It's time for a quick fix energy booster it's 3 p.m. you stare at your computer screen, wondering how you'll make it through the next two hours without your head crashing down onto your keyboard. However, if you grab a coffee or a candy bar, you'll deplete your energy rather than enhance it. What you need is a quick fix energy booster that really works.
To get this right you'll have to plan ahead. At the start of the day pack your bag with some quick fix energy boosters that you can eat at work. That way you won't have to rely on the vending machine, with its high fat, high sugar junk. A good bet is fresh fruit - bananas, apples, grapes, dates, or pre-cut chunks of watermelon, mango, papaya or pineapple all rank high on the afternoon pick-up scale. Another good option is to keep a bag of baby carrots in your desk drawer.
Dried breakfast cereals are a good bet, particularly lower sugar varieties like muesli, corn flakes, instant oatmeal, puffed rice and shredded wheat. They digest slowly, helping blood sugar levels stay stable. If you can add a glass of skimmed milk or a sugar-free yoghurt, you will get that all important steady release of glucose into the bloodstream. And finally, don't forget to drink at least eight cups of water a day to avoid dehydration.
A less obvious way to pick yourself up is through breathing - as little as 30 seconds of deep breathing will get you ready for the next round. Similarly, two or three minutes gentle stretching will loosen muscles, ease joints, and help blood to flow around your body. Finally, get moving - walk around, run up and down the stairs. Anything that increases your heart rate and makes you breathe harder will increase oxygen in your system and perk you up.
