Beating the 3pm slump

  • Ali

It’s 3pm and my energy has just disappeared. Sound familiar?

If you regularly feel that you’re lacking energy and need to reach for a pick me up then read on, I may have the answer.  

That was me a few years ago. I would crash about 3pm, just before I was about to do the school run, or when in the office while I still had a mountain of paperwork still to complete. I still get the odd 3pm slump but they are less frequent and less likely to send me into a tail spin of bad eating and moodiness which unsurprisingly no one benefits from.

So what have I changed to ensure I feel more energised throughout the day? First I looked at the sort of foods that served me and threw out the sort that did not. A 3pm slump would often have me reaching for carbs and sugar snacks because I hadn’t eaten enough throughout the day to really fuel me for the afternoon. I now eat healthy wholefoods throughout the day which really energise me and I teach others how to do the same. Contact me to find out how I can help you with a clean eating programme designed to kick start a healthy lifestyle and energise you. 

When I need to snack I opt for foods which serve me rather than ones that make me crash.

My top snack favourites are:

  • A handful of pre-soaked nuts and a few natural Medjool dates. Pre-soaking helps nuts to release their enzymes making them more available to your body to digest.

  • A piece of fruit and some nut butter (or other good fats – seed butter, avocado, goats cheese) to slow down the speed which the fruit sugars it contains hits your blood stream.

  • Protein bars made with a combination of good fats (nut butters) and plant based protein. I love the Arbonne plant based protein as the body can fully utilise it and absorb every gram.  See recipes for great energy snacks.

  • Energy balls are also handy to have within reach. Packed with seeds, nuts and a bit of natural sugar to bind them together these are a dream. See recipes for great energy snacks.

We all need some naturally occurring sugar in our diet, our brain needs glucose to function, but snacking on fruit all day will simply send you into a tail spin of lethargy and the older or more sedentary we become (hence the crash when you are simply sitting at your desk), the harder it is for our bodies to cope with the breakdown of fructose (fruit sugar). Un-metabolized fructose will lead to lethargy.

Snack on a balanced diet of natural wholefoods throughout the day instead. A couple of oat cakes with a nut or seed butter (almond is my favourite but I do love pumpkin too), rice cakes with turkey or avocado (a perfect blend of protein and good fats), raw vegetables like broccoli, cucumber, carrots, celery and cauliflower and avocado, or reach for a handful of blueberries and see how much more energised you feel.

If you’re eating healthily and trying to cut down on calories too, then eating healthy wholefoods is a far better option than snacking on diet or low calorie foods. These are often laden with hidden sugar and are full of unhealthy additives designed to make them taste better. Avoid anything that says ‘low calorie’ and is processed.

“If it came from a plant, eat it, if it was made in a plant don’t.” - Michael Pollan

Another way to combat that 3pm slump is to stay hydrated and ensure you drink plenty of filtered water through the day. We often reach for a snack thinking we are tired and hungry when we are actually dehydrated.

I’ve noticed that I can often reduce the onset of a dehydration headache with a Rehydration drink - my favourite is Phytosport Rehydration from Arbonne as it’s plant based and contains no nasty chemical ingredients. A Green tea or herbal tea will also hydrate you far better than a sugar laden soft drink or a fruit juice. And for a real pick me up I reach for an Arbonne Energy Fizz stick. My favourite flavour is Pomegranate but Miss H loves the Citrus fizz sticks so try them both and see which you prefer. They contain B vitamins, Ginseng and Green Tea plus a small amount of natural cane sugar making them a great pick me up for those days when you really need a boost. As they’re in individual sachets they are perfect to have in your handbag or pocket when you’re out and about. You can simply add them to a bottle of water, but take a sip first, they’re called fizz sticks for a reason!

You can save 20% on all Arbonne products when you join as a Preferred Client, so contact me if you’d like to know more. 

If you need more ideas to energise you or need help to work out how to maintain your energy levels throughout the day please get in touch.  

Yours,
Ali