Sick and Tired of Being Tired?

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One of the complaints I hear frequently from my friends as well people in my corporate classes is that they don’t have enough energy and feel zapped by the end of the day. Do you feel this way? Your lifestyle can play a big part in how pooped you are at the end of the day. Here’s a four- step action plan to help you have the energy you need to go the distance every day.

Action Step # 1: Kick off your day with breakfast
Eating breakfast breaks the overnight fast, cranks up the body’s metabolism and provides calories for energy. Reach for items that are sources of lean protein and high fiber carbohydrate. Why? Protein and high fiber carbs help keep you feeling full for a longer period of time and provide the energy you need for the first part of your day no matter when you day begins. So breakfast could be a high fiber cereal with skim milk or soy milk, peanut butter on a whole grain bagel, hard boiled egg and a banana, whole grain pancakes and soy sausage….you get the idea.

Action Step # 2: Eat frequent mini-meals every 3-4 hours with a blend of protein and high fiber carbs
When you’re in a hurry, do you find yourself skipping breakfast, maybe lunch as well and then being ravenous by mid afternoon? You’ll search the desk drawers of your coworkers for M&Ms or any thing else you can find.

Try eating a small meal every three or four hours and start noticing the difference in how you feel. Make sure you have some lean protein and high fiber carb (just like we talked about for breakfast) at every mini meal.

Action Step # 3: Fill up snack baskets at home for your daily road trip
I was working with one of the police forces about how to eat for more energy when on the road. One of the tips I gave the motorcycle cops was to line up five or six baskets in their pantry and refrigerator. Each week when they had a day off, they were to refill the baskets with different ‘grab it and go’ snacks so that every day before they went out the door, they could grab several. They would fill the baskets with fresh fruit such as pears, apples and bananas along with trail mix, energy bars, dried fruit, small bottles of juice, cheese sticks (if they had a place for a small cooler), etc. Keeping your snack baskets full is the key to having mini meals to take along. Once you get in the habit of filling up your snack baskets and taking them with you each day, you really notice the difference in your energy level if you miss them.

Action Step # 4: Drink plenty of fluid with a balance between water and caffeinated beverages
Your body is made up of over 60% water. When you’re well hydrated, you have more energy and feel more alert with a clear mind. When you’re dehydrated you become tired much more quickly. Drink a lot of water but also eat fruit and veggies which contain water. Even tea and coffee count but here’s the catch. Caffeine does help you stay alert and focused temporarily and can provide an energy boost but too much can make you tired and irritable. It’s wise to determine your personal tolerance level and not to count on it as your major energy provider. Let it work along with your mini-meals. Remember that caffeine can stay in your body up to eight hours so if you have trouble sleeping, make the switch to decaf earlier in the day.