Not sure how you’re going to make it through another busy day? Maybe you get a quick boost from your morning coffee but then fall prey to the afternoon slump and reach for something sweet or grab an energy drink to keep you going.

Why do we suffer from is our low energy and what how can we do to give ourselves a healthy boost without relying on caffeine or sugar? It often comes back to lifestyle because our daily habits truly set the foundation for how much or how little energy we produce. The good news is that the power is in our hands to turn things around with just a few changes to our daily routine.

1 Start your day with a green smoothie.

Morning time can be tricky to get in a plate of green veggies, so try adding a greens powder rich in chlorella, spirulina, wheat grass and spinach to your favorite juice or smoothie. Green drinks fuel your mitochondria, which are the energy-producing cells of your body, plus they contain a rich array of micronutrients and antioxidants to balance blood sugar, while supporting thyroid and liver function.

2 Get some exercise before you head to work.

If you can walk or bike and take the stairs to work, do it! Research has shown that, when you exercise you are also training and improving your DNA. Studies show that with moderate exercise, the mitochondria cells literally grow in size and become more efficient. Bottom line, the more you move, the more energy you produce, and the better you feel.

3 Eat whole foods and consider a whole food multivitamin & mineral complex daily.

Refined foods are often nutrient poor and they can rob the body of the very nutrients that you need for energy production. A whole food diet nourishes our brain and body, and it rebuilds our stores of essential nutrients, including iron and B12, which are vital for energy production.

4 Craving an afternoon coffee or caffeine/sugar drink?

Have a cup of green tea or a shot of kombucha instead. Green tea does contain some caffeine, but it’s balanced out with an amino acid called ltheanine which reduces anxiety. This gives your brain a boost without the typical crash that follows coffee drinking. Kombucha is another great option because it contains essential b vitamins, probiotics and organic acids that fuel your metabolism, while boosting your immune and digestive systems according to the Journal of Medicinal Food. Look for therapeutic kombucha that has been fermented for a longer period of time, so that the sugar levels are low and the probiotic count is high.

5 Drink plenty of purified water.

This wonderful natural substance is responsible for life as we know it and we all struggle to get enough. According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, even mild dehydration (which can also be caused by too much caffeine) may cause symptoms of fatigue, low mood, headache and a lack of focus. Nutritional researchers have found that accumulated toxins cause an energy burden on our body’s detox organs, leaving us with a feeling of sluggishness. One of the best ways to flush out toxins is to drink more water.

6 Get more sleep.

This one seems obvious but is often overlooked. With an effort to get so many things done in a day, we’re often busy late into the evening and we push our bed time to way past midnight. Neurologist Dr.Kulreet Chaudhary suggests that if we can get to sleep around 10 pm or so, we’ll get deeper restorative sleep and we’ll have the best chance of staying asleep. So when it comes to that 6 am wakeup call, we’ll be ready to face the day.

We’ve more control over our energy levels than we might think and the trick is to make some basic lifestyle changes. Choosing even one new habit per week to add to your daily routine can make all the difference. Better health and energy levels are within your reach. If you are struggling with creating new habits just think of all that you can accomplish when you’re feeling at your best.