What can you do to increase your energy?

I'm not an expert, but I am an athlete inHigh school, so I'll give it a shot. If you want to increase your energy the best thing to do is cover the basics; 1. Make sure you are sleeping well. Getting a basic 8 hours of sleep is beneficial, and an extra hour or so should be sought after if you are highly active/an athlete. If getting the full 8 hours a night turns out to be difficult, I find it helpful to perfect the ability of 10 minute napping.Throughout the day you are bound to have 10 minutes when you are waiting in a car, exhausted and taking a breather, waiting for a class to start, or merely procrastinating your next venture (me now XD). Also, be sure you aren't sleeping too much.Sleeping for even up to 10 hours after a hectic busy day can be beneficial, but sleeping 10 hours a night, or not sleeping much for a few days and then going on a 16 hour luxury nap can hurt you more than not getting enough sleep can, especially when you start getting crappy shallow REM sleep (or whatever its called :P) Basically, put in an effort to get an average, consistent sleep pattern. As difficult as it sounds it is possible and you can get a lot more done on a good nights sleep in an hour then in an hour when you are dead tired. Think about going to bed early in order to get up early to finish a project. You can probably get it done faster that way. 2. Eat properly. Eating too little of course will end in a lack of energy, and if you eat crappy foods (Corn dogs, Pizza, candy, chocolate, cake, greasy burritos, that stuff you pull out of the freezer and don't know whats in it but it tastes good) than your body can't get the right nutrition from it and its as bad as not eating sometimes, and your body's reaction is to go into "starvation mode," not knowing when the next stash of real nutrition will come along, adding to fat deposits and making it nearly impossible to get rid of the ones present. Also, eating one large meal a day isn't gonna work either, as it will usually initiate "starvation mode" too. Just make sure to eat healthy foods - get a fair quantity of greens, and plenty of fruits and veggies. Keep amounts of consumed meats down to a reasonable level (Not every day) and eat grains as a staple - about 3 times a day in MODERATION. As in, don't eat 3 plates a meal. 1 - 2 (mainly for athletes) plates is good. Generally stick to 1 full plate though. One reason that energy might be low is a Vitamin deficiency. Vitamin B is an example of a big one that helps the body get energy from food eaten. Taking a daily multivitamin can almost definitely help improve energy if one is not regularly taken already. 3. Exercise. If you aren't an athlete, its OK. You can always jump in and do SOME form of exercise. There are plenty of running programs that are really good, and ordering a magazine like "Runners World" or something can always help out beginners with getting started and knowing how to train. If you think running has to be agony, then you are running too hard for beginning, and should look up some beginning running guides. Running isn't your thing? No problem, just find some form of exercise that will work for you - lifting weights, biking, swimming, plyometrics, even jump rope. Nothing is going to be really easy if you aren't used to exercising regularly, but effort never killed anyone that I know, and if people have died from it, obviously they were doing something right. :) So try working some, and you may be tired as you step up to a new daily challenge, but after about a week your body should pick up the memo and give plenty more energy. Again, I'm not an expert exactly, so proper nutrition and sleep changes should accompany increased muscular activity. Finally, 4. Be Mentally fit. Having the right mindset is key, and that is one thing you can control freely. Just as you choose to be angry or sad or depressed (in my opinion, no offense) you choose how hard you are gonna make something. I am a strong believer in "Mind over Matter," and so far it hasn't proven me wrong. Just choose to be happy and willing to work hard. If you find yourself feeling down or reluctant or even complaining (Gosh Forbid!) then make a conscious decision to change that to a better mindset. Generally, this leads to changing of the mind over time, for the better if properly employed, and can be applied anywhere in life. A good ability to acquire.