It’s very common for people to feel drained and tired at work, especially in the early afternoon after you’ve eaten lunch. In order to decrease this feeling and increase your energy levels, we have compiled a list of some top tips on how to feel more energised throughout your workday. Feeling energised helps you stay positive and get the best from your productivity!
Drink More Water
The first on the list is one we all know we should do but it is so easy to forget! So we are reminding you that it is vital you drink the right amount of water throughout your workday so you can stay energised and productive. A top tip we can offer on how to ensure you drink more water during your workday is to place a 2litre bottle at your desk every day and drink it all before you finish your work. Once you get into the routine of drinking water every hour or so, you will see how easy it is to drink your recommended amount every single day! When you’re fully hydrated, you will feel much more energised and it can help with those foggy heads we all get from time to time. In fact, you should drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning. Not only does it fire up your metabolism it also hydrates your body, helping flush out toxins and gives your brain the hydration it needs to work properly. Also, your body can mistake hunger for needing hydration, craving a quick snack when it really wants water. Staying hydrated can help you cut out on snacking, every time you are hungry drink some water and wait for 10 minutes, you will be amazed how many times water alone works to stifle hunger! Drinking regular water is a great way to improve your energy levels and a simple thing that can bring big gains with sustained energy!
Sleep
Another cornerstone to energy and one of the biggest ones is to get enough sleep. Again, all research shows this is an essential practice to keep your mind focused and your body energised throughout the day. Make sure you get to bed early enough so you can get your allotted hours in before you wake up in the morning. Also, try and keep any habits that can disturb your sleep at bay. For instance, if you have a glass of wine or two to wind down at night this may make you feel relaxed, but it will give you a disturbed night’s sleep, then when you wake up you will be drained of essential energy for the day. This will lead to a hard tiring day, then you will want to relax on the night and therefore grab yourself another glass of wine, and so it goes on! Try breaking this habit on weekdays and you will find yourself a lot fresher in the morning and more relaxed of an evening! Also, be careful not to drink any caffeinated beverages late in the evening, the general consensus is don't take in caffeine after midday as it lasts quite a long time in your body and can really disturb your sleep patterns.
Another big one is we are surrounded by technology so it is easy to be glued to a screen all night. Try not to look at screens late at night, computers, phones or TVs emit blue light and it's not conducive for getting you to sleep. Your melatonin levels get fooled into thinking it's nowhere near bedtime so when you get to bed it will take you a long time to fall asleep. A great idea is to break away from the screens at least 3/4 of an hour before bedtime and read a book in a low lit area. This is a great way to get your brain ready for sleep mode and catch up on a bit of great literature! There Is plenty of information on how to get a good night’s sleep out there, so swot up on all the tips and implement them. With great quality sleep comes focused energised days.
Never Skip Breakfast
When you are busy in the morning and rushing around you might find it difficult to squeeze in your eating breakfast. But don't skip it, even if it means that you have to wake up earlier or prepare it the night before. We know intermittent fasting is all the rage at the moment and it can be very good for you, but if you have a body that struggles with energy doing this, then eat in the morning weekdays and leave your intermittent fasting to the weekend where the stress levels are lower. Eating a filling, energising, nutritious breakfast such as oatmeal or scrambled egg will keep you alert and focused throughout the morning. Think quality whole foods and try not to have any added sugar first thing like commercial cereals. These aren't the best as they are usually loaded with sugar, even the so-called healthy granolas! They can lead to that 11 o'clock energy crash and feeling really hungry before lunch. Whole foods are the best; if you want your scrambled egg on toast make sure your bread is a good quality wholemeal that will release energy throughout the morning. If you like something sweet in the morning then grab a banana or apple to go with your porridge or toast, fruit gives you natural sugars and sustained energy. If you really want to go for it and turbo boost your breakfast, make a nutritious smoothie with frozen fruit, frozen spinach, fresh avocado or yoghurt and coconut water! But, if you struggle to make and eat breakfast in the morning, there are tonnes of ways you can get around the time constraints a busy morning gives you. Overnight oats or porridge pots can be an easy, a quick breakfast that gives you the energy to last well into your lunchtime, add to that a handful of frozen blueberries and you've got yourself an amazingly fast and nutritious start to the day! If you are home-working or can eat at your desk in the mornings, you can prepare your breakfast the night before and just grab it on your way to your home desk or into the office. Just don't skip your breakfast and get caught short and grab a morning Mars Bar! this will be your downfall in terms of sustained energy throughout the day.
Have a Decent Lunch
More food advice! When lunchtime rolls around, it’s easy to overload on carbohydrates or unhealthy snacks full of sugar. These foods may make you feel energised for a small amount of time, but when the sugar crash comes, you are going to feel less energised than you did before your snack. It’s therefore important that you try and eat healthily as you’ll find the energy lasts longer. Foods like vegetables, meats, fish, nuts and complex carbohydrates are all good options. Even some good quality dark chocolate is occasionally okay but try and keep well away from the white bread sandwich, a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar. This is a sure way to zap your energy throughout the day and set you up for a sugar crash. As well as eating well, it’s also important that you don’t overeat. When you overeat at work, you are likely to feel bloated and this will make you feel run-down and ready for bed! For most people, a mid-day nap isn’t possible, so try and avoid overeating to keep your energy high! Probably one of the best ways to manage eating well at lunchtime is to make it at home and bring it to work. If your homeworking still pre-prepare and keep it in the fridge at home ready to go. This way you know what is in it and you save time by pre-cooking it which gives you a bit more time at lunch for a bit of mindfulness (more on that later!) To conclude, our lunchtime tips are to make your own food if you can, don’t eat too much and eat healthy, whole, natural filling food so that you can be feeling energised and ready for the rest of your day!
Move Around and Take Your Breaks
As a lot of us are now home working so this is an important one. For some reason when you're at home there is the tendency to get out of bed, get ready and get straight to your desk. Then pushing on through, maybe grabbing a break for something to eat around midday. Your head gets back down to your work after some food and then all of a sudden it's 5:30, the day has finished and you feel shattered! Whether you are working from home or at the office it's essential that you move! If you are working from home why not go for a walk around the block before you start work? This emulates going to work at an office. You would normally have to travel and you normally would have the headspace and the fresh air to start your day off. So, if your homeworking emulates this by going for a morning walk, it separates the morning portion of your day from the work part. Conversely, why not go for a walk when you have finished your work before your dinner. Again, this gives the brain the ability to shut down and transition into an evening scenario before dinner. Whilst you are at your desk, whether this be in the office or at your home desk it is important to take your breaks and move around. When you are sat at your desk all day, you are not moving at all. When the heat of the office or your home warms up and you start feeling sleepy, you will be running low on energy. In order to feel more energised, it’s important that you take regular breaks and move away from your desk. Walk around the building or go out and get some fresh air and stroll around the block. This only takes 10 minutes and you will feel so much better for the fresh air, coming back to your desk revitalised! Being active in the day actually makes you feel much more energised than just sitting in one place all day long! As well as this, there are quite a few desk exercises you can do. Whether that’s leg or arm stretches, you should try them as they also help to realign your posture and keep you flexible. Another thing to look at is a standing and sitting desk so you can transition between the two, this again can help your body and energy levels throughout the day!
Mindfulness
Last but not least, you should think about practising mindfulness before, during and after work. This can calm your mind, quash anxiety and help you have a more focused and productive working day. Whether this is just to sit down for 10 minutes in a quiet place with a nice cup of coffee shutting out the world and all those things whizzing around your mind. Or, using a meditation app like Headspace to grab a rejuvenating 10-minute meditation, these practices can help you have a calmer more focused day. The perfect scenario would be to do this three times a day, first thing before work, after eating lunch, then one to finish your day off. But even 5 or 10 minutes once a day can make a big difference and when you get to feel the difference it is easy then to increase the time, which can have a profound effect on your work and personal life. It may seem like a trivial thing to do that's not really worth it, but all the research shows us this can be a major life-changing habit to do that doesn't cost you a vast amount of money or time. Just your commitment to doing a little bit every day.
Conclusion
Staying focused, energised and positive throughout the day has amazing benefits on your mental health and wellbeing. You can actively go from fighting through every day, feeling drained and on the back foot to feeling calm, refreshed, focused and in control of your day. The key to all this is not just one thing, it is many, but they are all small things that you can put into place that will add up to making a significant difference to your life. Sleep well, drink well, eat well, move your body and relax your mind. Tick each one of these boxes and life will seem a lot more vibrant and colourful!