Rushe Fitness gym owner Emmet Rushe explains why it's a good idea to take a break from caffeine, and how to get started.

This week’s challenge may sound like sacrilege, but there is a good reason for doing it.

Your daily caffeine fix can have loads of great benefits.

  • Caffeine can improve energy levels
  • Coffee has anti-oxidant properties
  • Caffeine has been shown to boost the metabolic rate by 3-11%.
  • Caffeine can improve athletic performance.

 

But, if you are heavily reliant on your coffee and you are using it as a crutch to get through each day, it may be time to pull back a bit.

Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two “energy shot” drinks. Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in beverages varies widely, especially among energy drinks. source – Mayoclinic.org

So, if you are drinking more than 4 cups of coffee per day or you are having caffeinated beverages or energy drinks along with your coffee fix, it’s time to stop.

Signs you may be drinking too much are;

  • Migraine headache
  • Insomnia
  • Nervousness
  • Irritability
  • Restlessness
  • Frequent urination or inability to control urination
  • Stomach upset
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Muscle tremors

We all have a natural energy that we can use to get us through the day, but, if we are always using stimulants to keep us going, we never really tap into this.

What ends up happening is a vicious cycle.
As we drink more and more caffeine,  we end up feeling more and more tired and the only logical thing we can think of is to drink more caffeine in order to get us through the day.

So, here’s what we are going to do.

We are NOT going to go cold turkey!

That is a recipe for disaster, as you will end up irritable, will have headaches and end up like one of the Divas from a Snickers advert.

What we will do instead is to gradually reduce your intake down over this week and then stop altogether next week.

This will be easier on you, but more importantly, it will be easier on your family, friends, loved ones and work colleagues and there is less chance of anyone being seriously injured for breathing.

The best part of this challenge is, if you reintroduce caffeine into your daily routine again, you will actually feel the difference from a single cup of coffee.

So, now you are over the initial shock of the challenge, and you can see why it’s a good idea to take a break from caffeine for a bit, let’s bite the bullet and get our bodies natural energy working again.
#leanin2019

We are always helping our Rushe Fitness members to improve their health and fitness in our LEAN IN 2019 program.

We had numerous members lose over 3 stone in the past few years and they now know how to keep it off.
Our next program starts on April 1st and you can sign up now through the link below.
https://www.rushefitness.ie/class/lean-in-2019-gym-plan/