9-5 Energy Hack Series: Feeling the 2pm Slump? We all do

⭐ Key Points

• Lunch formula: Protein + healthy fats + complex carbs (3:2:1 ratio)

• Stop coffee after 2PM - it takes 6-8 hours to fully clear your system

• 15-minute post-lunch walk reduces blood sugar spikes by 30%

• Smart snacks: Always combine protein + fats (apple with peanut butter, not granola bars)

📊 Research

Key finding: A 30-minute postprandial brisk walking session improves the glycemic response after meals with different carbohydrate content and macronutrient composition (Bellini et al., 2022). The Effects of Postprandial Walking on the Glucose Response after Meals with Different Characteristics study found that postprandial brisk walking substantially reduced the glucose peak in both studies.

How this translates: When you eat lunch and sit at your desk, your blood glucose spikes high and then crashes hard 2-3 hours later. This crash is what causes that familiar 3 PM brain fog, irritability, and desperate need for more coffee or sugar.

By walking after lunch, you're essentially "smoothing out" this rollercoaster—preventing both the high spike and the subsequent crash. Instead of your blood sugar going from 90 → 160 → 70 (crash mode), walking helps it go 90 → 120 → 95 (steady energy mode).

🦮 Storytime

We all have those days when we gravitate towards that extra cup of coffee after lunch. But who knew there was a simple yet cost-effective way to boost energy and mental clarity without that third espresso shot?

I used to work in a hybrid office for a tech company that provided catered lunch several days a week; yet even thought the food was always healthy, I always found myself losing focus around 2-3PM. It wasn’t until as time went on that I realized that the days I went out to get lunch with my co-workers, I noticed I could power through the rest of the day without that extra coffee after lunch.

Here’s what it looked like:

Catered Lunch Days: 9-10AM Coffee → Lunch 12-1PM → 2PM Coffee → 4PM Coffee (only sometimes…)

Lunch Outside: 9-10AM Coffee → Walk 10-15 minutes to restaurant → Lunch 12-1PM → Walk 10-15 minutes back to office → Feel 😎 until 5-6PM

Without even realizing it I would consume more coffee on days we had catered lunches, and why would I care if it was free? That was when I became a huge fan of the canned nitro cold brews.

Fast forward to my remote job, in which I cook & eat lunch in my kitchen and then go back to my room to work. I would just find myself questioning why I’d feel so sluggish despite getting a full 8 hours of sleep.

Fast forward again to when I started walking dogs on Rover, for context it takes 20-30 minutes to get to my clients apartment, walk the doggo for 30 minutes then walk another 20-30 minutes back home. In total I’d be walking 70-90 minutes after lunch (clients typically requested walks between 12:30 to 1:30PM).

It’s not the most dynamic form of exercise, but being able to move for nearly an hour and half, I would come back to my desk with an insane level of mental clarity and a small dopamine boost seeing how many steps I got in.

Today I have a few clients who I dog sit in my apartment, and so now I periodically take em out for ~15 minutes at a time every 2-3 hours. And on those days I have the most consistent steady flow of energy throughout the entire day.

It’s really not ground breaking science but for some of us busy corporate grinders, carving out just 10-15 minutes once or twice a day to catch a few breathes of fresh air can really kick you back into high gear for when you need it the most.

📌 Here’s the TLDR

Coffee Strategy: Sweet spot: first cup around 9:30-11:30 AM (and last cup by 2PM latest)

Lunch Power Move: Eat High Protein + Healthy Fats around 12 followed by a 15-minute walk (even if it's just office halls)

Snack Smart: Winning combos:

• apple + almond butter

• Greek yogurt + nuts

• hummus + peppers

• Avoid: granola bars, dried fruit, crackers (all sugar bombs)

Emergency Protocol (when you're already crashing):

1. Drink 16-20 oz cold water immediately

2. Move for 30 seconds (jumping jacks, desk push-ups)

3. Get 2-3 minutes bright light exposure

4. Eat protein snack, not sugar

References

Bellini, A., Nicolò, A., Bazzucchi, I., Sacchetti, M., & Marcora, S. M. (2022). The effects of postprandial walking on the glucose response after meals with different characteristics. Nutrients, 14(5), 1080. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14051080