Kicking the Caffeine Habit

Alarm blares at 6:45am (earlier if I plan to exercise first), get ready for work, spend time with my girls and help them get ready for their day or just be present, breakfast, the dog, out the door and off to work… Phone calls, writing, emails, meetings, almost 2pm yikes, grab lunch and continue working, just noticed it’s 5:30pm, less than an hour to cram in more stuff before I need to run out the door… Yikes, it’s 6:28pm, scoot home to have dinner with my family. Eat, clean-up, kids’ bedtime routine, 8:30pm+ pay bills, stuff around the house until almost midnight, get ready for bed, zzzzz… Six to seven hours later, start again.

What I didn’t write about is what I need to consume on a daily basis to give me the energy I need throughout my day. (Note: I didn’t say to “get through my day” because getting through the day is never an issue, it’s crazy, it’s hectic, but it’s fun). Breakfast is key, and not just because my company produces breakfast cereals. It’s key because if I don’t eat, I get tired and grumpy, or my stomach growls embarrassingly loudly. (Aside: I’ll never forget that early morning in economics class in college where the other side of a very large classroom started laughing because of my stomach’s angry cries). I grew up eating three meals a day, and try to stick to that with the occasional snack. I try to consume lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and some fish, chicken or meat. The challenge for me is mid-afternoon, especially if I happen to be over-tired (i.e. often). The hitch, I’m not supposed to drink caffeine – nothing, zippo, zilch, no caffeine.

About 10 years ago, I had a scare with a lump in my breast. At the young age of 30 I had my first mammogram. I was blessed and lucky because it turned out to be a cist that went away after I stopped consuming caffeine. And back then, I only had one cup of coffee per day. But with a scare like that, I stopped drinking coffee or Coke cold turkey. However, one cup of coffee is nothing compared to most Americans daily caffeine consumption. In fact in CNN last week there was an article about moms needing caffeine just to get through their day[1]. One of the moms interviewed drinks “about four energy drinks, three cups of coffee and a six-pack of soda every day.” After 12 years of no caffeine and no cists, why did I start drinking coffee and the occasional Coke again (even if not daily)? Let’s see, hmmm, married, two kids, one dog, one house, and one start-up company. Just like the CNN article says, “caffeinated moms drink to keep up”. And that’s what I do, I just try to limit it is as much as possible for health considerations.

With all the demands on us today, do we really have a viable alternative? As my mom always said when I was little, “there just aren’t enough hours in the day.” I never understood what she meant, but I surely get it now. There just has to be a healthier alternative to caffeine. In our technology driven society, simplifying our lifestyles will remain a challenge – but one I will continue to aspire to.