One Cup a Day

It's October 5th, 2018, and today I want to talk about how reducing my coffee intake a few months ago to just one cup a day changed my life. I write this and I still haven't had my morning cup yet. Throughout college, my coffee intake increased, I was always a coffee drinker but in college, it got pretty bad.

Exams, grades and lack of sleep made coffee essential to my being everyday in college. I drank it in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. I didn't care when. Oh, and I would drink it in big sizes... like thermoses. After graduation, getting married and working a teaching job, my coffee drinking was just as bad. Stress of handling a classroom, difficulty with colleagues, and needing to meet certain standards made me drink a few cups day before 3pm hit. But guess what? In a teaching environment, that's so normal... a little too normal.

When did it start?

Around last February, I began feeling weird after my coffee drinks, for one, I felt even groggier than before I had the coffee. I was relying on coffee too much that when the got difficult instead of reading a verse from the bible or praying for a few minutes... I would instead make a cup of coffee. I began seeing coffee addiction for the first time in my life as a problem. I realized I didn't want to keep doing this, I didn't want to walk around looking sleep deprived and not energized because my body was too used to the coffee.

You mean, you just quit?!?!

No! I did not just quit. For one, I loved the taste of roasted and freshly ground coffee. I actually stopped enjoying coffee because of how much I was drinking it. With the realization of my health and the unhealthy dependence I had formed, I said to myself: "Okay, we're just gonna drink one cup of coffee a day (12-16oz), and substitute tea when it gets really bad." Practically speaking, I also used coffee for warmth, I'm one of those people who get cold easily so I also wanted something to keep me warm in a chilly classroom.

Did it work?

The first few weeks were very hard, but I got used to it! I got so used to just that one cup that I sometimes didn't even need tea. When the day would get difficult, I went back to my habit of just talking with a colleague and venting, or enjoying taking the kids outside and getting a break from the stress, I even went back to reading a bible verse or praying for a few minutes. This was all challenging, but I think in life, we want quick fixes and a lot of times we have to hear the hard truth of "there is no quick fix." Although, the hard work of getting out of that addicted habit can be so totally worth it.

The benefits out weigh the cost.

Some of the benefits that came out of doing "one cup a day" was that I focused more on my coffee taste and decided to just really enjoy that cup. I even began eating a light breakfast, I am one of those people who also has a very hard time eating breakfast, coffee used to fill me up for a while, until lunch pretty much. After changing my coffee to just that one cup, I sometimes could eat a granola bar, healthy pudding or some fruit.

And Now?

It has been about nine months since the changes in my coffee habits. I sometimes don't need that one cup and can have it at a different time in the day than just the morning. When I have work, I enjoy the coffee cup that's right next to me and enjoy every single sip. If I have the chance to take a small nap during the day, I'll take it! It definitely helps me feel much more energized.

Do I still fall and have a second cup?

YES! Every once in a while, I'll wanna try a latte while I'm grocery shopping or have a second one with a friend of mine. I allow myself that as long as it's not habitual, with a lot of things in life: Balance is key.