Tuesday, January 15, 2013

How to Kick Your Caffeine Habit.

I love coca cola, it is my number one drink of choice. I hate to admit it, but I would pick a glass of coke over a glass of wine, or any other alcoholic beverage. Am I crazy? Maybe.


I am fully aware that drinking coke on a daily basis isn't great for my health; if it wasn't for the fact that I am addicted to it, I probably wouldn't consume as much as I do. On an average day, I have one can. That's all. Sometimes, if I am really tired and run down, I will have maybe two. Either way, if I don't have at least one glass, or a few sips of a can, I get these horrible headaches. And when I get these headaches, I am not a happy person to be around.

Because my priority for 2013 is to improve my health and to be a happier person, I have to find a way to kick my caffeine habit without driving myself and everyone around me crazy. From what I have heard/read, there are generally two ways to cut caffeine out of your daily routine: (1) to stop cold turkey or (2) to decrease your consumption gradually over a few days, etc.

Option one is not a possibility, so that means I have to start consuming less and less. This past week, I have made a conscious effort to drink less coca cola by sharing one can of coke with my boyfriend per day. There have been one or two days this past week and a bit where we have had our own cans, but only once or twice. I have also started drinking more water, cranberry juice and milk. 

I also found the following five tips from the MindBodyGreen website on how to kick your caffeine habit for good.

1. Start on your day off.
2. Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water.
3. Drink herbal tea.
4. Get your body moving - go to the gym, go for a walk, etc.
5. Grain alternatives.

For me, numbers 2, 3 and 4 are fantastic solutions to try as I work on this new lifestyle. I'm not a huge water fan, but I am learning to drink it more regularly. I also love green tea, mmmm! And exercise is part of my new years priorities -- I haven't been very successful in this dept yet. Unfortunately, as I write this post, thinking about coke, I have a pounding headache....! Anyways, to read more about how to kick your caffeine habit, head over to the full article here.

How have you kicked your caffeine habit? 

5 comments:

  1. I will totally choose pop over an alcoholic beverage any day!! Last year I finally got myself to stop drinking Mt. Dew because it's the worst one, but I still have to have a glass of coke or pepsi at least once a day. I believe in you, you can totally cut the caffeine out girl!! xo

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    1. Thanks Raechel! I am glad to hear that I am not the only one with a weakness for coke. I love pepsi too! Stay tuned as I plan to update my progress regularly!

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  2. ugh. i'm trying to cut out of some coffee. and i just flat out stopped. haven't had a glass since last thursday. and it's been horrible. but in general - i've been doing what you suggest by drinking what feels like my weight in water. and actually getting a good amount of sleep.

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  3. good luck!! kicking habits is hard especially ones that affect your body .. but i know you can do it! :)

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  4. I quit drinking Mountain Dews cold turkey. It was the best thing I ever did.I started drinking water on a regular bases, and now when I don't have water for a period of time I actually miss it!!

    Breaking any bad habit is not easy though. :) Good luck.

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