Coffee is a can’t-be-missed morning routine for most of us. If you are like me, you are probably guzzling at least two big coffees before your morning actually starts.Â
But coffee isn’t healthy, and caffeine crashes are common. I learned a few things in my quest to explore the different healthy ways to stay awake without caffeine.
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Stress is an unmissable part of life:
If you feel exhausted before your workday has even started, you are not alone. Late nights, long working hours, and lifestyle changes are taking their toll on all of us.
In our quest to drag through the day, we consume lots of caffeine in different forms.
While the life-threatening consequences of caffeine overdose are rare, it is always advisable to limit your intake of coffee. There are many other ways to keep the energy flowing without resorting to artificial caffeine and sugars.
Let us take a look at some of them.
Top seven ways to work longer without getting exhausted:
1.Replace your morning coffee with a cup of tea:
Start your day with any tea of your choice. Add a spritz of lemon, some lemon zest, and ginger juice to give your tea that extra kick.
Simple lemon water is another excellent way to kick-start your day. While keeping you hydrated, it also cleanses and detoxifies your body.
Our personal recommendation is matcha tea, though you can choose among the widely available herbal teas.
Avoid adding table sugar. Switch to natural sweeteners such as honey or agave nectar.
2. Go for a morning walk
Brisk walking is an excellent way to put a punch into your day. A quick walk, first thing in the morning, wakes you instantly, gets your blood pumping, and puts you in a good mood. A day that starts well stays productive and keeps you happy.
3. Stay hydrated
The age-old mantra of drinking lots of fluids is not without scientific backing. Staying hydrated ensures the proper electrolyte and fluid balance and keeps you going.
Ever felt headaches or exhaustion when you haven’t had water? Your body needs it to work.
Staying hydrated boosts your energy levels, cleanses your body and acts as a detoxifying agent. So you can bring in more productivity in your day without feeling tired.
4. Eat a balanced diet:
The secret to staying healthy is eating correctly. A balanced diet must include all food groups such as whole grains, legumes, fresh produce, lean meats, nuts, seeds, milk and milk products, and water-rich foods.
5. Avoid junk
Eating sweet foods such as baked goods may seem tempting and comforting, but it puts a lot of sugars and refined foods into your body. The same goes for deep-fried foods and fast food.Â
Though eating junk may give you instant comfort, you will end up feeling sluggish and heavy for the rest of the day. Your productivity goes down, and you can’t get much done.
Not to mention the bad calories and saturated fats.
Avoiding junk foods is crucial to ensuring that you stay energetic for longer and stay healthy in the long run.Â
6. Have small snacks throughout the day
It needn’t be something elaborate. Nuts and seeds are nutritious and wholesome snacks and are excellent in nutrients and boost your energy levels. Nuts and trail mixes are easy to carry around too.
When you are at home, having electrolyte-rich foods is an excellent way to keep your energy levels up when working for long hours.
7. Replace colas with homemade energy drinks
We are all guilty of having a can of soda when tired. Though the caffeine content gives you quick energy, the crash follows quickly.
In addition, colas add to the sugar and calorie intake without adding to the nutritional value.
Homemade electrolyte drinks, smoothies, fruit juices, and infused water help you work long without exhaustion while supplying your body with all the necessary nutrients.
8. Take breaks in between work.
You will be tempted to finish your work at a stretch, and working continuously seems to be the way to go about it. But working without breaks brings down your productivity.
Instead, take a quick break every 45 minutes to an hour. Use the break time to grab a fruit or something healthy to drink.
Take a quick walk within the room or stretch yourself to get the blood flow going.
9. Meditate
Meditation is an excellent way of calming your mind and body. When your mind and body are under control, you will have more patience and better energy levels. Dedicating as little as 10 minutes to meditation and breathing exercises every day will bring in a lot of changes in your energy levels in a few weeks.
10. Reduce screen time:
This is an obvious but oft-ignored way of regulating your energy levels. Social media was once a way of keeping in touch with family and friends and staying aware of happenings around the world.
Today though, it has turned toxic, become addictive, and is eating into productive time for many of us.
Staring at the screen continuously can damage your vision, cause pains and aches and drain you mentally too.
Once you reduce screen time, you will find a lot more energy and a lot more time to accomplish things without getting exhausted.
Bottom Line:
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to work for longer hours without getting tired. You needn’t depend on caffeine shots or coffee drinks to achieve this.
Eating healthy, avoiding junk, getting into a healthy routine, and making a few changes in your lifestyle will allow you to achieve this seemingly impossible goal.
