Feel exhausted before the day even starts? Do you wake, not with a stretch or the birds, but with a pounding caffeine headache and a mantra of: coffee, coffee, coffee. Turns out you’re hardly the only one.

Here are some things you can do to naturally boost your energy.

Dope up. Research shows that when dopamine, our brain’s reward chemical is released, we get a natural rush, boosting our energy (and over-all sense of well-being). Testing out new experiences, like learning a foreign language, will get dopamine flowing.

Move it or snooze it.  The answer to the mid-day work crash is not more caffeine. Get up and move around. The more active, the better. Movement is essential for energy because blood transports oxygen and nutrients (what we need for fuel)  to the muscles, brain, et al. Good posture and deep breathing also increase oxygen flow.

Everyone knows that the more you exercise the more energy you have. A cardiovascular workout 3 times a week, ensures that your body is getting the optimal use of oxygen and glucose.

Snack on complex carbohydrates.They keep our blood sugar stable, which veers us away from the highs and lows of going too long without food or the high of  quick sugar fix.

Many of us reach for caffeine when we feel low, but drinking water is a sure fire way to get oxygen to your cells. And while caffeine seems to have gotten a bad rap here, no so. Everything in moderation. One cup in the morning should be plenty to last you through the day. Caffeine can stay in the body for up to ten hours.  That means if you are drinking coffee post 4pm, you’re actually hindering your sleep… and could be a perfectly logical reason as to why you feel groggy in the AM.

-Arianna Schioldager