How do you energize when you bonk out mid day?

[saltysack]

I'm curious as to what others do when they hit the wall mid day and still have a miles to go....
Power nap, wash up with cold water and snickers seems somewhat effective but looking for options....what works for you?


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[HooKooDooKu]

Stop for the day, get cleaned up and go to bed early and get a fresh start the next morning.
At least that's what I did the day 'The Golden Staircase' wore me out hiking the JMT.
Most days, I was hiking until around 6:00. But that day, I setup camp at 2:00. Used the extra time to wash/dry some cloths and recharge electronic devices (solar). Got an early start the next morning, and that following day was the day I put in the most miles in a single day on the JMT.

[MuddyWaters]

Ive been to point where i literally couldnt take another step uphill.

1 hr break
Lots water
Food

Good to go many more miles

[CalebJ]

Fuel throughout the day. Think steady drip rather than stopping for big meals. If it's too late and you're already out of energy, a stop to fuel/hydrate and get off your feet mentally and physically can work wonders.

[DuneElliot]

I find that stopping for my main meal mid day actually really helps for the afternoon. It forces me to stop for an long break and it provides exactly the fuel I need to get going in the afternoon for big or small climbs. I don't like cooking at night when I'm exhausted so a large mid day meal really helps on two fronts.

[LoneStranger]

I try to get miles in early so that even if I'm not bonking I have time for a longish, middle of the day, break. Boots and socks come off and water/camp shoes go on so the toes can wiggle and socks can dry. Food bag comes out so that sausage and cheese can be wrapped in a tortilla, usually do this part twice All that good fat combined with some time off the feet really recharges the batteries. Usually this break lasts 30-40 minutes, but in really hot weather can be extended to put off more hiking til later in the day.

[Gambit McCrae]

I think im gunna starting trying to eat my big meal of the day around 1 or so. then snack at night. I usually endup not eating a whole lot bc after walking 20 miles or so my stomach is tight as a knot. results in being worn out, sick, not good stuff. But the few times I HAVE had a big lunch late in the day, the afternoon goes better, and I am not beat to hell when I stop for the day.

[rocketsocks]

More sugar then followed up by a not "empty card"

[Venchka]

I'm curious as to what others do when they hit the wall mid day and still have a miles to go....
Power nap, wash up with cold water and snickers seems somewhat effective but looking for options....what works for you?


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Nibbling all day. Jerky, nuts, seeds, Bars-Clif, Lara, Kind, 70% chocolate, fruit.
Snickers, Little Debbie's, Twinkies, etc. - Never.
Wayne


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[BuckeyeBill]

Snickers, nuts, Clif Bars, chocolate, a sweet drink, oh and did i mention Snickers Bar. Kick my shoes off clean my feet with cold water, check for blisters change socks if needed. After about an hour. pack up and leave.

[DuneElliot]

It's interesting what works for different people. I tried the snack/grazing constantly during the day but I found that it didn't give me the energy boost I needed at the midday point and to keep going when I needed it most. I am a pretty petite female so maybe that's part of it...I don't have any fat reserves to fall back on.

[Puddlefish]

Especially early in the hike, I stopped, aired out my feet, ate/hydrated and relaxed for a full hour. So, I'd hike from 7 am to noon, and from noon to whenever I was tired. I stopped well before I bonked out initially. Then when I finally bonked out, it was 3 pm or so, and I didn't mind stopping for the day. Later in the hike, I only stopped for a half hour or so, and then continued on until 5 to 7 pm.

[devoidapop]

Prunes are magic for me. I don't hike without them.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Ive been to point where i literally couldnt take another step uphill.

1 hr break
Lots water
Food

Good to go many more miles

This......

[bigcranky]

I try to get miles in early so that even if I'm not bonking I have time for a longish, middle of the day, break.

Yeah, +1 on this.

Also, Peanut M&Ms. That is all.

[Dogwood]

I'm like Caleb aiming to stay up emotionally, mentally, and physically in the first place by continual grazing but if fatiguing I go for low glycemic index foods that provide quick energy within the constructs of whole foods - a small apple, banana, coconut chips, nuts, seeds(pumpkin and sunflower and hemp well chewed), nut butters(often with the apple or banana), dark high quality chocolate(not Snackers)...Mixing a small amount of caffeine or micro ground coffee into the nut butter dipped on some apple or banana works for me too but I don't make a habit of caffeine on trail. A matcha or yerba mate or turmeric ginger drink lifts me up. I'm not aiming for a quick pump up - blood sugar spike - followed by an equally quick crash which then puts me in a roller coasting energy, mental, and emotional cycle.

I recently mentioned the quick metabolizing of MCT's - medium chain triglycerides or medium chain fatty acids - in coconut oil on the coconut thread.

Just indiscriminately going after fat and calories especially in a large midday meal can have the reverse effect of energizing depending on the sources of the ingredients. Heavy meals can take significant energy to digest. aka Holiday gorging followed by nodding out on the couch in front of the TV

A morning and then early or late afternoon dose of acetyl-L-carnitine, sustained R alpha lipoid acid, B12, Ginko biloba, broad spectrum ginseng or fresh rhizome(seng) in the Appalachians, guarana, Rhodiola rosacea,... help with the mental and physical energy.

Numerous studies demonstrate that physiology - how one holds their body - influences feelings of well being and disease. Even if one doesn't "feel like it" practice energy uplifting postures i.e.; chin up and level, shoulders back, full deep breaths, full speech, stomping happily through the rain puddles like Gene Kelly in Singing In The Rain , etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ Way before my time but I like being happy rather than angry, sad, or annoyed! I prefer love over hate and strife! I like rain!

I thought it was initially inane to go to a Yoga class to learn better breathing? Better breathing helps energy. Optimal oxygen is a requirement.

Being appropriately hydrated helps energy. Water is a requirement to feeling energized. The cleaner, the less adulterated, the better. Drink while imagining the pure refreshing life giving water energizing every cell in your body.

What I include in being energized is not just influenced by foods though. Emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of being positively energized should not be discounted in themselves or in their ability to influence physical energy desires.

I aim to stay engaged, be present in the moment on hikes. Seek to appreciate things connected to hiking beyond just hiking - that rock, tree, mountain range landscape, sounds of water flowing, group of flowers, a bee, an ant, beetle, generosity/kindness/consideration/hope/love/peace emanating from people, rain, sun, taking out and staring at that pic of your son playing with the dog while holding the hand of and kissing your wife(letting those positive emotions and mental well being flow), having that pic of Nature, etc. This helps not only mentally but biochemicals are being released that affect the physical well being.

Music. Load up on music that is not only energizing with a fast tempo but uplifts with a positive message in the lyrics. C'mon if this music doesn't lift you up you may not have a pulse:

Happy, after seeing the vid, by Pharrel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21LGv8Cf0us OR IZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0xoMhCT-7A
There Little Birds by Bob Marley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGUr6wzyT8
The Walker by Fitz and the Tantrums https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGBLlFMn9Xc

Yes music has the potential to energize just as it has the potential to depress, de-energize, enlist feelings of melancholy...

Find something to laugh about. Easy, based on all the silly things we've done or experienced. Tip: gratitude- finding something to appreciate - and laughter, which as has been said is - good medicine - often go together.

Find others of a high energy level(humans and wildlife) and let it be infectious so that you feed from and contribute to each other's energy levels with the ultimate goal to uplift everyone and everything. Seek to avoid low energy people and psychic vampires. Be aware of your environment bringing you down rather than you uplifting the environment(immediate surroundings). It has an affect on your physical well being including "energy" levels.

Be aware of and engaging in exhibiting control of your thoughts. Thought life - what we mediate upon - influences energy levels in all respects including physical.

I find extra physical ability/energy when I meditate on:

Joshua 1:9. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

The aim here in sharing all this is to recognize energy needs beyond just physical, noticing how all these aspects influence and are intertwined energetically, and by having as many avenues to "energize" as possible it makes it harder to feel physically "bonked."

See the differences in the whole person(wholistic or holistic) approach with all these different aspects interconnected similar to the whole food food approach I've endlessly been commenting about rather than reductionist theoretical scientific approach we're more accustomed in the U.S. culture?

[Dogwood]

One of my favorite topics - staying positively energized and how it involves more than the physical aspect in a larger interconnected and cross influenced whole.

[Dogwood]

Alive and Kicking by Simple Minds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljIQo1OHkTI As one You Tube poster commented "if this song doesn't make you feel like King Kong on cocaine on top of a mountain then I don't know what will,

Kyrie by Mr Mister https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NDjt4FzFWY Might want to look into what he's singing about.

Going Up Country by Canned Heat http://www.gomio.com/blog/index.php/top-ten-travel-songs-for-the-backpackers-playlist/

Search for the Hero by MPeople https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntuqTuc6HxM

Truckin by GD, so much by CCR, Allman Bros, Bob Seeger....

Don't consider bumping up energy needs - motivation to go those additional miles or overcome whatever challenges - in what seems only the physical only coming from the physical realm. LOL If you do you'll be missing out BIG TIME.

We push past physical bonking all the time. Learn MANY ways how to do that.

[saltysack]

I'm like Caleb aiming to stay up emotionally, mentally, and physically in the first place by continual grazing but if fatiguing I go for low glycemic index foods that provide quick energy within the constructs of whole foods - a small apple, banana, coconut chips, nuts, seeds(pumpkin and sunflower and hemp well chewed), nut butters(often with the apple or banana), dark high quality chocolate(not Snackers)...Mixing a small amount of caffeine or micro ground coffee into the nut butter dipped on some apple or banana works for me too but I don't make a habit of caffeine on trail. A matcha or yerba mate or turmeric ginger drink lifts me up. I'm not aiming for a quick pump up - blood sugar spike - followed by an equally quick crash which then puts me in a roller coasting energy, mental, and emotional cycle.

I recently mentioned the quick metabolizing of MCT's - medium chain triglycerides or medium chain fatty acids - in coconut oil on the coconut thread.

Just indiscriminately going after fat and calories especially in a large midday meal can have the reverse effect of energizing depending on the sources of the ingredients. Heavy meals can take significant energy to digest. aka Holiday gorging followed by nodding out on the couch in front of the TV

A morning and then early or late afternoon dose of acetyl-L-carnitine, sustained R alpha lipoid acid, B12, Ginko biloba, broad spectrum ginseng or fresh rhizome(seng) in the Appalachians, guarana, Rhodiola rosacea,... help with the mental and physical energy.

Numerous studies demonstrate that physiology - how one holds their body - influences feelings of well being and disease. Even if one doesn't "feel like it" practice energy uplifting postures i.e.; chin up and level, shoulders back, full deep breaths, full speech, stomping happily through the rain puddles like Gene Kelly in Singing In The Rain , etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ Way before my time but I like being happy rather than angry, sad, or annoyed! I prefer love over hate and strife! I like rain!

I thought it was initially inane to go to a Yoga class to learn better breathing? Better breathing helps energy. Optimal oxygen is a requirement.

Being appropriately hydrated helps energy. Water is a requirement to feeling energized. The cleaner, the less adulterated, the better. Drink while imagining the pure refreshing life giving water energizing every cell in your body.

What I include in being energized is not just influenced by foods though. Emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of being positively energized should not be discounted in themselves or in their ability to influence physical energy desires.

I aim to stay engaged, be present in the moment on hikes. Seek to appreciate things connected to hiking beyond just hiking - that rock, tree, mountain range landscape, sounds of water flowing, group of flowers, a bee, an ant, beetle, generosity/kindness/consideration/hope/love/peace emanating from people, rain, sun, taking out and staring at that pic of your son playing with the dog while holding the hand of and kissing your wife(letting those positive emotions and mental well being flow), having that pic of Nature, etc. This helps not only mentally but biochemicals are being released that affect the physical well being.

Music. Load up on music that is not only energizing with a fast tempo but uplifts with a positive message in the lyrics. C'mon if this music doesn't lift you up you may not have a pulse:

Happy, after seeing the vid, by Pharrel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21LGv8Cf0us OR IZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0xoMhCT-7A
There Little Birds by Bob Marley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGUr6wzyT8
The Walker by Fitz and the Tantrums https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGBLlFMn9Xc

Yes music has the potential to energize just as it has the potential to depress, de-energize, enlist feelings of melancholy...

Find something to laugh about. Easy, based on all the silly things we've done or experienced. Tip: gratitude- finding something to appreciate - and laughter, which as has been said is - good medicine - often go together.

Find others of a high energy level(humans and wildlife) and let it be infectious so that you feed from and contribute to each other's energy levels with the ultimate goal to uplift everyone and everything. Seek to avoid low energy people and psychic vampires. Be aware of your environment bringing you down rather than you uplifting the environment(immediate surroundings). It has an affect on your physical well being including "energy" levels.

Be aware of and engaging in exhibiting control of your thoughts. Thought life - what we mediate upon - influences energy levels in all respects including physical.

I find extra physical ability/energy when I meditate on:

Joshua 1:9. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

The aim here in sharing all this is to recognize energy needs beyond just physical, noticing how all these aspects influence and are intertwined energetically, and by having as many avenues to "energize" as possible it makes it harder to feel physically "bonked."

See the differences in the whole person(wholistic or holistic) approach with all these different aspects interconnected similar to the whole food food approach I've endlessly been commenting about rather than reductionist theoretical scientific approach we're more accustomed in the U.S. culture?

I'm at a loss for words.......WOW...a lot to digest!


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[devoidapop]

One of my favorite topics - staying positively energized and how it involves more than the physical aspect in a larger interconnected and cross influenced whole.

Lol. Couldn't tell that it was a passion of yours. Stay positive and hike on