Lower Your Coffee Intake
By Randi Morse
How many times do you use caffeine to help get you through a difficult workday? A little bit of caffeine isn't a bad thing, it can be a great way to give you a boost to get you over that afternoon slump. One of the problems with relying on caffeine, however, is that you are boosting your body up with chemicals. Our bodies are well-oiled machines, and they work beautifully, most of the time, without needing any sort of artificial help.
The Problem With Caffeine
If you have just have one cup of coffee in the morning with no sugar or creamer in it to help give you a little bit of energy to wake up, that is absolutely fine. If, however, you need to have three, or four, or five cups of coffee to help you get through the day, this can be a problem. This is because your body has come to rely on an artificial chemical substance to help it work properly. If your body is relying on artificial substances, it can be almost impossible for you to get a solid read on how your body is truly doing. For example, if it takes you three cups of coffee to get through the morning, there's a very good chance that you're not getting enough rest at night.
How to Eliminate Coffee
If you are relying a little too heavily on caffeine to get through a work day, here are a few ways that you can lower your coffee intake.
- Substitute one cup of coffee every day for a cup of water. Eventually your body will start to crave the water, helping you to drop that caffeine habit.
- Lower the amount of sugar and creamer that you put in your coffee. Most of us put so much creamer and sugar in our coffee that the coffee could be considered a dessert. If you slowly cut back the amount of creamer and sugar you put in your coffee, you will find that you crave it less.
- Finding a substitute is a great way to help lower your caffeine intake without feeling deprived. Many people switch to tea; they are able to get that same warm feeling without having the same amount of caffeine.
The biggest trick when it comes to lowering your caffeine intake is to do it slowly. It took you awhile to build up to the amount of coffee you are currently drinking, it's going to take some time to lower your daily coffee intake.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Monrovia, Calif.