Note: please consult with your health care professional before starting a new exercise program. 

Let’s face it. We all want the secret to increasing our energy and speeding up our metabolism. Following are four tips that may be not so secret, but they’re easy to stick to and will help you look better and feel more energetic.

1. Water. Most people go through their day dehydrated. Ever feel thirsty? Probably at least once per day? By the time you get thirsty, you are already past being dehydrated. Why does this matter? Water is key to energy and metabolism. It will not only help you feel satisfied but will also enhance your digestion. Often, tiredness is really just a symptom of dehydration. Each day, try and drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water. Fill up a 64-ounce jug of water each morning and commit to finishing it by day’s end.

2. Fruits and veggies. Just like water, most of us don’t get enough of these. You should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Here’s a little trick to help you keep track of what you’re eating during the day: Put five bracelets on your right hand and each time you have a serving of fruit or vegetable, move a bracelet to your left hand. At the end of each day, make sure that your right hand is bracelet free.

3. Pump that heart. When you exercise and get your heart pumping, you burn calories, increase endorphins and boost your immune system. It doesn’t have to hurt. In fact, most people usually do too much, too hard, too fast. Make a personal commitment to break a sweat each day, whether it’s walking the dog, playing in the back yard with your kids or participating in a traditional exercise routine.

4. Breathe. You do it several times every minute. But more often than not, you don’t always breathe to its full benefit. Oxygen is essential to life and to the function of your cells. Breathing practices such as those learned in yoga, Pilates and other mind/body activities can teach you good breathing technique. To make it happen in your life, find something that gives you pause each day. It could be sitting at your desk waiting for a website to download or waiting at a red light in the car. Make that your cue to take three energizing breaths. Breathe in for three counts, hold for three counts and then release for three counts.

Lisa Druxman, M.A., is the founder of Stroller Strides (www.strollerstrides.net), an exercise program to help moms get back in shape and have fun with