Quick Energy Pick-Me-Ups

Do you have the energy you need to get through your day? Having enough energy throughout the day is key for performing well at work, driving, or getting around safely, and for maintaining the important relationships in our lives. Having enough energy also increases the pleasure we can experience during our daily activities.

How to Have an Energy Boost Mid-Day

Many people tend to feel sleepy around 2-3 pm. This is partly caused by natural body rhythms. This daytime sleepiness is a miniature version of the drowsiness we feel before bed and is caused by a dip in our body temperature. Fatigue during the mid-day might seem like a frustrating inevitability. Many of us feel tired at mid-day, and this can make accomplishing tasks difficult, to say nothing of how miserable working while tired can be. Thankfully, there are some remedies for this mid-day fatigue. One way to get a mid-day energy jump is to eat protein for your lunch and snacks. Protein builds muscle, and muscle burns fat, a source of energy. In addition, protein also regulates blood sugar, helping to keep your energy levels stable. According to Rush University, “A high-protein snack can help restore energy by elevating your glucose level in a sustained manner. Choose snacks with at least 5 grams of protein.”

Tips To Push Through Feeling Tired

One way to help you push through feeling tired and support your energy throughout the day, according to WebMD, is to eat a healthy breakfast, full of complex carbohydrates and protein. (Try fruit and Greek yogurt or oatmeal and an egg.) Breakfast is your fuel for the day, and it is important for fighting that mid-day crash. The same philosophy applies with lunch if you are tempted to skip lunch or have just salad with no protein. Your body needs good carbohydrates for fuel and adding protein to the combination “seems to boost concentration levels as well.” Another tip for lunches that will help with energy is to avoid foods that are heavy in fat since they take longer to digest and that sense of fullness can lead to feeling heavy and sluggish.

What if you weren’t able to eat that good combination of complex carbs and protein for breakfast and lunch, and are now feeling that midday slump? One way to fight fatigue is with movement. Taking a walk and getting some sun increases blood flow and can help boost your energy. If you can’t leave your desk, try breathing deeply while doing some stretches in your chair. Drinking a glass or three of water helps keep you hydrated and is important for brain function. Finally, take a moment for a healthy snack, because good fuel in your body means good energy.

How To Maintain Focus And Get An Energy Boost

If you are trying to maintain focus on an important task while tired, it can be helpful to cut back on distractions. Once you’ve been distracted and stopped your workflow, it takes up to 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the level of focus you had before you were interrupted. While not all interruptions are under your control, do what you can to limit distractions by turning off notifications on your phone and computer, and if possible, ask those around you to let you work uninterrupted.

One way to get an energy boost is through a short meditation. There are many ways to meditate. Whether you sit and focus on your breath, follow along with a guided meditation through YouTube or an app like Insight Timer, or do this quick breathing meditation, there is a meditation that will work for you. Meditation gives your brain a break, which will give you more energy in the long run.

Caffeine Chews And How Caffeine Improves Energy

Caffeine gives an energy boost in a variety of ways. It increases the heart rate and triggers the release of adrenaline, a hormone that turns on the active part of your nervous system. Caffeine also increases your metabolism, allowing your body to make energy faster by telling the liver to release more sugar into your bloodstream. Caffeine also impacts neurotransmitters in the brain, like dopamine, which helps improve concentration.

Caffeine is also a great way to improve energy and find a mid-day energy boost, especially if taking a high-quality caffeine chew like the Mocca Shot. Mocca Shot doesn’t just give you the same amount of caffeine as two cups of coffee, but it is full of brain-boosting vitamins, antioxidants, and herbs. This means you’ll have more energy, but without the jitters that can come from drinking coffee. Plus, Mocca Shot’s caffeine is absorbed more quickly than coffee or energy drinks, which are often loaded with fatigue-inducing sugar, by the body through the mucosal membranes in the mouth. Try putting a Mocca Shot in your pocket for the next time you need a mid-day energy boost.