I seem to go back and forth on the whole caffeine imbibing thing. I’ve quit it cold turkey, I’ve scaled back, and I’ve enthusiastically embraced its place in my life.
Some of the good things about it are that when I’m riding the Starbucks train:
- I feel more energetic.
- I feel more focused.
- I am less likely to snap at loved ones (given I’m properly sauced).
- I am more likely to complete my scheduled exercise.
- It is one of few indulgences within a pretty responsible budget.
Some drawbacks of feeding the caffeine monster:
- I feel like crap up until it hits my bloodstream (IV injection could be a good thing).
- I tend to crash when it wears off and then feel the need for more.
- I hate feeling dependant on ANY drug – even a legal one.
- I tend to go to bed too late and be tired in the morning (starting the cycle over again).
- It’s expensive! I lean towards soy lattes as opposed to brewed drip java – I’m ignoring all I know about the “latte factor”.
I’ve gone through periods when I have conquered the addiction and functioned quite well without it. In theory, I believe it’s OK to feel tired sometimes and it’s natural to just have an ebb and flow of moods and energy levels. But in the real world, sometimes I just want a little jolt to get me going. The problem then comes when I start to need the jolt just o to feel normal to begin with. THIS I resent.
Right now, despite my ranting, I have no plans to quit the stuff at the moment. How am I supposed to do my long (relatively speaking) runs on Saturday without my drug of choice? Who am I kidding – how am I supposed to do a quick 30 minutes of intervals without an energy drink first?
I am curious to see what others think about this – do you drink caffeinated beverages? Why or why not? How do you feel about it? Am I just simply over thinking the whole thing?
1 comment:
I'm actually one of those rare (?) people who is bothered by caffeine. Too much of it (which for me is more than 1 caffeinated beverage in a day) or too late in the day (say, after 3 pm), and I get all jittery and heart palpitations.
So as for me, I tend to avoid the stuff unless I'm really really tired, in which case I'll have a coke zero with lunch (like today) or low-caffeine teas (usually my green tea).
I'm also one of those weird people that rarely power up before a workout, just get me to the gym, put me on the treadmill, and by the time I'm done, I'll be awake... and nearly unaware that I just worked out! ;-) (hee. kidding on that last bit)
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