My Coffee Supplement
Ok, I’m going to be honest. I’m drinking coffee. Regularly.
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!).