Time to Wake Up! (Part 1 of 2)
Scent your shower. Pick products with citrus, eucalyptus, or mint. “When you smell these scents, a surge of energy flows through the body, which clears the mind of clutter and gives you a quick lift,” says Ann Marie Chiasson, a Tucson-based integrative-medicine physician. (During med-school exam season, Chiasson would put a few drops of peppermint oil on a Kleenex to sniff for an energy boost.)
Edit your closet. If you think just picking an outfit is exhausting, there’s now research to confirm it: In a 2008 study led by the University of Minnesota, students faced with multiple choices had less physical stamina and were more likely to procrastinate. When it comes to choosing what to wear (not to mention making other life decisions), try to limit yourself to fewer than 10 options, says Barry Schwartz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College, in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Eat a colorful breakfast. If it takes all your mental firepower just to get the coffee going, then you’re probably in no shape to recall the optimal nutritional breakdown for your morning meal. Kim Walls, a clinical nutritionist in Los Angeles, suggests this easy-to-remember “color code”: Pile your plate with 80 percent colorful, unprocessed foods. The rest of the dish should contain a combination of lean protein and complex, fiber-rich carbohydrates, which are slowly digested and keep the blood sugar steady. There’s a colorful (and energizing) dish for every breakfast personality.
If you’re a sweets person:- Whole-grain French toast (the egg is the protein) with strawberries and maple syrup (limit it to 1 tablespoon).
- A smoothie with blueberries, orange juice, and a scoop of protein powder.
If you’re a savory person:- Whole-grain tortillas with scrambled eggs or black beans, sliced avocado, sliced tomato, salsa, and fresh cilantro.
- Sliced turkey breast on whole-wheat toast with lettuce, cucumber, and olive-oil mayonnaise.
If you’re not a breakfast person:- A banana and some raw almonds (about 22).
- A bottle of drinkable fruit yogurt or kefir. Add 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed for a fiber boost.
Take your vitamins. They’re not magic energy pills, but “a lack of vitamins can cause fatigue—especially B vitamins, which convert energy from food into energy your body can use,” says Sara Ryba Matty, a registered dietitian in Scarsdale, New York. If you’re not getting enough nutrient power in your diet, a multivitamin pill could help. Be sure to take it with a meal, says Matty: “Food in the stomach triggers digestive juices that will help break down the vitamins."
The Day Officially Starts
With the early-morning hustle over, you feel more on top of things. As the day unfolds, your body temperature and levels of the alertness-boosting hormone cortisol continue to rise. These are the magic hours: Most people over 30 are likely to be productive and sharp between 9 a.m. and noon, says Lynn Hasher, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto.
Take advantage of your mental acuity with productivity “sprints.” Loehr has clients take a break every hour and a half. “Changing channels physically, emotionally, or mentally every 90 minutes pays extraordinary dividends in terms of productivity, well-being, and energy,” he says.
Cut the office chat. This is prime time for knocking out your to-do list, so don’t get stuck with Chatty Cathy at the office or PTA Pam at the bus stop. If you’re faced with an unwanted conversationalist, Robin Abrahams, an etiquette columnist for the
Boston Globe, suggests saying something like “I’d much rather be talking to you than filling out those TPS reports/permission slips. Oops! Speaking of…I’d better go. I need to finish them by lunch.”
Drink more coffee. “Coffee has an unfairly deserved evil reputation,” says Karen Ansel, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “It’s very effective at boosting energy and concentration.” Just drink up before lunchtime, limiting the full-strength caffeine to two eight-ounce cups, max. Drinking later will yield diminishing energy returns: Coffee stays in your system for six hours, so that afternoon cup will make it harder for you to get to sleep later on.
Play (for a few minutes, anyway). Fun brain-teasers activate the reward system of the brain, which releases a surge of energizing neurotransmitters. The Cup O’ Joe brain-training app for the iPhone has memory games and reaction-time tests that are actually entertaining.
Breathe. Hunching over a keyboard restricts the diaphragm and leads to shallow breathing, which means you’re getting less oxygen to the brain, so you feel less mentally alert and energetic. Take a moment to breathe deeply: Relax your shoulders, place a hand on your abdomen, and feel your belly expanding as you inhale. Then exhale completely and watch your hand go down. The more carbon dioxide you expel, the more space you’re clearing for your next inhale. Remind yourself to take a breath whenever you check your watch or the clock, suggests Margaret Chesney, Ph.D., a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco Osher Center.
Ahhh. You may now resume that e-mail.
Time for lunch. As with breakfast, you’re looking for a meal that gives you ample protein, fiber, and complex carbs and is low in refined sugar and saturated fat. Keep it light, says Matty: “The process of digestion is tiring, so if you have a lot of calories at one time, your body will be working hard to digest it all, and you’ll feel sluggish.”
If you’re a sandwich person:- Whole-grain bread with turkey or chicken, pesto, and sliced tomato.
- Whole-grain bread with hummus, spinach, and sprouts.
If you’re a soup person:- Vegetarian or turkey chili.
- Another bean-based soup, like split pea or lentil.
If you’re a salad person:- Spinach or arugula with salmon, avocado, basil, parsley, and ginger dressing. (Ginger is a bonus; it aids digestion, says Walls.)
- Romaine lettuce with vegetables, cannellini beans, and olives.
Find something to look forward to. At lunchtime, browse the Web for plane tickets. Or check out reviews for a movie you want to see over the weekend. Anticipating a pleasurable reward can set off a blast of energizing dopamine.
(End of Part 1)