I often hear people talking about stamina – usually their lack of it. People want to work harder, devote more time or energy to families or friends, or put more effort into a hobby, good cause or charitable venture and the thing that stops them is lack of stamina.
Clearly there will be some individual differences. Some people seem to need more rest than others and some get exhausted with what seems like little effort compared to their peers. But despite these individual differences there are things we can all do to improve our stamina, so read on.
1. Fuel
As complex machines we all need fuel to function. As humans that fuel is of course food. What we eat can have a profound impact on our health and energy levels. Lots of sugar and processed foods (which usually contain a lot of sugar) will give us a ‘sugar rush’ followed by a slump in energy levels.
In terms of stamina make sure you eat regularly and choose whole foods whenever possible, making sure you have a balance of all the food groups and include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit into your diet.
2. Exercise
If you feel tired it is easy to skip exercise but what we know is that exercise is often invigorating, and people who exercise regularly are likely to be healthier AND have more stamina. Of course you may feel tired after physical exercise but often this is a healthier kind of tiredness and can help you to get a better night’s sleep.
Exercise helps you to cope with mental exhaustion that come from stress – so if you want more stamina make sure you build regular exercise into your routine and if you find your energy slumps in the day try taking a short walk outside instead of reaching for the cookies.
3. Rest
Occasionally people simply don’t have enough time to get sufficient rest and for a short time we can usually survive this. But often the problem is that people do have time but find they can’t sleep well. They feel tired and go to bed but find their mind is racing – or they fall asleep exhausted but then find they wake after a short time and can’t get back to sleep.
Make sure you establish a good sleep routine, with a wind down time before bed, make sure you associate your bedroom with sleep rather than somewhere you watch TV or work. Some gentle exercise, a snack, a comfortable bed and feeling relaxed BEFORE you go to bed will all help. If sleep still evades you try some breathing and relaxation exercises or perhaps some meditation.
4. Support
When you read about people who have had the stamina to achieve great feats they almost all say that an important part of keeping going was knowing and receiving the support of others. So make sure you feel supported.
If work is stressful make sure that you can offload somewhere. If life feels like it keeps throwing you curve balls make sure you have people and places where you can receive support. Feeling isolated and alone will often sap your stamina.
5. Organisation
Taking time to be organised can also increase your stamina. If you are not organised you will expend a lot of effort doing things you probably don’t need to do or stressing about things that aren’t going well and stress is something else that will sap your stamina.
If you feel stressed then often you forget things or are late or realise at the last minute there is something you need to do and of course all of this will increase your stress further and lower your stamina.
6. Negativity Or Conflict
Dealing with negativity and conflict can be eroding. Individuals differ and some might even find conflict invigorating but in general terms try to get rid of negativity yourself and then don’t put up with it from others.
7. Happiness/Positivity
The other side of the coin is that being positive will increase your stamina. When we feel positive about life, we smile and we walk with a spring in our step. Being positive is something you can decide for yourself.
You certainly can’t control what happens in life but you can control how you respond. Staying positive will help you to have more stamina so the choice is yours.
We live in a busy world and having stamina is a bonus, though of course we should all be aiming at balance in our lives. If you find you are in a time or situation in your life where you need to increase your stamina try using he stamina secrets above and watch as your stamina improves.
