Boosting your energy is ok if the energy source is a healthful one, but too often we choose caffeine, sugar and nicotine.  They do guarantee a quick, short boost of energy, but your goal is to choose energy sources that guard against the peaks and valleys of quick fixes.

By far, caffeine is the world’s most widely used stimulant and mood-altering drug.  It is in coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolate.  The average American drinks about two to three cups of coffee a day.  One 6 ounce cup can contain as much as 200mg of caffeine.

Why the love affair with caffeine?  Most of us enjoy the taste of java, colas and candy, but caffeine is also highly addictive.  The body takes only about one week to become hooked on it, psychological addiction may take less time.  It affects the central nervous system, dilates blood vessels , increases heart rate, alertness, memory and reflexes.  In moderation, it is relatively harmless, but to much can cause insomnia, loss of coordination and in extreme cases, tremors and heart palpations.

Caffeine has a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) effect with the ability to rev you up but later drop you down.  If you like your cup of coffee in the morning, that’s fine, but if you have to drink it all day long to keep your energy level up, that’s excessive.

It’s easy to grab sugar-laden sources of energy like candy, sugar-sweetened gum or pastry on the run.  Surprisingly, besides the poisonous stimulant nicotine, tobacco  also contains some sugar.  Sugars are rapidly digested, yielding quick energy.  They are absorbed so quickly into the bloodstream, sugar levels rise rapidly and then later drop abruptly, leaving you energy depleted.

The solution is to choose better energy sources, like complex carbohydrates.  These take longer to digest, are absorbed more slowly by the body and cause no sudden surge or dramatic drop of blood sugar.  Eating five or six smaller meals a day or three moderately sized meals with a couple snacks in between maintain energy levels better than three huge meals.  If you eat to much of anything you will have excess calories, and that can make you feel sluggish.  The body stores excess food as fat and does not know if it comes from carrots or chips.

Adequate vitamins are also essential.  B-vitamins break down food and form energy, some studies show that when the body is responding to extreme physical demands or is under stress, it needs more B-vitamins. 

It may take a while to change daily habits so make changes slowly.  Cutting caffeine cold turkey can cause caffeine withdrawal with lethargy and headaches.  By choosing better sources of energy you can avoid mid-afternoon slumps and be more alert.  YOU have to make a conscientious effort to change, but the reward; you’ll feel better and have more energy.