Jumpstart Your Fitness: The 5 most energizing foods

by Rigel Celeste (Subscribe to Rigel Celeste's posts)
Apr 14th 2008 6:00AM

Who isn't at least a little short on energy sometimes? Besides your toddler or small dog, I'd bet nobody really.

Lack of energy on a regular basis and/or sudden energy slumps in the middle of the day are two of the biggest reasons why people skip workouts and find excuses not to exercise. It's hard to motivate yourself to do something when you're really just not in the mood.

Energy levels are affected by a lot of different things, but one of the biggest players is of course your diet. Eating right on a regular basis will go a long way towards increasing and evening out your energy levels, but there are also specific foods that you can incorporate into your day whenever you need an additional boost. And no, a Starbucks triple shot latte is not one of them (darnit!).

The 5 most energizing foods(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Dark Honey
A little shot of a dark honey, like buckwheat honey, in your tea or on your toast will not only add nutrients (the darker the honey the higher the nutrient content) but it will also give you a more steady, slower burning energy source than regular white sugar or light-colored honey.

Beans
Just 1/4c of pinto or black beans will give you a nice mix of immediate satisfaction and slow burning energy. Prepare them however you want, just watch the salt and fat content (i.e. baked beans have a lot of both).

Citrus
Full of vitamin C and antioxidants citrus fruits are also a good source of fiber and fast-acting natural sugars.

Trail Mix
Make your own trail mix and include as much or as little of all your favorite nuts, seeds, raisins, and dark chocolate as you want into the mix. The trick then is to limit yourself to just one handful when you need a snack. If you do that all the ingredients will be healthy and beneficial.

Dark Berry Juice
Get an energy boost complete with antioxidants and hydration by taking 4oz of a dark berry juice (cherry, blueberry, pomegranate, grape, açai, etc) and mix it with 4oz water. Diluting it helps reduce the overall sugar content and also makes it more filling (not to mention simple dehydration can be a major cause of low energy so the extra water may help).

What snacks give you a healthy long-lasting dose of energy?

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