When I learned Caffeine Wasn’t My Friend
I had to learn the hard way that caffeine wasn’t my friend. It was a sad day. But after severely taxing my adrenals from chronic stress, I learned that caffeine was only causing me more harm than good.
Caffeine, Your Metabolism and Weight Gain
Here’s why. Not only does caffeine add stress to your adrenals, which produce hormones that are vital to life, such as cortisol (which helps regulate metabolism and helps your body respond to stress) and aldosterone (which helps control blood pressure), but it messes with the natural rhythm of the body, including the circadian rhythm.
Guys, our natural body’s rhythms are everything, predominantly because sleep is everything! When our sleep is off, everything is off. We crave sugar and carbs, our appetite is increased, we’re sluggish, we feel low, our immunity is lower, we working against our body, further taxing our systems, but guess what else sleep affects? Our metabolism!
Poor sleep can negatively impact the basic metabolic functions of storing carbohydrates and regulating hormones, processes that regulate the way we burn fat and energy, impacting weight gain.
How Removing Caffeine Improved my Health
All this to say, that the more we can support our bodies in running efficiently without stimulants, such as caffeine, the better off we are. Ever since I have removed, or drastically reduced caffeine from my life, my sleep has drastically improved, I’m extremely in sync with my body’s natural rhythm, falling asleep naturally (and staying asleep) and waking naturally and feeling sharp and alert, my eating habits have improved, I’ve lost a lot of weight and my adrenals have strengthened. I’m no longer edgy, tired and frantic, but instead the calm, alert and energized.
How to Wake Yourself Up Without Caffeine
But let’s be honest. No matter how healthy you are, every human being, especially us busy Mamas, have our days and could use a lil help to get going in the AM!
So, while I don’t have my morning cup o joe anymore, I sure as hell have a bunch of ways to wake my ass up and get going when I need the support!
Brain Octane Oil
Made up of Medium Chain Triglycerides, which is a fat source that is found in coconut oil, Brain Octane Oil is a more concentrated form of these MCTs, providing you with the purest energy source possible. Brain Octane Oil rapidly provides mental and physical energy, powering your day by supporting cognitive function and keeping you satisfied and free from food cravings. It’s sugar free and has no taste. I put 1 tablespoon in my shake every morning to experience a high performance state and better brain function. If you are taking this for the first time, especially if you’re petite, I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon and slowly building up to 1 tablespoon over a 2 week period. It takes some time for your body to adjust to it and it’s very powerful stuff.
Smart Mode
This formula of cognitive-enhancing ingredients gives you maximum mental clarity. This stuff has been a game changer for me on days that I need a serious mental boost. Take this, and you’ll be off to the races.
Peppermint Oil
Give some peppermint a whif and watch your mind + body wake up in an instant!
Cold Shower
The winhof method of taking a freezing cold shower is incredible for alertness and natural energy, and it also reduces inflammation, speeds up up your metabolism and does so much more! I only do 15-30 seconds at the end of my normal shower and it does the trick!
Splash Face with Cold Water
If you can’t stomach the freezing cold shower (I get it! Took me some time to get there!), splash your face with cold water right when you wake up. It’s excellent not only in waking you up, but it tightens your skin and gives you a healthy glow!
Water
Don’t roll your eyes! Just hear me out….When you wake up after a long night of sleep, you’re body is very dehydrated from all of that breathing and often, sweating you’ve been doing for often 6-8 hours. I swear to you, if you start your day with drinking a room temperature glass of water, you will truly be mind blown by how it jumps starts your mind and body, I kid you not.
I also do believe that by starting my day with drinking water cues my body to want more throughout the day. We all know that hydration not only keeps our bodies functioning efficiently, but keeps us alert.
Now, if you’re rolling your eyes on this one, I want to challenge you to ask yourself how much water you’re actually drinking a day, as it relates to caffeine and alcohol. Once you make that connection, take a look at your sleep habits and see if there’s a correlation. More often than not, there 100% is.
Maca Root
Maca root is an adaptogenic herb derived from an indigenous Andean vegetable. It has been shown to provide sustained energy throughout the day without the jittery crash of caffeine, which can help you feel more awake so you’re able to focus on the things that matter. It also has several other benefits
Rosewater Spray
I swear to god, I have no idea where I’d be without this stuff. No matter how drained and tired I am, or honestly, even if I’m in a funky mood or have had a cry, if I spray this one my face, I feel refreshed, awake, and ready to go. It’s a refreshing, hydrating mist that’s made up of herbal extracts. It’s gotten me through every pregnancy and postpartum phase and I don’t even want to know where I’d be without it!
Jade Roller
I recently started this and can’t believe it took me this long! I’m hooked! Jade Rolling feels amazing and really wakes me up! Not only is jade known for it’s natural healing abilities, but jade rolling boosts blood circulation and stimulates the lymphatic system. Not only does this facial massage wake you up, but it’s affects reduce swelling, puffiness and inflammation, while smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles, brightening complexions and tightening pores, to name a few. It feels so good as it’s recommended that the jade is cold when you massage your face, which just really wakes the face up and feels amazing.
Nadovim
I call this stuff natural ritalin. Seriously. I take this when I need to really focus and get down to business. It’s a natural supplement that provides your brain with cellular energy to function in an optimal manner. It’s so good.
KetoPrime
Say goodbye to brain fog and feeling sluggish. This stuff gives you nice, sustained energy without those coffee jitters. I take these before a work out to enhance things or any other time I really need additional energy and feel I need support.
Mindset
I swear to you, this is the most important and effective one. All kidding aside, no matter how tired I am, if I reset my mind with journaling and meditation, I truly am able to shift my energy and make the day productive. The way I do this, is when I journal, I almost whine it out.
As I’m venting about how tired I am or whatever is dragging me down, I get it off my chest, so to speak and decide in that moment how I want to feel for the rest of the day. I often decide that I want the day to be productive. I’ll be super clear with my intentions for the day, declaring that I’m going to do A, B, and C, and leave D, for example. And I’ll decide, if I need to say, work from my bed versus at my desk today, I’m okay with that. But I make a conscious decision on how it is that I want to feel and what I want to get out of the day.
When I make that commitment and set my mind up that way, I often get way more done than I could have imagined. In fact, the days I take the edge off and just say, I’ll modify and do these few things in this way, versus not doing anything at all or putting super high expectations on myself, are typically the most productive days for me.
While there are certainly days that our bodies are telling us that we need rest and we should embrace those, there are often days that we’re either just feeling lazy and unmotivated, or we are tired, and don’t have the luxury of laying in bed all day. On those days, I find mind set shifting to be huge.
Also, when you’re in sync with your mind, you aren’t battling all day against your mind. You’re moving in a state of flow, with your body and mind in sync, creating less stress in the body, versus feeling like you’re having to muscle your way through the day, adding a lot of inner stress.
I believe that each day is an opportunity and no matter how shitty we feel, we can shift out energy through shifting our mindset to accomplish anything we want and have any type of day that we decide to have. It starts in our minds and hearts. I’ve had some of the most productive days when I’ve been tired, just because I decided I was going to modify things a little to support the way I felt, but still make it a great day.
How to Reduce Caffeine
Now, I realize you may be saying to yourself, “I KNOW I need to get rid of the 3 cups of coffee I drink every day, but I CAN’T!” Or, you say you’ll stop tomorrow, and then you’re jolted out of bed by a crying or sick child in the middle of the night and the next morning you feel like you were hit by a truck and say “F it”. I get it. Been there.
Swap Your Last Cup
This is what I recommend instead. Don’t go cold turkey. Start by swapping your last cup of coffee, whether for you that’s your 4th or your 2nd, with green tea or better yet herbal tea. Often times its more the ritual of it than the need for the actual coffee. I also recommend drinking water when you feel sluggish or adding in a little movement to wake your brain and body up. That will often give you the boost you need.
An alternative I’ve been wanting to try for a while is RASA coffee. This “coffee” is an adaptogenic alternative blend packed with great tasting herbs that provide lasting energy, nourishing your adrenals rather than taxing them! Apparently, it tastes like traditional coffee but doesn’t contain caffeine and is supportive to your system! Literally sounds like heaven to me and I can’t wait to try it!
Check in With Yourself
Lastly, check in with yourself when you feel the temptation or cue. We often are craving something other than what we think we are. If you work in an office and the desire hits after you’ve been crunching numbers for 2 hours straight and feel you need a mental break or social interaction, it may just be that you need to go chat with someone for a few or get some fresh air, versus actually get coffee. Often, we are used to the ritual of going to get coffee with coworkers as a break, or chatting near the coffee maker. Checking in with yourself and seeing if you can connect with the feeling and support yourself in another way that will release endorphins and give you an emotional and mental boost, can often do the trick.
Was this helpful to you? Please let me know in the comments below!
The mindset shift that allows you to do it all, without doing it all
