Is this familiar? You’ve been chugging along with your day when 2 pm hits and suddenly your eyelids won’t stay open and you’re scrambling for the coffee pot to make it through the rest of your afternoon.
That mid-day slump can really affect us, especially when we’re trying to start new healthy habits. All of the sudden you’re saying bye-bye to that nutritious dinner and afternoon workout you’d planned.
If you find yourself leaking afternoon energy, there are a couple of easy things you can do to rev it back up.
Much of our midday haze and yawns are a direct result of not getting enough sleep. If you’re exhausted most afternoons, it’s likely you aren’t sleeping well or staying up too late.
Download an app like Sleep Cycle or Sleep Watch, and commit to tracking every night for a week. Once you have enough data, you’ll be able to not only see how many hours you’re clocking each night, but also the quality of your sleep. From there you can make adjustments like going to bed earlier or getting rid of unhealthy sleep habits (like snoozing with the TV on).
Glucose is one of the best energy sources for your brain and central nervous system and our bodies turn 100% of the carbs we eat into glucose! (Just another reason why we love carbs!) A healthy carb will wake you up when the 2 pm sleepies strike. Try snacking on:
I know it’s probably the freakin’ last thing you want to do when you’re tired, but some simple, low-impact movement can make a big difference. Go for a walk or do a couple rounds of jumping jacks.
Getting some blood flow to your brain will wake you up when you’re feeling extra sleepy.
And remember — if the afternoon slump gets you, and you fall off track by missing a workout or eating a less-than-healthy meal, that’s okay. We all have days like this and we can’t be “perfect” 24/7. If you do slip up, give yourself a hug and commit to trying again tomorrow.
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