A Latte-Less Life

Hello. My name is Amy and I am a Starbucks addict. I wasn't fully functioning without that nice warm foamy drink in my grasp each early morning.  I still have a tendency to romance the drink, the smells, the happy warm snuggly thoughts that would ensue....geez.

But it finally happened.  After countless attempts (typically after New Years), I have tried to eliminate caffeine from my diet. I was never successful and it was usually the headaches that would do me in.  And then I would say to myself, "I do a lot of stuff right; everyone needs one little vice right?  Justification at it's worst.

It was the simplest trick that worked for me.  Someone told me to drink an 8oz glass of water right when I woke up.  It sounded like a good idea for the hydration benefits so I added that to my routine, such a creature of habit am I.  By the time I had finished my 8 oz, I wasn't scrambling for the coffee to quench my thirst and wake up my senses; the water was doing the trick.

So, I cut back to one, and then a half of one, .....and three weeks ago I gave it up all together.  I was almost panicky over teaching one of my 5:30 am Yoga for Runners classes without the ummpf that I would get  from my early am Joe but I surprisingly made it through.  And amazingly, felt good.  Yes, I did experience a few tired days.  I just continued to drink as much water as I could. And, it was really only a few days.

The thing I have noticed the most,  dare I say this,  but there seems to be an increased clarity in my focus throughout the day.  In addition, I am not absolutely drained by 6 pm at night (which also happens to be the time of the day when my kiddos seems to require the most energy).  Better sleep?  I kind of think so too.  And lastly, maybe its coincidence, but I kind of think my flexibility increased. I really do!   Just a bit, but some poses even feel different.  That one came to a total surprise to me but when I did a little research, there is quite a bit of health info on coffee impacting our flexibility.

So there it is.  I am really quite pleased with my new latte less life.  Starbucks sees a lot less of my green and I am for the first time in my life getting the recommended amount of water in my diet.  Kind of super cool.

I would love to know your thoughts out there friends.  And this doesn't mean I can't join you for a "coffee date" once in a while.  I'll just be there with my new friend, Mrs H20. Oh dear, I wonder if eliminating sugar is a possibility......