(Photo by Toma01)
Wake up, take a shower, have a cup of coffee
This is the morning philosophy for millions of people around the world
Coffee has become the staple of the breakfast (even late afternoon snack) for many of us, and while the benefits for many are clear, one has to wonder what are the short term and long term effects of drinking coffee on the regular? Do we need caffeine to get up and the morning and make our day run smoothly?
Caffeine has many side effects as a result of daily use, ranging from positive benefits like increasing your alertness and stamina, to negative effects such as dehydration and nausea
While caffeine is a stimulant, it is not considered to be as aggressive or as detrimental as many other drugs such as nicotine or alcohol
And while in small doses any stimulant, including caffeine, can be a part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, many of us find ourselves hooking ourselves up to an IV that drips pure caffeine 24/7 (Ala Starbucks)
Here is a list of some of positive and negative effects of caffeine:
POSITIVE
1) Slight increases in sporting performance
2) Increased Alertness
3) Reduction in fatigue
4) Motivate you to get your ass out of bed in the morning
NEGATIVE
1) Dependency
2) Headaches
3) Sleep deprivation
4) Teeth blackening
5) Upset stomach
6) Dehydration
7) Drowsiness
8) Many others (See above diagram)
Anything in small doses is perfectly acceptable for maintain a good health
From smoking a cigar on special occasions to throwing back a few pints with some friends, to even have a cup of coffee now and again can all be part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle
But as we all know, everyone loves to take some things to the extreme
And while having a cup of coffee every day seems to be the norm in the business norm, I never found myself quite fitting in with that class so I decided to do some research on the short and long term effects of caffeine
The abbreviated information I wrote above, along with other research I ran into was enough for me to want to quit the cup and try something new
I quit caffeine all together about 2 years ago, removing all coffee and caffeinated beverages from my life in an effort to see what kind of benefits it would produce for my life
My results were very interesting
At first I was struggling to not go for a can of pop or grab a cup of coffee on the daily, I would feel drowsier and generally lazier during the day
After a few weeks I noticed that my cravings for it dropped, and I found myself grabbing for a bottle of water in the morning and fruit juices instead of coffee and pop
Today I find that I can operate fully with only 6 hours of sleep and absolutely no caffeine whatsoever
What I did was replace my coffee and soda ridden rituals with that of healthy substitutes and found that I could achieve the same type of alertness and focus that comes from coffee by simply drinking water and eating the right foods
Wake up, take a shower, eat a healthy breakfast, and grab a bottle of water
This new morning ritual, thought seemingly minor in change, caused some serious positive changes in my life
My focus and alertness grew 10 fold without caffeine
I found that I could be more active and stay awake longer
My mind was no longer cloudy and muddled from the over-stimulation of caffeine
Now many people are going to get out the pitchforks and torches and set fire to me if I ask them to cut out caffeine cold turkey like I did
Instead I want to offer caffeine substitutes instead of reaching for that pop or cup of coffee that should be used infrequently in order to get your body accustomed to a lack of caffeine in the diet (so you don’t shock your body)
When you get up tomorrow, focus on getting a fuller and balanced breakfast instead of going for a coffee and bagel
By eating some wheat toast, eggs, oatmeal, or fruit in the morning, you will find that your energy level will instantly increase after the completion of a nutritious meal
After you eat your meal, you are welcome to grab a cup of coffee
You will find that in time, you will become less and less inclined to go for the coffee after a filling meal
This will prompt you to grab a juice or water in order to get your liquid pickup of the day
In time you will find that you only need after sleep deprivation or physical exhaustion
The idea is to wean your mind and body of caffeine and replace the desire for a pickup with something healthier and ultimately helping you roll out of bed even easier in the morning (you could even change out new food with exercising and get the same results)
What do you need in the morning in the morning to get going?
Do you need a cup of coffee? Maybe 4?
Do you exercise? Eat a balanced breakfast?
Be sure to comment and let me know what your morning rituals are share your tips for how you get going in the AM
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