It’s another way.

A better way to live life.

It produces more results. Better results. And you feel so much better in the end.

The Energy Cycle is what we should long for to replace The Exhaustion Cycle.

It’s the Preparation H to the pain in your “if you have to ask…”

Seriously. The Exhaustion Cycle is a pain that needs to be resolved.

So what is it exactly?

Here are the three phases of The Energy Cycle: 

Phase One: Rest = Stop For Now

REST has become a four letter word.

Our society does NOT promote rest.

It’s downplayed even villainized.

But… REST is the recharge for our body and our mind.

Don’t believe me?

Go hard until you’re exhausted and crash. What is the only thing that brings you back from the dead?

That dreaded four letter word: REST.

But when I rest, my My Energy is Recharged.

Recharge comes in two ways:

1. The Quick Hit Charge – plugging in to get a quick bump in energy
2. The Trickle Charge – the low amp, long duration full charge (patience sold separately)

There are three parts to Rest:

1. SLEEP

We all do it but the degree of quantity and for that matter quality, is all over the place especially for a high performer.

Sleep is viewed as optional, a necessary evil, an easy place to steal time and overall under-valued.

But when we value sleep and see it as one of the highest sources of energy…

Only then will you get the trickle charge high benefit gain of sleep.

Sleep is turning the car completely off.

Sleep is one of these change of mind before change of behavior areas.

Once you begin to see the value in getting more sleep, only then will you see the incredible results sleep is just waiting to offer to you.

The 2nd part of Rest is…

2. BREAKS

I define a break as: Move the Body / Rest the Mind.

The biggest pushback I hear all the time with breaks is “I don’t have time to take a break!”

This is short term, myopic thinking.

If people choose to take a break at all, they do the opposite – Rest the Body and Move the Mind –

They stay seated and move from one screen to another (computer to phone for social media or personal email).

A true break is designed to Move the Body – stand / stretch / walk – MOVE!

And rest the mind means to stop concentrating and let it just roam free.

Breaks = running the car but on idle

A break can be as little as just five minutes to stand, stretch, and stop focusing to 15 minutes where you can eat a healthy snack, move around to even 30 minutes where you can go for a walk.

Breaks are one of these rare little gifts that a small investment yields amazing results.

And the 3rd part of Rest after Sleep and Breaks is…

3. MARGIN / DOWNTIME

Margin means “space to breathe” – it’s choosing not to run non-stop but space to allow you to just catch your breathe.

Ahhhhh….

Margin is the cure for the Busy Phase in The Exhaustion Cycle.

Margin precedes Downtime.

Downtime means “time to be” – it’s the non-doing part of the program.

Think: “Time to Be, Not to Do.”

Downtime is relationships.

Downtime is hobbies.

I must have “space to breathe” (margin) so I can have “time to be” (downtime).

Of the 3 parts in REST, this is my weakest by far.

I’m notoriously a great doer, lousy be-er.

Some would say even a better wine-er (adult beverage humor since I love my vino).

But getting much better when I live in The Energy Cycle.

Downtime = car is now in park.

Downtime is small on weeknights and large on weekends.

It’s amazing when you take downtime how much energy comes from this “seemingly unproductive time”.

And sometimes I’m the most creative AFTER downtime as crazy as that sounds.

I’m recharged in a different way which puts so much into me – the “but wait, there’s more” bonus of choosing to rest with having margin (space to breathe) and downtime (time to be).

After Rest – Stop for Now, we move to Phase Two of the Energy Cycle:

Phase Two: Refuel = Put Back In

Energy takes from us and requires something to go back in.

And when I refuel, my My Energy is Renewed.

I’m now ready to put the RIGHT things back in.

But sadly, we often put the WRONG things in if at all and wonder why the high performance car is not performing or even kicking back.

We must put the RIGHT things back in for our energy to be renewed and see the needed results.

There are three parts to Refuel:

1. Nutrition

Ah yes, there is a direct correlation between food and energy.

If you doubt this, answer these three questions:

1. How much energy do you have when you skip meals? Breakfast or lunch for example?
2. How are you affected when you eat a heavy or lousy lunch?
3. How do you feel when you eat a healthy, energy producing lunch or even the right snack?

We MUST see nutrition as a huge source of an energy edge.

Our focus on nutrition is four letters: MTHC = Make the Healthiest Choice

The 2nd part in Refuel is…

2. Fitness

I’m amazed and a little horrified by how little people MOVE these days. We’re SO less active than we used to be and need to be in our daily lives.Moving produces energy.

Moving can be as small as standing or stretching.

Next level would be walking.

Then the top two would be:

Running (think cardio)

Lifting (thing strength training)

Adding and improving as many of the above four into your everyday activities will give you immediate and far more energy than you’d ever imagine.

After Nutrition and Fitness, the 3rd part in refuel is…

3. Personal Development

Nutrition and Fitness recharge the body.

Personal Development recharges the mind.

Time is always the enemy on things that are important and things that are good for you.

And personal development is usually at the top of the list.

I found most people’s philosophy on personal development is more HIT and MISS.

Two words to describe how I define Personal Development = INTENTIONAL LEARNING.

And for something to be intentional and you want it to be maximized… you develop a plan which I call PDP – Personal Development Plan.

Here are Four C’s to better clarify a PDP:

1. Consume – this is what I read and hear on a daily basis – think books, blog posts, magazines, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.
2. Coaching – hiring someone ahead of me for a season to get me where I want and need to go – often expensive but always worth it to me
3. Courses – for me this is online courses that help me continually develop
4. Conferences – opportunity to learn and network with like-minded learners on the same journey

Refuel is both recharging the body through Nutrition and Fitness along with recharging the mind with Personal Development and our energy will be replenished.

The 3rd and final phase of The Energy Cycle after we’ve Rested – Stop for Now and Refueled – Put Back In is….

Phase Three: Re-Engage = Get Back Out

After you REST, stop for now

And REFUEL, put back in,

It’s time to RE-ENGAGE, get back out.

And when I’m refueled, my My Energy is Replenished.

This means I’m ready to get back out and “do what I do” but this time with more energy.

Re-engage is when we “redesign the rhythms of our lives” to fit our individual lifestyle.

Everyone sleeps, eats, and moves for example, but when and how are individualistic.

There is where Re-Engage comes into the picture and vital to our success in The Energy Cycle.

There are three parts to Re-Engage:

1. Plan – this type of detail in Rest and Refuel doesn’t or shouldn’t happen on accident or just when you can “fit it in.” This requires a customized plan that works within the rhythms of your life.

Whether you create one on your own or find a coach like me to help you develop it, a plan is key to your success in The Energy Cycle

2.  Implement – this is the “DO” part of the program. It’s not enough to “just have it on your schedule”

This is the action side – GO time – “getter done”.

You will be SO far ahead of most if you make it to this part of Plan and Implement but it doesn’t stop here. “but wait, there’s more…

3. Evaluate – this is when we look at the plan and how we implemented it and ask:
• How’s it going?
• What worked?
• What didn’t?
• What can I change / tweak to make it better? = ADJUST

Tony Robbins calls this CANI – an acronym for constant and never ending improvement. I wrote an entire post on the topic you can find here.

Closing Thoughts…

It’s SO easy to live in or even fall back in The Exhaustion Cycle. But this is not the way to live and especially not the place to become your absolute best.

This is The Energy Cycle where you can develop your energy edge so you can live and work at an optimal level:

1.  Rest – Stop for Now = my energy is recharged through sleep / breaks / margin for downtime

2.  Refuel – Put Back In = my energy is replenished through nutrition / fitness / personal development

3.  Re-Engage – Get Back Out = my energy is renewed through planning / implementing / evaluating

ACTIONABLE ITEMS (What Now?)

1. Take a break somewhere within your day to “Move the Body and Rest the Mind” – try at least 5 minutes

2. What is one thing you used to do for downtime that you liked but not doing now that you could re-introduce back into your routine? – choose it and implement it for a few minutes asap