Now, back to those energy-forming B-vitamins. Caffeine will deplete energy in the long term because it acts like diuretic on these water-soluble vitamins, and that feels like fatigue, increased anxiety, and a decrease in mental performance. Caffeine is also dehydrating. Studies have shown that mild dehydration-- as little as two percent of body weight-- can impair athletic performance. If you are thirsty it’s too late. If you don't drink enough water, your body's reaction is to retain the water it does have.  This in turn hampers kidney function and waste products accumulate. Your liver is then called upon to flush out the impurities, it becomes clogged, and metabolism slows. Adequate hydration equates to drinking half your body weight in ounces of filtered water a day, plus 32-ounces of water for every hour of intense exercise. Minimum.

For all day energy the key is to eat breakfast like a king, hydrate like a queen, and skip the coffee-sugar roller coaster. Then you’ll have energy for that workout, and bonks will be a feeling of the past.

Jess Kelley is a Master Nutrition Therapist and has a private practice in Durango, Colorado. She is also the Managing Editor of Edible San Juan Mountains Magazine.