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.


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