How to Increase Stamina: Exercise, Food and More
The Need for Stamina
To understand how to increase stamina and why it is important, you must know what it is. Stamina is the ability of your body to keep up with prolonged work. In simpler words, it is the sustainable energy that your body has for any activity. Stamina or endurance is key to sustaining mental and physical work for longer durations.
Knowing what stamina is, it is easy to comprehend its importance. Having higher stamina helps you to be more efficient. It means you require less energy for longer periods. It boosts you through rigorous mental and physical work, even when it becomes tiresome. Better stamina is an overall benefit to your body.
When do you need to increase stamina?
Everyone will benefit from increased stamina. However, it is important to judge your body correctly. Intense workout sessions or a long day’s work is bound to leave you feeling tired. This does not necessarily mean you have low endurance. Good rest and healthy food are enough to restore energy. Along with that, work on increasing stamina to reduce the fatigue level.
Some people feel exhausted or complain of breathlessness after basic daily activities. This is a sign to take action to increase stamina. Generally, following a sedentary lifestyle or undertaking too much stress leads to such complaints.
This article explores many ways to increase your daily energy. Enhance your stamina naturally with some simple lifestyle changes, exercise and diet.
Ways to Increase Stamina
1. Exercise regularly
The best way to build up stamina is to exercise consistently. It may seem absurd to exercise with low energy. However, pushing through with regular workouts gradually increases stamina. A study on a group of people suffering from post-work fatigue proves this. Including exercises for 6 weeks regularly showed major improvements in their endurance.
2. Eat well-balanced meals
What you eat plays a major role in the body’s ability to sustain. Eat nutritious meals to gain its benefits. Include a sufficient amount of carbs in your diet as they fuel the body with energy. Avoid depending on fast food and sugary drinks.
3. Drink enough water
If exercise and healthy meals are already in your routine, check on your hydration. Drinking less water will leave you dehydrated and fatigued. Certain studies show that well-hydrated bodies perform better at training. However, do not overdo this step. Drinking too much water is not beneficial either.
While water is most ideal, adding natural drinks like coconut water, lemon water, barley water, can make you feel energised. One can also look for natural drink substitutes, commonly known as energy drinks, to recharge themselves.
The antioxidants and electrolytes in them can boost energy levels. However, a word of caution, Reading the label and ingredients before you opt for a store-bought energy drink is absolutely essential.
4. Try yoga and meditation
One of the main reasons for low energy levels is stress. A high-stress lifestyle can bring down your efficiency. It can make you feel tired more easily. Yoga and meditation relax the body and lower stress levels. The results of a study done on a group of medical students prove this. Yoga and meditation significantly lowered stress and enhanced their stamina.
Types of Exercises for Increasing Stamina
Strength training
Lifting weights is a perfect way to build strength and stamina. Another advantage is that there is constant scope for increasing your stamina level. Simply add extra weight to challenge your fatigue point. To focus more on stamina improvement, do 15 to 20 reps at a comfortable weight. Repeating this for 2 or 3 sets is enough.
Bodyweight strength exercises are efficient as well. Similar to weighted exercises, repeat these for higher reps. Some of the best bodyweight exercises are:
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Walking lunges
- Sit-ups
- Regular and side plank
Cardio exercises
Cardio exercises increase your heart rate, breathing rate and make you sweat. They are steady-paced exercises that promote the supply of oxygen to the muscles. This, in turn, helps you to feel less tired. The simplest cardio is walking. Beginners and older people can simply walk to increase their stamina. Other exercises that increase stamina are:
- Cycling
- Running
- Swimming
- Dancing
HIIT
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. It is a short routine that usually lasts between 20 to 30 minutes. It applies a combination of exercises followed by short rest. Many of these routines use compound movements that are great to work the whole body. Some studies say that HIIT is a better way to boost stamina than steady-paced exercises.
Be cautious while doing HIIT to avoid any injuries. Follow a 10-sec workout and 30-sec rest for beginner routines.
Foods That Help with Stamina
Bananas are a healthy snack to munch on. Its immense nutrients shoot up energy levels. Eat a banana before exercising to improve your physical efficiency.
- Brown rice
Switch to brown rice as a source of carbs. Brown rice is less processed than white rice. This fuels your body with more nutrients. It also takes a longer time to digest, keeping you full.
Quinoa is a multi-nutrient grain. It is rich in amino acids, fibre, vitamins and minerals. It gives double the goodness of normal grains.
Coffee not only wakes you up but also boosts your stamina. The caffeine releases adrenaline and helps to pump blood quickly to the muscles. This, in turn, produces energy faster. Opt for black coffee, as it is low in calories.
Eggs are a great source of protein, vitamins and antioxidants. Eat a hard-boiled egg for breakfast to keep up your stamina throughout the day. It also keeps you feeling satiated for a longer time.
They are a good source of plant protein. Its amino acid content increases endurance for workout sessions.
Fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It reduces inflammation in the body, which helps to decrease fatigue. Add tuna and salmon to your diet to reap the benefits of some essential fatty acids, vitamins, and protein.
- Ashwagandha
Celebrated in Ayurveda, ashwagandha increases stamina and energy level, improves cognitive function, overall health and reduces stress levels. A study published shows that eating 300 mg of ashwagandha twice a day increased cardiovascular endurance in 25 athletes.
Foods That Hinder Your Stamina
Some foods prevent you from reaching your maximum energy potential.
Avoid regular consumption of alcohol. It leaves you feeling dehydrated and drained. Load up electrolyte drinks to counter its effect. It is best to steer away from them before workouts.
Though fast foods are satiating, they do not provide any nutrients to the body. Its high-fat content makes it harder to digest and hinders your stamina potential.
Tips to Increase Stamina
- Take your salt levels into consideration. Doing stamina-reducing activities often leads to a salt loss in perspiration. Consume the daily limit of 2300 to 2400 mg to keep salt levels in check.
- A good sleep cycle is necessary to unwind your body. Try to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. It rejuvenates the body’s energy levels.
- Remember to rest. Do not overwork your body with rigorous activities. Listen to your body’s cue for breaks.
- Increase your magnesium intake. This vital mineral helps to convert glucose into energy. Nuts, seeds, fish and soybeans are rich in magnesium.
- Break up your meals into smaller portions. It gives your body a regular supply of energy throughout the day.
Summary
Stamina is an important aspect of physical fitness. It is necessary to maintain a sufficient level of stamina. It is key to getting you through the day without feeling tired. There are multiple ways to increase energy levels through diet and exercise.
Depending on your level of comfort, choose from cardio exercises and strength training. Regular exercise helps to gradually build stamina. Consider playing a sport to make it interesting and gain endurance from it.
Look up some foods that help to boost stamina and add it to your diet. A good routine of workout, rest and healthy food will ensure you increase your energy levels. The main thing to remember is that consistency is a game-changer here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A. Coffee is a good stamina booster. It does not lower your stamina. On the contrary, it helps to boost your energy levels. Choose black coffee as it is low in calories. Drink a cup of coffee before workouts to increase exercise efficiency. It reduces the perception of effort, thereby making it easier for you to complete activities.
A. Yes, smoking has a drastic effect on stamina. Higher the supply of oxygen to muscles, the higher the energy. Smoking displaces the oxygen from reaching the body tissues and muscles. This leads to the build-up of lactic acid in the body. The reduced oxygen levels affect your stamina significantly. Reduce smoking to reach your energy potential.
A. Music has a positive effect on stamina. Studies show that those who exercise with music are less fatigued. Upbeat music reduces the perception of work and keeps you going for longer durations. It reduces heart rate during vigorous activities. This in turn lowers the energy used by the body.
A. Bananas are a perfect snack for this cause. One banana will provide you with enough energy for an entire workout. The carbohydrate content fuels your body with sufficient stamina. Have an oatmeal breakfast before a morning workout session. Its fibrous nature keeps you full and provides consistent energy. Add a boiled egg to your pre-workout meal for enhanced endurance.
A. Yes, dancing is a fun way to boost stamina. It is a form of cardio exercise that increases your heart rate. Any activity that increases heart rate pumps more blood to the muscles. This in turn gives more energy. However, you must continue to dance regularly. Join dance classes or do it by yourself consistently.
