Eat for All Day Energy
Sound familiar? After an active weekend, you know your key ingredient to work week survival is energy, the fuel for mental and physical stamina that keeps you at the top of your game.
Some energy "power point" suggestions:
Don't skip breakfast. After an active weekend, and those planned nightly workouts, everyone needs to restore glucose, or blood sugar. Each morning, your sleepy brain cells need lots of glucose for the heavy mental (not metal) work you perform every day.
Although a coffee and a Danish might seem to be the quick solution, the combo provides only a short term energy burst. Better: a wake-up menu. Try chai tea: a teabag of chai steeped for 5-10 minutes in 8 ounces of hot water during your shower time and stirred with skim sweetened condensed milk satisfies your caffeine fix with 35-55 mg caffeine. A cup of coffee is 100-150 mg caffeine. A quick mix of carbs, protein and fat is provided with a bowl of cereal with skim/low-fat milk and a banana.
Tomorrow, try a fruit smoothie: one cup of yogurt, some frozen fruit, a little vanilla, and ½ cup fruit juice. Pop it in a blender and you're good to go.
Plan your energy day. To help pass on the tempting high fat, no-brainer options at the office, stock your desk with bottled water, nuts and fruit.
Carrying your own water helps you keep track of how much you drink and it also reminds you to do so. Dehydration causes fatigue and poor on-the-job performance. If you can't stand plain water, try some of the flavored powder "tubes" now sold everywhere.
Almonds are tasty and provide the fiber and protein balance to help you make it through a busy day. A piece of fruit provides fiber, too. Foods with dietary fiber move through the body more slowly and help you to feel full and energized longer.
Survive business lunches. Many business lunches feature fatty/fried foods and simple carbs, and are usually topped off with high calorie sweets. Munching those 1,000+ calorie meals can run a person down. When you returning to your desk, you won't want to finish that high priority project. No napping today! Soup, salad and a serving of good whole grain bread can keep you going.
It's gym night. If you plan a late dinner after your workout, just go easy on the quantity, not the quality: a salmon filet, some quick-cooking brown rice, a small salad or some steamed veggies, plus plenty of water, herbal tea or diluted fruit juice will be just enough to prep you for the next work day. With energy to spare!
