Small Business

10 Ways to Keep Your Energy Level Up

By Rick Broida

Updated on: January 8, 2008 / 3:00 PM EST / MoneyWatch

Obvious Truth #703: When you feel weak, tired, sluggish, etc., your productivity takes a nosedive. How can you keep that from happening? Dumb Little Man offers 10 energy zappers to avoid, including:

Sugar. Avoid it. If you must eat sweets try to combine it with fiber which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Most fruits naturally have both the sweetness and the fiber. The next time you have a candy bar or can of soda, watch for the subsequent energy dip that occurs within 30-60 minutes. Be prepared to nap because that's what you will feel like doing.
Caffeine. I'm sorry, but caffeine is the big lie. Don't hate me. It's simply the laws of physics. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Caffeine follows this law. Initially you will see a kick of energy from caffeine, but everyone pays the price later in terms of tiredness, insomnia, or irritability. This is obviously a personal choice, but there are many, including myself, who have improved their life by eliminating or decreasing their caffeine intake. Here is an article with both pros and cons to help you decide if you want to kick the caffiene habit.

I agree 100% with the first one: Sugar sucks the energy out of me like some mutant vampire. But caffeine? Now you're talking about my coffee. Can't give up the coffee. Won't. No. Forget it. On the other hand, think how much more writing I could get done without that monkey on my back. Hmm.

Read the complete post and let me know if you agree/disagree with this list of energy zappers.