A few simple changes to your daily routine can lead to big boosts when it comes to your energy level.
Changing small daily habits is a great way to establish a healthier routine, says Grant H. Brenner, MD, a physician-psychiatrist based in New York City. “Presence of mind on a broad level makes it more likely we’ll make different choices when it matters, and making small choices builds up to more established habits over time.”
This 14-day reset plan, designed by Allie Buttarazzi, MD, an internal and lifestyle medicine physician in private practice in Cumberland, Maine, and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health, is flexible and backed in science to help you feel more energized and resilient.
Here’s how to use this plan: Try a different habit every day, then after doing each one, continue using the ones that were the most helpful — think of it as selecting from an energy-boosting menu. Alternatively, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you can stack each habit daily by adding one a day until you have 14 new energy-boosting habits at the end of two weeks.
Day 1: Set an Intention
An intention is an attitude or purpose that you actively choose, blending your mindset with your goals. Whenever you’re starting a new self-care routine, it’s important to set the intention behind why you want to do it and what you hope to get out of it, Dr. Buttarazzi explains.
Ask yourself: “Why do I want more energy this year?” Perhaps you feel drained after the holiday season, or maybe you want more energy to run around the park with your kids, says Buttarazzi.
The benefit of getting specific with goal planning has research behind it: A meta-analysis from China of 21 studies with over 15,900 participants found that imagining what you want, brainstorming potential roadblocks, and then making “if-then” plans for overcoming those potential obstacles has a modest but significant effect in helping people reach their goals.
Day 2: Start Your Day With Water
Before you reach for coffee, hydrate. “Starting your day with water after an overnight fast is really helpful,” Buttarazzi says. Drinking as little as 6.7 ounces (oz), about a scant cup, can yield benefits, according to research.
Water supports functions in the body like digestion and metabolism, and drinking a glass first thing helps address the dehydration that occurs after several hours without water (your body’s water is also lost throughout the night through breathing, sweating, and urinating if you get up to use the bathroom). Even mild levels of dehydration can cause fatigue.
One randomized, controlled trial of 64 young adults in China found that drinking water in the morning reduced feelings of fatigue, anger, and mood disturbances among participants who had gone 12 hours without any fluid intake. The optimum volume was 500 milliliters (ml) of water, which is 16.9 oz, though the authors also saw improvements with 200 ml of water (6.7 oz).
Day 3: Eat a Balanced Breakfast
You probably already know the importance of eating a good breakfast.
“Instead of eating nothing or having just a cup of coffee or cereal, try something with protein and fiber,” Buttarazzi says. She recommends combinations that offer protein and fiber, like yogurt with berries and chia seeds, or overnight oats with flax meal and yogurt.
One Iranian review involving 399,550 children and adults found a significant association between skipping breakfast and depression, stress, and psychological distress.
Day 4: Try Gentle Morning Movement
Swap your a.m. scrolling for 10-minute bursts of natural mood and energy boosters like walking, stretching, or doing yoga to relieve stiffness and increase your focus.
“Even if you don’t get any movement in for the rest of the day, you know at least you’ve started with a little bit of gentle movement,” Buttarazzi says. “It can help mobilize your joints and get you in a better place to start focusing for the day.”
“Exercise snacking during the day is also really helpful,” Dr. Brenner says, referring to quick bursts of movement you can do throughout the day for more energy. His tip: “I keep a number of small pieces of equipment and a yoga mat in my office.”
Day 5: Get Early Sunlight
Even better than a 10-minute yoga session in your living room? Take your movement outside.
“There’s good evidence to show that getting sunlight exposure before 10 a.m. can help with energy, your mood, and even with sleep at night,” Buttarazzi says. “You can get a double whammy if you go out for a walk or even a stretch outside first thing in the morning.”
“Early light exposure is helpful to entrain the brain’s circadian clock and is easy to combine with getting active early in the day, especially when the weather is nice,” Brenner says.
Day 6: Take a Midday Breathing Break
It’s easy to turn to another screen when you have a short break, but taking a few minutes for slow, deep breathing or other mindfulness exercises for energy can help relieve stress, Buttarazzi says.
“Take a few deep breaths to reset your nervous system and remind yourself that you’re okay,” Buttarazzi says.
Day 7: Opt for an Afternoon Movement Snack
After lunch, replace habits like social media scrolling or sugary snacks with healthier routines like light movement or a short walk.
“Social media is something that we think will rejuvenate us and give us that dopamine hit of energy that we’re looking for, but there’s good evidence to show that scrolling can reduce dopamine long term,” Buttarazzi says.
Day 8: Create a Tech-Free Zone
If you’re on a screen daily for work or generally find yourself reactive to pings and alerts throughout the day, designate at least 20 minutes, either when you wake up or after work, as tech-free time.
“Having the distraction of technology away from you can really boost how calm and present you feel,” Buttarazzi says. “Otherwise we’re always waiting for the next ping.”
One study of 467 participants found that 91 percent of participants improved in at least one of three outcomes (mental health, well-being, or focus) after all mobile internet access was blocked from their smartphones for two weeks.
Day 9: Add Fiber to Your Diet
“It can be a good thing to pull in at any time of day, especially if there’s a time when you start to feel hungrier,” Buttarazzi says.
Day 10: Try Micro Meal Prepping
Whenever you’re already cooking a meal, prepare two extra healthy meal staples for the next day to make eating healthy, energy-rich food easier.
“It doesn’t have to be these epic meal preps of three to four hours on a Sunday,” Buttarazzi says. “This can be something quick, like chopping an extra vegetable for tomorrow night’s dinner or making extra jars of overnight oats for breakfast.”
Not only does this make a subsequent food-prep task less energy intensive, but it reduces the temptation to reach for less-energizing, unhealthy foods when a nutritious alternative is ready to go, Buttarazzi says. In addition to having healthy meals ready to fuel you even when you’re too tired to cook, Buttarazzi says that another bonus to meal prep is having more mental space during the week (removing the stress of last-minute tasks).
Day 11: Set an Evening Wind-Down Cue
“Having at least an hour before bedtime carved out for coming in for a sleep landing sets the stage for rest and restoration,” Brenner says.
Day 12: Step Outside
It’s easy to get cooped up inside during the day, but stepping outside can help you reduce stress, Buttarazzi says. While morning sunlight has certain benefits, daily exposure at any time of day to natural light can also help regulate your sleep-wake cycle for better sleep.
Day 13: Add Daily Joy
Integrate something simple that brings you joy — like a favorite song, cozy drink, or connecting with a friend — into your routine to boost your mood and energy.
The chemical serotonin plays a key role in functions like mood and sleep, and low levels are associated with conditions such as depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. Getting more sunlight and exercising, two of the habits in this reset plan, can also increase serotonin.
Day 14: Declutter a Small Space
“Even if you don’t feel affected by the clutter outwardly, your mind registers that something needs to be done,” Buttarazzi says. “Doing one small thing, even if it seems minute, can bring your brain a little sense of calm.”
Some zones may take a bit to get them organized, but once an area is free of clutter, it’s easier to quickly pick it up once a day to keep it tidy.
The Takeaway
- Small daily habits like starting your day with water, spending time in nature, eating an extra serving of fiber, and taking a mindfulness break are research-backed ways you can increase your energy and sense of well-being.
- Start this 14-day reset plan by either adding one new habit to your routine daily or trying a different one each day and then later picking the habits you want to build a new routine.
- In two weeks, you can establish a set of habits that will help you feel more energized and resilient this year.
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