Some call it a morning ritual. Others call it (half-jokingly) their daily addiction. Maybe you even refer to it as “bean juice” — which it technically is, as weird as that sounds. We’re talking about coffee, of course. It’s that sweet brown elixir that gets so many of us going in the morning, ready to take on the day’s challenges. But a daily regimen of coffee can also take its toll.
Let’s face it — there are caffeine headaches, the struggle to sleep at night and the very real impact on monthly budget. But we’re not here to debate the health benefits and detriments of coffee. We just believe it’s never healthy to rely on any one thing to get through the day, so we’d like to share a few alternatives to the almighty caffeine.
Strike a pose — a power pose.
Our mind and body are deeply connected, and practicing confidence on one side will inevitably affect the other. When we practice having better mental wellness and less stress, we end up having better skin and looser muscles. So it makes sense that creating confidence with our physical presence would have a reaction on our mentality too, right? Well, one study found that striking power poses in which we carry ourselves with confidence actually affected energy levels as well. So with that being said, make a habit of walking tall and you may find yourself not needing coffee anymore.
Eat a healthy breakfast.
There’s always the eternal debate: Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Well, let’s just say that if you do choose to eat breakfast regularly, you should make it a healthy one full of protein. Don’t opt for sugary cereals or pastries with no real substance. Setting up your cognitive function for the rest of the day means avoiding sugar and putting real food into your body to fuel it properly.
Set the thermostat for success.
Some people run hot and others run cold. No two people are the same, which can make for some pretty heated (pun intended) thermostat debates in the office. But is there an optimal temperature to get everyone going at their most efficient? Although we hesitate to use the phrase “magic number,” one study did find that workplace performance increased between 69.8 and 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit, with the latter number yielding the highest productivity.
Sing and tap to your favorite song.
If you’re looking for a little energy booster, pump up your favorite jam and sing along! Aside from just putting us in a better mood, interacting with music can actually increase our energy levels. Singing and rhythm tapping have both been found as effective ways to increase energy arousal and decrease tiredness.
Keep tabs on your stress levels.
Being “emotionally drained” is a very real thing. Whenever we’re taking on a large amount of stress, it affects our overall energy and wears us out. So to keep the stress hormone cortisone at bay, it’s super important to make something physically and emotionally satisfying like exercise or yoga a regular part of our routines.
Watch cute cat videos.
Bet you weren’t expecting this one, huh? In the wonderful age of internet videos, there’s already research being done to justify our love of silly and cute animal videos. According to this study, a media researcher found that watching cat videos could increase our energy, boost positive emotions and decrease negativity. So that’s worth at least a few minutes of watching, right?
Get outside as much as you can.
We already know that different colored lights affect our mood. But here’s something to keep in mind throughout the day: The more blue light you’re exposed to, the more alert and awake you’ll be. So what’s blue light? Pretty much any natural source (like the sun) will emit blue light, as will TVs, laptops, smartphones and other LEDs. But a little screen isn’t really enough light to affect your daytime alertness, which is why the sun is your best bet for that sweet, sweet blue light.
So what do you think? Are you too big of a coffee person to quit? Like we said, there’s nothing wrong with brewing a fresh cup o’ joe every morning, but it’s good to have options! Let us know your opinion in the comments or share another energy tip with us — we’d love to hear!
