Beat the Midday Slump

If you rely on coffee or cola to make it through the day, it’s time to change up your routine.

Eat early. When it comes to stocking up on stamina, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. During sleep, your body uses up its energy stores.Eating first thing in the morning is important for refueling. For a longer-lasting boost, pair lean protein with filling whole grains, like whole-wheat toast topped with peanut butter and a banana, or a bowl of oatmeal with fruits and nuts.

Don’t cut out carbs. Passing on breads and pastas may help you drop a few pounds, but it won’t do much for your productivity. Carbohydrates are the easiest way for your body to get energy.So when you don’t eat them, you feel sluggish.Try beans, fresh fruit and sweet potatoes.

Work up a sweat! Heading to the gym may be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re sluggish, but for putting more pep in your step, it can’t be beat.Exercising at any time during the day will get you going, but if you’re looking to beat that late-afternoon slump, doing some cardio at lunchtime is perfect.And while you don’t want to do anything so strenuous that it will actually tire your muscles out, challenging your body will fire you up and release those feel-good endorphins that will leave you glowing.”

 Drink up! Sipping on water regularly prevents you from becoming dehydrated -- a top culprit for fatigue. Women need about 12 cups of fluid per day.And being dehydrated by just 1 percent -- the point where you just start to get thirsty -- can make you feel like you’re dragging.You don’t need to get all of that liquid from plain H20, she says: Milk, tea, soup and juicy fruits, like oranges and watermelon, can also help you meet your quota.

Pump some iron. Even a slight deficiency of this mineral can make you feel run-down.Women need about 18 milligrams of iron a day -- twice as much as men.Red meat is one of the best sources, so have beef or steak a few times a week. Or load up on vegetarian sources, such as fortified cereals, whole-grain bread and beans.