Cut the Caffeine

For many of us, the average morning is akin to being an extra in a zombie movie. Millions of people stumble to work each day with stiff muscles, bleary eyes, and heavy breathing, all punctuated by low, repeating moans.

Coffeeeeee

Once you get that first cup of coffee, the dull-grey world explodes into brilliant color (think office cubicles housing three Bollywood musicals at once) and we become Superman. Alert! Active! Blessedly awake! Unfortunately, a few ticks of the hour hand later were once again the Living Dead. The chairs pushed back, the coffee pot is hit, and the cycle repeats itself.

Way too much of a good thing?

Caffeine, though something of a wonder drug, is getting abused. Taken in moderation, particularly in things like dark chocolate or black coffee, it can have health benefits. Moderation, however, becomes an unfamiliar concept when youre drinking a dozen cups of coffee a day. High blood pressure, anxiety, increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and increased risk of ulcers are a few of the problems associated with overconsumption.

The problem is, we need our caffeine; two thirds of Americans simply dont get enough sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. For many, coffee wont cut it, leading to increased consumption of energy drinks like Red Bull or the charmingly-named Cocaine. And the stuff is showing up where youd least expect it: mints, chewing gum, donuts.

But there are plenty of strategies you can use to remain energized while avoiding excessive caffeine. It takes a little more effort than buying that mocha or opening that Coke, but youre guaranteed to feel better than ever before.

Eat breakfast.

Yes, its a cliché, but breakfast remains the most important part of your day. Not only will a proper meal in the A.M. (not a chocolate bar and some soda pop) energize you for hours, itll help you keep your weight downthe body uses nutrients less efficiently when it wakes up, meaning youll retain fewer unneeded calories by having that food earlier in the day.

Ideal breakfast foods include oatmeal, high-fiber cereals, veggies, and whole-wheat toast. Because they contain so much fiber, it takes you longer to process the sugars inside, meaning your body gets a slow, steady flow of energy instead of one tidal wave. One massive jolt of caffeine will pep you up, sure, but once it wears off youre left worse than when you started.

Eat when youre hungry.

Three square meals a day may be neater on a schedule, but it sure aint healthier. Dont be afraid of snacking between meals! Doing this maintains a reasonable amount of energy all day long. As an added bonus, you may lose some weight; counterintuitive as that sounds, spreading out your caloric intake means youre less likely to overeat during big meals.

Bear in mind, this does not mean you should be munching down potato chips and cookies! What you snack on is just as important as the snacking itself.

Good snacks:

Fruit is loaded with energizing fructose, as well as healthy fiber and plenty of antioxidants. An apple with some peanut butter or a cool bunch of grapes can quickly take the place of that midday candy bar, and a yogurt-based fruit smoothie makes a great replacement for your three cans of soda.

Almonds and other nuts are superb snacks as welltheyre filling, crunchy, and bursting with omega-3 (thats the fat we actually should eat). Yogurt and other low-fat dairy foods, too, provide much needed energy along with nutrients necessary to maintain your metabolism and keep your body healthy.

Eat these foods throughout the day, never overeating (gorging yourself leads to fatigue, like when you nod off at Thanksgiving). In addition, consider foods high in iron like steak once or twice a week; iron is important for energy, too. Its okay to drink a cup or two of coffee along with all this, but if you find yourself downing seven hugelarge cups of espresso each day: cut back. And finally, most importantly

Sleep.

Even with new wonder-drugs like Modafinilwhich can keep a person up for 40 hours straight with no side-effectssleep experts reiterate there is no substitute for a full nights rest. The brain needs it, the body needs it, your very soul needs it. We arent machines; no matter what we put into our bodies to keep them running, if we dont have sleep to go along with it well eventually pay dearly.

So next time you reach for your coffee mug, consider having some fruit insteadand get some sleep once you get home from work!