Ten years ago while in wilderness school I could not stand the thought of missing my morning cup of instant coffee mixed with a hot chocolate packet and milk. We called it something like a Mocha Java. It was the sole reason I got out of bed, got dressed, and did my morning campsite chores at lightning pace. Then one day someone presented an article on how coffee could negatively affect people. I stopped drinking it for about 8 years, and here I am again. I usually only have coffee once a week because I knew that I did not want to become addicted to it again. In fact I fell asleep writing my blog this morning because I didn't get to have my coffee at Mill Mountain, but it is time to say farewell once again.
I chose this to be a goal for the sole purpose of using my natural energy. We sleep every night to renew our bodies with energy for the next day. If we don't sleep enough there can be nothing healthy about using a drug to make it through the day to end up feeling even more tired at the end than we originally would have. In fact that alone is good reason to believe that it would make you age quicker.
I always believed that the rush of energy I would get after a cup of coffee was genuinely making me more positive and happier throughout the day. Researching a little further into things it seems that one of the main reasons NOT to drink coffee is that caffeine is one of the main inhibitors of serotonin, a chemical produced in the brain that makes us happy! A few other reasons among many to stay away include stained teeth and higher stress.
I do realize that coffee has been proven to provide us with some beneficial purposes such as a reduced risk of Parkinson's, helping prevent Cirrhosis of the liver and helping to burn fat. Just take a shot at it, Google "why coffee is good for you" and then switch the good to "bad" and search again. There are dozens of articles for both, even some written by the same news agencies. In the big picture though there are plenty of other ways to prevent these things without consuming a drug every day. It seems that all the positive sides of coffee come along with a negative. Eating and drinking healthy foods can also contribute to a healthy liver and losing weight. I believe it all comes back to the issue of sleep. If I respect sleep and concentrate on getting enough of it, I should be able to make it through the day just fine. If not I've heard that the polar bear plunge or old scissors in the electric socket trick also have a way of getting people going. Week 11, begin. Au revoir cafe!
End of Week 11 Update
Similar to all of the other goals where I have given something up this one was difficult for the first week. I found myself wanting to drink coffee and thinking about it more often than I would normally throughout the week for the sole reason that I could not have it anymore. It seems it usually takes more than a week for me to accept that these things are not part of my life anymore. Then once the switch is flipped the thought of them barely comes across my mind at all anymore.
The rewiring process now is becoming fun to watch. Lets take a look back. The first two weeks I gave up soda and started drinking 67 ounces of water a day. Soda is no longer on my radar, I don't think about it or want it. I would argue that I am more likely to leave the house now without pants on then without my 2 liter water bottle. It has become a part of my day, I fill it up before I get dressed for the day. Three weeks ago I gave up cursing. The first week I cursed 52 times. The second week, 19 times. This week, 4 times. It seems now that by making one change a week and getting used to having constant change, it has made it that much easier to deal with. I know that for the first week or maybe two that things will be a challenge but I believe it is the continuity of the project that is ultimately speeding up my acceptance of these changes. Since I have a set list and I am aware every Wednesday that one week from then another habitual change will be coming there is no time to hold on to these things that I am giving up. They have to be forgotten. There ends up becoming no need to miss them because it is only going to make the next week more difficult. Bring it week 12!
Week 11 Totals
Soda - 0 ounces
Water - 37.99 Gallons
Liquor - 0 shots
Tea - 112 cups
Trips to unhappy places - Jimmy Johns (1)
$ to support neighbors = 124.19
Fried food consumption - 2 dorito chips
Breakfasts eaten - 28
Pushups - 720 Crunches - 720
Days Flossed - 14
Coffee - 0 cups
I chose this to be a goal for the sole purpose of using my natural energy. We sleep every night to renew our bodies with energy for the next day. If we don't sleep enough there can be nothing healthy about using a drug to make it through the day to end up feeling even more tired at the end than we originally would have. In fact that alone is good reason to believe that it would make you age quicker.
I always believed that the rush of energy I would get after a cup of coffee was genuinely making me more positive and happier throughout the day. Researching a little further into things it seems that one of the main reasons NOT to drink coffee is that caffeine is one of the main inhibitors of serotonin, a chemical produced in the brain that makes us happy! A few other reasons among many to stay away include stained teeth and higher stress.
I do realize that coffee has been proven to provide us with some beneficial purposes such as a reduced risk of Parkinson's, helping prevent Cirrhosis of the liver and helping to burn fat. Just take a shot at it, Google "why coffee is good for you" and then switch the good to "bad" and search again. There are dozens of articles for both, even some written by the same news agencies. In the big picture though there are plenty of other ways to prevent these things without consuming a drug every day. It seems that all the positive sides of coffee come along with a negative. Eating and drinking healthy foods can also contribute to a healthy liver and losing weight. I believe it all comes back to the issue of sleep. If I respect sleep and concentrate on getting enough of it, I should be able to make it through the day just fine. If not I've heard that the polar bear plunge or old scissors in the electric socket trick also have a way of getting people going. Week 11, begin. Au revoir cafe!
End of Week 11 Update
Similar to all of the other goals where I have given something up this one was difficult for the first week. I found myself wanting to drink coffee and thinking about it more often than I would normally throughout the week for the sole reason that I could not have it anymore. It seems it usually takes more than a week for me to accept that these things are not part of my life anymore. Then once the switch is flipped the thought of them barely comes across my mind at all anymore.
The rewiring process now is becoming fun to watch. Lets take a look back. The first two weeks I gave up soda and started drinking 67 ounces of water a day. Soda is no longer on my radar, I don't think about it or want it. I would argue that I am more likely to leave the house now without pants on then without my 2 liter water bottle. It has become a part of my day, I fill it up before I get dressed for the day. Three weeks ago I gave up cursing. The first week I cursed 52 times. The second week, 19 times. This week, 4 times. It seems now that by making one change a week and getting used to having constant change, it has made it that much easier to deal with. I know that for the first week or maybe two that things will be a challenge but I believe it is the continuity of the project that is ultimately speeding up my acceptance of these changes. Since I have a set list and I am aware every Wednesday that one week from then another habitual change will be coming there is no time to hold on to these things that I am giving up. They have to be forgotten. There ends up becoming no need to miss them because it is only going to make the next week more difficult. Bring it week 12!
Week 11 Totals
Soda - 0 ounces
Water - 37.99 Gallons
Liquor - 0 shots
Tea - 112 cups
Trips to unhappy places - Jimmy Johns (1)
$ to support neighbors = 124.19
Fried food consumption - 2 dorito chips
Breakfasts eaten - 28
Pushups - 720 Crunches - 720
Days Flossed - 14
Coffee - 0 cups