Today Is Your Day :: Energy Boosting Day Planner

Get more done, get fitter, and sleep better with this energy-boosting day planner.

RISE AND SHINE

Stretch gently to warm up your muscles. Practically any type of physical activity can immediately increase your level of alertness. If you need to hit the snooze button, maybe you should go to bed earlier. Be aware of your surroundings, note the feel of the sheets against your skin, how the air smells, and notice the sights and sounds around you first thing in the morning. Wake up and smell the coffee! By living more in the present instead of dwelling on what you have to do later, you will be more effective and achieve more all through the day.

Eat a good breakfast within 30 minutes of rising -- the meal should consist of complex carbs, lean protein and some fat. Work out in the morning to maximize your energy all day.

HI HO HI HO, IT'S OFF TO WORK WE GO

Look around your workplace. Is everything ideally placed to help you work best? Maybe you should take some time to arrange your desk so you can perform better. Think about your tasks for today and plan for them. Time for a drink -- cold water will help you keep mind and body alert.

LUNCH

Make this a real break. Don't try to work and eat at the same time, or worse drive and eat. You need to relax for a while if you are to stay productive all day.

After you have eaten, say within 30 minutes, get some light exercise -- like a walk outside, or if that is not practical then walking around your place of work while you talk on the phone or open mail.

2:30 SLUMP

Instead of looking for an energy boost with coffee or energy drinks, eat a low-fat snack and keep moving around.

EVENING

Leave work behind and concentrate on YOU. Have a light snack when you get home to stabilize your blood sugar until dinner is ready. Unless you are trying to gain weight, your evening meal should be around 700 calories, with protein and green veggies, but little or no carbohydrates. After dinner, instead of zoning out in front of the television, do something active -- take a walk (I love to walk on the beach in the evening after dinner), go to the gym, play games, even do chores or, if you have a willing partner, have sex!

BEDTIME

By this stage, your mind should be calm and ready for sleep. Absorb the things that you have learned today. Sleep often enhances the memory of information acquired during that day, so you will wake both healthier and wiser next morning.