Dark mornings, wet weather and a retrun to more abstemious habits are enough to leave anyone feeling lethargic. But a few simple changes to your daily routine can restock your energy reserves and inject vital firepower. Consider this your wake-up call.
1. SKIP THE TIRED EXCUSES
Slept like hell? A single night’s poor sleep won’t diminish your ability to train, says Dr Brinda Christopher, consultant specialist in sport and exercise medicine at London Bridge Hospital. Try 20 minutes of moderate cardio or body-weight training: in a study by the University of Georgia, it helped reduce fatigue symptoms in exhausted people by two thirds.
2. DON'T WORRY, B HAPPY
Nutrients such as B vitamins and magnesium help convert food into energy, “but factors such as stress and excessive alcohol consumption can quickly deplete your supply”, says nutritionist Rob Hobson. If you’re feeling burned out, reignite by serving up some mackerel, beans, spinach or even shredded beef alongside your morning eggs.
3. TAKE A POWER (FULL) NAP
If you often feel sluggish after lunch, a nap can give you better focus and creativity, says Dr Michael Breus, co-author of Energize! – “but only if you do it right.” Seven hours after waking is optimal. “This coincides with a drop-off in cortisol and post-lunch dip in blood sugar,” he says. About 45 minutes will allow your blood sugar to restabilise.
4. EAT TO THE RHYTHM
Try ‘circadian fasting’: eating your meals as close as possible to daylight hours and ditching the late-night snack. “Energy, sleep, digestion, basically 80 per cent of our bodily functions work according to our circadian rhythm,” explains Dr Amy Shah, author of I’m So Effing Tired. When we’re in sync, we feel energised; when we fall out of rhythm, we feel jet-lagged
5. TAKE 10
If you're worn down but you need to psych yourself up for after-work plans, 10 minutes in the gym can reboot your brain. Hop on a cardio machine for three rounds of 20 seconds at max intensity, with two mins of easy effort between bursts. Not only will this wake you up, says Christopher, but you’ll reap metabolic and hormonal benefits, too..
6. IT MAKES SCENTS
Tempted to hop on the bus midway through your 10km? In one study, runners who inhaled citrus oil had the energy to run up to 15 per cent faster*. Its potential pep powers extend to the brain, too. Subjects in an Ohio State University trial reported that the scent of lemon oil enhanced their mood.
7. GO OFF TRACKERS
“Sleep apps and wearables can be hugely inaccurate, so I’d urge people to be led by their own perceptions,” says Christopher. Tuning into your body remains “the most accurate form of assessment”. Plus, a red mark on your sleep app can do real damage: one study by Colorado College found that simply telling people they’ve had poor sleep is enough to deplete their mental reserves.
8. Carb Up Before Bed
Good news: extra carbs with dinner can make you less of a couch potato tomorrow. The amino acid tryptophan – found in high-protein foods – helps you sleep more soundly, but it needs help reaching your brain. Foods such as pasta, spuds and rice trigger insulin release, which drives other amino acids out of the blood – clearing the path for tryptophan.
9. TRACK YOUR MENTAL STAMINA
If feeling drained by your nine-to-five is nothing new, try rating your motivation out of 10 throughout the week, jotting down where you are and what you’re doing. Use this data to guide you, says Elaine Carnegie, founder of wellbeing consultancy Beingworks. Feel more creative in your co-working space but make quicker work of reports in the living room? “Plan your day in a way that you know energises you.”
10. HIT THE BEACH
Sure, you could take a vitamin D supplement – we like Vital’s one, with natural Vitamin D in its most bioactive form, plus mushrooms to support wellbeing – but Christopher has a more appealing prescription. “Travel [as far north as] the latitude of Rome... and you can enjoy the hormone-boosting effects of the sun,” she says. “This can improve energy levels in winter.” Plus research collated by the Harvard Business Review found that taking your annual leave can increase productivity by a third and boost creative thinking threefold.
11. DROP YOUR SO A WHATSAPP
Forgive us the cringeworthy cliché, but it seems love really does give you wings. A study in Psychophysiology found that when participants thought about a romantic partner, they experienced an energising rise in blood glucose. We reckon looking at photos of your dog would have a similar effect.
12. FAUXMUTE
“If you’re working from home, go outside at the time your commute would normally be,” says Carnegie. Exposure to morning light elevates mental energy and primes us to fall asleep faster in the evening. Another reason not to wait until 3pm to take a break: a PLOS One study found that those who had more exposure to sunlight before 12pm were leaner than those who headed out later.
13. LOOSEN UP TO PEP UP
Slumped posture is associated with low energy and improving yours is linked to reduced fatigue. Christopherrecommends breaking to do squats during the work day, as well as the YTW routine (Google it). Your time in the gym can help, too: aim for a 2:1 ratio of posterior (back, glutes, hamstrings) to anterior (the over-worked chest) exercises. Deadlift yourself up.
14. WASTE TIME ON YOUTUBE
Social media and content-sharing sites are only an energy drain if you allow them to pull you away from work. Instead, deliberately schedule a few minutes’ browsing every two hours. A University of New South Wales study found that humorous clipsimprove productivity when our brains are flagging, while survey data from the Indiana University Bloomington Media School found that people who watch heart-warming animal videos report feeling energised afterwards.
15. FOLLOW YOUR GUT
Fibre might be less sexy than protein, but tracking the latter while neglecting the former is a common error, says Shah. “It’s the main food for your gut bacteria.” And those bacteria are working up an appetite, assisting with everything from immunity to hormone function. Abnormalities have even been linked to chronic fatigue. Eat prebiotic veg such as leeks, artichokes, garlic and asparagus
16. DEPLOY THE WHITE POWDER
Creatine (what did you think we meant?) has been shown to have a positive effect on mood and ability to tackle mentally challenging tasks following a night’s lost sleep*. Just another reason to give the strengthboosting supp a spot in your stack.
17. AVOID THE OFFICE DRONE
There’s nothing better than a moan to a colleague – but be wary of the always miserable: researchers at the University of North Carolina found that employees who talked to a worn-out workmate at the start of their shift performed worse. Keep chat positive to start the day – save gripes for late afternoon.
18. MESS UP YOUR DESK
A minimalist set-up looks nice on Insta, but in the real world, your sparse workspace might be working against you. According to Dr Craig Knight, a psychologist at the University of Exeter, research consistently shows that a clutter-free space saps motivation. In fact, employees who customise their desks are up to 32 per cent more productive.
19. GET BIG TRACK ENERGY
Binaural beats – an auditory illusion created when you listen to two tones with slightly different frequencies – are purported to do everything from heighten alertness to ease stress. There might be a placebo effect at play but a recent study suggests their benefits are legit: research from the University of Southern Denmark showed that plugging in for 12 minutes was sufficient to counteract mental fatigue and boost attention. Search for some on Spotify.
20. SNACK ON KIWIS
Researchers from New Zealand (of course) have found that healthy men who added two kiwis to their diets experienced a drop in fatigue and depression*. This is likely attributed to the vitamin C content, as kiwis are one of the best sources. Need further persuasion? Upping your levels can protect your muscles from age-related decline.
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