Thanks to Meijer for sponsoring this “healthy me” conversation. I am not a medical professional and nothing written in this post should be taken as medical advice.
A few months ago I cut down my espresso filled drink intake from one to two Venti sized drinks a day to only one or two a week. My wallet is thanking me but I’ve definitely felt the impact on my body. I have a hard time staying up as late as I used to and when I don’t have the caffeine I feel very sluggish.
As a mom of two, always on the go boys, I can’t be anything but on top of my game. I decided to try some alternate ways of getting energy.
Water. I drink very little water at the moment but that needs to change because I know I’d feel a lot better if I was hydrated. I sit at a desk all day long so to increase my water intake I’m going to keep a water bottle on my desk all day. I picked up a pretty pink one at Meijer and it has an easy snap top so I can quickly open and close it.
Exercise. It’s time to admit to myself that I will probably never make it to the gym and I can probably ditch my gym membership. It’s not that I don’t WANT to workout. It’s just that between my kids and all their sports and activities, my full time job, my blog (which is like a second full-time job), and running a household I’m lucky to get in a shower, let alone find an hour or more to drive to the gym and get a decent workout in. With all that said, I can find ways to exercise during the day and have started taking walking breaks every hour or so. I get up and spend five minutes rushing around my house- picking up stuff, walking around for no reason, and giving myself a chance to stretch out. These short breaks make it easier for me to concentrate when I come back to my computer and have me feeling refreshed.
Supplements. I am horrible at remembering my daily vitamin so this is going to be another thing that sits next to my computer. I even found a vitamin labeled “energy” that has extra “B” vitamins and Ginseng. The Centrum Specialist Supplement is caffeine free which means I can get all of the benefits of caffeine without the side effects. Another supplement that seems like something worth trying is the NatureMade VitaMelts. The Energy one is a Vitamin B supplement and would be perfect for that mid-afternoon pick me up. Meijer has a whole aisle of vitamins and supplements so you can work with your doctor to find the right one for your needs.
Sleep. The to-do list never goes away and staying up until the wee hours of the morning isn’t going to do me any good. Eight hours of sleep for me isn’t realistic but I am going to aim for seven. I got some Melatonin which I might take on particularly stressful days because otherwise I will stay awake worrying and thinking.
So there you have it. Four things I’m going to try to boost my energy in hopes of a healthy and happy 2015. If you have any tips for me on how you find energy without caffeine I’d love to hear them!
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