3497: 5 Reasons I Gave Up Coffee (And Lived to Talk About it) by Lea Genders on Natural Energy Boosters

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[00:00:59] This is Optimal Health Daily. Five reasons I gave up coffee and lived to talk about it. By Leah Genders of leahgendersfitness.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or welcome for the first time if you're new here. Remember, this is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online.

[00:01:24] And then I give a little bit of my own commentary at the end. I'm going to keep this intro nice and short. So with that, let's get right to it and start optimizing your life. Five reasons I gave up coffee and lived to talk about it. By Leah Genders of leahgendersfitness.com.

[00:01:46] When I tell people I want to take a coffee break, they're usually supportive until I explain that I don't mean to take a break with coffee, but to take a break from coffee. Then they think I'm crazy. I filled up my 30-ounce Yeti tumbler with black coffee like I do every morning. I drank it on my morning walk with my dog, on my drive to work, and as I sat at my desk.

[00:02:08] As I licked the last drops from the bottom of the cup, I craved more. More. More. And more. I considered stopping by Starbucks for just a tall. That's when I realized it's time for a caffeine reset. More is not better when it comes to caffeine. I reset my caffeine tolerance every once in a while when I feel my coffee consumption getting out of control. One large tumbler is 3 3⁄4 cups. That's a lot.

[00:02:38] Coffee in moderation can have health benefits, but like most things in life, too much is still too much. 4 cups of coffee 7 days a week is not an example of moderation. So, I gave it up. I get my body fat percentage analyzed once a month on a Saturday morning before I eat or drink anything. Once I got home, it was past my usual coffee time, so I decided it was the perfect day to start my caffeine fast.

[00:03:05] I didn't have a client again until Tuesday, so I had a few days to get it out of my system before I had to interact with humans. Some people who are smarter than me may choose to reduce their coffee consumption slowly over time instead of going cold turkey to help diminish the withdrawal symptoms. I wanted to get it over with. I went cold turkey from all to nothing. On day 3 of my caffeine reset, I felt like I was dying.

[00:03:31] Symptoms included a headache, foggy brain, low energy, feeling tired, and crankiness. I didn't realize my dependence on it until I took it away. I posted about it on Facebook in an attempt to entice internet sympathy. Comments included, Why do such an awful thing? Or, You're brave. Or, You have willpower. And finally, But why? Why give up caffeine?

[00:04:00] 5 reasons I gave up coffee. 1. For more natural energy. When I cut out caffeine, I feel more energized and clear-headed in the morning. I mean, of course, after the crippling withdrawal symptoms subside. When my body adapts to my regular, supersized coffee consumption, my caffeine tolerance goes up. Then, instead of drinking coffee for an energy boost or a pick-me-up, I need it to feel normal.

[00:04:26] I wake up in the mornings feeling like a zombie, until I can pour coffee into my mouth hole. Once I'm off it, I wake up feeling clear-headed and ready to tackle my day. 2. To develop healthier habits. I write a lot about healthy habits, and it's good practice to challenge the status quo of your daily routine. What are your daily habits? I drink coffee every morning because that's part of my morning routine. Do I need it? What would my morning look like without it?

[00:04:55] Is there a healthier alternative? Examine your daily habits. You don't need to change everything or anything at all. Bring awareness to your habit patterns and evaluate if there are ways to make small improvements. 3. To challenge my comfort zone. It was uncomfortable to give up caffeine. What else is uncomfortable? Can you improve your health or well-being in a small way by trying something new and uncomfortable?

[00:05:22] Look at it as an experiment to discover something new about yourself. I learned I had a full-blown dependency on caffeine. 4. For better sleep. I learned in my DNA analysis that I'm a slow metabolizer of caffeine. I didn't think this was true until it took nearly 7 days to feel normal again after going off caffeine. It was a rough week. My deepest apologies to the people who had to put up with me. I noticed right away that I was sleeping more soundly at night.

[00:05:51] I'm a deep sleeper anyway. Sorry to my poor partner and other insomniac types. But when I'm off caffeine, my sleep quality improves. Which is probably part of the reason I feel more energized in the mornings without coffee. And 5. For running performance.

[00:06:35] I joke that caffeine is my performance-enhancing drug. A small cup of coffee after 2 weeks. But this time, I'm staying away. I feel so energized. I don't want coffee. Weird, right? I'm sure I'll have caffeine again as needed. But my reset is a valuable reminder of not getting too dependent on any substances to feel normal. I'm certainly not suggesting everyone give up caffeine. I wouldn't do that. I don't want you to hate me. There's nothing inherently wrong with regular moderate consumption of caffeine.

[00:07:04] But if you find that you're pushing the limits of normal, it may be time to take a temporary break to rest your tolerance. It's a good practice to examine any of your automatic behaviors, also known as habits, and look for ways to improve them if possible. Do you think I'm crazy? That's okay. Most people do. You just listened to the post titled, 5 Reasons I Gave Up Coffee and Live to Talk About It,

[00:07:33] by Leah Genders of leahgendersfitness.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show. So I get how much the right hire matters. When you need the right person, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Stop struggling to get your job post even seen on other sites. Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. Spend less time searching

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[00:09:56] I'll be honest with you. When I first read the title of this article, I thought, Oh no, this is going to be all about how bad caffeine is for you. And in my commentary, I'm going to have to gently explain why caffeine isn't all that bad for most people. But I was so happy when I actually read the article. Leah provided such an even-handed and clear message. If you enjoy your caffeine, no problem. Just do so in moderation, like everything else.

[00:10:23] Now what does moderation mean for most adults? According to most health agencies, that means no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Now that's from all sources, whether it's soda, coffee, tea, chocolate. Those all have caffeine in them, right? So if we were to just say rely on coffee for all of our caffeine consumption, 400 milligrams of caffeine would be about 16 ounces of Starbucks brand coffee specifically. So a grande.

[00:10:52] If you get more than this, it's still probably not an issue. For some, up to six cups of coffee a day may be fine. But for others, like me and Leah, too much caffeine may start to negatively affect us. For me, if I get more than two cups of coffee a day, I won't be able to fall asleep later. So the important thing is, know yourself. Know how your body responds to caffeine. What's too much for some might be too little for others.

[00:11:22] But using that 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is a nice starting point. All right. That's it from me for today. Thank you so much for listening. And I'll be back here tomorrow as usual. So I'll see you there where your optimal life awaits. All right. The next one. I'll see you there. Well, as long as you're in. I'll see you there.