Dabbl

              Do your energy levels fluctuate throughout the day? You’re not alone. This is one of the most common problems for many working Americans. Going through constant coffee boosts and crashes isn’t the best way to promote your energy levels. Unfortunately, people don’t have the patience or interests to educate themselves on how to maintain proper energy levels. Here I will list out the Do’s and Don’ts to keep energy levels sustainably high throughout the day without compensating for any sleep.

Do’s:

1. Get a good night’s sleep
   1. This is rule number one for a reason. It is the most important thing you can do to keep your energy levels high. Get to bed at a decent hour and have a game plan to execute first thing in the morning. If you have trouble getting to bed early, the solution is to get up early the first morning. This way, you will be tired and ready for bed at a decent hour come night time.
2. Drink a cup of green tea
   1. This drink is not only a less aggressive caffeine supplement than coffee, but will also not cut into your sleep time. A cup or two of green tea a day is a great way to give yourself that pick-me-up without the jitters or side effects of coffee. Green tea will also give you the energy you’re looking for without the harsh crash later on like coffee gives you. Furthermore, many studies find that green tea has many benefits outside of its energy benefits such as cancer prevention, weight loss, longevity, and brain function.
3. Intermittent fasting
   1. This buzz term has gotten a lot of attention over the past couple years and for good reason. Intermittent fasting is a great way to avoid the early morning crashes. You may think that having food in your stomach will give you energy. However this is mostly a myth and there is no scientific evidence backing this up. By holding off on your first meal until lunch, you avoid the lethargic post meal feeling you get. In fact, depriving yourself from food, like in intermittent fasting, can have an energy boosting and mental performance increase due to our survival instinct. Our bodies are biologically wired to become more alert and focused when slightly starved. This function goes back to our cavemen days where an energy and focus boost would kick in to help us hunt for food. Having a zero calorie drink does not count as meal and is allowed during the fasting window.
4. Exercise
   1. Exercise is one of the best ways to promote energy and mood. Exercise gets your blood flowing to all parts of your body and is overall important for your health. Something that is in motion stays in motion so get off your butt and go for a walk or to the gym. Exercise also helps release healthy levels of hormones in your body like testosterone that aid energy production as well as decrease stress levels. Your body and future self will thank you.
5. Eat plenty of Vegetables
   1. There’s nothing that brings someone down more than a bad diet. With that being said, eating plenty of vegetables will not only make you a healthier person, but will also give you stable energy throughout the day without the crashes.
6. Drink lots of water
   1. Most Americans do not drink enough water on a daily basis. And this is a big problem seeing how dehydration is directly correlated to lack of energy. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is a great way to keep your body’s fluids moving. As a plus, look for alkaline water. This means water with a pH greater than 7. This will help balance out your body’s acidity and maintain overall health as well as energy levels.
7. Dark chocolate
   1. Dark chocolate has a bit of caffeine that can give you a subtle energy kick without the harsh crash later on. Dark chocolate also helps with brain function and is rich with flavonoids that promote overall well-being.
8. Eat a steak for dinner
   1. This one is 8^th for a reason. And that’s because it’s not as crucial as the others. But, by eating a steak or any type of lean beef you can increase your protein, iron, and B vitamin levels. This effect can be felt the following day as the beef digests and absorbs overnight. If you happen to not eat beef or meat, fish or an iron and vitamin B12 supplement will also have a similar but lesser effect.

Don’ts:

1. Do not eat carbs or added sugars
   1. Staying away from carbs and sugar will help promote stable energy levels throughout the day. Carbs and sugars are notorious for causing short energy spikes that end up making you crash hard. So stay away from unhealthy snacking. Instead go for a glass of water or dark chocolate to satisfy your cravings and to give you a little boost.
2. Do not drink caffeine too soon
   1. For those coffee addicts, it can be difficult to kick the habit. So if coffee is a necessity, then try to hold off until 9:30 am, or two to three hours after you wake up. The reason for this is because drinking coffee or tea too early can lead to higher caffeine tolerances, forcing you to need more the next time you get your fix. Let your body wake up before you pump caffeine into it. Another reason is because drinking caffeine too soon, will cause energy levels to spike, leading to a crash that will come later on.
3. Do not drink caffeine to late
   1. This is even more important than the previous point. Drinking caffeine too late will take away from your sleep. Sleep is the most important thing for healthy and sustainable energy levels so cutting into that is only detrimental. Try to keep caffeine consumption to no later than 1pm.

There you have it. Use this simple guide to promote healthy and sustainable energy levels throughout the day. I hope you are able to take advantage of these amazing and healthy benefits for having lasting energy levels without the crashes.