loss of energy

[jeduruz]

I am 73 and have been quite fit and doing off track and exploratory with a good group but on the last few walks I run out of steam after 3-4 hours. My query is can I find some food that can keep me going so as not hold up the group ? Sounds like I need the fountain of youth !

[wayno]

what are you currently eating?

[corvus]

I am 73 and have been quite fit and doing off track and exploratory with a good group but on the last few walks I run out of steam after 3-4 hours. My query is can I find some food that can keep me going so as not hold up the group ? Sounds like I need the fountain of youth !

G'day jeduruze,
I have found that at my age 65, Glucodin tablets give the boost I need to keep up with my younger strollers might add that I think 5 hours is plenty for me now hope this helps.
corvus

[Tortoise]

I also wondered if you've had a medical check up lately. Often there's a (treatable) reason for a relatively sudden change in energy levels.

[wayno]

i should rephrase what i said
what i'd advise you eat would depend on what you are currently eating on or off the trails, you mjust might to tweak what you are eating or it might need more of an overhaul, so I won't comment without knowing at least a bit about what you're currently eating.

[DonQx]

@j ... do you have less energy now than you used to have?

A group of us was doing Frenchmans a year or 2 ago and one in the group seemed to have less energy than I would have expected.

First thoughts were that it could be nutrition ... eating a fair bit of sugary & highly processed food, not a lot of complex carbs or the likes.

Sad thing tho that in this case it later turned out to be a rapidly developing cancer.

Sooo ... medical check-up probably not a bad idea, especially if the answer to my question above is 'yes'.

dq.

[beachcruiser]

Getting a medical checkup as suggested above sounds like a good idea, if that all checks out OK do some research into endurance athlete nutrition. There are lots of commercially available foods designed to be easily eaten on the go, I'll list a few links below, although the old bushwalking favorite, scroggin, especially dried fruit should be quite a good source of fructose (sugar) which is a big component of the endurance athlete foods. Keeping hydrated is also important.
Not sure where I picked up this saying but it's one I always think of when I head out for a full days activity, walking or on the bike, "eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty"

Energy gels etc -
guenergy.com
www.honeystinger.com
winnersbars.com.au

[John Sheridan]

Take some Iron Supplements if that is advisable at your age.

http://www.pharmacyonline.com.au/vitami ... c-tab-x-30

When I had low energy levels I took these, now I can hike for 8 hours and have sex for 8 hours straight

These have Vitamin C and Iron, need the Vitamin C to activate the Iron.

Take a couple a day for about a week and then one a day the next week, you should have have enough energy for months till you need to top up again.


Cheers.

[Tortoise]

Take some Iron Supplements if that is advisable at your age.

Hmm. While they apparently can have some impressive results , they would only be of any benefit if your iron levels were below par, and can cause problems if you take supplements when your iron levels are normal.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-H ... fessional/
"Iron deficiency is uncommon among adult men and postmenopausal women. These individuals should only take iron supplements when prescribed by a physician because of their greater risk of iron overload."

[John Sheridan]

All i am saying is to take it for a week or two and if no benefit stop taking them :p

You will know within the first week if it helps, and then you only need to take them for another week to boost your iron levels and the vitamin C will help release any other Iron you have in your body to give you energy as well, without Vitamin c you iron levels just build up and are flushed and are not fully used if at all with low Vitamin C levels.

Just give it a go for a week.

Cheers.

[matagi]

Take some Iron Supplements if that is advisable at your age.

http://www.pharmacyonline.com.au/vitami ... c-tab-x-30

When I had low energy levels I took these, now I can hike for 8 hours and have sex for 8 hours straight

These have Vitamin C and Iron, need the Vitamin C to activate the Iron.

Take a couple a day for about a week and then one a day the next week, you should have have enough energy for months till you need to top up again.


Cheers.

Not a good idea without a checkup first - it is not a normal state of affairs to be anaemic at any age and so if his iron stores were low, a cause would need to be found.
Given the OP's age, it is even more important he see a doctor to rule out any underlying cause for his tiredness.

[wayno]

excessive iron stores in the body can contribute to loss of energy as much as low iron levels. the last thing you want to do is supplement with iron when you have high levels already. you need professional advise when you're looking at doing something like that.

[jeduruz]

Thanks very much to all who responded--As to what I eat for a walk it is fairly measly -last walk was cereal at 4.30 am cup of coffee,2.5hour drive,piece of fruit morning snak,2boiled eggs and 2 slices of bread for lunch.

[wayno]

eat regularly on long walks, and drink regularly on hot days. nuts, dried fruit are good. muesli bars can be another good source of energy.
hard boiled eggs can be slow to digest.... make sure you're eating when your energy starts flagging , if you're not peeing regularly try drinking more water as well.
maybe some dried milk taken to make milk in your breakfast for protein in the morning...

[ryantmalone]

I am 73 and have been quite fit and doing off track and exploratory with a good group but on the last few walks I run out of steam after 3-4 hours. My query is can I find some food that can keep me going so as not hold up the group ? Sounds like I need the fountain of youth !

First things first, congrats on still being in the game at such a grand age!!

As for what to eat... I always start the morning off with some simple carbs to get me burning fast, up and going. Usually that consists of some 2 Minute Noodles (a miracle brekky food for hikers!), and on my last hike, an Up And Go to back it up worked very well.

I'll eat again at around 10am, usually a Leda Bar, which is full of complex carbs, keeps me running strong for an hour or two.

Lunch at around 12 - 1pm, I'll always have something wholegrain (like a couple of Ryvita) and something protein rich that takes a whole lot of time to burn off. Be it Tuna, canned Chicken, or something similar.

I also eat Salami in the afternoon, although that is usually as I aim to make camp, so its more a treat than for energy.

The key for me is to keep VERY hydrated (if my pee is yellow, I need to drink more. Sorry for the imagery... ), and focus on eating complex carbs when I do the majority of my walking.

I've also had my most energetic days after having VERY big meals the night before, so don't discount the value of eating big!

[Moondog55]

I sympathize and recommend "BLACK JELLY BEANS"

But eating a good [Nutritious] breakfast and adding some extra fibre to slow the absorption seems to work for me, coffee comes a close second tho, but at 63 I really don't have the energy to keep up the pace and feel the need to walk a little slower if I am to walk for 8 to 10 hours and I do need a lunch break and mid-day rest as well

[neilmny]

I find black jelly beans (or coloured ones) to be a good source of energy.
I have them before I hit bottom though and find within a short time my energy level lifts.
Don't eat a handfull though just one or two at a time every hour or so works for me.
The key for me is good food before I start out and good food for my proper meals and snacks.

[andrewbish]

Carman's muesli bars are my go-to snack while on the go. Delicious, Low(ish) on sugar and provide a good flow if energy to get me thru long days on the trail.

[roodeny101]

With me it's oat meal with powdered milk in a multix or ziploc container 450 ml into a cozy hot water the rest for a coffee , then start packing up 10 min later oats are cooked , half my coffee and tablets taken time to grub up , oh and i usually add some dehydrated fruit to the mix ( bananas , apple sultanas etc ) the bananas and apples i dehydrate my self . then it's time to think do i want that extra cup as a traveler mnn .

[Ando]

G'day a raw. Vegan diet will give you the fountain of youth you are looking for research it for yourself definatly worth a look dates are great and packed with natural sugars which fuel your glycogen levels levels get low muscles won't work athletes call it bonking ,hitting the wall or jelly legs your body runs on sugars so don't run low

[wayno]

vegan diets are a minefield. it's easy to get a vegan diet wrong and a lot of people who have tried them found they were healthier on non vegan diets, me included
to try a vegan diet you have to address issues like getting vitamin b12, since its very hard to find vegan food with any vitamin b 12 in it. you have to address adequate protein and iron as well in forms that are reasonably well digested.
vegan diets arent something to enter into without doing a lot of homework on first and realise that it doesnt work for everyone....

i did my homework on vegan diets made sure i was getting enough of all the essntial nutrients but still didnt feel well eating as a vegan so i went back to eating dairy and fish and felt better. i'im no longer interested in going back to a vegan diet no matter what any vegan wants to tell me thats positive about it, everyone is different

[GPSGuided]

At the age of 73, the proper sequence of exclusion is through the GP foremost. All these fancy diets come later, much much later.

[perfectlydark]

Interesting ando. Not long ago I experienced the leg thing which completely confused me, as I felt far from physically tired but my legs simply didnt want to go on, and I ciuldnt figure out why

[icefest]

At the age of 73, the proper sequence of exclusion is through the GP foremost. All these fancy diets come later, much much later.

This.
Even at younger ages, if you haven't changed you diet or exercise and suddenly feel that different, a GP visit is a good idea and in your best interest. Get a good GP who pays attention.

[wayno]

be careful of Gp's that bushwalk, because we all kknow bushwalkers are very strange people indeed

[Nick S]

Hey, we're not half as strange as our patients.. Most of them haven't even heard of the overland track, and that's in Tassie.

[nq111]

Hey, we're not half as strange as our patients.. Most of them haven't even heard of the overland track, and that's in Tassie.

I once had a Tasmanian argue to me that the midlands highway would have to be the longest, most boring drive in Australia. Yes, he had never been to Australia.