Yesterday was surprisingly not so difficult (though perhaps the medicine I took for my neck issues masked some of the pain or headache associated with lack of caffeine).
Yawning ferociously I was also a great grumpster (which was interesting as my co-worker has quit smoking so we were quite the pair!) but still I yanked and pushed about the boxes in the extra cold freezer and still I smiled largely for the seniors in to get their weekly discount. (And I'm not sure if yesterday was a full moon but it seemed EVERYONE was asserting their negative moody-ness.)
Boss suggested milk thistle tea as part of the detox process. Some dear soul online suggested a day or two of decaf...it still has a wee bit of caffeine and so is supposed to make the process slightly less deadly. Yet another told me, bluntly, to expect utter hell for the next few days - the 3rd and 4th as the worst.
Made a juice jug filled with dandelion tea and lemon and chugged back a couple of mugs full already this morning as I spent time with the Lord.
Kids bouncing on the mattresses in the living room. (Daughter is sleeping there as we re-paint her room. What a process! I have certainly learned the lesson that you never paint latex over oil - scraping that stuff is painstakingly horrid and time consuming and neck-injuring! The eventual shade of pink will be the most luscious and appreciated ever...if only by those of us with bulging forearms and stiff muscles!)
Time to ring the "school bell" and start our walk on this briskly chilly morning.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Giving Up Caffeine
Yes, I have tried before. yes, I have failed. Will it stop me from trying yet again? NO! (Yes, that is the sound of me being my own cheerleader!)
So why this time?
Our former minister was given pills to help relieve high blood pressure. While in for a check-up on her "counts" the man before her had his blood pressure taken and then stated loudly, in a relieved fashion, "yes...now I can go and have my cup of coffee!" Something clicked with Nan and she wondered: would cutting back on coffee help lower my blood pressure? Long story short: she cut out her daily coffee and within a couple of months weaned off, with the help of her doc, the blood pressure medication. Her blood pressure is pretty much right on, with the odd day of it being high.
While she was telling me this I was thinking several things:
1) Yikes, give up on coffee again - I remember how many (and how severe) headaches I had last time!
2) Maybe it could help with my "heart issue" - in the past year I have had two of my "attacks" and they scared the willies out of me...what used to happen only every few years has happened 3 times in about a year and a half.
3) A very outspoken vet informed me that if coffee was up for regulation now it would be banned due to its toxicity and the fact that it is a very powerful drug.
And here is what I found online for risks associated with the wonderfully addictive "black gold"...
So why this time?
Our former minister was given pills to help relieve high blood pressure. While in for a check-up on her "counts" the man before her had his blood pressure taken and then stated loudly, in a relieved fashion, "yes...now I can go and have my cup of coffee!" Something clicked with Nan and she wondered: would cutting back on coffee help lower my blood pressure? Long story short: she cut out her daily coffee and within a couple of months weaned off, with the help of her doc, the blood pressure medication. Her blood pressure is pretty much right on, with the odd day of it being high.
While she was telling me this I was thinking several things:
1) Yikes, give up on coffee again - I remember how many (and how severe) headaches I had last time!
2) Maybe it could help with my "heart issue" - in the past year I have had two of my "attacks" and they scared the willies out of me...what used to happen only every few years has happened 3 times in about a year and a half.
3) A very outspoken vet informed me that if coffee was up for regulation now it would be banned due to its toxicity and the fact that it is a very powerful drug.
And here is what I found online for risks associated with the wonderfully addictive "black gold"...
- Increasing hypertension risks
- keeps the liver busy from filtering other toxins
- tooth decay
- weakened bones
- addiction/dependence
- causes anxiety
- a cycle of hyperactivity and/or inability to focus, followed by a subsequent "crash"
- disrupted sleep habits
- may interfere with weight loss and has been linked to hypoglycemia
- buying coffee products may fund inhumane labor overseas
- financial costs to support caffeine purchases
- has been linked to affecting learning behavior (unknown if positive or negative yet)
- caffeine dehydrates your body and can make you gain weight
- a desire for a healthier pregnancy
- decreased libido or sexual performance
Friday, October 25, 2013
Christmas is Coming...
Some leaves still desperately cling to their home tree but most have long fallen and mixed in to the muddy, mucky piles that decorate our town...
Thanksgiving has barely passed (though we are still paying for it since a geocaching attempt on a very scenic route ended in a new oil pan and engine mount and a tow of about 80 km) and Christmas is already being mentioned.
Someone informed me yesterday that a store they shop at is already playing Christmas carols!
Wow! Hallowe'en hasn't even been celebrated yet...
And here we are right back at the same debate/discussion we have every single year. The one that makes me almost sick with frustration and annoyance and disgust. Yes, the one about materialism and selfishness and tradition and money and the whole lack of Jesus as a part of it all - even though it is supposed to be His birthday party!
WHY?
Why do people spend more than they can afford and attempt for the whole following year to pay off credit card bills giving people gifts they don't even want or need?
Why do we forget that it is all supposed to be about Christ... that He came to this earth to serve and save us...and yet we make it all about me me me...
Why do people REALLY give gifts? To honour someone else or out of seasonal guilt and duty? To serve another or to get that good deep down sentiment of having done something good (so again, all about them)? Because they see a need and fill it or because they don't want to be the only one NOT giving gifts?
Why is there so much pressure for us all to conform to tradition and societal expectations?
Why does 'enjoying the holiday' have to go hand-in-hand with material items? Why can't time with family and friends and lonely people be enough?
And we always come to the same conclusion: how do we hold up our own beliefs without offending someone else by asking them to quit giving?
Geesh...better go watch those falling leaves, the bright rays of sun that occasionally shine through the grey, overcast clouds that threaten snow, and just be grateful for it all...
Thanksgiving has barely passed (though we are still paying for it since a geocaching attempt on a very scenic route ended in a new oil pan and engine mount and a tow of about 80 km) and Christmas is already being mentioned.
Someone informed me yesterday that a store they shop at is already playing Christmas carols!
Wow! Hallowe'en hasn't even been celebrated yet...
And here we are right back at the same debate/discussion we have every single year. The one that makes me almost sick with frustration and annoyance and disgust. Yes, the one about materialism and selfishness and tradition and money and the whole lack of Jesus as a part of it all - even though it is supposed to be His birthday party!
WHY?
Why do people spend more than they can afford and attempt for the whole following year to pay off credit card bills giving people gifts they don't even want or need?
Why do we forget that it is all supposed to be about Christ... that He came to this earth to serve and save us...and yet we make it all about me me me...
Why do people REALLY give gifts? To honour someone else or out of seasonal guilt and duty? To serve another or to get that good deep down sentiment of having done something good (so again, all about them)? Because they see a need and fill it or because they don't want to be the only one NOT giving gifts?
Why is there so much pressure for us all to conform to tradition and societal expectations?
Why does 'enjoying the holiday' have to go hand-in-hand with material items? Why can't time with family and friends and lonely people be enough?
And we always come to the same conclusion: how do we hold up our own beliefs without offending someone else by asking them to quit giving?
Geesh...better go watch those falling leaves, the bright rays of sun that occasionally shine through the grey, overcast clouds that threaten snow, and just be grateful for it all...
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