It’s mid-January and the days are getting shorter and colder. While some people are invigorated by the brisk weather, others (like me) are ready for hibernation, until the sun comes out again in spring.
Here are four strategies to keep your energy levels high throughout the day:
- Replace your afternoon coffee break with a yogurt and cheese break. BNET Research Center states that the amino acid, tyrosine, present in yogurt and cheese, "converts into the feel-good chemicals dopamine and adrenaline and can energize you as quickly as a cup of coffee." They suggest snacking on 8 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt or 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese melted on bread.
- Snack on some water. "If you’re dehydrated, you can’t get nutrients from the foods you eat to the cells in your body, and you’re going to feel tired," says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, director of the Center for Effective Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia Therapies in Annapolis, Maryland in Parents Magazine. So, drink enough water throughout the day to make sure you are making the most of the nutrients in the foods you eat. If you’re used to drinking a soda to keep you going in the afternoon, try seltzer or carbonated water for some fizz that’s more hydrating and won’t spike your blood sugar levels.
- Fruit has fiber, so eat fruit. Apples and bananas contain enough fiber to ensure that their sugars are absorbed more slowly and evenly – thereby preventing a sugar high and crash. Try an apple drizzled with honey for a good fiber and sugar match. You will get a quick boost from the sweet honey, but it will be absorbed slowly due to the apple’s fiber. Sweet!
- Toast and peanut butter. Personally, I like an English muffin and all-natural almond butter, but peanut butter is tasty, and healthy in small doses. The toast provides a satisfying crunch and the nut-butter fills you up with protein and flavor.
Whatever you snack on, the main goal for maintaining energy is to avoid drastic dips and spikes in your blood sugar level. So, choose a carbohydrate-based snack (our bodies’ main source of food) mixed with a little protein or fat to regulate the release of sugar into your system.
Quick Summary – Snacks To Maintain High Energy:
- 8 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese melted on bread
- drink enough seltzer, carbonated, or still water
- banana
- apple drizzled with honey
- toast with peanut butter
- toast with almond butter
Enjoy, and SNACK ON!
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My favorite worktime snack is apple and cheddar cheese together – yum! There was someone in this month’s Allure magazine that puts cream cheese on an apple, so I may have to try that one as well.
I also keep a mixture of peanuts and raisins in my desk… that’s another energy boost. Sometime’s I’ll add chocolate chips for a sugar rush
Tip Diva:
Thanks so much for including our article in your carnival.
And, thanks for the great snack tips. Apple and cheddar cheese – that’s one I haven’t tried. I’ll have to consider that one.
- Chris Davis
Great post! I’m trying to cut back on my coffee habit, so it’s good to learn other ways to increase energy.
Great suggestions!
Thanks for participating in this week’s Carnival of Family Life, hosted at Diary of 1!!
Excellent suggestions, Chris. I have naturally gravitated to a couple of them and will add the others.
Peace and wonder,
CG
Hey CG -
I must give credit where credit is due – Sy Ingoglia is the architect of these excellent suggestions and this article.
Thanks for the compliments – they are much appreciated.
- Chris
tx for the english muffins/almond butter idea. Personally, I think I need something the ‘feels’ a little more substantial than yoghurt does (even though I get that it is a great snack) – the english muffin would do the trick perfectly, I think.
These are also great tips for those of us operating from home. That mid day lull is the hardest to overcome.
Thank you for participating in Fitness for Mom’s Carnival.
Here’s a way to have your own power bar. Put a spoon full of blackstrap molasses on a rice cake. Blackstrap is what’s left after the sugar cane has been processed. Blackstrap, what’s left in the bottom of the barrel, is a complex carb with lots of nutrients. If the taste doesn’t suit you, add a little honey.
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