Anyone who has ever been a creator, be it of the arts or a business, knows all too well the feeling of being so busy that it is almost impossible to make a home-cooked meal. Most of the people that find themselves in this position grab easy things like take-out, fast food, comfort foods, or even energy drinks to fuel their creativity. What if I told you that the food you choose to nourish your body with is actually zapping your body of the energy it yearns for?
So often we reach for coffee or an energy drink to keep us energized well past the point in which our body is declaring its need for rest. While temporarily this enables our creative juices to keep flowing, the sugar-laden beverages you are consuming will often make you feel more tired after the effects wear off. What energy drinks and coffee filled with sugar do is spike your blood sugar and insulin level quickly. After the initial spike wears off, your blood sugar quickly drops making you feel even more sluggish. As they say, what goes up must come down and the higher you go, the harder the crash. Even if the energy drinks or coffee you are consuming are sugar-free, they are full of caffeine.
Caffeine is a resistance building drug. The more you consume to reach the initial energy increases over time and you will find yourself requiring more caffeine to reach the same level of energy. Some people drink caffeine infrequently and one cup of coffee will give them the jitters while people who rely on coffee could drink a whole pot and take a nap.
While caffeine keeps you awake, no sleep is actually better than bad sleep and one thing that can cause bad sleep is alcohol. Alcohol in small doses actually helps you rest better, but in large doses it can cause vertigo and unrest, yielding a less than desirable nights’ sleep. Another reason drinking can lead to bad sleep is the fact that most people rarely go to the bar and have one to two drinks. It can easily turn into tequila shots until the sun rises!
Speaking of sunrise, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that isn’t just a saying. Having protein or a breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism, allowing your body to burn energy. When you don’t eat shortly after you wake up, your body stores the food you are giving it as fat because it doesn’t know when you may be feeding it again. Calories equal energy so no calories equal no energy.
While it is important to eat, choose wisely what you nourish your body with. Fast food is an easy option and some places do have healthier options but not all fast food is created equal. Places like McDonald's or other popular chains are quick but high in fat and low in fiber, which creates a longer digestive period which means that you are again withholding energy from your body. Fast food is also easy to overdo, making you feel stuffed. When you feel stuff, you usually aren’t as quick on your feet as you could be.
Choose wisely what you nourish your body with. Entrepreneurship requires a magnitude of mental and physical energy and you want to be sure you are giving your body what it needs to create that energy. You are what you eat is not just a saying; it’s a life motto. Remember, a well-fed body breeds a well-fed idea.