4 Unconventional Alternatives To Replace The Daily Coffee Hit
Here are some interesting energy sources you never thought could help you get through your day.
Let me take you on a short journey.
Your alarm bell rings, you look at your phone, and it’s 6:30 am (which, in my opinion, is a barbaric time to wake up).
Feeling sluggish, you roll out of bed, brush your teeth, struggle to decide what to wear, hurriedly do your hair and then limp out of the house to catch the train for work.
During the train ride (or bus ride for some), you zone in and out of consciousness while blasting the latest and greatest tunes in your ears.
Before you know it, you’re at work.
You head into the office, get your desk set up, and then realise that you desperately, and I mean DESPERATELY, need coffee.
You head all the way back down, walk to your favourite coffee shop, grab your usual order and head back up to the office.
You take a sip.
And, almost as if you’ve just been given all the life in the world, your mood increases, you start humming Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ to yourself repeatedly, and you’re ready to smash out the day.
Then, before you know it, 2:00 pm hits, and guess what?
The lethargy returns, you struggle to focus in that meeting that just never seems to end, and it seems like your computer is ‘frozen’ because nothing is happening on the screen.
So, what do we do?
We head all the way back down to our favourite coffee shop and…
It’s a never-ending cycle.
Let’s pause this story for a second and reflect.
When was the last time you woke up and felt completely energised for the whole day without the need for coffee?
For a lot of us, this is a preposterous notion.
Our own energy? The whole day? No coffee? Absurd!
But wait, let’s think about it.
When we were children, we had a wealth of energy.
We were always excitable, engaged and running everywhere.
No coffee needed.
However, when we think about ourselves as adults, we always seem so fatigued, lethargic and disengaged.
Without coffee, we use willpower to function, and willpower is like a muscle — it gets tired and sore after excessive use.
In fact, I was walking through the park the other day, and it was hilarious seeing the contrast between bright and energetic children and the jaded and tired adults in the office.
However, it begs the question — how much longer can we rely on coffee?
This is an issue I’ve been struggling with for the last five months — how could I get my focus and energy back and perform on the highest level without coffee?
Once again, I know it sounds absurd.
However, I’ll show you 4 ways you can gain your energy back sans caffeine.
1) Pose like a superhero
Literally.
Research has shown that replicating a power pose (for example, leaning back in your chair with your lower body fully extended, or standing in front of a table and leaning your hands on it) can increase your energy levels.
Our body reacts almost immediately to our changes in body language. Doing such power poses decreases your cortisol levels (the stress hormone), increases our testosterone levels, and in turn, increase your feelings of power.
Not only does it create improve your hormonal levels, but it can also have a positive effect on your confidence.
These are very subtle positions that you can easily do in the office, whether at your desk or even in a meeting.
Just be careful of trying to power move your manager, however…
2) Have a giggle
Who doesn’t love a good laugh?
Laughing results in a phenomenon called ‘eustress,’ otherwise known as positive stress.
This leads to decreases in cortisol and epinephrine, which has been shown to replicate similar effects to light exercise — so you’re also actually exercising while laughing!
Laughing lets you stretch out your muscles and increase your heart and breathing rate, giving you an energy boost!
If you are ever struggling to find something to laugh at, feel free to message me and I’ll give you a nice Dad joke for your troubles.
3) No tech before or after bed
You can set yourself up for an energy boost from the night before.
This may be very challenging for a lot of us, but the benefits of conducting such practices could be immense, especially for your energy levels.
Are you looking at your phone an hour before you go to sleep, and in the first hour after you wake up?
It is well known that having exposure to blue light before and after you sleep has been proven to be detrimental to your sleep hygiene, making it increasingly difficult for you to fall asleep and resulting in you having less REM (or deep) sleep.
Technology can be disruptive and can result in increased fatigue, tiredness, and an inhibited cognition during the next day.
It may be extremely difficult to commit to a ‘no phones and no screens’ rule for an hour before you go to sleep and for the first hour after you wake up, so try and do half an hour instead.
As an alternative activity, try meditating or reading a book but whatever you do, attempt to avoid any screens.
4) Drink more water
This is another activity you can do before you sleep to gain energy the next day.
We (at least hopefully you do) sleep on average 7 to 8 hours each night.
That is 7 to 8 hours that your body is dehydrated for.
Could you ever imagine going 7–8 hours without any form of water?
To increase your energy for the day, try to consume more water right before you go to bed.
This ensures you remain hydrated for the 7–8 hours that you’re sleeping, meaning that you wake up feeling more refreshed and ready for the day.
I know what you’re thinking — “but I’ll need to go to the toilet!”
Fair enough, but your body will adapt to the change in water levels in your body, and eventually you will learn to stop needing to go.
A lot of these methods are about establishing new and simple habits to provide you that energy that you need throughout the day.
Two of these methods are about setting yourself up for energy the night before, so it will be up to you to remain accountable to do these.
Although it may add an extra step to your pre and post-sleep routine, you will wake up rejuvenated and with a lot more energy for the day.
Get ready to feel like a kid again!
