‘Sluggish’ – I task you with finding a word more suited to its job. Like a slug. That’s exactly how I feel after this never-ending winter with its false endings and broken promises of spring. Still, it can’t go on forever, can it? In the meantime something must be done about this dreadful feeling of bearing more than a passing resemblance to the homeless snail with which so many of us are afflicted.

So, what can be done?

Drink more water

A dehydrated body functions much less efficiently. Over the winter we are probably all a little guilty of drinking more coffee and alcoholic drinks that serve as diuretics and do not hydrate as well as a glass of H2O. One clever little trick is to use an app that marks how many cups of water you are drinking. Investing in a filter is a grand idea, not only as filtered water is purer, but also as it tastes so much better.

Don’t skip meals

The thing about feeling sluggish is that it makes you prone to becoming lazy with cooking and eating. The problem with this (apart from the whole issue of malnutrition) is that it will only serve to make you more sluggish still. It’s a right old vicious circle. Eating smaller meals more frequently might seem a bit of a faff, but it is scientifically proven to boost energy levels. When digesting a big meal, you’ve probably noticed that you get tired, right? So, smaller meals on a more regular basis are the way forward if you want to be at peak performance.

Treat your body to a proper regime

If your skin looks good and feels good it will give your self-esteem a proper boost, helping those endorphins to flow and before you can say ‘pass the lettuce’, your slug-like demeanour will be a thing of the past. Body boosting regimes such are a great way of creating a daily regime to stick to that will yield visible results.

Get a proper night’s sleep and reduce caffeine

Okay, so these two are possibly related so let’s tackle them together. Firstly, cut out that early morning coffee. The general rule of thumb is that drinking coffee within the first 3 hours of waking and the last 3 hours before bed is a big no, no – based on all sorts of scientific research. Instead, start the day with hot water and lemon, which is also excellent for the digestion. In terms of sleep, get to bed early and don’t use screens in the bedroom. No phones, iPads, TVs or laptops. Have a bit of a read and get those lights off before it gets too late.

Find a stress buster

Everyone needs to find an activity that helps with stress. For some its yoga or tai chi, for others its fishing or bird watching and others still find their solace in listening to music. Find something that helps you unwind and you may find your sluggishness is gone for good!