How to Beat the Mid-Afternoon Blues It's 3:00 on a Wednesday. Are your eyes droopy? Are you digging for dollars planning to make your daily donation to the vending machine? Is the item in row A4 just calling your name? Perhaps a little cup of caffeinated bliss will be just enough to push you through the rest of the day? If you work second or third shift, do you depend on your good pals, Coffee and sugar, to help you make it through the night? If this sounds familiar, then join the club (no, not the coffee club). Actually, what you are feeling is perfectly normal. There are certain times of day when our energy naturally dips and may cause us to crave something to help us push through the fatigue. Our body energy is rising from the moment we get up in the morning and our metabolism is its strongest around noon when the sun is highest in the sky. The “running-out-of-gas” feeling occurs when your body temperature drops in preparation for rest or sleep. These dips are hardly noticeable to you, but happen mid afternoon and again around 9:00 pm. Of course, each person's patterns may differ. This may be especially true if you have worked for years on a non-traditional shift. If so, chances are your body's metabolism has gotten a little confused or off track. Our typical reaction is to reach for something that will boost our energy – most commonly – our old friends, caffeine and sugar. The problem with these choices, as we all know, is that they only give us a quick but temporary fix which can send us crashing later on. Waiting until you leave work may tempt you to grab something quick on the way or set you up to arrive home famished and heading right to the kitchen where the first thing in sight may not be the best thing. Any of these options can create the “roller-coaster” effect which will zap your energy and eventually compromise your health. So, until your boss is convinced that nap time is the next big management craze, the following strategies can go a long way to helping you recharge your batteries.
- Water, Water, Water (of course!)
- Be sure to eat breakfast and lunch
- Eat fewer refined crabs (bread and pasta) at lunch
- Have some power snack on hand (see list at left)
- Take a 30-second stretch break every hour
- Take a walk (right past the vending machine)
- Take a fresh air and sunshine break. Get outside!
- Start saving your vending machine money and you will have enough saved for a Caribbean cruise in no time!
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