Best way to get more energy without caffeine or sugar?

When you say no sugar do you mean at all, because sugars that are found in fresh fruits or fruit juices should help a fair bit.

Eat healthy foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water, get enough exercise and enough sleep. It sounds like you might not be getting enough exercise and sleep.

Take your vitamins, make sure you’re eating a variety of healthy foods and getting enough sleep.
Is it possible you have an underlying health issue?

Try getting out at lunch time and taking a walk. Also, like someone else said, drink some fruit juice or eat some fruit for natural sugar(s).

I am just curious do you have an aversion to caffeinated drinks, like coffee? Just curious.

Are you getting enough sleep the night before?

Protein in combination with carbohydrates is the best snack food you can eat to increase your energy. So, a snack of cheese and crackers or a small bag of nuts would be good.

You could also do some exercise to re-energize, either on your lunch hour or during a short break in the afternoon.

I’m lucky enough to work in an office that provides fresh fruits. I find an apple or a handful of grapes and a banana are awesome at staving off the 2:00 crash.

You need a body reset…. Ideally Stay away from all food as long as you can.

If you find that impossible, then drink only the purest and freshest food, nothing cooked nothing mixed. Start when you feel like it quit when you feel like it. Dont make it point to share what you are doing with anyone.

But for now when you feel lethargic, find a place when you can do a bit of quick streneuos exercise….I find pushups usually does the trick, if that is most convenient then do as many reps as you can, that should get you back up to speed.

Caffeine and sugar will give you a temporarily rush, but deplete your body in the long term.

More advisable is to use adaptogens such as ashwagandha, eleuthero, rhodiola and ginseng. I personally prefer ashwagandha as it’s both relaxing and energy stimulating.

A good multivitamin works too.

I personally also use rosemary (in alcohol tincture) instead of caffeine, which has similar results (improves circulation, concentration, wakefulness, increases my low blood pressure, etc.) but without the edginess.

@kess

I’m sorry, how does fasting and exercise while fasting help someone become less tired? I used to fast religiously (really), and never once did I say “Oh, boy! I’m so glad to be fasting! Puts a real pep in your step it does! Woo!”

I’m told apple’s will wake you up.

@Seek_Kolinahr the Fasting is to for the body reset..

the exercise is the quick fix….

If you cant see how it works then its not for you.
It will works for those who see it.

You fasted but not within the frame of mind I specified.

I also don’t use caffeine. I like the little ginseng shots you can get at health stores – they taste weird, but work well over short periods of time.

Exercise. Keep a healthy diet, meaning no fads, so that you have the nutritional resources to support your exercise program. Good cardiovascular health improves cognition and alertness, while strength training effectively helps your body recognise high and low activity states and adjust accordingly. Plus you have the added confidence of feeling able to take on the world!

Can’t get something for nothing. Spoken as a PhD student who refuses to sacrifice sleep for work.

If you want to avoid sugar and stimulants, the best way to keep your energy up is to DRINK LOTS OF WATER (I think the average Westerner drinks about 1/5 the water that they should), get enough sleep every day, eat a nutritious diet (junk food and mystery meat is not going to help with your energy), and exercise regularly.

Besides the above answers, we find we are healthiest when we don’t eat any prepared foods bought at a store. We buy fresh fruit and veggies, eat little meat, and take a good (bought from the health food store) vitamin. We eat organic whenever possible.

Interesting side note: My daughter spent 8 months in Japan. While there she noticed her migraines disappeared. She believes it is because it’s against the law to put preservatives in the food there. When she returned, the migraines returned. Now she eats the diet I mentioned above, and she has few migraines.

Um, no. Fasting will not give you energy. Eating is how we obtain energy.

The best, healthiest way is to get enough sleep. You’re getting up pretty early – are you going to bed plenty early too? Have problems sleeping?

I’ve never felt better than when I start every morning with an apple at my desk. I completely understand the origin of “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Being new to Alaska and the early darkness it could be having some effect. Vitamin D is always lacking in our diet. Mushrooms are the only natural source I am aware of. Splash cold water on your face if you have to take a nap make sure it’s 15 to 20 min power nap. Simulated day light helps, tanning beds. Yeah your military but planet fitness is cheap has tanning and you can mix it up with the “townies” hanging around all the military folk are unhealthy, maybe you will find a crush. Have a hobby. Side look up brain wave sound studies and you tube ones with music.

Ditto exercise. Get your carbohydrate from vegetables and grains, (making sure to watch calories-grain products can pack a punch) and fruits, avoiding fruit juice. But the key is exercise and good sleep cycle discipline and maintenance.

Energy breeds energy. That is my husband’s motto and what he says when I say I need more energy and motivation. I’m telling myself that as I sit on my fat@ss typing on the computer.

I started taking supplements, energy boost and appetite suppresant, dr approved for only one year. Energy increased, exercise increased, 25 lbs lost. I always had a pretty good diet, just ate too much of it and got lazy. BKC above is right, energy breeds energy, get up and move!!

I was going to try and answer people individually, but it is little overwhelming at this point.

To give everyone an idea of where I am already. I don’t drink hardly anything with caffeine in it. Maybe a soda here and there, but pretty rare. I didn’t mean to say exclude sugar completely rather not become reliant on it.

Exercise shouldn’t be the issue I would think. This week for example 3 mile run plus some exercises afterward. Muscle failure with some timed events. Today we had insanity workout off a DVD, which surprised me, broke me off pretty good haha. Tomorrow will another run I believe.

Diet for morning depends if I feel I need to take protein/amino acid shake. If not then just something simple bowl of cereal or ogranic PB,honey and Nutella on bread. Lunch trying to eat more salads, and all but ugh. I’m too much of a meat and potatoes guy. Dinner I don’t it is whatever. I should try to get more fruits and fruit juice. I love milk though, and water I feel I drink plenty otherwise I’d past out I would think from exercise.

As far as sleep goes. It is weird because last week it seemed like I could get 4–6 hours and do my usual day just fine. This week though I came home and passed out. For example I feel asleep at like 7 woke up at 9 then went back to bed at 11ish. I don’t know.

Four to six hours sleep may not be enough sleep.

If you’re doing alternating periods of “doing great on little sleep” followed by periods of “sleeping and crashing”, and doing a relatively healthy diet and no drugs, then it almost seems symptomatic of bipolar disorder.

@CuriousLoner I think you built up a sleep deficit last week. Sometimes the lack of sleep doesn’t really hit you until you’ve been doing it for too long.