Have you ever noticed the rollercoaster ride of energy levels you have throughout the workday? Maybe your energy is high in the morning thanks to your coffee, but you crash right after lunch. Sometimes you might get a jolt of energy from adrenaline if you have a deadline approaching. During those natural highs, most of us try to be as productive as possible. When we crash, we often turn to caffeine which is only a short-term solution.
What if there was a way to stay energized more naturally throughout the workday? Luckily, there are several things you can do to take advantage of your body’s natural tendencies. Keep reading how you can make small changes in your daily habits to maintain energy throughout the workday:
Do Desk Exercises Throughout the Day
You know that feeling you get when you go for a walk to clear your head? You feel clarity and energized. That feeling is thanks to getting your blood flowing.
The problem with most white collar jobs these days is that we spend far too much time sitting. Over the past few years, many studies have shown the negative impact sitting for extended periods of time can have on your health. A recent study that involved nearly 8,000 people revealed the direct correlation between prolonged sitting and shortened life expectancy. Other negatives include increased risk for cardiovascular health, obesity, diabetes, dementia, and anxiety.
One negative side effect that’s frequently overlooked is the impact sitting has on your energy levels. Sitting zaps our energy, making it even more difficult to complete our tasks. An easy way to combat this is by doing desk exercises every 30 minutes or so. You can also get up and take a lap around your floor. Some popular desk exercises include calf raises, squats, lunges, and tricep dips.
Give some of these a try right now. You’ll notice how quickly you suddenly feel energized.
Snack on the Right Things
Having free snacks is one of the many perks companies tout during the hiring process. However, a lot of those snacks can tend to be on the unhealthy side like chips, candy, and sugary cereals.
Food is fuel. But we shouldn’t eat just any food. What we fuel our body with matters – especially when it comes to staying energized throughout the workday.
If your office supplies not-so-healthy snacks, do yourself a favor and start bringing your own healthy snacks. You’ll want snacks that are a good combination of carbs and protein. Carbs are what your body uses for quick energy, but you don’t want them to be fast-digesting carbs. Fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains are all slow-digesting carbs that will give you long-lasting energy.
Protein is another critical component of your energizing snacks. Protein helps you stay fuller for longer and can also act as an extended-release energy source, too. Some desk-friendly snacks include an apple, cheddar cheese, protein powder, celery, peanut butter, turkey, cucumber pinwheels, or a handful of mixed nuts.
Stare Into Space
While we don’t recommend staring into space that often (you do have work to do, after all), it can give you an energy boost when you need it most. If you spend most of your day working on a computer, it’s effortless for your eyes to get fatigued and for your energy to drain.
Staring off into space for a few minutes can give your eyes a break from the backlit screen. It also helps reset your mind and gives you a refreshed boost of energy.
Drink Right
In an office environment, it’s all too easy to subsist on coffee and nothing else. However, all that coffee could be doing you more harm than good. You see, coffee adds to the energy roller coaster that you always feel like you’re on. You get tired, so you have a cup of coffee which gives you a momentary boost, but then you’re back to square one.
If you’re go-to drink was a Teavana tea, consider looking into Teavana replacements for your new favorite beverage. Black and green teas all have enough caffeine to help you feel alert but not so much that you’ll experience those energy ups and downs.
Also, remember to stay hydrated at work. Your brain is mainly composed of water, so staying hydrated is imperative to keep it functioning correctly.
Listen to the Right Music
Listening to the right music can have a significant impact on your day. Lyric-free music is perfect for when you need to crank out a report or parse through tons of information. However, that shouldn’t mean that it should be causing you to be low energy. You can find tons of lyric-free options that include classical music, slow guitar, and even the instrumental versions of your favorite pop songs.
If you need something to give you a real riding-with-the-top-down feel, let yourself take a 2-song break to listen to a couple of songs that boost your energy. If you’re working on a task that doesn’t require full concentration, i.e., something you do on autopilot, go ahead and listen for longer. No matter what you want to hear, Spotify is a great platform to browse music, create playlists, and find playlists that can cater to exactly what you need.
 Figure Out What Works for You
It’s important to keep in mind that not all of these tricks will work for everyone. If you have trouble with staying energized at work, experiment with one of these tricks at a time to see what’s useful. Listen to your body and figure out the best way to energize yourself throughout the day.
Read our full review about one of the best nootropic supplements: Piracetol >>
