How to Get a '7 Day Energy Surge'

April 28, 2009 — -- Sometimes you just have one of those days when you wake up refreshed, bound through the day and seem to have endless energy.

For most people, those days are few and far between, but there might be something you can do about it.

In his new book, "The 7 Day Energy Surge," author and fitness expert Jim Karas exposes the bad habits that sabotage energy shows you how to increase your energy with some simple strategies.

Read an excerpt of his book below, then head to the "GMA" Library for some more great reads.

Introduction: What Is Energy?

Energy -- the capacity of a physical system to do work

Did you know that—

How much you weigh

What you eat and drink

Whether or not you exercise

How well you breathe

The quality and quantity of your sleep

The types of thoughts you entertain

How you deal with stress

The music you listen to

And whether you have had sex recently

—all affect your energy today?

Does this sound familiar?

You start your day in a groggy haze as you slap thesnooze button three or four times. Then, just getting out of bed (a painful thought) andready for the day is exhausting. By the time it's 10:00—a.m.—you are dying to take your first nap. You practically fall asleep at the wheel, experience brain fog most of the day, and find yourself dozing off during meetings or at your kid's soccer practice.Then, to make matters worse, you eat the wrong foods at the wrong time (donut anyone?), don't even consider exercise (sorry, yawning doesn't count), never drink a sip of water (unless you have a headache and pop a pill), get on the caffeine and sugar highway (I'll take a Coke, a latte, and a Red Bull), barely breathe, berate yourself (and possibly your mate) for the past (oh, if you only knew!), live in constant fear of a dreaded future (I'm doomed), and then wonder, "What's wrong with me? I feel horrible and wiped out all the time."

Or you may feel like you have a lot of energy when you're at work and responding torapid-fire requests from your manager, constant complaints from your customers, andother daily crises, but then you can barely summon the energy to pet the dog or say hello to your kids when you get home.

All you can think of is shoveling some food into yourmouth and getting to bed, but then once you do, your mind is racing with thoughts of allthe things you didn't get done today and won't get a chance to do tomorrow.

You feel that way as a result of BAD habits that annihilate the capacity of your physicalsystem to do work—also known as your ENERGY. You know instinctively that these habits are harmful, but hey, at this point, it's routine.

Over the next seven days, I am going to give you a very detailed plan to get you out ofyour current, downward energy death spiral and into a new, upward-surging "life spiral."It's never too late. If you follow these simple steps, you will instantly be on the path tolasting energy even beyond your wildest dreams—with no corresponding crash (hint—godrink a big glass of cold, sparkling water, then come back and keep reading).

Sound toogood to be true? I tested this program with real clients with real, busy lives, all of whomfelt that the program helped them eat healthier, exercise more, sleep better, and have more energy when they needed it. You'll hear from them directly throughout the book, giving tips on how you can make the 7-Day Energy Surge work for you.You may be wondering, what makes me an energy expert? Well, for the past 23 years, Ihave been called a lot of things (many I can't mention here), such as personal fitnesstrainer, weight loss expert, food police, life coach, and "The Commander," but none ofthem felt quite right (well, "The Commander" came close).

I started my career in the weight loss and fitness business back in 1986. Prior to that, Iwas working as a private portfolio manager, because I had graduated from the WhartonSchool of Business with a BS in economics. Every Saturday, I used to take a high-impactaerobics class to try to knock off some weight (FYI—it didn't work). And yes, I was a chubber until I learned the smart way to lose the pounds for good (to be shared later).

One Saturday morning, the teacher no-showed for the 8:00 a.m. class, leaving about 100of us "calorically challenged" members standing around. At 8:15, I surprised myself byblurting out, "Look, if someone can find the music tape, I'll teach," because I had memorized the routine (just so we are clear, you should never perform a memorized exercise routine!).

After the 8:00 class, the teacher again no-showed for the 9:00, so I taught that one aswell. Afterward, the manager of the club waved me over and said, "Want a job?"In my best Whartonian manner, I asked, "I don't know. What's your best offer?" "You get a free membership and $4 an hour," he replied. I said, "Sold!"

From there, I quickly moved to a swankier, downtown club (for $18 an hour, and that'sa 450 percent increase in pay in a VERY short period of time—see, I did use my economics degree) and was approached by my first client, Janet, who asked me to be her personal fitness trainer and offered me $30 an hour. Once again, my reply was, "Sold!"When I taught a big class, even if I was stressed, rushed, and tired, the moment I put onthe music and was feeding on the group energy, I was pumped and ready to go. But whenI used to show up to train people one-on-one, I was the sole energy source and it wasexhausting.

I quickly realized that I had to crank up my energy. Starting at 4:30 a.m. and training eight to 10 clients a day, seven days a week, in their homes, offices, or private exercise facilities was daunting. It hit me over the head that I had better get a lot of sleep, and often that meant a combination of sleep at night and naps (yes, they were plural at times) to stay at optimal energy output. Ditto with my food and drink, so I planned and packed what I would bring with me.

Breathing was a HUGE part of how I felt, and I would sometimes stand in front of aclient's door and just breathe for a minute or two, which also helped clear my mind so that I would give this client my undivided attention. The music I played in my car, on myWalkman (yes, I'm that old), and sometimes in the client's home helped pump me up andminimize stress, which was high, given many of my high-profile, demanding clients.

So here I was "on the job," having to learn the balancing act between energy input andenergy output. In the meantime, of course, life continued to throw me energy challenges.

Twelve years ago, I became a father—trust me, having a baby in the house is a MAJOR factor affecting your energy—and I quickly had to learn how to manage increased demands on my time and energy. Eight years ago, I opened my second personal-fitness training firm in New York, in addition to one in Chicago, and embarked upon a worldwide speaking career that split my energy among more cities than I can count.

Then 3 years ago, I got divorced and became "Mr. Mom" more than 50 percent of the time. Talk about another MAJOR demand on my energy that required me to "tweak" my plan once again. I'm not here to say that these changes were easy, but now I'm a happier, more productive employer, friend, father, and human being.

My life is in better balance, and because of that my energy is soaring; it's pouring out of me like never before, and it's truly one of the most intoxicating, natural experiences I've ever had.In addition to constantly manipulating my own energy equation, I've frequently heardclients tell me that, sure, they liked the way they looked (which generally was terrific), but what really sold them on my plan was the noticeable cascade of energy. Diane Sawyer was one of my first clients to make this connection, which occurred while she was getting up at insane hours to host Good Morning America.

I also found that many people had soured on weight loss and fitness programs becausethey had tried to tackle these issues in the past without much success. I use the term the buyin to determine what will get a potential client to ultimately make the decision to work with one of my team. The more I emphasized "energy" as "the buy-in," the more clients became animated and excited about getting on the plan. That response is what led me to push energy more and more as the ultimate goal and let improved health, weight loss, reduced stress, more effective sleep, etc., follow. That's how the idea for this book was born.

While conceptualizing, researching, and writing this book, I had countless conversationswith my very best friend, Cynthia Costas Cohen. Cynthia is a licensed marriage andfamily therapist (MFT) in addition to being certified by the American Society of ClinicalHypnosis. She has a prominent clientele in Beverly Hills, which includes major celebrities, and it pisses me off that she won't share a single name. In addition, she spends much of her time doing pro bono work for the far less fortunate at a community clinic.Cynthia directed me to a tremendous body of research, shared her own personal experiences, and taught me techniques that she has successfully used with her patients to enhance energy and well-being.

I realized that I needed her collaboration with this endeavor, and her contribution is amazing and critical to a successful surge. Stay tuned, as you will hear directly from Cynthia in certain chapters in a shaded box.

As you go through this 7-day program, you will achieve realistic changes and goals, andeach accomplishment will translate into more and more healthy, positive energy. I wantyou to remember this saying throughout the book:

Accomplishment Creates Energy

You know how great it feels to accomplish something good—giving a terrific presentation, planning a special dinner, or making a commitment to exercise and actually following through with it. I remember the first time I added more memory to my computer. Wow, everything ran faster and more efficiently and I accomplished so much more when I booted up. Now think of your mind and body working faster and more efficiently as you build energy momentum. Once again, energy is truly an exquisite, intoxicating, natural drug, and you control it.

Get ready for the 7-Day Energy Surge. It starts now. In no time, you will possess a hugebank of enriching energy. Oh, and this program will also help you lose weight, look great, flatten your abs, lift your butt, breathe efficiently, stall the aging process, have great sex, achieve peace of mind, and feel better than you ever have before.

Hope you don't mind!