Energy!

Probably not good advice this, but what has always worked for me is Large Ginsters Cornish Pastie, washed down with 2 cans of red bull.
Weird I know, but it supercharges me ready for a full days shoot or an evening show.

But then I am just plain weird. lol

Drew

• 17 years ago
• 1

Methinks the Ginsters plays little to no part in the cure suggested...The Red Bull is the active ingredient.

Being Scottish, I do "IrnBru 32" instead :-))

Regards,
ForbesKB

• 17 years ago
• 2

Thanks guys - there's some ginseng tea here at work Zara so I can nab a few to take with me and then pick up some red bull on the way. I'll report back on the results - Poor Tom on Red Bull and ginseng - should be interesting!

• 17 years ago
• 3

Try a power nap:
Sit in a chair holding a metal spoon (not a fork) and just allow yourself to nod off.
When you enter really deep sleep you'll drop the spoon and the noise wakes you up. Just enough kip to liven you up.
It's quite a famous technique used by folks like Churchill and Picasso.

Also, try lots and lots of water- best replacement for sleep.

• 17 years ago
• 4

Red Bull etc does have magical properties, but, it's terribly bad for you, and while it gives you a big boost for 1/2 hour or so, you come crashing down soon afterwards and feel worse than when you started.
I'd advise more natural options like banana's, ginseng, guarana etc, and lots of water and a brisk walk outside workks wonders too.
Failing that just bosh a gram of c*ke...! ;)
Good luck.
Lx

• 17 years ago
• 5

Try a couple of pro-plus, I live on the stuff and it keeps you going for quite a few hours without having to pop to the loo every two minutes - which I do on red bull...maybe too much information there......

x x

• 17 years ago
• 6

I think the power nap idea is good.

The prob with caffeine is the crash, might get you half way through, then you gotta drop/drink another one!! Plus it can loosen your bowls which could be interesting. And coke just doesn't last long enough!!!! Also, you may end up speaking just a little too loud and too fast.

To be honest have done much worse when I was in band, but hey it was rock man!

I'd eat fruit while your in your day job and also some oat bars.

I know its all kinda girlie food. Reminds me of when I meet up with ny actress friends in London, we go out for a meal and they eat kinda rodent food really.

But the sad fact is the fruit n oat thing works.

And, if you don't smoke have a couple before ya go on. It improves yer memory, increases blood flow and - more importantly restores that whole man/woman balance you lost eating like a girl in the day time ;0)

• 17 years ago
• 7

careful with the cafein mate-it can make u a bit strung out (wide eyed). I tried pro plus, but the concentration of cafien is awful...

as a yorkshireman I'd def go with ginsing 'tea'

good luck! :)

• 17 years ago
• 8

Hi
Ok here goes for the uber girlie food, but if you pass a juice bar ask for a shot of Wheatgrass - it's disgusting to begin with, tastes like a lawn, but it boosts everything (equivalent to 1.5lbs of veg) failing that take a Berocca, hits as hard as Red Bull but won't give you the crash. I'm not really pure as the driven snow...
x

• 17 years ago
• 9

Thanks for your suggestions all - stopped off at H&B on the way and ate loads of fruit etc. Got through it just about OK apart from forgetting to set my 2nd half costume which panicked me slightly when I realised! I kept away from all the caffeine in the end, which I think actually helped.

Got a better kip last night so hopefully I'll be a bit more there for this evening!

Nick

• 17 years ago
• 10

(realise I'm a little late, but...) while I was at Uni I managed the student union bar. When Freshers' Week reared its fugly head, we combatted it with loads of Berocca, good food (I swear by bananas - nature's Mars Bar) and gallons of water. Oh, and have a drink after the show, and make sure it's a good un (whisky or some such) to help relax you and get you down after the high and off to sleep quickly. But don't get lashed - you'll just feel worse.

xx

• 17 years ago
• 11

I'm late top reply to this too but a good thread non ethe less with good advice :)

I find that if I have redbull I am to "buzzy" and so it affects my performance.. I would suggest the foolwoing :)

splash water on your face
eat some kind of energy bar as it is a slow release of energy rather than a buzz

and yes ginseng, ginko bilboa and wheatgrass are good too.

• 17 years ago
• 12

bottle of purdeys will do the trick - great stuff , but not the gold one

dr andrew, also not pure as driven snow!

• 17 years ago
• 13

I've recently discovered dried mango. Infact I'm at work in an office :0( and have just snuffled down pretty much a whole bag of the stuff in a vain effort to keep awake (it says on the packet "mango is a sourse of natural sugars. Ideal for boost of energy"). It tastes lovely.

I sit and wait with baited breath (well... probably mango breath now!!).

Pro plus has got me out of a few pits!
xx

• 17 years ago
• 14

I'm loving this thread!!

I find the best thing is perparing all day. Having a decent nights sleep, a good breakfast and drinking lots of water through the day is gauranteed to keep you going.

My favourite is buying either a couple small or one large 'innocent' smoothie. They're filling and delicious and all those good fruit sugars release nice and slowly. Fruit and nut mix is good too.

I also swear by power naps!!

• 17 years ago
• 15

Hi Nick!

Next time, try this:
Find a quiet room where there's plenty of space, stand right in the middle and then just shake your whole body like a crazy person. Do this for a good ten or fifteen seconds - or until you lose your balance and fall over.
You would think it would make you even more tired but actually it has the opposite effect.

Oh and bananas are good too, but you knew that.

• 17 years ago
• 16

Negative advice, I suppose...

1. Be wary of Pro Plus, people. It's a bitch. Given that it is (effectively) pure caffeine in a pill, it certainly will wake you up...unless you're dog tired already...in which case, it will get your brain more buzzy than a beehive, while your entire body falls asleep on you...This is certainly a very strange state of affairs, and, rest assured, you won't get to sleep till six o'clock in the morning. Students always swear by Pro Plus, but then, they do tend to need something which will allow them to work on essays through the wee small hours, when, by rights, their bodies should have just about given up on them...Be wary...

2. As an ex - clubber, I always used to swear by Red Bull myself, which is a halfway house solution (just enough caffeine not to keep you up all night)...but it's a dehydrating bastard, and I can't think of anything worse for an actor's articulation...so I'd steer clear of that as well..

3. As to bananas, interesting...everyone recognises them as a great source of energy, but I did read somewhere once that, if you want a good nights sleep, you should eat a banana, because they have a soporific effect, which is kind of the opposite of the energy boost effect, surely (don't know whether to believe that one, or not)...

But then, things surprise you; my voice tutor told me that you should never take, say, strepsils when your throat is sore because the bacteria feeds off the sugar in the strepsil, and it actually allows the infection to hang around for longer. Who knows? And this is getting off topic...

• 17 years ago
• 17

Hello all,

I know this thread is dead now but thank you for all your pieces of advice - I also found a healthy version of RedBull called Wellman drinks which seemed to be quite good. They're natural ingredients and lots of extracts and no caffeine. Tastes atrocious though!

Thanks again!
Nick

• 17 years ago
• 18

I'm gonna have to do the lame new agey thing and recommend a quick bout of yoga. Did the trick for me when I was on a similar schedule.

• 17 years ago
• 19