[Chad Daring]

I'm trying to be healthier and part of that has been getting rid of artificial sweeteners, and for me the main source of those in my life was energy drinks. I"m also trying to cut caffeine down and not take in so much of it (was taking in almost 1000mg/day)

My work schedule has me up crazy early, and trying to balance a social life during the week on top of that tends to put me at a lack of sleep. Are there any good natural things out there that'll give a nice energy kick?

Someone mentioned bee pollen in another thread and vitamin B12 is one that I've seen all my life as being advertised as an energy booster.

[ElJefe]

I don't think there's a good long-term substitute for adequate sleep. It's critical for restitution if you like to keep in shape, as well. I'd say 8 hours a day is good - neither more nor less. I'd really avoid not going natural, because I can see lack of sleep EASILY affecting other parts of your life.

I speak from painful experience.

[Riker]

Almonds are really good. You can eat fruits too. You can drink green tea with stevia for a nice little boost that's also good for you.

[OGNorCal707]

Yerba Mate is amazing, but it is high caffeine, although it's much better and less jittery than coffee, it's a shame you can barely find it any where other than the west coast. I've also heard acai is good for energy, but people have disputed that.

Natural substances I've heard a lot about are Maca (a south american leaf) and spirulina (blue/green algae), I've also heard stuff about bee pollen as well.

[Chad Daring]

(09-24-2011 09:15 AM)ElJefe Wrote:  

I don't think there's a good long-term substitute for adequate sleep. It's critical for restitution if you like to keep in shape, as well. I'd say 8 hours a day is good - neither more nor less. I'd really avoid not going natural, because I can see lack of sleep EASILY affecting other parts of your life.

I speak from painful experience.

I'm not looking for long term, I try to get a full nights sleep whenever possible, but there are those occasional days I'm running on 4 hours of sleep and need a kick in the ass.

I've heard of spirulina before, seen it in capsule form in some health stores, might look deeper into that and the pollen.

[Roosh]

Withdraw from caffeine completely, work out, get good sleep. Coffee/energy drinks is like hitting a turbo boost button. Once the boost wares out, you have much less energy than before. It drains you.

Quote:

there are those occasional days I'm running on 4 hours of sleep

Try to eliminate this problem.

[Aliblahba]

(09-25-2011 07:24 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

Withdraw from caffeine completely, work out, get good sleep. Coffee/energy drinks is like hitting a turbo boost button. Once the boost wares out, you have much less energy than before. It drains you.

Quote:

there are those occasional days I'm running on 4 hours of sleep

Try to eliminate this problem.

I agree with caffeine. It doesn't affect me to drink a few cups of weak coffee in the morning, but nothing after lunch. Energy drinks will kill you. And those 5 hour energy bottles? Fuck. They last about 16 hours with me. Bad mojo. Avoid.

I can't sleep after sex with a new chick. I'm like a recently cured diabetic kid in a candy store. After a few nights it's all good. But new pussy is EXCITING!!!!!!!!!! I'm afraid to go to sleep cuz I might miss something. It gives me mad energy. I constantly hear, "My god, will you go to sleep, I have to work in the morning!"

[Vitriol]

Energy drinks and other supplements that claim to give you energy probably just end up causing cancer. One of my friends took a 5 hour energy a couple years ago and felt like he was dying for almost 2 days afterwards.

The time period in my life when I had the most natural energy was when I was working out 6 days a week and my diet was just about perfect. (I was still drinking coffee every morning and it didn't cause me any problems). I don't think there are any shortcuts to this. Just live on lean proteins like eggs, fish, chicken and make the rest of your diet consist of fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed grains like oats. I guess there are other diets now like the paleodiet which are probably similar.

My experience says there aren't any shortcuts or secrets to this. Just clean up your diet and exercise as much as you can. As others have mentioned, I'm sure being on a regular sleep schedule helps too, although when I was in my best condition I would literally wake up on my own at like 5 a.m. most days without an alarm and have plenty of energy all day. I really need to get back to that...

[Chad Daring]

(09-25-2011 07:24 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

Withdraw from caffeine completely, work out, get good sleep. Coffee/energy drinks is like hitting a turbo boost button. Once the boost wares out, you have much less energy than before. It drains you.

Quote:

there are those occasional days I'm running on 4 hours of sleep

Try to eliminate this problem.

Its the cost of being social unfortunately. I have to be up at 5am every day, sometimes earlier. That means ASLEEP not just in bed by 9pm to pull 8 hours of sleep. If I want to do anything social on the weekdays I end up staying up later.

[Amour Fou]

I am on a similar situation as OP.

I am trying to eliminate caffeine but it keeps coming back!

How do you guys go by pussy-hunting 4X a week at night and still cary on with your daily affairs??

[alecks]

just wean yourself down off the coffee as im sure everyones tolerance is too high.i still drink it occasionly but i try to stay off it because i use pre-workouts before the gym sometimes.green tea is good for energy,it has only 25mg a teabag and packed fulla good shit.

as for natural energy - diet,excercise and sleep hands down.im not on the paleo buzz here but what amour fou said there,eat good sources of protein meat fish eggs,fruits lots of veg and good essential fatty acids (take omega369/olive oil etc).Also if you have a good training routine it always helps.if your up at 5am and your asleep by 9 and find it difficult to drift off,then buy a GABA supplement,HGH or Zma supplement...these will make you sleep better putting you in REM sleep quicker.the quality of sleep is way better and you will feel way better.

[xmlenigma]

Eat fresh, organic, natural & as un processed as you can. If its pastuerized, homogenized etc.. is not natural.

Freshly cooked vs Frozen.
Small fresh foods place / Whole Foods vs Subway/ Chain food (buy, freeze & store in bulk).
More fresh fruits & green veggies in daily routine. (Its not just about protein/carb obsession & super foods.. All of NATURES foods when they are FRESH and NATURAL have energizing MICRO-NUTRIENTS for your COMPLEX human body).

Yoga & meditation can be very relaxing & de-stressing. If you're working out, it will be an amazing add-on balancing component.

[Moma]

(09-25-2011 12:56 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

Its the cost of being social unfortunately. I have to be up at 5am every day, sometimes earlier. That means ASLEEP not just in bed by 9pm to pull 8 hours of sleep. If I want to do anything social on the weekdays I end up staying up later.

Chad, isn't ACV doing the trick? It works bonkers for me. Throw in some coconut oil and I am gonzo (shout out to G manifesto for this one). Now, sometimes you just have to resort to the bare basics.
You cannot run on 4 hours sleep regularly and expect to be raging and bouncing like a toddler. It's not possible naturally.

That's like eating cereal all day, working out and expecting to put on stacks of muscle. Follow science. Maybe try and steal some cat naps during the day to add up to your 8 hours.
But bottom line, you can't duck the truth.

I don't drink caffeine either. No coffee, no tea, nada. ACV works miracles for me although I sometimes cycle of off it to allow my body to appreciate its benefits.

[Veloce]

(09-25-2011 12:56 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

(09-25-2011 07:24 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

Withdraw from caffeine completely, work out, get good sleep. Coffee/energy drinks is like hitting a turbo boost button. Once the boost wares out, you have much less energy than before. It drains you.

Quote:

there are those occasional days I'm running on 4 hours of sleep

Try to eliminate this problem.

Its the cost of being social unfortunately. I have to be up at 5am every day, sometimes earlier. That means ASLEEP not just in bed by 9pm to pull 8 hours of sleep. If I want to do anything social on the weekdays I end up staying up later.

I'm assuming by your sn and posts you're either an AM breakfast cook, AM sous, or AM kitchen manager. I feel your pain. We have the odds against us in wanting tons of expendable energy, working in the kitchen, and being social at night.

I'll echo what others have said about caffeine, try to eliminate it completely. I notice it gives me huge energy spikes and then I blow my load and I'm drained for 3-4 hours until I get a second or third wind. I also notice it gives me more back pain.

What I do is try to make a shake every day that contains the following: raw cocoa powder, raw coconut, maca powder, dried goji berries. I make a shake with all that nonsense plus a few heaping tablespoons of greek yogurt, sweetened with agave or honey and thinned out with some filtered water. This drink works and stabilizes my metabolism. Cut down on carbs, try to keep your food intake mostly protein and raw or lightly cooked vegetables. Lately when I work doubles I go home and take a 30 min nap in the afternoon when my energy tanks. Wake up and splash some cold water on my face and I'm ready for that second 8 hour shift.

Working in a kitchen you'll have to accept that your social life, health, and energy will suffer somewhat. I do my best to go out 3 nights a week but sometimes I don't even get out once depending on what business is like. I also try to run and exercise 3 times a week but again it doesn't always happen that way...there's a reason why chefs usually die young, have shitty love lives, and look like hell (balding, pale, saggy skin). The ones that are good at what they do sacrifice the rest of their life to get that good.

[Hades]

I often substitute coffee and cigarettes for sleep.
The way I cope with ~5 hours of sleep a day involves no less than 4 days in the gym weekly and nearly a gallon of water a day. Being hydrated seems to cut down on being exhausted.