Feeling slow and sluggish? If lockdown has taken its toll on your ‘get up and go’, Wassen is here with 5 simple energy hacks to help you stay energised and focused all day. In other words, here’s how to get your buzz back!

1. See the light

Take a 30-minute walk, preferably in the morning when the day is at its lightest. This is a great way to feel more energetic for the rest of the day as is an energetic yoga flow and energising breathing techniques.

There is increasing evidence about the additional, positive benefits of walking, some of which may surprise you. Moderate, sustained walking is beneficial to many aspects of health from maintaining a healthy weight to supporting fitness and cardiovascular health. It has also been shown to benefit mental health, in particular mood1, and walking in nature has been shown to reduce stress levels measured by Cortisol.2

2. Eat more Magnesium

Magnesium3 is an essential mineral involved in helping to release energy from the food we eat. Making sure that we have enough Magnesium in our diet is important to help support normal muscle and psychological function plus maintain a normal functioning nervous system. Here’s how to eat more Magnesium throughout the day:

• Sprinkle a tablespoon of ground flaxseed on yogurt or add it to a breakfast smoothie. Flaxseed is high in Magnesium but also Omega 3 fatty acids and fibre.
• Nuts and seeds are high in Magnesium as well as other vital minerals and nutrients so have a small handful of cashews or almonds each day as a snack.
• Get your 5+ a day, especially bananas, apples, broccoli, spinach, avocados, peas and sweetcorn which are all contain Magnesium.
• Treat yourself – dark chocolate is also high in Magnesium – hurrah!

3. Colour your day

Keeping the contents of every meal as colourful as possible with plenty of fruit and vegetables is vital. Think of incorporating as many colours of the rainbow as possible. From purple sprouting broccoli to sweetcorn, squash and peas, they are all contributing to your 5+ a day. Greens are always good and spinach is a great source of vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), folate,  vitamin C and of course Magnesium.

4. Cut back on caffeine

Coffee and tea definitely give your body a signal to get ready for action but they are lulling your body into a false sense of security, releasing  adrenaline, which in turn triggers a release of sugar into the blood stream making your heart pump faster.

Drinking too much caffeine will cause a slump in energy when it wears off and too much after 12pm can impact quality of sleep at night. Try not to drink more than one or two cups a day, instead have hot water with lemon for a healthier alternative.

5. Get your Zzzs 

Switch off Netflix and invest in 6-8 hours per night, which will help your energy levels the next day and also your overall health and wellbeing. Recent scientific studies show that a lack of sleep causes many significant changes in the body and put extra strain on your health.

The NHS offers important advice on the value of sleep, citing that having enough, good quality sleep is vital for good health and a lack of sleep can impact mental wellbeing, focus and energy plus physical wellbeing including heart health and immunity – and even sex drive![1]

And finally…

And of course, you can always add a little extra support by introducing a food supplement to your daily routine. Wassen Magnesium-B is specially formulated to provide 300mg of Magnesium to help contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to help support healthy energy release. Wassen Magnesium-B also contains Vitamins B6, B12, Riboflavin (B2), Pantothenic Acid (B5) plus Folic Acid all of which can help with the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Meanwhile, Vitamin B5 also helps keep your mental performance at its best.

Food supplements should not replace a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Wassen Magnesium-B (£7.99) is available to buy from www.wassen.com, Amazon, Boots the Chemists, health food stores and independent pharmacies.

1https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/757756/Cycling_and_walking_for_individual_and_population_health_benefits.pdf

2 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0013916518800798

3 Magnesium helps to support normal muscle and psychological function plus maintain a normal functioning nervous system.

[1] https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/why-lack-of-sleep-is-bad-for-your-health/