Research shows how to beat your midday energy slump

We’ve all feel it.  It might be right after lunch or early afternoon but when that energy slump comes it can come fast and stop you right in your tracks.

While some people are quick to grab a coffee or other caffeinated drink to give them the boost to keep going researchers have found that there is a better way.

Researchers from the University of Georgia have published a new study in Physiology and Behaviour that shows that walking up and down stairs for ten minutes gives people more energy than a cup of coffee or soft drink.

Co-Author of the study Professor Patrick J. O’Conner told Science Daily, “We found, in both the caffeine and the placebo conditions, that there was not much change in how they felt”.  He added, “But with exercise, they did feel more energetic and vigorous. It was a temporary feeling, felt immediately after the exercise, but with the 50 milligrammes of caffeine, we didn’t get as big an effect.”

While the study did conclude that ten minutes was the ideal, even a short jolt up and down some stairs will do the trick.  The study also adds that the trip and down is also great for your overall health.  Professor O’Connor concluded, “You may not have time to go for a swim, but you might have 10 minutes to walk up and down the stairs.”

What do you think of the study? Would you rather go for a walk or have a cuppa?