Do you plod through the day at the office? Are you so tired by the afternoon that exercise is the last thing on your mind? Do you flop into bed at night and roll out of it exhausted in the morning? Your problem might simply be that you have low energy levels, and if so, there are quick and easy natural remedies to give you the boost you need.

Stress is the main culprit of a low-energy day. If, for example, you are stuck in a traffic jam on your way to work and you let negative thoughts and rage raise your stress level, your body will release enough adrenalin and insulin to keep you running flat out for over a kilometre.

If this energy is left unused, the adrenalin will continue coursing through your veins, diverting energy away from vital bodily functions. This will leave you feeling tired and even slightly depressed for the rest of the day.

Five Instant energy boosters:

1．Start the day off with a steaming cup of water and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This will not only refresh and revitalise you, but will cleanse your palate and will boost your liver function.

2．Feast on this energy-packed smoothie for breakfast: blend one banana, one mango, half a medium sized pineapple, a tablespoon of rolled oats and 150ml milk or a small cup of plain, low-fat yoghurt.

3．Keep a bottle of water or a rehydrating freshener on your desk at work. Use it to freshen you up during the long day.

4．Burn peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil in an oil burner or spill a few drops onto a tissue and inhale. This will stimulate the trigeminal nerve in your nose and palate, which will in turn boost your energy levels.

5．Feeling sluggish? Try this quick acupressure technique on yourself: pinch the point between your thumb and forefinger and hold for two minutes then gradually release.

你是否在辦公室里埋頭苦干了一整天呢？到了下午，是不是累的夠嗆，根本不想去鍛煉身體了？或是晚上拖著疲憊的身軀上床，第二天早上起來后感到筋疲力盡？問題出在哪？其實原因很簡單：你的精力不夠了。一旦如此，有幾種簡便快捷的自然補救法可讓你精力充沛。

壓力是導致精神不振的罪魁禍首。舉個例子，如果你在上班途中遇到交通堵塞，由此而產生的消極和狂躁的情緒會增加壓力。你的體內會釋放出大量的腎上腺素和胰島素，足以維持你以最快的速度跑完一公里。

如果這些能量沒有消耗完，腎上腺素將會繼續流向血管，身體重要機能所需的能量都被轉移了。這會使你一整天都感到疲憊，而且有點郁悶。

快速提神五大妙法：

1．早晨起床后喝一杯熱水和鮮榨檸檬汁。這不僅能讓你恢復精力和元氣，而且可以清洗上腭，促進肝功能。

2．享用“能量早餐”：一根香蕉、一個芒果、半個中等大小的菠蘿、一大湯匙燕麥片、150毫升牛奶或一小杯原味、低脂酸奶。

3．工作時，在辦公桌上放一瓶水或一瓶再化合清涼劑，用于提神。

4．將薄荷油或桉樹香精油放在燃油爐里燃燒或倒幾滴在面巾紙上，將其呼入體內。這種方法能刺激鼻和上腭中的三叉神經，從而使你精神大振。

5．感到疲憊嗎？可以嘗試一下快速針壓法：掐虎口（大拇指和食指之間的部位）2分鐘，然后慢慢松開。

Vocabulary:

plod : to work perseveringly;drudge（辛苦的工作；如：plod through a mountain of paperwork<在成堆的文件中埋頭苦干。>）

flat out  : 竭盡全力；用全速

feast on  : 享用（美食）；飽覽（美景等）（如：We feasted on chicken and coconuts. <我們吃雞肉和椰子，大飽口福

rolled oats  : 燕麥片