How To Sustain Energy on Long Work Days

When I work the 10 day Vita-Mix shows, the days can be brutally long (up to 14 hour day incl travel, but usually 12) and exhausting. We're projecting our voice into the microphone, sharing with large crowds the benefits of the most powerful kitchen machine available. It can drain even the best, standing up on self-constructed stage for 2-3 hours at a time, talking non-stop - and saying it with conviction, as we want to impress upon these people the endless possibilities of using the VM.

When you work with the public, especially the 'mainstream' public, there is the likelihood of taking on other people's energy, or to let their moods and attitudes negatively affect our own. I've come up with a few tactics to create a buffer to prevent this from happening so I feel good no matter what, and to keep my energy super strong from start to finish. Everything rides on their perception and interpretation of what I'm saying, so I absolutely have to be full-on, 100%, with zero fatigue at all times - or it effects me as well in multiple ways.

I start my day with a droppersful of marine phytoplankton in about 1-2 ounces of water.

Within the first couple hours of waking, I make and enjoy a fresh fruit or vegetable juice. Recently I've been juicing 2 oranges and 1/2 a grapefruit. Crisp, tart and very refreshing on these warm days. I get plenty of leftover oranges from the shows, and find that making juices is the quickest way to use them and not waste them. I'll either have this at home, or on the drive to the show.

Usually before I head out the door, I devour a mango. I'm in love with them.

I drink ReVitaPhi or Vitamineral Green in coconut water and water mixed together throughout the first shift of 2-3 hours, constantly infusing my body with the nutrients I need to continue full force. I also keep a bag of Brazil nuts, goji berries, and Inca berries in the car ready for a quick snack. At some point, I have 1-2 pieces of Superfood Chocolate Fudge. Yummy goodness!

Mid-afternoon, I typically have a salad that either I've made the night before, or that I've bought at the local co-op: kale, chard, spinach, avocado, hemp seeds, fennel, peppers, celery, cucumber, garlic and nutritional yeast (the veggies change depending on what's in the fridge). Mash the creamy goodness together - the avocado is my dressing w/ a dash of olive oil. I'll eat this once I get on my break, and an hour or two later before heading back in I'll have an apple that I've picked up that week at the farmer's market.

As the evening approaches, I await my next shift to be over so I can savor my cacao blendie. I will have already snuck many sips as I've made a few trips to the cooler, and slug it while I'm back there, but for the most part, it's my enjoyment for the ride home. When there's just an inch left or so, I'll add some water to make it last even longer and vigorously shake in the mason jar I've brought it in.

As I write this, it's 1:00am and last night I had just 5-6 hours of sleep. Usually I 'need' 7-8, or so I think, but I find that when I space food out like this throughout the day, and make every single thing that I eat ultra nutrient-dense (as always), it's easy for me to stay up late and actually get work done! How thrilling for someone who used to crash at 10:00pm every night just a few years ago. I've noticed this pattern with raw foods and Superfoods - that the more I do it, the more sustained energy I have, consistently, throughout the day. No morning grogginess, no evening grumpiness.