Get over your afternoon slump with a healthy boost

Elon Musk needed a boost (three boosters, actually) from one of the biggest rockets ever assembled – the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket – to get his cherry-red Tesla Roadster convertible launched into space and headed toward Mars’ orbit. (Psst! It overshot that target.)

If you’re looking for a less-costly boost to get you into a better midafternoon orbit – that’s when your circadian rhythm naturally takes a dip -we don’t want you to rely on a couple-of-minutes energy drink or a sugar bomb for a pick-meup. Instead, try this healthful double booster that will send you into a more energetic afternoon: protein and fiber.

Protein provides the fuel, and fiber keeps you feeling full – a combo that steadies blood sugar and provides time-released energy.

And you can get the duo from a serving of lean chicken and snackable carrot and celery sticks, or nut butter and apple slices. And if that doesn’t work, try this: cat videos. Really! Indiana University Media School researcher Jessica Myrick surveyed almost 7,000 people and found that viewing cat videos boosted viewers’ energy while increasing positive emotions and decreasing negative feelings.

Her findings were published in Computers in Human Behavior.

That may be why there are more than 2 million cat videos on YouTube and why they have more views than any other category of YouTube content.

So the next time you feel like a 3 p.m. nap, grab a handful of walnuts, slice up an apple, cue up the cat video and get recharged. You’ll feel out of this world!