At Bodyline Fitness in Ealing, we have teamed up with Chiswick based Nutritional Therapist Jo Scott-Dalgleish and offered you a quick, easy-to-read guide to maintaining energy levels throughout your day.

Why don’t you print this page and put in on your fridge door or office desk as a daily reminder?

1. Always eat breakfast. Include a slow burning starchy food like oats or rye bread, and a source of protein such as yogurt or eggs.

2. Plan a mid-morning snack, such as 2 oatcakes with 2 tsp of hummus or nut butter.

3. Don’t leave lunch too late; before 2pm is a good idea. Never leave more than 4 hours between meals or snacks to keep your energy levels up.

4. Include a wholegrain starchy food in your lunch such as wholegrain bread, brown rice, quinoa or couscous. These foods are high in B vitamins, needed to make energy.

5. Eat more foods containing magnesium, also needed to make energy. Magnesium is found in wholegrains (see above), nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and green leafy vegetables such as broccoli.

6. Plan a mid-afternoon snack to prevent the common 4pm energy slump. A piece of fruit with  8-10 nuts is ideal. Or try a raw food bar, such as a Nak’d bar or 9 Bar.

7. Keep caffeine, eg coffee, black tea, colas, to a minimum; caffeine gives a short term energy boost only. Excess caffeine may contribute to long term energy depletion. Try herbal teas, green tea or decaffeinated coffee, especially from lunchtime onwards.

8. Only have foods high in sugar, eg cakes, biscuits, chocolate, pastries, as an occasional treat. Like caffeine, sugar gives a short term energy boost but may be damaging in excess (to your waistline too!).

9. Take regular exercise, around 30 mins a day, 5 days a week. Exercising in the fresh air may be particularly beneficial if you are feeling sluggish.

10. Drink around 1.5 to 2 litres of water, about 6-8 glasses spread throughout the day. Being dehydrated may contribute to fatigue.

If you regularly experience low energy, you may find a programme of nutritional therapy beneficial. This seeks to optimise your metabolism through diet and nutritional supplementation, and may involve functional testing. To find out more, please call Jo on 07825 447105 or email nutritionsolutions@live.co.uk.

To find out more about our Personal Training at Bodyline Fitness you can call Roy on 07921 777477 or contact us via email.