I wrote this article for The Huffington Post, you can see it here, but I wanted to share here as well, a it is SO important to take small, easy steps to improve your health and energy today.

As an owner of a highly frenetic and stress inducing fashion and celebrity public relations firm in the heart of New York City, I began to realize I was always tired. I don’t just mean sleepy. I mean utterly and deeply fatigued. I began to look around and take inventory of my life, and I realized that I wasn’t paying attention to my health or proactively taking care of my energy levels.

As a result, everything was suffering.

I was solely focused on my client’s needs and the latest Vogue placement I could get for them. While being able to pay the bills is great, if you feel exhausted and unable to enjoy life, who really cares if you can snag the latest Celine bag?

This was a common sentiment among New York City’s fashion crowd I was noticing. More and more of the fashion elite are now moving into exploring alternative medicine and methods to search for answers to their lack of energy. I like to call it fashion fatigue and the mass exodus into wellness.

By taking small steps to better my energy levels, I began my journey toward diving into a full overhaul of my lifestyle. Listen, we all know that eating right and moving your body are the keys to health. But we also all know that it takes time, and I needed (or at the very least wanted) results that minute!

The good news it, I did it. I found five steps for immediate gratification. These are small and easy tips that will increase energy, lower stress, and get you on your way to a healthier state TODAY.

1. Wake your body up gently. Think about it – How would you feel if someone dumped boiling hot or cold water on your head to wake you up? I would bet that you would tense up and feel pretty shocked. Well, guess what, your organs feel the same way, so that normal iced coffee or hot cup of joe you reach for first thing in the morning isn’t all that friendly on your system. Try warm water instead. After sleeping through the night, your bodily tissues are dehydrated and need clean, pure water to filter out toxins and improve energy production in your cells. Warm water helps to improve digestion and detoxification by moving things along and breaking down oils that may be in your digestive tract. Looking for an added boost? Add lemon. Water with lemon produces clean energy by oxygenating your body to produce mental clarity. Additionally, lemon wakes up your immune system with a mega dose of vitamin C.
2. Give your brain a break. Tell your brain to shut up. Your brain needs a break throughout the day. It is easy to take ten minutes to sit in a quiet space and mentally scan your body to see how it is feeling. Need a guide? Try the Headspace app. It will walk you through this. Also, read my post on meditation here.
3. Fill up on Fiber. How do you function if you are hungry throughout the day? I will answer that for you, not well. Keep yourself feeling full with fiber. Fiber is key to keeping your hunger at bay. Less than 3% of Americans get the recommended 25 grams of fiber. Did you know increasing your fiber not only helps weight loss but decreases your risk of colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes and IBS? Forget what you have heard about cutting carbs. Fiber is a miracle carb, I have written about it extensively here. 
4. Support the Bees. Our little friends that keep the world turning also can give your energy a major boost. I am talking about bees of course. Most people know about the superpower benefits of honey and royal jelly but have missed bee pollen. The proteins, free amino acids, carbohydrates and vitamins, including B-complex and folic acid can help keep your energy up all day by fighting off fatigue. Approximately half bee pollen’s protein comes from bioavailable free amino acids, which means they are ready to be used by your body to provide immediate energy. Additionally, bee pollen boosts can boost mental capacity and fight stress by supplying additional blood flow to the nervous system (source). Long term use of bee pollen is also said to improve your mood and who doesn’t need that? As always, avoid if you have any allergies to pollen or bee products.
5. Put your brain to bed. We know sleep is paramount to good health. This isn’t a secret. What you may not know is that your brain may need a signal to put itself to bed to induce a good night’s rest. Reducing stress before bed is key. Try a magnesium supplement. It is said that a staggering 68% of Americans do not consume the recommended daily intake of magnesium. According to the National Institutes of Health, your body requires magnesium for more than 300 chemical reactions such as keeping your heart rhythm steady and regulating blood sugar levels. In addition to its health benefits, magnesium helps relax your muscles, keeps things regular and moving (wink, wink), and helps to provide a spectacular deep sleep. Try this one, I wrote about here!

These 5 tips are painless and easy to implement. These small simple steps may not seem like they will impact your health in a large way but they best way to get on your journey and stay on it is by making small changes you can easily stick with. Take these steps to increase energy today and see how you feel.