Our levels of energy naturally rise and fall throughout the day, but stress, fluctuating hormones, not eating well or drinking enough, and even modern technology can all be a drain on the battery. Short, dark days at this time of year can sap the spirit further still. Follow this simple plan to put the vivacity back in your day.
7am: Rise and shine
How well you cope in the morning depends very much on whether you are naturally a lark who flies out of bed ready to face the day, or an owl who could happily stay under the duvet. If you’re an owl, try a wake-up light, such as the Lumie Bodyclock Starter 30 (£59.95, Amazon), which simulates natural light. This motivates the production of your body’s get-up-and-go hormones and suppresses the melatonin that brings on sleep.
If you’re a lark, head out for a morning walk in the countryside or a local park, especially if you struggle to maintain an exercise habit – researchers have found that doing this first thing before other commitments intrude helps you to keep it going. University of Bristol researchers discovered that employees who exercised before work – or during their lunch breaks – were better equipped to handle what the day threw at them than those who didn’t.
8am: Early-morning pick-me-up
We wake up dehydrated with low blood sugar, and this means low energy. Have a high-energy breakfast combining protein and slow-release carbs – poached egg on wholemeal toast, or porridge, fruit and yogurt. Take your coffee outside in the garden for ten minutes in natural light, which stimulates production of the feelgood hormone serotonin.
11am: Avoid the mid-morning slump
A cup of tea and a biscuit may seem the perfect quick fix, but the initial boost in energy levels will be followed by a blood sugar crash soon after. Instead, replace sugary snacks with fresh fruit, a handful of nuts and seeds or a few squares of 70% chocolate – a recent study found that people who made these healthier choices ate 18% fewer calories at lunchtime.
1pm: Lunchtime booster
To combat the post-lunch energy dip, choose a meal that’s high in protein and low in, rather than no, carbs – carbohydrates are needed for energy, but too much can make you feel sleepy. Swap a pasta salad for a tuna one with a small wholegrain roll, a regular sandwich for an open one, and a big baked potato with a sprinkling of cheese for a small one with added baked beans.
Try to get outside for a walk – especially in the uplifting surroundings of green spaces. Research shows that natural light increases attention and alertness in the afternoon – even a short stroll will boost your heart rate and increase the flow of oxygen around the body, reviving flagging energy.
3pm: Beat the afternoon crash
Energy and concentration levels typically peak around noon, then start to drop after lunch, reaching their lowest point mid-afternoon when we’re hardwired to feel sleepy. If you can take a 20-minute nap (no longer or you’ll feel sluggish), go ahead, but if that’s not possible, stretch out. Sit on the edge of a chair, clasp your hands behind your back, open up your chest and shoulders and then inhale and exhale several times. Release and repeat three to four times.
Gillian Berry of the British Acupuncture Council suggests this simple technique to restore energy levels: gently massage the inner part of both heels by placing the tips of your fingers on the area just between the ankle bone and the hard ridge of the Achilles tendon. Massage each foot gently for a couple of minutes.
6PM: Evening energiser
We get a second peak of energy and alertness in the early evening, and this is the ideal time to exercise, as it is also when your muscle tone and flexibility are at their best. Regular exercise is a powerful energiser because it spurs the development of mitochondria, the powerhouses of your body’s cells, which convert the energy stored in foods into a form the cells can use.
8-9PM: The evening wind-down
Sleep is the ultimate battery recharger – if we don’t get enough, our energy reserves will be low. Research shows that even partial sleep deprivation has potentially negative impacts on how the body regulates energy. Evening meals should be the reverse of lunchtime ratios, with less protein and more carbohydrates to help induce sleepiness. Avoid caffeine and stick to just one alcoholic drink early in the evening.
Start winding down for an hour before bed – write tomorrow’s to-do list if it helps you clear your head or have a warm bath. Make sure you switch off phones, tablets and other electronic devices and put them in another room. Information overload increases the production of stress hormones, which can interfere with restful sleep, and the blue light that these devices emit can hinder the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.
The energy nutrients
Iron
Low iron levels can leave you fatigued and lethargic. Good sources are lean meat, liver and egg yolks, but dried fruit, tofu, nuts and kidney beans also contain it. If you’re concerned about your levels, ask your GP for a blood test. Vitamin D In the UK, sunlight doesn’t contain enough UVB radiation in winter (October to early March) for our skin to be able to make vitamin D, so increase your intake from food sources – including oily fish, egg yolks and fortified cereals – or take a supplement.
B vitamins
Vitamin B12 (in meat and dairy products) and folate (in leafy green vegetables, chickpeas and liver) are also vital – a deficiency of either of these can result in low energy, pins and needles and muscle weakness.
