After struggling with an illness over the past six months, I'm finally getting back on my feet and back to work.
Thing is though, I just don't have any energy some days.
When you live your life on the road,(as an ADC trapper) there isn't a lot of 'good food' out there.
Sure, lots of sugary foods that will give you a boost, sodas and the like, but we all know that stuff will end up making you sick in the long run. Not to mention, it just doesn't last...
I ran for years on nicotine, caffeine and gasoline...ended up costing me my health.
Brown bagging it...well, now there's a thought, but then, what to eat that will keep you going after a 12 to 14 hour.
Before some 20 year old starts with the Geritol jokes, I'm wondering if there are any guys(or gals...say over 40) that use these so called 'energy shots' you see sold at health food stores, drug marts and even gas stations.
Do they work ? Don't work ? Worth the cost ?
Just wondering who uses what and what their thoughts are.
My tail is dragging most days long before the days end.
I know...all part of getting older, but lots of older people feel and look great.
Any thoughts ?

LT

Well I'm a twenty something but i work 12 hr shifts usualy on only about 4 hrs of sleep, my experience with those energy shots and drinks is they don't work for me. I've seen people who use them religiously and say they work. When I get the mid day slumps what really works well for me is cashews. Also peanuts or some trail mix. This is where I found the info that helped me I just took the ones that applied to my life the easiest and went with it it has helped a lot ( http://www.webmd.com/diet/fight-fatigue-energy-foods-6/10-energy-tips. ) best of luck hope this helps!

I'm 19, so you can throw my opinion in the trash and nobody cares, but I have drank many of those energy shots. I use to buy them in the bulk from Sam's club. From all of them I have drank, I can say that they are more or less a placebo for me. I do give them some credit, I actually did feel more giddy and/or focused after I drank them, but maybe that was partly due to I felt I should be feeling that way. From the opinion of multiple friends, it seems that the effect truly varies from person to person. Some say they feel nothing and some say they want to run a marathon. One common agreement though is that you definitely "crash" after the effect of the drink is over.

Also, do a little reading and turns out these energy shots can be just as dangerous as that caffeine and nicotine you used to run on.

My advice, buy some and take them for a week and see if they work for you. If so, do a little searching and see if you can afford to use them all the time and if you're willing to risk the possible health hazards from constant use.

i just stick with the caffine, trying to get away from the
nicotine though... i carry some of the fun size candybars
in the truck while i am out. also some sweet tea and jerky.
then coffee in the shed while i skin. or dr pepper that i
do not keep cold. don't drink as much that way.

i run on caffine constantly. don't seem to function at all
if i am not drinking it. getting better without the nicotine
though. dragging home the first week. down to a pack every
4 days from a pack a day... YEAH FOR ME!

works for me been takin em for a couple years ...not daily tho. The Best ones in my opinion come from Advocare or the buy the extra strength 5 hr energy.

Energy shots like 5 hour energy are bad for you. There are multiple fatalities associated with their use. Could speak volumes about it, but that is enough.

I won't talk too much about nutrition except to say that whole grain foods and protein are better at "sticking with you" and giving level energy. Peanut butter and meat with whole grains bread will do most people OK. A hard boiled egg, too.

The bigger issue is your fatigue. There is a long list of possible culprits, but the most common two are Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Diabetes. If you snore and could take a nap during the day, sleep apnea is very likely.

LT, you should see your family doctor. Fatigue like you describe is not normal and probably cannot be attributed to junk food.

LT... I'm 58 and have tried these energy drinks a grand total of three times. The first two times,I did the 5 hour energy brand and it worked well to keep me awake driving.

This past Fall,while rat trapping,I was running out of steam at about 4pm so I grabbed an energy drink that was a free sample from some fishing tackle company. As with the 5 hour brand,it worked as intended. The next day,however,while standing waist deep in the water,the effects of that drink reared its ugly head. You know how hard it is to run in waist deep water with waders and a mucky bottom. The result, I crapped my britches.

Upon reading the ingredients of this drink,it was alot of fruit extracts and caffiene(not something older gents really need,at least not me).

I'll not be trying any more of these drinks as I really didn't care for the side effects.....LOL

Life has always had choices. Add one more to the list. Crap your britches or work through being tired.....LOL Hope this helps.

It depends on what's making you tired. Here's the main causes and their cure...

If you are:

-hypoglycemic : sugar helps (condition of the opposite of diabetes, where you get low blood sugar a lot)
-b vitamin deficient: energy drinks with b vitamins help (monsters, 5 hour energy, etc) help
-iron deficient: iron pills help
-protein deficient: protein shakes and bars (and meat) helps
-ADD or ADHD: caffeine and other stimulants help by calming you down and giving you focus, so you don't burn up energy in hyperactivity
-sleep deprived: sleep helps
-dehydrated: electrolyte-rich drinks help, like coconut water
-snoring/sleep apnea: CPAP machines or wearing teeth trays/nasal strips at night helps

If you have digestive problems: you might be all of the above that have to do with nutrition.
Digestive problems, mainly, frequent diarrhea, mean you just don't absorb much nutrition, so you have to get it from supplements. You have to get the right one, that's why energy shots work for some people, mainly those needing vitamins, and not for others.

As a side note, the nutritional therapist who taught me this stuff (who also has a nursing degree in psychiatry) said that caffeine doesn't give you the jitters, or cause anxiety.

This was news to me...since I have anxiety, I was told to cut it out of my life.
But I can't! You can't make it through college without it!
But, now I enjoy coffee and all sorts of caffeine...here's how.

There's a secret. He said, when you take caffeine, or other stimulants, the body goes into overdrive at higher metabolism. It starts burning off sugar from the bloodstream for energy. This means you need to consume more sugar...(any type of sugar...honey, fructose from fruit, table sugar, whatever.)
If the body suddenly runs out of blood sugar, a warning gets flashed to the brain: DANGER! DO NOT BURN MORE BLOOD SUGAR!
(Too little blood sugar can send you into a diabetic coma or kill you, thus the danger.)

The body, still in overdrive, needs to get fuel from another source. So it tells the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline.
The adrenaline in small doses causes anxiety, in large doses, downright fear and jumpy hyper-vigilance as if you're wary of an attack. Makes sense, since it is the fight-or-flight chemical.

He said don't worry about taking too much caffeine if you need it. Take all the coffee or whatnot that you want or need...just be sure to dose yourself with *large* to *massive* doses of sugar along with it, so you don't get the adrenaline.

The adrenaline, after it's coursed through your body, creates a crash. Pure exhaustion is the normal reaction to fight-or-flight situations.

Energy shots that say "no sugar, no sugar crash!" like 5-hour are lying to you. They're being sneaky: sure there's no "sugar" crash, but you'll definitely get the adrenaline crash later from having a *lack* of sugar!

**This "take lots of sugar" advice, of course, does not apply to true diabetics!

I have tried the energy drinks and they always make me feel wacked out, my best bet was going to GNC and they sell the B12 vitamins that dissolve under your tounge, they work great I would recommend them to anybody.

It is normal to feel tired after a 12 or 14 hr day.