel more awake during the day.

How much water do you need to achieve this effect? Aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces, up to 100, each and every day. For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, your goal should be 75 ounces of water (150/2 = 75).

Have a glass or bottle by you at all times so you can sip on it often. Put some fruit, lemon, natural flavorings, or mint in it to wake up your taste buds too.

• Limit your alcohol consumption. The more alcohol you drink the more likely it is that you’re going to feel tired and the reason is two-fold. First, it dehydrates you which you’ve already learned is a huge factor when it comes to fatigue. Second, it affects your ability to get a good night’s sleep, which you’ll learn more about in a minute.

If you like a glass of beer, wine, or any other alcoholic beverage at night to help you relax, that is fine. But any more than that and you’re going to do your energy (and your body) more harm than good.

• Eat energy increasing foods. Some foods kick your energy up a notch, so those are the ones you want to consume more of. For instance, salads are light and not very filling, so eating them will leave you more than ready to face your day.

Other good alternatives include fruits, veggies, and most any protein source (such as lean meat, eggs, and dairy products). Carbohydrates (most specifically, sugar) are often the biggest energy zappers, so eat them sparingly at times when you want to feel alert and focused.

Foods high in magnesium are great for your energy levels as well. These include options such as nuts, whole grains, and fish. Just don’t exceed 300 mg daily if you’re a woman or 350 mg if you’re male as your body doesn’t need any more than that.

• Eat regularly. If you go more than 3-4 hours without eating, you’re going to feel it. Your tummy is going to rumble, your head may start to ache, and you’ll feel as if you’ve crashed into a wall, unable to go much further. This is due to the fact that your blood sugar is plummeting, which makes you feel lethargic and moody.

Ideally, you want to eat five or six mini-meals a day to keep yourself going. This means that you don’t want to skip breakfast or you’re setting yourself up for a day that involves constantly fighting the urge to go back to bed and stay there.

• Exercise. Although it seems as if participating in an exercise regimen will leave you more tired and fatigued, the opposite is actually true. When you engage in a regular physical fitness program, your energy levels actually rise, making it easier to get through your day and have more than enough oomph to spare to do the things you enjoy.

Ideally, you want to aim for 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. This can include working out in a gym, but other activities such as gardening or taking an after dinner stroll will lift you up as well.

• Get enough sleep. When you aren’t getting enough shut-eye at night, your energy levels are going to go downhill fast. You’ll have less focus on the task at hand and you’ll also be less likely to do the other things necessary for feeling lively, like eating healthily and working out.

The amount of sleep that works best for you is purely individual, but most health experts recommend at least seven hours if not more (like nine or ten). Some people feel that they function just fine on less, but if you notice that you’re having a hard time making it through the day, you may need more than you are getting.

Sometimes it helps to get a midafternoon nap, especially if your night was cut short for some unforeseen reason, like a sick child or if you got called into work. So, if it is possible, take 15-30 minutes and rest your body sometime in the early afternoon. Even if you don’t sleep, you’ll likely feel as if you did by giving your body some much needed down time.

• Lower your stress levels. Nothing can make you feel tired more than having too much on your plate or a lot on your mind. When you can’t shut your thinking down enough to relax, your body goes on overdrive which can deplete your energy drives and leave you feeling as if you just got done competing in a triathlon.

That is why it is so important to relieve your stress levels often. To do this, simply find activities you enjoy, ones that bring you peace and soothe your soul, and commit to doing them regularly.

For some people, this may be participating in quiet and serene actions like taking a walk through a park or meditating. Others find it good for their mind to do something more physical, like rock climbing or speed skating. They are both equally as effective, so just make sure it is something that you look forward to and you’re on the right track.

• Lose weight. When you are carrying around a few extra pounds, it will make your body more tired at a faster rate. It’s like spending your days lugging around a five pound bag of flour or a 50 pound bag of dog food. It wears you down and makes you want to do nothing more than sit on the couch.

Lose even 10% of your body weight and you’ll feel more energetic and, if you get down to a healthy weight for you, you’ll feel as if you’ve shaved years off your life (when you’ve realistically added years to it). Although there are many diet plans to choose from, the HCG Diet offers great energy-enhancing results in a safe and effective program.

• Take natural supplements. If you want to increase your energy levels naturally (which means without the use of caffeine), there are various supplements that you can take that are made by Mother Nature herself. These include Vitamin B12, Rhodiola Rosea, Cha de Burge, Siberian Ginseng, and Guarana.

ThinNow.com offers a variety of individual supplements, but they have also created one that contains them all. It is called Ultimate Trim Body and it helps you lose weight in addition to increasing your energy stores.

If you try all of these things and you still aren’t feeling light and lively, you may want to make a doctor’s appointment as your thyroid may not be functioning as it should. Although this is rarely the case, you’ll definitely want to rule it out as a medical condition is nothing to mess with.

When you want to increase your energy levels, all-natural is the way to go. So, set the energy drinks down and try these other options instead. You’ll be amazed at how lively you feel!