How To Boost Your Energy Without Caffeine
A lot of people depend on their caffeine fixes when they need a boost in energy throughout the day. Caffeine is usually found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.
It’s a great stimulant and can have great effects on the body, but having too much of it can also have some side effects. For example, it can make you feel jittery, restless, anxious, irritable, and so on.
There are different reasons why people choose to avoid caffeine, so I’m sharing a round-up of practical and doable tips and alternatives to coffee that can keep you energized without resorting to a cup of coffee or an energy drink.
How To Boost Your Energy Without Caffeine
Cold water shower
Cold water showers in the morning are an amazing way to boost your energy levels for the day a bit, without doing anything special. While you probably enjoy showering with hot water, it won’t wake you up as much.
Instead, when you’re about to finish showering, turn on cold water for a bit. It will instantly give you natural energy and make you ready for the day. It’s a great energy-boosting trick that doesn’t require anything specific.
Plus, cold water showers have other health benefits, such as stimulating you to take deeper breaths, which helps you concentrate.
Get a quick nap
Getting a quick 20-minute nap should make you feel more energized. However, try not to nap for longer than 20 minutes. If you do, your body will fall into a deeper sleep, and after waking up you’ll feel as if someone woke you up in the middle of the night.
Just keep in mind that those naps shouldn’t replace your regular night sleep, they’re only meant to give you a bit more rest and energy if you need it.
Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is the key to having good energy levels. When you’re sleep deprived you need coffee, energy drinks, or other caffeine sources to bring you up, but when you’re getting enough sleep each night, you will have enough energy for the whole day. Strive to sleep 8 hours per nigh.
Make more time for exercise
While you might think exercise will make you tired, it’s actually the opposite. Exercising, even just going on walks, actually brings your energy levels up. It tells your body you need more energy, and your body provides it. It also releases a chemical that makes you feel awake.
So, exercise regularly. It doesn’t have to be going to the gym if you don’t like that. You can do any physical activity that works for you - dancing, doing yoga, doing pilates, going on hikes, running, taking longer walks, etc.
Find what you enjoy, and exercise regularly.
Do breathing exercises
There are certain breathing exercises that can help boost your alertness and energy levels.
Those exercises consist of taking short and rapid breaths through your nose while keeping your mouth closed for about 10 seconds, that breathing normally, and repeating everything a few times.
That should give you a quick energy boost.
Caffeine Alternatives
Lemon water and ginger
Water might not seem as a good coffee alternative, but it’s actual very useful for giving you energy, and for many other things.
Starting your day with water is known to give you more energy, and it makes you more alert. Dehydration is known to cause fatigue, so drinking enough water is extremely important.
Even mild dehydration can cause fatigue and tiredness, so it’s extremely important to drink enough water throughout the day.
For a natural flavor and extra vitamins, you can add lemon and ginger to your water.
Chia seed pudding
Chia seeds are known to give you energy, and they’re considered a super food for their health benefits. They’re known to improve stamina, and eating a chia seed pudding is a caffeine free way to get an energy boost.
Here’s a recipe for a delicious chia seed pudding.
Chia Seeds with Coconut Milk and Almond Butter
470 calories
Ingredients
1 Tbsp Chia seeds - 60 calories
1 Tbsp Shelled hemp hearts - 60 calories
3 oz Coconut milk, reduced fat (oz) - 105 calories
1 Tbsp Almond butter - 101 calories
1 tsp Stevia - 0 calories
⅛ cup Pecans (cups) - 94 calories
1 cup Strawberries, fresh - 50 calories
Instructions
Combine coconut milk, hemp hearts, and chia seeds in a container (e.g. mason jar) and soak in fridge overnight.
In the morning, add almond butter, stevia, pecans, and strawberries (halved or quartered).
Smoothies
Smoothies are another amazing way to get increased energy levels without the beloved coffee beans.
You can blend up different energy boosting ingredients, and get an extra dose of not only energy, but vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
Blend up your favorite fruit, veggies, and additional energy-boosting ingredients such as chia seeds, flax seeds, nuts, almond butter, etc.
Here are two recipes for delicious smoothies that can help boost your energy.
Mango Spinach Smoothie
132 calories
Ingredients
1 cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 7 calories
¼ Zucchini, medium - 8.25 calories
¼ cup Celery stalks, chopped in half - 4 calories
½ cup Mango, frozen, chunks - 45 calories
½ Banana - 52.5 calories
½ cup Almond milk - 15 calories
½ tsp Vanilla - 0 calories
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice.
Blend until smooth.
Green Smoothie with Banana
252 calories
Ingredients
1 cup Almond milk - 30 calories
½ Banana - 52.5 calories
½ cup Pineapple, frozen chunks, unsweetened - 46.5 calories
1 Tbsp Almond butter - 101 calories
1 cup Leafy greens, kale, raw - 15 calories
1 cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 7 calories
Instructions
Add in all ingredients and 3-4 ice cubes to a blender
Blend
Golden milk
If you don’t know what golden milk is, it’s just a cute name for a turmeric latte. It’s one of the best coffee alternatives for starting your day.
First of all, it looks like coffee, which can help you get that feeling you’re used to, without actually consuming caffeine.
It’s not only great for boosting your energy, but it’s also amazing for its anti-inflammatory properties, plus all other health benefits turmeric has.
Here are a few different recipes for making it, so you can try them out and see which ones you prefer.
The first one calls for:
2 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
A tablespoon of coconut oil (or ghee)
A pinch of black pepper
Maple syrup to taste (optional)
You simply mix everything in a saucepan, and cook it until it starts to simmer.
The second one calls for:
1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 punch ground ginger
1 tsp coconut oil
4 drops vanilla stevia (optional
For this one, you first heat up milk, and then add the rest of the ingredients.
Chai tea
Chai tea technically does have some caffeine in it, but the amount is much smaller than coffee. So, if you want to avoid coffee while still getting a small amount of caffeine, chai tea is an amazing option.
There are also decaf versions of chai tea, so you can get that to completely avoid caffeine.
