How would you like to have twice the physical and mental energy you have now? Or triple? Or maybe you'd settle for not collapsing into an exhausted heap every night, worried about the Filofax full of must-do's you didn't get done. If you're like most working moms, you've developed habits that are depleting your energy and stressing you out. We know you started the day wanting to exercise and eat better. But then it rained, there was that looming project deadline, and you couldn't find your gym pass (that's right—blame the lost gym pass). Here's the latest: You can shake those tiring tendencies and put the spring back in your step with a few easy changes. We've culled the latest research on stress management and healthy living and consulted top experts in women's health, nutrition, exercise and psychology. Read on to find out the most common energy-sapping mistakes working mothers make and the renewal strategies that will put the oomph—and passion—back in your life. Your complete energy makeover starts here.

(1) Eating on the run

Energy sapper

You'd never send your kids to school on an empty stomach, but all you have time for is a cup of coffee. To silence your growling stomach, you eat a doughnut at a midmorning meeting. The next thing you know, it's 3:00 p.m., so you grab a bag of pretzels from the vending machine to quell hunger until dinner—dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets that you scarf down before driving your Little Leaguer to a sleepover. Is it any wonder you feel weak? Not fueling up first thing in the morning was a critical mistake. "Breakfast speeds up your metabolism after a long night's rest, taking your body out of starvation mode, waking you up and giving you the energy you need to jump-start your day," says Bethany Thayer, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). "Research shows that women who eat breakfast consume, on average, about a hundred fewer calories during the day than women who don't. Spreading your calories throughout the day gives you a steadier, longer-lasting energy lift and helps you focus mentally and function physically." 

Best makeover move

Remember the saying "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper," suggests Thayer. Aim to consume one quarter to one third of your calories at breakfast, then spread the rest of your intake across the day, trying to consume a combination of complex carbohydrates (whole grains, fruits and vegetables), protein (lean meats, nuts, dairy products) and a little fat at every meal and snack. For example, start the day with one slice each of lean ham and low-fat cheese rolled in a corn tortilla, along with an orange; trade your midmorning doughnut for a banana with a teaspoon of peanut butter; eat a lunch of grilled meat or fish and a vegetable; have some low-fat yogurt topped with granola midafternoon; at dinner, fill up half of your plate with vegetables and the rest with protein (fish, meat, soy) and complex carbs (brown rice, pasta, whole-grain roll, etc.). Also, be aware that refined sugar is an enemy. Sure, that handful of jelly beans will give you an immediate burst of energy. But you'll pay the price. About an hour later, you'll feel tired as you sink into a sugar crash. Reach for an apple instead. 

(2) Getting too thirsty

Energy sapper

"If you wait until you're thirsty to drink, your body is already at least three percent dehydrated, and that can make you feel tired and burned-out," says ADA spokesperson Christine Gerbstadt, MD, MPH, RD, who's on the staff of Drexel University in Philadelphia. Because thirst is less jarring than hunger pangs, we often delay drinking what we really need. But dehydration can cause a buildup of toxins in the body and result in headaches. Plus, the more water in your system, the better your circulation—and the more energy you'll have all day.

Best makeover move

Keep water, the best thirst quencher, handy at all times to sip even when you're not feeling thirsty—in fact, go get a glass now to drink while you finish reading this! You need about eight 8-ounce glasses a day, some of which you get from fruits and vegetables. Caffeine is okay, in moderation. "Too much caffeine may increase fluid excretion from the body, so limit your intake to no more than two cups of coffee daily," says Dr. Gerbstadt.

(3) Neglecting Your Girlfriends

Energy sapper 

You know how renewed you feel when you've spent a few hours laughing with your girlfriends? There may be a scientific explanation for those good feelings. For years, experts told us that humans responded to stress in one of two ways: fight (they faced the stress head-on) or flight (they ran away). But almost all of that research was done on men or on male animals. Recently researchers at UCLA put forth a new theory: that women and men have different reactions to stress. Women "tend or befriend," in the words of the researchers. When faced with a stressor, our female ancestors likely focused on protecting their young and huddling together with other females for safety. As a working mom, you won't need to avoid an attack of a saber-toothed tiger, but when dealing with the multiple stressors in your life, your best safety net might be your circle of friends. 

Best makeover move

Schedule a regular (at least monthly) get-together with the girls. "It could be a playgroup where you rotate houses and kids play on the floor while you and your friends chat, or it could be a regular lunch date where you enjoy adult conversation," says Deborah Belle, EdD, a professor of psychology at Boston University. "Seek support in more direct ways, too. Just as you have a list of people to call in case of an emergency, you should have a list of people you can call and say, 'Can you come over and watch my kids for an hour so I can get away?'" Then escape and have some fun. When you do something you love—from shoe shopping to swimming—you awaken your natural enthusiasm and feel more energetic. Can't think of anything you're just dying to do? That proves how much you need to be rescued.

(4) Forgetting to daydream

Energy sapper

You've heard that all children should have some downtime to play and let their imaginations run wild, but when was the last time you just dropped everything and dreamed? Having time to clear your head not only sharpens your thinking, it also refreshes your spirit. In a new report from Harvard Medical School, experts offer "mini relaxation" exercises that you can use to transition from a point of stress to a point of daydreaming.

Best makeover move

If you have only a minute, the Harvard experts suggest this mind-clearing exercise: Sit comfortably and take a deep breath, saying "I am" while you inhale and "at peace" while you slowly exhale. Repeat three times. Got three minutes? Try a progressive relaxation exercise, slowly tensing and releasing different parts of your body, starting with your face and jaw, then shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. With ten minutes, try imagery. Breathing deeply, picture yourself in a place that conjures up good memories. Engage all of your senses: What do you hear? Smell? See? Dismiss intrusive thoughts if they creep in, and focus on the place in your mind.

(5) Thinking you have to "make time to exercise"

Energy sapper 

And then you don't exercise at all. New studies show that you can get many benefits from exercise by doing several stints of ten minutes at a time, rather than 30 to 60 minutes all at once. "Doing a longer session of exercise appears to be better at burning fat in the body, but ten-minute bouts are just as effective for improving fitness and energy level and lifting mood and preventing depression," says Janet Walberg Rankin, PhD, a professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech University.

Best makeover move

Get up and move every chance you get. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, go on a ten-minute power walk at lunch, lift hand weights while you watch TV, go out and shoot hoops with your child—whatever works for you.

(6) Disciplining for the short term only

Energy sapper

You know the scene: You're tired from work, your child is exhausted from school, so he picks a fight with his little sister, who, tired from day care, throws a tantrum. Then they both gobble the cookies you just told them they couldn't have. You lose it, scream and send them off to their rooms while you stew in the kitchen. Blowing off that steam might feel good for a second or two, but then you feel guilty about how you "should" have handled things, and those feelings drain your energy for the rest of the night. The next evening, a similar scene unfolds, and so on and so on. "Most parents think that 'discipline' is about punishing their kids when they do something bad; in fact, discipline means 'to teach,' and the goal really should be to help your children make the right choices when it comes to their behavior," says Andrew Garner, MD, PhD, an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. "This isn't easy to do when you are exhausted. You tend to go for immediate relief by yelling or doing something else that's going to make your children stop the bad behavior. It works in the short term, but in the long run, your kids aren't learning anything, so they repeat the behavior because they know it gets your attention—and that's what they want."

Best makeover move

Focus on the positive and catch them being good, suggests Dr. Garner. For example, maybe your son was cranky when you picked him up from school today, but he remembered to hang his coat on his hook in the closet. Point that out: "Wow, you did that without being reminded! That really helps keep the closet neat. You pick the reward—an extra ten minutes of reading together tonight, or a game of Go Fish after dinner." Your child knows he'll have some special time with you, he feels good about himself, and he's more likely to remember to hang his coat up in the future. Chances are, you feel good, too, and more energized to get through the rest of the night. "In the long run, by investing these little bits of time on positive discipline, you're teaching your kids to behave well, so there will be less bad behavior to cause you to lose your temper and drain your energy," says Dr. Garner. Over time, both you and your children will feel energized mentally and emotionally: They're happy to get your attention for the good things they do, and you feel renewed because you know you're being a good parent.

(7) Ignoring your own health

Energy sapper

You wouldn't think of skipping your child's wellness visit, but when was the last time you saw the doctor? "Although there are lots of good reasons for working mothers to feel tired, sometimes fatigue can be a sign of a medical problem, such as an underactive thyroid, anemia or depression, and you should always see your doctor if you are chronically tired," says Judith Balk, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Best makeover move

Follow your doctor's advice for scheduling regular checkup appointments. Then keep them! "Many working moms look at this time in their life, when their children are young and they're juggling different roles at home and at work, as a time that they just have to get through," says Dr. Balk. "Instead, learn new things about what helps you cope, what energizes you and what makes you feel good. You can adopt health habits that make you feel more energized now and make them last for the rest of your life."

Diary of an Energetic Day

6:15 a.m.  Awaken to an alarm playing your favorite song, rather than a buzzer. Then shower with a body scrub scented with peppermint, cinnamon or citrus—fragrances with an energizing effect.

7:30  Eat a breakfast that combines protein and complex carbohydrates, like cereal with skim milk and fruit.

8:15  Drive to work with your car window cracked to let invigorating fresh air in, or commute reading a can't-put-it-down mystery.

9:00  At work, lift the shades and turn on the lights. The brighter your office, the more alert you'll feel.

10:30  Stop and stretch: neck rolls, ankle rolls at your desk, deep breathing. Have a midmorning snack: one pretzel rod and one low-fat cheese stick.

11:30 Walk around your floor three times. Research shows that even a ten-minute walk can curb fatigue for up to two hours.

1:00 p.m.  Go out for Thai food with a friend. Eating spicy food wakes up your taste buds, and opposing flavors like sweet and sour stimulate alertness. Then take a brisk walk outside. You need 30 minutes of sunlight a day to produce the right amount of serotonin, a feel-good hormone.

2:30 Put a plant beside your computer. Plants give off oxygen, which will help you breathe and keep your mind fresh.

3:45  Stand up and stretch for one minute: Reach up, lean back and arch slightly to stimulate the adrenal gland and energize yourself.

5:30  At home, change into comfortable clothes and play outside with your kids. Thinking and acting like a child recharges your creativity.

6:30  During dinner, ask each family member to describe the funniest thing that happened today; laughter is a natural stress reliever and energizer.

7:00  Bathtime. Let your husband bond with the kids while you sip a cup of decaf coffee or tea, read the paper or just daydream for half an hour by yourself.

7:30  Read to the kids and cuddle as you put them to bed. Being physically close to loved ones will connect you to positive emotions.

9:00  Give your husband a foot massage while he gives one to you; you'll relieve muscle tension and may arouse each other romantically. If sex results, great—it will relax you and help you sleep.

10:00  Set the thermostat to 65 degrees (ideal sleeping temperature) and drift off to sleep to get a full eight hours so you're energized for a new day.