Adios caffeine :(

So I had my sesh this morning with my trainer and I got lectured for drinking Iced Coffee ... Clearly hubby has been whinging to him! And yes, hubby and I share a trainer, sometimes it's great, other times ... Well, I get dobbed on!

So after I finished my session, I left contemplating my coffee situation. My conclusion? I drink WAY too much coffee! I basically drink it to function, which - as I have recently been told - is not a good thing! On an average day I could consume between 3-4 cups of coffee, sometimes finish the day with a tea and then amongst that is my chocolate addiction! So my solution? Well, lower my intake!



After a little research today I have found that caffeine is classed as a dependant drug, but generally is not as addictive as some people may think it to be, people who drink coffee over long periods of time tend to find it hard to part with their habit. Is it that easy to stop? After reading a few articles today, I have been advised that complete omission of caffeine is a huge task, and if there is no allergy based need to avoid it then we don't need to completely avoid it, only lowering the intake.

Caffeine in high doses has a negative effect on the body, being absorbed the stomach lining within 30 minutes and then distributed to the rest of the body through the blood stream. It's main target is the cerebral cortex and this triggers the release of adrenalin, putting the brain and body in a hyper-aroused state. This state causes the body to not concentrate as well and become on edge.

With a 6 hour life and a further 6 hour half life, one cup of coffee can get you into a highly active state before you feel yourself slump impacting your mood and lacking motivation. The only thing that will rectify this mood change is another cup, here the vicious cycle begins. So for someone like myself who would consume three cups in one day, would have the half life coffee still flowing through my system until late in the evening. This causes sleeplessness or restlessness in sleep and everyone knows that if you don't get a solid sleep then you start the day off on the wrong foot.

Having gained this new information plus hubby and my trainer in my ear, I have chosen to say adios to the coffee cup and enjoy the lower dose in a cup of tea! I know that caffeine increases your metabolism so I might have to ease off the chocolate biscuits too! Well with day one out of the way, I have fought a mighty headache, but so far I am living to tell the tale!

In conclusion, coffee is bad for your moods and make s your sleep crappy so avoid it in the afternoons and spare your body the additional stress! Day one ... Success!

Thanks ... MCM xxx