All Day Long Energy

Office fatigue isn’t simply due to working long hours. If you are feeling drained of energy and not as efficient as you’d like to be, just follow these simple tips to keep your energy up.  Fueling your office day is just as important as fueling your workout. Apply these tips daily and you’ll see a noticeable different in how you feel and avoid office burnout alltogether.

It’s All About Proper Nutrition

--Eat the right kind of carbs. Carbohydrates are a macronutrient that your body needs in high doses on a daily basis for proper functioning. Carbs convert to glycogen and are used immediately for energy, providing a steady dose of blood sugar, or they are stored in the muscles and liver for energy at a later time. Simple carbs, found in processed foods such as cookies and crackers should be avoided all together as they cause a spike in blood sugar that quickly dissipates. For sustained energy, eat foods rich in complex carbs with high fiber such as bran, barley, apples, grapefruit, and oranges to name a few.

--Lean Protein  When eaten in combination with carbohydrates, protein slows the breakdown of carbohydrate into glucose, keeping blood sugar stable and preventing post-meal fatigue. The amino acids that make up protein are the building blocks of your lean mass: your muscles, bones, and tissues; and your feel-good brain chemicals.

--Healthy Fats are essential for proper brain function.  Fats make up sixty percent of the brain and the nerves that run every system in the body. Avoid any kind of processed fats and instead eat foods rich with Omega 3 fatty acids. They are found in ground flax seeds and flaxseed oil, coldwater fish (primarily salmon and tuna), canola oil, soybeans, walnuts, wheatgerm, pumpkin seeds, and eggs.

Stay Hydrated

Water helps your body with physical and mental performance, detoxification, and digestion. Necessary for the breakdown and use of nutrients in the body, which is essential for energy production, drinking water throughout the day can help ease stress due to dehydration. Keep a water bottle at your desk and you’ll find it easier to drink the recommended 8 glasses of water each day.

Get Up and Move

Stretching boosts energy by reliving muscle tension and stress. Set a timer to stretch every 30 minutes. If you have time, take a short walk in the middle of your work day. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel just by doing this simple exercise.