12 ways to be more energetic at work

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Do you feel completely exhausted at the end of the working day? Barely enough strength to get home?

We all went through this, so we decided to share with you a few simple recommendations on how to save and increase energy so that it will last for a whole working day.

123RF / Dmitriy Shironosov

1. Change your usual sandwich to soup or salad

Grain foods, potatoes and cereals have a high glycemic index and therefore increase blood sugar levels. Usually, after such leaps, we feel drowsy and fatigued. Therefore, try not to use such products for snacks, eat better yogurt or soup.

2. Control hunger

When you are hungry enough to swallow an elephant, it is much more difficult to choose the right food for a snack. When the body lacks energy, it forces us to eat something that will help us quickly raise our blood sugar levels. In addition, our willpower weakens as hunger increases. Eat when your hunger is 6-7 on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is your maximum hunger).

3. Stock up on nuts

As we said, the more hungry you get, the harder it is to control yourself, so put healthy snacks in your desk drawer that you can eat quickly when your appetite kicks in. Nuts will be a wonderful lifesaver. Although they are quite high in calories, their glycemic index is low, which means there will be no spikes in blood sugar. They also contain many health benefits.

123RF / Yana Gayvoronskaya

4. Keep a water bottle nearby

Research has shown that dehydrated cells cannot easily metabolize glucose, resulting in a slowdown in thought processes.

Place a bottle of plain water on the table to remind you to drink regularly.

Urine will be an indicator of a sufficient amount of water consumed: normally it should be light yellow.

5. Improve your sleep

Many people consider sleep to be a waste of time, although it is not. A good night's sleep improves your productivity the next day. Set a time when you need to turn off your computer, TV and other gadgets, for example, 10 pm. Trust me, an extra hour of sleep is much more important than an hour of watching the news.

6. Turn your lunch break into a walk break

In addition to the obvious health and shape benefits, walking in the middle of the day will boost your brain activity. Just 20 minutes outside will give your brain a second wind.

123RF / Goran Bogicevic

7. Be in the sun

If you manage to be in the sun during your walk, it will be even more beneficial. Even on a cloudy day, we can get enough solar radiation, so do not cancel a walk on a gray day. If you live in an area where the weather is not conducive to sun exposure, you need to think about alternative sources of solar energy. You can purchase a special lamp that can be turned on for 20 minutes a day for the required dose of radiation.

8. Listen to music

Studies show that music can help manage stress and boost brain activity. For example, classical music improves memory and sharpens perception. Moreover, a specially created "healing" music is now being produced, which improves immunity and enhances the production of antibodies.

9. Use binaural beats

Many have already heard of these magical rhythms that sound at the same frequency with the brain and allow you to tune it in the right way. Depending on the goals, you can choose melodies for relaxation or concentration. The technology of binaural beats sounds frequencies in each ear, the difference between which activates brain waves. You can test the effect of this technology yourself by listening to music with the addition of binaural beats or by downloading a special application.

123RF / olegdudko

10. Breathe Right

Diaphragmatic breathing is much healthier than chest breathing because it provides more oxygen. This in turn increases energy and productivity. To check if you are breathing correctly, place your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your navel. If your left arm moves more when breathing, you are breathing incorrectly. Practice breathing for a few minutes a day, focusing on slow diaphragmatic breaths. Try to keep inhaling and exhaling for four counts.

11. Think positively

Positive emotions increase performance and energy levels, so focus on positive thoughts. You can simply remember all the good things in your life, or do a selfless good deed.

Most importantly, do what makes you feel happy, and you will see how your performance has increased.

12. Think about what you are gaining, not about what you are losing

Most of the advice is aimed at changing our habits and acquiring new ones. Try not to think about how much you will lose (for example, an hour of watching TV). Instead, focus on the desired outcome (extra hour of sleep, better performance, etc.).