01/11/2022
Most people turn to caffeine when they hit their mid day slump, but honestly that’s like using a bandaid to fix a chronic illness. It’s going to do absolutely nothing but make you feel like you are doing something useful.
Balancing your energy is simple, but it takes about a week of trial and error to identify the problem(s) causing your daily crash.
Start by looking at your sleep habits. Most of us think that we’re doing just fine with 5-6 hours of sleep. In reality we’re working at a deficit that just gets larger each and every day until we ultimately can’t continue on. Sure caffeine helps in the moment but it doesn’t do anything to address the issue, and that extra 2-4 hours of sleeping in you get on the weekends? Sure it helps a little, but imagine each week you are losing 6 hours of sleep and then adding in 2-4. Overall you are still at a deficit that just gets larger and larger over time. GET YOUR ASS TO BED. Go to sleep at a time that gives you at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Preferably more but hey, progress is progress.
Next take a look at when you are introducing carbs (sugar) into your diet each day. If you start the day with a lot of carbs you will cause a blood sugar high and an equally high insulin response. This ultimately leads to needing to continually feed your body carbs to keep your energy levels stable. MOST people don’t have time for that, so over that 4-6 hour window between breakfast and lunch your blood sugar plummets and brings your energy levels with it.
Start the day by eating only (or mostly) protein and fats. This will cause little to no spike in your blood sugar making it easier to sustain your energy until the next meal.
“Jon, if I’m not eating carbs for breakfast when should I eat them?
Glad you asked. Try to time a majority of your carbs in the day around your workout or at least when you expect to be most active. This will mean that you use more of the blood sugar you input immediately leading to less of a crash and ultimately less storage if there is any remaining.
Yes, even if you workout in the morning.
Having trouble balancing your energy each day or just feel like you need some professional help? DM me! 💪🏻