My Coffee Supplement
Ok, I’m going to be honest. I’m drinking coffee. Regularly.
I love coffee. I'm sorry!
And some of you may have witnessed it last week at the THRIVE events. Now before you tsk tsk- I’m not drinking as many cups of coffee as before I started this all (although last week was a little more)…but still, I’m not quitting. I’ve cut down.
At first I was disappointed with myself, but I like to look on the bright side of things so bear with me.
I’ve started to realize that I’m using caffeine in a really smart way- I’m thinking of it as a drug now, so I’m using it when I need “drugs.” (ok, hold off before you jump to conclusions when I say that!)
What I mean by that is: I’m using it in the way that it can be a supplement to my diet to boost my energy when I need to. Instead of it being just a regular part of my diet, I’m taking a coffee as if it’s an energy pill when I need it. In much the same way that I’ll include a smoothie to boost my immune system, or take an Advil to deal with a headache, I’m using caffeine in my diet. I understand it better now too! I know it’s not long-standing energy so I used it to help me push through when I need to be peppy and cheery in short-term segments when I’m not feeling it so much. It also helps me to get focused and motivated when I can’t seem to gather it in any other way. So there you have it: I’m not working on eliminating coffee anymore. I’m happy with it being a supplement, just as I use other food as fuel for my body. I think if we look back at why I quit coffee (to ingest more water to build on my back health), I think we can see some success: I’m not blindly downing coffee anymore- I usually only have a half cup to get that boost- and I’m drinking a lot more water. I guess it points out that we need to be very specific about our goals.
If you’re interested in more about coffee, you can check out this interesting link that a colleague happened to be looking at while I walked by his computer: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee.
Fatigue, Exercise and Back Health
I’ve felt a little tired lately (aftermath of working hard last week, no doubt), so I haven’t been as active as I would have liked to be. When I’m not physically active (mainly doing yoga or going climbing), it seems my back is not appreciative of the rest! So last night I was very pleased to do yoga (after seeing my chiropractor) and reinvigorate my physical body. I was surprised at how quickly I had lost some of my muscle strength. It made me shake my head at myself.
But it is shoulder season (as Jolene mentioned- it’s hard to get motivated to do something in the rain). It’s that time of year that leaves me restless- I can’t climb outside, I don’t really enjoy hiking that much, and I can’t yet ski. Climbing indoors is ok, but it’s not my favourite (I don’t like paying for it, for one, and for two, it’s not outside!), so I’ve been slacking a little lately.
But that’s changing this weekend! So long to Shoulder Season!
Plans for the Rest of the Week
I’m very excited- the seasons have changed fully now, and I’m able to open up my to-do list to include skiing! So this weekend I’m going to Mt. Baker, and I’m also trying to figure out a way to do some backcountry skiing too (perhaps in the Whistler area). I’ll try to take some pictures to share with you.
And I forgot to mention really that I’ve started running. No, let’s call it more like jogging. But last week, during THRIVE week, I felt so stressed out that I would wake up at 5:30 am and lie in bed thinking anxiously about all the things I did wrong, or forgot or needed to do. So that was painful. And I had to make it stop.
So I decided that morning runs would be helpful to get all that anxious energy out of me. And so you’ll find me a few times a week running with my dog at 6 am or so, along Kits Beach and then up Trafalgar hill (that is truly difficult). It’s a 4 km run for a half hour or so (so nothing fancy!), but it makes me feel pretty good! You should try it! (but not with me, because I don’t want you to see me panting like I do!).
