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| cappuccino in France |
Today marks one month that I have been completely caffeine free. That’s right ladies and gents – I have not had caffeine in 30 days.
I started drinking coffee since I was very young – I would say around middle school. It’s a cultural thing. Brasilians are very famous for their coffee, especially their cafezinho.
It got to the point that I was drinking at least 4 cups before 9am. I just LOVE the taste of coffee! It’s exactly what I want on a cold winter morning and on a hot summer afternoon (iced coffee that is). A soy latte makes a great snack and going to Starbucks became a social thing amongst my group of friends. Coffee is very much integrated into my life.
I did not use coffee in the mornings as an energy drink. I swore to my honor that caffeine did not affect my system and that I could drink a coke before going to bed and still fall asleep fine.
When I went to Yogaville, Memorial Day weekend, I knew I was going to have to endure three whole days without coffee. I figured, I wasn’t addicted to caffeine so it shouldn’t be a problem. By the second day however, it was a BIG problem. My migraine was a killer! I had no choice but to drink ONE of the instant coffee I brought for emergencies a day. It kept the migraine at bay while I was trying to enjoy my time with Krishna Das.
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| mocha in Italy |
When I came back home, I decided enough is enough. Clearly, I was addicted to coffee and that scared me. I want to treat my body like a temple and who knows how dangerous caffeine is to the body, especially in the doses I was taking it. Now, I still longed for the warmth in the morning. So I decided to stick with decaf coffee. And that’s that! One month later and I am going strong.
The longer I went without caffeine, the more I realized how sensitive my body really is to that sort of stuff. We become so desensitized that we forget how sensitive we are. And not just in terms of caffeine but other foods such as sugar, fats, alcohol, FOOD COLORING, etc. Or how about the media? I have no doubt that the violence in our world is exacerbated by the amount of violence on TV, video games, movies and the likes. Being so used to it, we forget that all that subliminal messaging really has an effect on us.
Now, it has not been an easy road. I long for a burst of energy in the afternoon. When I feel sluggish at work, there is not much I can do except for some pranayama in the bathroom. I was still getting headaches on day 25. Every day like clockwork around 3pm. It’s all worth it though. I know my body is thanking me for one less substance it has to break down. I feel happier to know I am not addicted to anything. And it has opened my eyes to how gentle we really should be with ourselves. I take my perfectly functioning body for granted sometimes and this is a way of giving some love back.
Namaste.
I'm so proud of you, I feel like a mom. Wait, I *am* a mom, just not your mom. Can I be your twittermom?You are doing such a good thing for yourself. That phenomenon that you can have caffeine before bed with no impact? It means your adrenals are unable to respond any longer, you burned them out. Fortunately, as I tell my clients, we are designed to heal, and that's what you are doing. Well done. Add in a few grams of Vit C during the day to support those adrenals even better. You've inspired me to send you something else, now, so keep a lookout ;p
Good for you! I went a year without any diet soda or coffee, then figured it was okay to have either every once in a while. Before too long, I was back to it being an everyday affair. So I'm back on board with you… I've gone 10 days with no coffee/sodas and the biggest thing I miss is the entertainment factor of those drinks. Water is great… but it do get boring.Anyway, keep up the fantastic work!
congrats! giving up anything that's in our daily lives is a difficult one. i have a brazilian friend who brought some of her dad's coffee back (you know, that he grew & roasted himself!!) and it was truly some of the best coffee i've ever enjoyed.
hugs!!
Ugh, you are one tough cookie! I would love to be free of my caffeine addiction, but the threat of migraines and sluggishness prevents me from taking the plunge. I will never forget my trip to Egypt, our first full day there, when my body realized it was not getting its morning dosage of caffeine. I felt like a zombie, and I was walking around in the hot Egyptian sun feeling like I was going to hurl/pass out/die. It got so bad that during one trip to a mosque I requested to just sit in the corner as everyone else toured the site, and there I fell asleep next to a group of Egyptian worshippers. I don't think I could ever quit coffee unless I had at least 2 weeks off of work, where I could just lie on the couch and diiiie.
Awesome, congrats on the 1 month! The longest I've gone without a coffee (caf & decaf) is a week. I also LOVE the taste of coffee, but only have 1 a day… and no, not a venti. lol I was going to freak out a little there until you said you were drinking decaf coffee… phew! Hard to give up the taste for sure… having just herbal teas everyday doesn't cut it…. and I wouldn't dare say have some chai hahahah Kidding… it has caffeine anyways.
Yay for taking care of your body!
good job! i dont need it everyday and if i do i limit it to 1 cup in the morning. i love the taste of coffee too. i wish everyone knew some pranyama or if it was just okay to do it at your desk! all i want to do is break out into poses and breathing at my desk and i have to remember where i am and who im with! i hope the headaches go away soon!
Congrats! 30 days is quite an accomplishment. I've somehow gotten onto a diet soda kick. Yes, I know all about the evils of soda and especially diet soda. I'm really not sure how or why it started. But I do know I'm having a hell of a time kicking it. But you're post inspired me to start over again – tomorrow.
Kudos to you! I have been changing my eating habits, slowly but surely moving towards a healthier lifestyle – into my 3rd week of it & noticed that i'm not enjoying that coffee like i used to. But i'm still having it. It's like i need to wrap my head around the fact that – no i do not need that 3rd cup!
So my next focus is consciously reducing the caffeine. thanks for the inspiration