My jaw dropped when I saw this fact a while ago. Did you know that there is a drug that 85% of us use every single day? If you’re one of them, I have a little assignment for you. 🙂 No, I am not going to ask you to quit.
It’s caffeine … and we use it to get going in the morning, power through workouts or work, and keep us going through the mid-afternoon slump.
The upside of caffeine?
- It gives you energy
- It boosts your alertness and ability to concentrate
- It can come in beverages filled with antioxidants that have health benefits (ex: tea!)
That’s all well and good …But there are a few downsides.
- It can take up to 10 hours to clear your system – which means it can also get in the way of relaxing – and falling and staying asleep.
- You can build up a tolerance after your body gets used to it, which means you might need to drink more of it to get the same effects.
- It can raise your blood pressure.
- It can make you “wired-tired”: jittery, overstimulated, and tired at the same time.
- It’s linked with migraines.
- It doesn’t mix well with some medications and health issues.
- Suddenly quitting caffeine can give you headaches and leave you feeling tired, achy, and even nauseous.
This leads me to that little assignment I mentioned earlier. Today, take some time to ask yourself:
Are you using caffeine – or is it using you?
If you are feeling jittery and stressed, having a hard time sleeping, getting headaches, or finding that your tolerance for caffeine is increasing …Or maybe you feel like you NEED it to keep going through the day – it might be time to reevaluate your caffeine use.
Just something to think about!
REFERENCE:
This fad doesn’t work
Heads up, I’ve got some controversial news for you today – but hang with me! “Moderation” is one of the biggest buzzwords in wellness right now. But guess what? It doesn’t work …Because almost everyone does it wrong. The fact is, what looks like “moderation” to one person might be something completely different for someone else. For food, your definition of “moderate” can depend on what you grew up eating, your current eating habits, or even your mood.
Are you a stress eater? Or meal skipper?
If you’ve ever had a stressful day (or year!) that affected your eating habits, you are NOT alone. In a study, more than 75% of adults said that stress played a role in their eating during the past month. This included overeating, eating junk foods, or not eating. Many of them said it happened weekly. They also said it made them feel sluggish, lazy, disappointed in themselves, and/or irritable.
Your 4 Pillars
Last week I posted about jumping off the health/fitness/weight loss/etc. rollercoaster and finding a plan that works for YOU and your life! Doesn’t it just feel good when you get into a groove that you can actually stick with? (If you haven’t yet, hang with me, I’ve got a helpful tip for you below.) It’s a little mindset/organizing hack … And it’s something to think about when you get sidetracked, overwhelmed, or aren’t sure what to do next.
When you’re tired of feeling tired
Have you ever been here before? Something sparked you to set a new fitness goal that you were REALLY excited about. Maybe you stepped on the scale after the holidays, had a big event coming up (reunion, wedding, vacation, etc.), were unhappy with the results from your latest doctor’s visit, watched an inspiring movie, were wowed by someone else’s transformation, or even had some kind of wake-up call…
