My Two-Part Routine for All-Day Energy
Elevate your energy — starting with what's in your glass.
Let's skip the part where I pretend I have a perfect morning routine.
I work from home, which means my office is always open and my laptop is always staring at me. For a long time my daily energy strategy was pretty simple: coffee in the morning, more coffee mid-morning, and a Celsius after lunch to push through the afternoon. Repeat indefinitely.
It worked — kind of. But it wasn't sustainable, and honestly I knew it. Too much caffeine, not enough actual nutrition, and by 6pm I was wired and exhausted at the same time. Not a great combination.
So I started making some changes. Small ones — because I don't have time for big ones. And two products have genuinely stuck: AG1 in the morning and Liquid IV in the afternoon. They do completely different things, and that's exactly the point.
⚡ In a rush? Here's what I use:
AG1 My morning non-negotiable — all-in-one nutrition in one scoop to start the day right.
👉 [Shop AG1 — affiliate link coming soon]💧
Liquid IV My afternoon Celsius replacement — tasty, hydrating, and actually energizing.
👉 [Shop Liquid IV]
Full honest review with pros, cons, and my exact routine below. ↓
The Morning: AG1
I'll be honest — I'm not someone who takes a bunch of supplements. I don't have the patience to research a stack of 10 different things and remember to take all of them every day. I wanted one thing that covered the bases so I could stop thinking about it.
That's AG1.
What it is
AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens) is a daily greens powder with 75 vitamins, minerals, probiotics, adaptogens, and superfoods in a single scoop. One and done. It covers energy, gut health, immunity, and mental focus — which for a busy professional working from home is basically the whole checklist.
Who it's for
This one is for you if:
You know you should be taking better care of your nutrition but don't have the bandwidth to figure out exactly what that looks like
You eat imperfectly most days (same) and want a reliable nutritional safety net
You want more sustained morning energy without immediately reaching for more caffeine
You're ready to invest in your health — this is not a budget product, and I won't pretend it is
My honest take
AG1 makes me feel genuinely good. After a few weeks of consistent use I noticed steadier energy through the day, better digestion, and less of that heavy dragging feeling by mid-morning. Those results are real and they've held up.
Now for the taste — because you deserve the full truth.
It tastes like grass. It's earthy, it's green, and it tastes exactly like what it is: a lot of plants in one scoop. It's not going to remind you of a smoothie from your favorite café.
That said — if you're a matcha person, you might actually enjoy it. People who like matcha lattes say AG1 has a really similar flavor profile, and I believe them. If matcha is your thing, this one might genuinely taste good to you.
If you're not a matcha person (I'm not), here's the move: drink it cold — really cold — and drink it fast. Don't sip it. Mix it in cold water, add a squeeze of lemon, and just get it down. Once you stop trying to enjoy it and just treat it like the health investment it is, it becomes a completely painless part of your morning.
My routine: mix AG1, drink it in about 30 seconds, then go make my coffee. That's it. No thought, no effort, done.
The honest downside: The price. AG1 runs around $99/month. If that's not in the budget right now, it's okay to wait on this one. But if you're currently buying a handful of separate supplements and not totally sure they're doing anything, AG1 is probably a smarter single purchase than the scattered stack you're already running. I ended up purchasing a new pack ever other month to help with the cost but it’s still a bit pricey.
Bottom line
One scoop. 30 seconds. Done for the day on the nutrition front. If you want a single morning habit that covers your bases and actually makes a difference in how you feel — this is it.
👉 [Shop AG1 — affiliate link coming soon]
The Afternoon: Liquid IV
Okay, real talk. For a long time my afternoon routine involved a Celsius. Still does sometimes. And that’s on top of however much coffee I'd already had that morning.
I knew it wasn't great. The caffeine was stacking, my sleep was suffering for it, and I was basically just borrowing energy from tomorrow to get through today. But I needed something after lunch — something that felt like a pick-me-up, that tasted good, that kept my brain engaged enough to push through the afternoon.
Liquid IV has become my answer to that.
What it is
Liquid IV is a hydration multiplier — a powder you mix into water using a specific ratio of sodium, potassium, and glucose that helps your body absorb water significantly more efficiently than plain water alone. It's not just flavored water. It's upgraded hydration that actually does something.
Why it works as an afternoon pick-me-up
Here's the thing about that 2pm wall — a lot of it isn't actually a caffeine deficiency. It's dehydration. After a morning of coffee (which is a diuretic) and not nearly enough water, your body is running low on fluids by early afternoon. Dehydration shows up as brain fog, low energy, and headaches — the exact things you're reaching for a Celsius to fix.
Liquid IV addresses the actual problem instead of just masking it with more stimulants.
Does it have caffeine? No. But it's flavorful, it's refreshing, it feels like a treat, and it genuinely perks me up in a way that I think is more sustainable than my Celsius habit. My brain feels more alert, not because I've loaded it with more caffeine, but because it's actually hydrated.
I'm not going to pretend I've completely replaced my Celsius habit overnight — I haven't. But I'm working on it, and Liquid IV is what's making it easier. I reach for it first now, and a lot of days that's enough.
My honest take
The flavors are genuinely good. Watermelon and Passion Fruit are my go-tos. It tastes like something you'd actually want to drink — not a supplement, not a health product, just a good drink. That matters when you're trying to build a new habit to replace an old one.
The honest downside: Many of the Liquid IV packs contain sugar. If you're watching your sugar intake or eating low-carb, it's worth checking the label before you commit. There are some lower-sugar/sugar-free options in the lineup, but the selection is more limited than the full flavor range.
Bottom line
If you're stuck in the afternoon energy drink cycle and looking for a way out that doesn't feel like deprivation — start here. It's easy, it tastes great, and it's addressing what's actually making you tired. Here are some sugar free options to browse.
👉 [Shop Liquid IV]
My Actual Daily Routine
Here's how both products fit into a real workday:
AG1 — one scoop in cold water with a squeeze of lemon. Drink it fast. 60 seconds.
Coffee — now make it and enjoy it, knowing nutrition is already handled.
Liquid IV — one stick in a full glass of cold water after lunch. Sip it through the early afternoon as my Celsius replacement.
Total added effort to my day: under 3 minutes. The difference in how I feel compared to my old routine: genuinely noticeable.
Neither of these asks you to overhaul your life. They slot right into the day you're already having. That's the whole point — wellness that works around your real life, not the imaginary one you'll start living when things slow down.
(Spoiler: things don't slow down. We just get better at taking care of ourselves inside the chaos.)
The Bottom Line
AG1 handles the morning — one scoop, done, nutritional foundation locked in before the day even starts. Liquid IV handles the afternoon — a tasty, hydrating alternative to the energy drink cycle that actually solves the problem instead of just delaying it.
Two products. Two different jobs. Both worth it.
Your energy is your most valuable asset. It's worth a few minutes a day.
Until next time — take care of your energy. It's your most valuable asset.
— Zach Founder, Truly Optimal
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe in.
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