Avoid Hitting the 3pm wall
- Grant Mundy
- May 23, 2021
- 3 min read
If I had a dollar for the number of clients who complained of hitting the wall at 3pm each day, feeling drained of energy which caused them to reach for a sugary snack they'd always regret afterwards, I'd probably own at least an island or two.
With today's busy lifestyle feeling fatigued by the early afternoon is sadly pretty common. So how do we avoid it or lessen the impact it has on our willpower?
1. Eat a Decent Breakfast!
I know so many people who skip breakfast. Eating a good sized, nutritionally balanced breakfast sets you up for the whole day.
It keeps your blood sugar levels stable, keeps us satiated longer, and gives us energy which can sustain us adequately until our next meal.
When you skip breakfast you're more likely to reach for refined carbohydrates in the later stages of the day.
Ensure you're eating plenty of protein and preferably also a little healthy fat at breakfast time and avoid nutritionally void foods like cereals, and Vegemite on white bread toast. Try some fruit and yoghurt with some good quality muesli or overnight oats or even some chia pudding. Most of these can be prepped the night before.
2. Get a Good Night's Sleep!
Picture me shaking my fist at you... because that's basically what I'm doing. I'm not talking once in a while either.
You should maintain a regular sleep regime, where you're getting a solid amount of preferably uninterrupted sleep every night. Although the recommendation is 8 hours, most important is consistency.
No staying up until midnight scrolling through Facebook or watching crazy cat videos...save that for when you're at work like every other well-functioning adult.
3. Ease Up on the Caffeine!
Before you table flip and throw your laptop at a puppy, hear me out. Coffee actually has health benefits... just like everything, however, too much of a good thing can be bad. Try to aim for 1 or 2 coffees a day.
I know for people constantly on the go, an extra coffee or two may give you the 'kick' you need, but it also comes with a cost.
Constantly stimulating your adrenal system by taking in large amounts of caffeine can cause you to have a mid afternoon 'crash', where your adrenals simply cannot keep up with the constant stimulation, and burn out over time, causing a sudden onset of lethargy, or lack of concentration.
Having said that, due to the fact you'll now be getting a decent night's sleep every night and eating a nutritionally dense, protein rich breakfast, you'll be drinking coffee not out of desperation, but just because you enjoy them...right??
Oh and this goes without saying but energy drinks are the devil and probably a product that should be un-invented.
4. Hydrate!
I'm yet to meet anyone who drinks enough water through the day. We're all guilty of it.
It's probably hard to connect the dots between water and the 3pm energy slump, but set yourself a goal to drink 2L of water a day (add an extra cup for every cup of coffee you drink) for a week, and see the difference in your energy levels.
There you have it, a great strategy to avoid hitting that dreaded 3pm wall, try out some of these tips and see if they work for you!
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