It was a late night track meet and church the next morning that started it all. The meet was going long... way way long... in 102 degree heat and bottles and bottles of sports drink and water I was in some serious "need" of a coke. I was sweating bullets and not having much time to eat I needed the extra calories. The next three nights, for different reasons, I managed less than 5 hours of sleep. Caffeine was my drug of choice to get thru the day. This is how it was for the last 2.5 weeks. A bit of hot tea in the morning and a bit of cold tea in the afternoon....ometimes a coke thrown in at lunch to replace the afternoon tea.
I have been so tired for the last few weeks. I knew it was related to the lack of sleep and the caffeine intake... so yesterday I managed to go cold turkey. A headache for half a day and a Tylenol to sleep with last night and I am now officially caffeine free! (how many times have i done this?) I woke up this morning at 430 (my usual wake up time) and went back to sleep... then my alarm went off at 520 and i went back to sleep! I remember turning my alarm off but I dont remember getting back in bed. Needless to say I was LATE to track practice! yikes! That hasnt happened like... EVER!.. But that is what happens when I get all that caffeine out of my system... I SLEEP! :)
I could be upset or frustrated with myself... I could make excuses for NEEDING the caffeine. I could look at it as no big deal and that the caffeine wasnt the reason why i have been so tired lately. I could say that its ok for me to continue drinking caffeine even though everything I have read about fibrous cysts says not to drink it. I could deny it really had any effect, when in reality it makes me blow up like a balloon.... But to look it square in the face and admit that I AM WHAT I EAT... that is what i feel called to do.
Why did I choose to go to caffeine instead of sleeping like I needed too?
Why do we choose to medicate instead of slowing down and listening to our bodies?
Because I CHOSE too. :)
But.... its part of our culture too . We wear ourselves down and then drug them to keep up the rat race... because if you napped during the day or went to bed at 7pm people would call you crazy.
I wonder how much illness.. how many car wrecks, fights and mistakes at the workplace would be avoided by simply getting more sleep.
Some cultures know how to get their rest. GREAT photos of creative ways to catch a few Z's no matter where you are. If we did this in our country people would come over and wake us to ask if we were ok....:)
check out this website: http://www.sleepingchinese.com/
So, I am caffeine free, heading to take a 2 hour nap so hopefully I will be caught up on my sleep :)
OH.. you want to know about my workouts? They are good. Still have to get up before the sun to go run... I lifted weights Saturday.. YES.... I LIFTED WEIGHTS!... bis, tris, abs, leg extensions, and curls... sore the next day only in my tris... everything else was great. I am stronger than I thought.... went right up to 20lbs in curls and tris.... those pushups I have been doing have been working something :) .. I plan on 3 days of weight training and 5 to 6 of running :)
Life is good... off caffeine that is! :)
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