[CQ-Contest] energy drinks

[Jeff Kinzli]

On Sun, Dec 6, 2009 at 06:14, N7DF <n7df at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Are these a boon to contesting or not?
> They seem to be much more effective than coffee or caffine pills but, at least for me, the crash after they start to wear off is really a problem.
> Also, there are beginning to be dire health warnings in some quarters about their usage.
> Maybe we could have an evaluation by contesters that have used various energy drinks as to their relative effectiveness and after effects.

For better or worse, I have a lot of experience with this topic :)

Many of the energy drinks have a lot of sugar (and/or HFCS), which
rockets you up quickly, but many crash quickly as well.

There are a number of ways to increase energy in a contest, as well as
stamina and cognitive function. Good nutrition and hydration help a
lot.

I also find that a few minutes of meditation (pick your poison -
whether it's a walk outside, a few moments of silence, yoga, or what
have you) really helps bring you back to center. I find that sometimes
when I have a hard time pulling a call out of the pileup, I need to
just stand up, take a break and come back. I usually take that time to
get more water, forget the contest for a few minutes, take some deep
breaths, and recharge.

And if it's a SSB contest, I like to begin hydration 1-2 days ahead of
the contest, especially in warmer climates.

73,

Jeff N6GQ
http://N6GQ.com