25 Easy Instant Energy Boosters

By Eleni Gage
Images by
Istvan Banyai

Simple strategies for filling the tank when you're running on empty.


Tackle a Dreary, Do-I-Have-to-Get-Out-of-Bed Day With a Burst of Color


The Morton Salt Girl got it right in her yellow raincoat. "There are days we need a shot of adrenaline before we even get out of bed, and colors can help with that," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of More Alive With Color ($20, amazon.com). "By surrounding yourself with bright colors-something as simple as an orange bathrobe or a yellow umbrella-you can give yourself that needed energy boost to face the day." In general, saturated, warm colors (the red, orange, and yellow of ROY G BIV) are considered most energizing, while cool tones (like green, blue, indigo, and violet) are calming.
Related: The Color of the Season: Red

Rise and Seek Sunshine

"You want to use light and stimulation to wake you up for the daytime, then use dark and quiet at night," says Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., an associate professor of medicine at the New York University Sleep Disorders Center. "If you can go outside within 15 minutes of waking for 20 minutes and face east, even on a cloudy day, you'll get enough light to energize yourself for the day."

End Your Shower With a Burst of Cold Water
Your body responds more quickly to a cold stimulus than to hot, so "a quick, short blast will perk you up," says Jim Karas, a coauthor of The 7-Day Energy Surge ($16, amazon.com).
Related: Ways to Make the Most of Your Shower

Get the Giggles
"With laughter, you reap the recharging benefits of exercise without having to spend time at the gym," says Clifford Kuhn, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Louisville, in Kentucky, who is also known as the Laugh Doctor and happens to sell red clown noses on his website (drcliffordkuhn.com). "After a good laugh, you experience a momentary surge of energy, which-in addition to reducing stress and boosting immunity-can help your body regenerate more healthful cells over time," he says. To get you started, go to funnyordie.com or huffingtonpost.com/comedy for laugh-inducing videos.

Dab on a Jasmine-Infused Fragrance

"Jasmine increases beta waves, which make you more awake and alert," says Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and the founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, in Chicago. Keep a spillproof, solid jasmine fragrance in your handbag. (Try Mélange Perfume Melati Jasmine Solid Perfume; $15,melangeperfume.com.)

Follow This Eat-for-Energy Timeline



Here's how to power through your day effectively:

7 a.m.: Rise and shine!

7:15 a.m.: Drink a glass of water.

"Hydrating first thing increases the chances that you'll continue throughout the day and prevents dehydration, which causes fatigue," says Sara Ryba, a nutritionist in Scarsdale, New York.

7:45 a.m.: Have your cup of coffee.
While you're filling that pot, pour yourself another glass of water.
Related: The Best Coffee

8:30 a.m.: Eat a protein-rich breakfast.
"Protein helps keep your blood-sugar levels consistent, so you don't run the risk of an early-morning energy crash," says Ryba. Stick to foods such as scrambled egg whites on a whole-grain English muffin, peanut butter on toast, or cottage cheese (which has more protein than yogurt) topped with berries and high-fiber cereal.

10:15 a.m.: Snack on a few hazelnuts or almonds.
"The nuts are high in magnesium, which is believed to boost energy," says Ryba.

10:45 a.m.: Drink more water.
If you're not a water drinker, try snacking on some watermelon, which is about 91 percent water.

12:30 p.m.: Enjoy a brown-bag lunch.
Dining out, especially in a group, might lead to overeating, which will zap your energy supply later in the day. "The more food you consume, the harder your body has to work to break it down," says Ryba. Consider an open-faced turkey sandwich with carrots or a cup of lentil soup and an apple.

2:45 p.m.: Snack time.
Boost your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which help improve brain function, with yogurt with flaxseed or a trail mix with walnuts. Now is also a good time to sip an iced green tea, which can help rev your metabolism and give you a bit more buzz. (Antioxidant-rich green tea has less caffeine than a cup of coffee, so you won't risk messing with your sleep patterns later.)
Related: The Best Energy Bars

4:00 p.m.: Break out the popcorn or Twizzlers.
"Most people experience a dip in serotonin between three and five," says biologist Judith Wurtman, a coauthor of The Serotonin Power Diet ($16, amazon.com), so you should reach for 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrates to boost levels of the feel-good hormone. Try one cup of popcorn, three Twizzlers, or a low-fat granola bar.

8:30 p.m.: Finish eating dinner at least 2½ hours before bedtime.

Otherwise your body's digestive process could disrupt your sleep pattern. Try a light but satisfying meal of protein, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates-for example, salmon, broccoli, and brown rice; or beans, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and grilled chicken in a whole-wheat tortilla.

10:00 p.m.: Sip an herbal tea.
Chamomile will help calm you down for sleep, while peppermint aids digestion.

11:30 p.m.: Lights out!

Enjoy Your Daily Cup of Joe-or a Healthy Handful of Hershey's Kisses


Just don't overdo it. Experts agree that you can have roughly 300 milligrams of caffeine a day to reap its benefits fully. So if you're a coffee or tea drinker, go for it. But not all cardboard-sleeve cups are created equal. A grande cup of Starbucks coffee has about 330 milligrams of caffeine, while a comparable medium cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee has half that.
Related: Keeping Tabs on Your Caffeine Intake

Here is a sampling of potential caffeine sources, listed from highest to lowest:

Starbucks Blend grande coffee: 330 milligrams
Seattle's Best medium coffee: 180 milligrams
Dunkin' Donuts medium coffee: 178 milligrams
Seattle's Best medium latte: 150 milligrams
Seattle's Best medium cappuccino: 150 milligrams
Starbucks grande latte: 150 milligrams
Starbucks grande cappuccino: 150 milligrams
Tim Hortons medium coffee: 140 milligrams
Two tablets of Excedrin Extra Strength: 130 milligrams
Starbucks grande caramel frappucino: 95 milligrams
Tim Hortons medium cappuccino: 80 milligrams
An 8.4-ounce can of Red Bull: 80 milligrams
An 8-ounce scoop of Häagen-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream: 55 milligrams
A 12-ounce can of Diet Coke: 47 milligrams
A 16-ounce bottle of Snapple Lemon Tea: 42 milligrams
A 16-ounce bottle of Arizona Green Tea: 15 milligrams
One Shock-a-Lots Chocolate-Covered Coffee Bean: 7 to 10 milligrams
Three Hershey's Kisses: 3 milligrams

"But W-W-What If Caffeine Makes Me J-J-Jittery?"
Some people are more sensitive to the beloved stimulant than others. If you notice that a daily cup of coffee leads to restlessness or irritability, try smelling coffee beans. "Sniffing the beans will invigorate you through a Pavlovian response," says Hirsch. "If you associate coffee with waking up, smelling it can induce a similar reaction." For those not willing to give up a morning tea ritual, try this: Before you make your cup of tea, steep the bag in a small amount of water for 20 seconds, then dump that out-65 to 70 percent of the caffeine is in that first dip.

Get a Whiff of Citrus
The smells of oranges, lemons, and grapefruits have been shown to be energizing...keep reading more instant energy boosters

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