Monday, August 3, 2015

Need To Stay Up? Try Licorice. Just Have It Early.

Honestly, I am that guy.  There's a bowl of Jelly Beans and I'll get the black ones. 

Yep.  I like Licorice. 

Now mind you, I'm not exactly sedentary.  When I workout I get my heart rate regularly well over that weird math calculation of 220 - age = max rate.

If you're 30, that's 190.

I'm over 30 and I routinely peak over 210.  I asked my doctor once about it and he shrugged and said that I knew more about it than he did.  If you feel tired, slow down.

All those miles of inline skating did my heart well even years after I stopped doing 100 mile weeks.  At that point in my life my resting heart rate was 42 BPM.

But.

There are times when you don't want your heart ticking along like an old 1973 Chevy Nova's 6 cylinder motor.  I swear those things came from the factory with a valve tap.

At the second mug of coffee in the chair with bouncy music in my head, things are ticking along at a normal resting rate.

That's all well and good.  Coffee does its thing and we all know that after a bit it's not keeping you awake.  Its basically psychological or to avoid an addiction withdrawal.

That headache-y, dizzy, grumpy face feeling could be just ... oh go have another mug, we'll all wait.  Meanwhile the meeting will go on.

We hit the Big Supermarket this week.  That is the one in the area that has all the weird special things that you really do enjoy but don't get at the one closest to the house because you live in a walkable neighborhood and everything is small.

Ok, maybe you live in a suburb and have to drive a mile just to get out of your development, but I don't.  I have a car and barely use it and that's how I like it.  Walk to the shops.  I used to live in a part of Philadelphia that I had excellent mass transit and would regularly hop the big train to go into Center City ... just because.

That is one of the main reasons why I live where I do in South Florida, Wilton Manors.  I can walk and do walk just about anywhere I have to.

We hit the Big Supermarket and I was able to get those oddball items.  Bar Cake of Red Velvet Cake.  Proper "Homemade" hoagie rolls.  Extra sharp provolone, tavern ham, lettuce, tomato, balsamic vinegar, and Sweet Onion.

Yes, lunch was a proper Hoagie.

Then I got to the candy isle.  Got exactly one package of British Liquorice.  That's how they spell it there.  Extra letters and all.  Nice and soft and tasty.

If you like that sort of thing.

Now, Licorice has a definite effect.  I'd have two pieces of this stuff and skip the Red Bull.  It will definitely keep you going.

Coffee's effect wears off in 4 hours.  That is why you can have coffee at dinner and still sleep at night. 

Licorice works on different pathways.  It actually elevates your heart rate.  It's a workout in a little black squishy blob.

Mmmm Squishy Blobs!

But it also seems to work much longer with me.  I try not to have the stuff after lunch and only in very small amounts.  

I'm a tall guy, active, fitter than average.  I'm used to having my heart rate up ticking along.

I'm repeating myself.

But at 3:30 AM, waking up is not a good thing. 

So I got up and started writing.

I'll lay off the licorice for a day.

Or the liquorice. 

Either way it will keep you up!

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