Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to go for a walk when you're tired,
Speaker 1: rather than grabbing a sugary snack. The walk is just
Speaker 1: as energizing, and, unlike the other options, has basically zero downside.
Speaker 1: I think we all know the feeling of that three
Speaker 1: p m slump. The slump can hit in the middle
Speaker 1: of even a near perfect day. You had an incredibly
Speaker 1: productive morning and accomplished your top priority for the day.
Speaker 1: You had a healthy lunch and pleasant interactions with colleagues
Speaker 1: or family. You participated in an intense meeting, or okay,
Speaker 1: let's be honest, maybe it was just a boring meeting.
Speaker 1: Either way, the meeting ended and suddenly it's three o'clock
Speaker 1: and you are ready for a nap. But unless you
Speaker 1: are a preschool or taking a nap is probably not
Speaker 1: in your job description. We can argue that it should be,
Speaker 1: but many adults aren't going to pause in the middle
Speaker 1: of a work day for a snooze When a nap
Speaker 1: is not an option. The mid afternoon slump prompts a
Speaker 1: lot of people to take a different sort of break.
Speaker 1: They pause their work and head to the kitchen, the
Speaker 1: break room or a convenience store and grab a soda
Speaker 1: or a doughnut or something like that. And while this
Speaker 1: may sell in surprising to you, there is some wisdom
Speaker 1: in this. Hear me out here. When you're not making
Speaker 1: progress because you have no energy, it is smart to
Speaker 1: change your focus for a bit. Going somewhere and getting
Speaker 1: a snack generally requires at least some motion and getting
Speaker 1: away from the desk for a minute. This can nudge
Speaker 1: you from your stupor. But the problem is that a
Speaker 1: lot of our common food and drink pick me ups
Speaker 1: have some undesirable side effects. Caffeinated beverages perk us up temporarily,
Speaker 1: but caffeine after three pm or so can lead to
Speaker 1: trouble sleeping at night, which then means we're more likely
Speaker 1: to feel low energy the next day too. Sugar snacks
Speaker 1: spike energy for a little bit and then lead to
Speaker 1: a crash later on. Plus, many of us would like
Speaker 1: to eat more healthfully in general, So in the afternoon,
Speaker 1: when you are feeling tired, instead of going for caffeine
Speaker 1: or sugar, go for a walk, even a ten minute
Speaker 1: walk outside in the crisp air will leave you feeling energized,
Speaker 1: probably more so than a candy bar will, and the
Speaker 1: walk won't take any more time than hitting the vending machine.
Speaker 1: If you can't make it outside because of the weather,
Speaker 1: child care responsibilities, or office norms, a fast walk around
Speaker 1: your home or workplace, or climbing up and down the
Speaker 1: stairs can also offer an immediate energy boost with no
Speaker 1: undesirable side effects. Indeed, unlike caffeine, physical activity can help
Speaker 1: with regulating sleep over time. So the next I'm you
Speaker 1: have the three pm slump, try going for a walk
Speaker 1: instead of reaching for a soda or a donut or
Speaker 1: the like. If you do, I'd love to hear how
Speaker 1: it goes. I also love to hear other tips for
Speaker 1: managing your energy through the day. You can reach me
Speaker 1: at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
Speaker 1: and Instagram at before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the
Speaker 1: number four. Then breakfast p o D. You can also
Speaker 1: shoot me an email at before Breakfast podcast at i
Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out
Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look or
Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of
Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,
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