Yesterday (Wednesday, September 29, 2010) was National Coffee Day and if you’re like millions of Americans, you’ve probably had at least one cup of joe today. But do you feel like you may drink too many cups of coffee or too many caffeinated beverages like energy drinks or sodas? Here are two simple questions to check your status:
- Do you ever have headaches after missing a day or even hours without a cup of coffee?
- If you forget to have coffee, or run out of time to grab a cup, do you constantly think about coffee until you finally drink some?
- Have you felt drowsy, irritable, or unable to concentrate between drinks?
Chances are if you said yes (or maybe on occassion) to any of the above questions, you may be hooked on your caffeinated drink of choice. But that’s okay, below are a few easy tips on how you can break this cycle:
1.) Start Slow: decrease your daily amount of caffeine until you completely stop drinking it. Replace regular with decaf. Then instead of a full cup of decaf, try a half cup of decaf and dilute it with hot water. Or, if you want your regular cup of coffee instead of 6 cups a day, drink 3. Same rules apply to energy drinks and soda.
2.) Try Tea or Juice: switch to a different pick-me-up drink like green, earl grey, chai, or black tea or an organically produced juice like apple, orange, and grape. Not only are they relatively affordable but they also provide your body with antioxidents and, in most cases, little to no caffeine.
3.) Sleep: Most of our “need” for caffeine comes from a lack of energy or stress. Go to bed an hour earlier and you’ll definitely begin to feel a difference in your day-to-day activities.
4.) Be Patient: Hang in there Scrubinista! Strong cravings for caffeine won’t subside over night. But as long as you pace yourself a day at a time, you will become less dependent over time.
Yes, caffeine has it’s health benefits, but too much of anything can cause a problem. Have you successfully given up caffeine or any food-related habit? Share your story in the comments and encourage others who may be starting, if you like. Here’s to a Happier and Healthier You for the upcoming holidays and beyond! Until next time…
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 30th, 2010 at 6:30 am and is filed under Authors, Celia, Health & Beauty, Tips & Treats. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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