Tip Thursday- 8 Ways to Keep Your Energy Up Throughout the Day.

Has this happened to you? 3:00 pm rolls around and BOOM, you hit a wall? In fact, I am experiencing it right now, and it is the inspiration for this blog post.

I find when I am not doing certain things daily, the witching hour, as I like to call it, hits me like a ton of bricks. I am cranky, tired, and want to go home and to bed. However, 99% of the time, this is not realistic. I usually have an hour or so of work left; I have places to be in the evening, I sometimes still have to get my workout done, make dinner, etc. It can be neverending. It begs the question, how do I move past this and stop feeling this way. It is quite simple. I need to go back to the healthy habits I created a while ago. Here are eight things that I try to do regularly and that you can too, to keep my energy up all day long.

• Wake up and go to bed the same time each day. I find I am at my best when I am in bed by 9:30 pm and up between 5-5: 30 am. This goes for the weekends as well.
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. In law school, up until I hit 40, I lived and prided myself on the fact I only needed 4 hours a night. Those days are long gone.
• Eat a healthy, hearty breakfast. It should include protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fat. This fills me up and keeps me full until mid-morning.
• Do not go more than 3-4 hours without eating. I make sure to pack enough snacks during the workday to keep me satisfied. It also keeps me away from the vending machines. I pack a no/low-fat Greek yogurt, hummus and veggies, apples and peanut butter, slices of deli turkey, or some nuts and seeds.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate Often I find when I am tired, it is because I have not had enough water. I drink half my body weight in ounces, plus more due to my running schedule.
• Fit in exercise. Exercise not only makes us feel better physically but mentally as well. When I start my day with a workout, I feel energized and, it carries through the day. If I work out at lunch, it gives me the boost I need to get through the afternoon.
• Get up and move every hour to an hour and a half. Sitting at a desk all day is one of the worst things we can do. I make sure to get up and move every hour.
• Take breaks throughout the day. Talk a co-worker, take a walk outside, call a friend. 10 mins are all it takes to re-energizer the next couple of hours.

What about you? Do you do any of these things to recharge during the day?