Key Takeaways
What you eat to gain energy fast matters as much as when you eat. Complex carbs with protein and fat support steady energy levels.
Movement is movement, and even just a few minutes of walking can increase circulation and shift your mental state.
Go beyond that one moment. Incorporate daily habits to sustain energy more regularly to avoid an emergency need for a pick-me-up.
Not all tiredness is the same. Acute fatigue from a missed night of sleep is different from the kind that accumulates over time. But both can respond to some of the same solutions, and understanding which one you’re dealing with helps you choose the right approach.
Your body produces energy at the cellular level. When you eat, your body converts food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is what your cells use for energy. That process depends on an array of nutrients, especially B vitamins. These vitamins don’t contain energy themselves, but they help your body unlock it from the food you eat. Getting adequate nutrients helps your body’s natural energy production processes work optimally.1
Let’s look at the 6 most effective ways to get energy fast, then focus on 5 more ways to maintain energy long-term with daily habits. focusing on genuine support for how energy is made and sustained long-term.
What you eat has a direct impact on how much energy you have and how long it lasts, making food one of the most reliable ways to gain energy without reaching for stimulants.
Grab a quick snack like whole grain crackers with hummus, apple slices with almond butter, or a yogurt parfait with granola & fruit. Complex carbohydrates help maintain steady energy levels throughout the day. Complex carbohydrates, like oats, sweet potatoes, and whole grains, digest more slowly and offer longer-lasting fuel.
Staying well-hydrated supports normal concentration and performance. Water plays a role in virtually every metabolic process in the body. When you don’t drink enough water, you may feel sluggish before you feel thirsty. So the next time you’re feeling sleepy and don’t know why, drink some water first.
It can feel counterproductive to move when you’re tired, but getting your body active—even if it’s just light movement for a few minutes—is a sure way to change how you feel. Movement helps increase blood flow, gets you breathing deeper, and helps your body wake up.
A short walk is one of the most reliable ways to gain energy fast when tired. Research suggests even brief bouts of moderate movement can support alertness and help reduce feelings of fatigue—partly through improved blood flow and partly through the stimulation of mitochondrial activity in muscle cells.2 Either way, it’s a tried-and-true solution!
Is there anything better than the first big stretch of the morning? Apply that same idea to your afternoon lull.
Muscles that tighten from prolonged sitting restrict circulation and can leave you feeling sluggish. A few targeted stretches can help restore blood flow quickly. Try these:
Quick fixes for an energy boost may help in the moment, but building healthy habits is what sustains your energy in the long run. Avoid those crashes through sleep, diet, exercise, stress management, and scheduling.
Use the lifestyle habits below to cultivate the kind of energy that holds steady day-to-day.
Your body recovers, repairs, and prepares your energy stores overnight. Poor sleep quality—even if you hit the required hours—can have a major impact on your energy levels. Practice healthy sleep habits like waking up at the same time every day, reducing screen time before bed, and keeping your room dark and cool. If you wake up unrested regularly, it may be worth speaking with your healthcare provider.
B vitamins play a key role in metabolism. Thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), B6, folate (B9), and B12 act as cofactors for the metabolism of food into energy in cells. Many adults fall short on multiple B vitamins, which can impair cellular energy metabolism over time.1 B vitamins can be found in leafy greens, whole grains, eggs, legumes, and meat. A that provides B vitamins as part of a broader nutrient profile can help support consistent intake.*
Just as important as what you add to your plate is what you leave off it. Some foods work against your body’s ability to produce balanced energy, even if all other factors are optimized.
Most people won’t be able to avoid all of these things completely. But the less you consume, and the more whole foods you replace them with, the easier it will be to keep your energy levels steady through the day.
Do | Don't |
|---|---|
Eat complex carbohydrates with protein or fat. | Choose foods high in added sugars |
Stay hydrated throughout the day. |
While there are simple ways to get energy fast during a particularly tough day, it’s the small choices that add up over time—nuts over chips, water over wine, movement over lounging, sleeping over scrolling. If you’re looking to maintain healthy energy levels consistently, follow these ways to get energy.
Just two or three minutes of this kind of targeted movement can shift how energized you feel.
Inhale for four seconds, hold, then exhale for six seconds. Repeat several times. Slow, deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps ease the body tension that typically contributes to afternoon sluggishness.
One of the best ways to get energy fast is also one of the simplest—step outside. Natural light exposure suppresses melatonin, the hormone that signals your body to feel sleepy, and triggers alertness within minutes. Just five to ten minutes outside in natural daylight can shift your mental state. And if you can combine it with a short walk, even better.
Caffeine works differently than foundational nutrition—it blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, temporarily reducing the sensation of tiredness. In contrast, nutrients like B vitamins support your cells’ natural energy production. That’s useful in the short term, but timing matters. Drinking caffeine late in the day can affect your sleep quality at night, which causes you to lose energy during the day.
Continuous stress drains your energy reserves, especially if you’re not burning it off with exercise. Over time, stress can make it harder for your body to sustain normal energy levels, even when sleep and nutrition are adequate. Herbs that support your body’s ability to cope with all forms of stress (physical, chemical, and biological), known as adaptogens, have been used traditionally for energy and vitality. Rhodiola is one such adaptogenic herb. These herbs are not commonly found in the average diet. Managing stress with movement, rest, and possibly adding an adaptogen are among your best options for supporting healthy energy.*
Morning routines can often dictate your entire day. Hydrate, eat breakfast, move your body, and use Foundational Nutrition to start your day. These four things are the inputs your body will use for energy all day long. AG1 Next Gen is formulated with B vitamins that support energy metabolism as well as prebiotics, probiotics, and plant-based enzymes that help maintain healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients.* One scoop per day supports metabolism and energy levels alongside a balanced diet, without an afternoon crash.*
AG1 complements whole foods rather than replacing them. Only about 10–12% of US adults meet the recommended daily intake for fruits and vegetables,3 which is part of why consistent Foundational Nutrition matters alongside a good diet, not instead of it.
Wait until you're thirsty to drink water.
Get some movement. Even a few minutes of walking or deep breathing counts. | Lounge on the couch when you're feeling sluggish. |
Support your B vitamin intake as part of a consistent daily nutrition habit. | Neglect your daily nutrition. |
Stick to a consistent sleep schedule and wind down before bed. | Stay up late for just one more episode. |