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How to keep your energy levels up during the day?

Declan Mc

Member
Messages
79
Location
New Zealand
Does anyone have any tips on keeping energy levels up during the working day? I try to get 7+ hours sleep and have breakfast, have a bottle of water in the car etc. but find myself tiring after 2-3 hours work and just want to go home. Don't really want to be loading up on energy drinks or other junk.

 
if youre tiring because youv a full workload ,do something about it,

seriously you will get slower and slower and the sheer workload will beat you in the end

burnout is a real risk

the 2 options are A-cut the workload and trundle on solo

B- employ to cope with it

i took the 2nd option, should have done it a bit erlier,instead i stuck head in sand and the load darn near killed me

 
Eat a good meal the night before. Have a high energy breakfast like porridge or weetabix, or even a proper cooked breakfast- and at all costs avoid sugary cereals.

While working avoid sugary drinks, especially energy drinks- they are only good for a short burst of energy and are useless for sustained work.

Don't snack on sweets, they are the worst thing for you, and you can end up becoming reliant on them (phsycologicaly). The moment you feel like having sweets, opt for fruit instead as fructose(fruit sugar) is handled by the body much better then sucrose(normal sugar). Also fruit has other things that are good for your health like antioxidants, vitamins etc. which also help your immune system (less time off sick,and more energy...win win)

If you're going to have a flask of tea, cut the sugar out (notice theres a theme here). If you really cant live without the sugar, then use honey instead as its similar to fruit in that it has good stuff in it (if you buy good quality honey, preferably local).

Hope that helps mate. I used to be a fitness instructor back in the day, but slipped into bad habits. I had the same problem as you not so long back but the best thing you can ever do is to cut out sugar, and increase the good natural foods. It worked for me, and instead of my wife being treated to 3 minutes of lovemaking, its now gone up to 4minutes. :thumbsup:

 
Thanks Tolish, some good info. in there.

Guilty on the sweet (and sugar) front, been taking some with me on evening work.

Think I might try porridge for a while to see how that works out.

 
I feel the same, first job took 1.5 hours, could have gone home then, but I have a family and I have to feed the little things, that just makes me plod on. I was so slow on last job as well, I blame the lack of daylight hours, i am solar powered. I usually start the day with a mcd's latte or cappuccino, it was a greggs bacon roll and cappuccino today tho, only £2, but was thirsty after it.Salty bacon( bacon uses the goodness in the body to digest it, so not good nutrition)

Just a wee point I learned, todays food is tomorrows energy. A pal told me sometimes he just sits in the car and has a 10 minute recharge time, but I just keep going as such short days just now and have my recharge time at home.

 
How old are you lads? I'm 51 and can go all day on a couple of sarnies and not stop to eat them. I wouldn't say I was that fit either.

 
41, I just had a banana and brioche that i stuffed in my face when driving two minutes to next job for lunch, ive had a viral bug for 6 weeks thats took the stuffing out of me, coughing alot through night, so not getting enough kip. Ive got my sister coming out to work with me in Jan, so will see how that goes. Hopefully she will do the windows n I can do some conny roofs n gutter cleans.Well see. I aint that fit either.

 
How old are you lads? I'm 51 and can go all day on a couple of sarnies and not stop to eat them. I wouldn't say I was that fit either.
37. Thought I was fit but obviously not! I know a guy who is 56 and has heaps more energy and drive that I have. Something I want to rectify.

 
im 53 and work all day my wife runs a cleaning company i help out there early mornings and late nights and do my window cleaning all day if your cream crackerd after 2-3 hours work you need to go see your local GP cause something is not right

 
I would also say get to the docs, I have heart disease and had a heart attack when I was 27, some days are hard for me due to this, but I still manage a full days work, 2-3 hours is nothing?

 
I am the same, I would be quite happy to come home at mid day, lucky for me my water runs out about 230pm, one bonus of having 300l lol.

I am the worst eater ever, no wonder I have no energy..in morning I have 2 coffees, take a flast with me, then have a evening meal. That is it....wonder what damage I am doing to my body??

 
It doesnt matter who you are, if you don't look after yourself then your energy will suffer. Stress, bad diet, late nights, illness are all factors that can mess you up. I used to work in a nightclub for years which totally messed up my body clock, add in a bad diet and thats two factors that are going to make you not run at your best.

 
Coffee doesn't do a whole lot for you though, I forget the exact science, but if you drink coffee regularly you only get yourself back to a stage that a non coffee drinker would be.

 
You guys are starting to make me paranoid now! It's not that I'm knackered after an hour or so, I just go at a slower pace and take breathers more often.

I think the weather here has something to do with it too - some of my work is at shopping centres where for example the area between 2 sets of automatic doors is like a sauna from the sun, I feel drained after that. Thinking of taking a small bottle of water with me as I work. I often go and do 2-3 hours commercial work in the morning, come home for an hour or so and head out again to do gutters for 3-4 hours in the afternoon.

I don't think I need to call an ambulance just yet but a few small changes to diet could be the trick.

 
This is an interesting thread Declan Mc...I've noticed that some days I am fine and seem to get through a days work with ease and then other days just the opposite I find I am lethargic and start to struggle after a couple of hours, was just putting it down to age (53) but reading these replies I can see its a lot to do with diet...I think there's something in what Windowsurfer said earlier....today's food is tomorrow's energy.

This could be my New Year resolution....sort a proper daily diet out...!!!

 
How old are you lads? I'm 51 and can go all day on a couple of sarnies and not stop to eat them. I wouldn't say I was that fit either.
all that tuffering gives good stamina :thumbsup:

 
I als pent a few months taking a wellmans every morning with a small breakfast but have now stopped. No reason why just did. It kept me working all day in summer. I did notice that for 1 week when the weather changed I was completely knackered and I mean knackered.... to the point on the second day 1 could not get out of bed.

 
[QUOTmetabolismfers, post: 206062, member: 5477"]How old are you lads? I'm 51 and can go all day on a couple of sarnies and not stop to eat them. I wouldn't say I was that fit either.

!

I am the same, I would be quite happy to come home at mid day, lucky for me my water runs out about 230pm, one bonus of having 300l lol.
I am the worst eater ever, no wonder I have no energy..in morning I have 2 coffees, take a flast with me, then have a evening meal. That is it....wonder what damage I am doing to my body??
Your metabolism is going to be shot to bits Shazzy

 
I always start the day with a massive bowl of oaty cereal and dried fruit. My pack up always consists of a very thick wholemeal peanut butter butty....sometimes with sultanas inside (this really gives you loads of energy) a banana and choccy biscuit. I always have a big healthy tea as well. I always do about 15 minutes exercise at night time and have a few tuffering sessions through the week. This all seems to keep me going.

I think the key is good food, eaten regularly, good sleep/rest and a bit of exercise. Oh....and as much tuffering as you can manage.Done correctly, it can really tone the body up.

 
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