Energy Levels in Middle-Age

Hi folks.

At age 65 (nearly 66) I have a fairly good energy level when one considers my daily schedule. My day starts at 4:30am with multiple animals to care for, teaching a full day of school which means 3 to 6 classes per day and no sitting down for 50 minutes per class, shopping after school, teaching karate dojo in the evenings and more, and bed at 10pm.

I have several middle-age students (ages 50+) who seem to be, well, not quite as energetic, though they certainly want to be.

Some of them seem to think I am on some special Okinawan diet (I'm not, other than I am vegetarian), or taking a mysterious "Oriental" herb (I'm not), or have found some secret "energy medicine" (I haven't)...

My advice is "Energy begets energy", meaning if they exercise regularly, their energy levels increase and they will eventually feel that their "work" is less "work" than it used to be.

But as people will, some keep trying to find the easy way, the convenient way, the "One-Pill Solution"... A few tried energy drinks ("Guaranteed 4 to 6 hours of incredibly increased energy!") only to find that their energy doesn't really increase, they are just loaded with sugar (or substitutes) and caffeine (from 100 to 200 mg., less than their own average cup of dark roast morning coffee). A few heard that Viagra gives older folks more energy (besides the much-touted sexual potency) but it can also give headaches, blurred vision, muscles aches, etc. A few are trying diet pills that are supposed to reduce hunger pangs (they don't) and increase carbohydrate burning (they don't) to give what is usually advertised as an incredible energy burst that lasts all day (there isn't, and it doesn't). Some are trying zinc, magnesium, potassium, and other supplements, enough to stock a small chemistry lab...

Some have run through the whole gauntlet of the above and are still looking for ... something.

Advising them to see their family doctor about low energy levels just doesn't seem to seep into their list of priorities if there is a new pill or "safe" drink they can try.

Keeping in mind that they are ages 50 to 75 already, and that energy levels decrease with age quite naturally, I wondered if any of you have actually found something that helps with the slow mornings they feel, when they wake up and after the first few minutes, they say they can automatically tell that it is going to be a day of just plodding along, with high-energy days becoming fewer and further-between each year...

I told them that my own energy levels have decreased a percentage in the past decade or less, but that my feelings of obligation and responsibility just seem to override any "weariness", and I quite suddenly don't feel all that tired, after all. It's called "ikigai" on Okinawa, and it means an overriding feeling of excitement to begin and accomplish things during the day.

As long as I eat good balanced meals, get plenty of rest and exercise, and maintain a positive outlook on life in general, I seem to feel all the energy I need. Even being tired after a day of hard work is a good feeling, knowing that I have accomplished something that no one else can or will do.

So, I have been asked by these students who feel older than the Methuselah Tree if there really is something that will naturally supplement their energy levels without nasty or otherwise undesirable side effects...?

By the way, this puts me in mind of the old Lawrence Welk "Geritol" commercials, when it was thought that an increase of iron intake was beneficial to old folks' energy levels.

Hope to hear some common sense responses soon (I sometimes find that "common sense" is not so common, after all...)