Increasingly long workdays make it even easier to run out of energy well before it’s over. Resorting to drugs like caffeine in coffee and energy drinks is unhealthy and unreliable. There are several healthy options to increase and maintain energy levels at work, including standing at a MultiTable Manual Standing Desk for some amount of time instead of sitting for seven hours straight at a desk. Here are five of the easiest effective ways to find some healthy extra energy.

1. Get on your feet with an adjustable desk such as a MultiTable Manual Standing Desk.

Standing for half your day instead of sitting the entire time has been shown to improve focus, productivity, and energy levels along with decreasing the risk of several dangerous conditions including heart disease and cancer. It takes most people a few days to adjust to the new strain of standing, but once they grow accustomed to standing, they feel significant physical and mental changes. They stem from increased blood flow, but some studies suggest that standing actually stimulates brain activity, which also contributes to increased energy levels. Furthermore, over a longer period of time, standing improves cardiovascular health, which also increases energy and stamina in a variety of ways.

2. Ensure you’re getting enough water.

This is a simple change that helps your body function optimally, and unlike eating healthier or exercising — both of which are very effective for improving energy over the long term — it neither requires you to make any sacrifices, nor takes weeks for you to begin to feel the effects. It’s simple. Your body needs water to perform basic functions, and a lack of water can lead to tiredness and sluggishness, both mental and physical.

Drinking enough water has the added benefit of giving you a relatively regular excuse to walk to the water cooler or the bathroom. Both of these breaks are energizing in that they make you move around, give you a chance to see and make eye contact with other people, and give your eyes and brain a microbreak.

3. Increase natural light.

Melatonin and serotonin play a significant role in regulating energy and tiredness. The body responds to higher and lower amounts of natural light with the release of these chemicals to control a number of bodily functions, including the feelings of tiredness and awakeness. In a natural setting, the sun goes down and you start to get tired due to more melatonin and less serotonin, and the opposite happens in the morning. However, spending most of your day inside a dark office with minimal sunlight interrupts natural feelings of energy. Get some real light and you’ll feel marginally better.

4. Be sure you eat breakfast, but keep it light, low in sugar, and high in fiber.

Eating the right kind of food is very important for energy levels and general health. Although breakfast is not longer scientifically defensible as “the most important meal of the day” in terms of health, maintaining a high metabolism, which contributes to feeling energized, is easier if you eat regularly starting with breakfast.

5. Breath deep, walk, and stretch.

Really this just means take a break, but do it the right way. You can get the rest and relaxation you need in as little as one minute if you do it once or twice an hour. The keys are: let your eyes focus on something other than a screen the entire time, preferably something with natural light; move around a bit to get your blood flowing; and focus on your breathing. If you have a MultiTable Manual Standing Desk, it’s easy to walk away for a break, and you’ll enjoy some of those advantages of stretching and working your muscles more often.

These are all relatively short-term approaches, meaning they’re quick and have an impact when you use them, but you also need to implement long-term strategies. Fortunately, standing for part of the workday at a MultiTable Manual Standing Desk provides immediate and long-term increases in energy if you do it regularly.