Let me first start by saying, I LOVE MY COFFEE! The whole ceremony around drinking that first cup is amazing, I love how it makes me feel. But I realise that too much of a good thing is a problem. The body gets used to the caffeine and then you need more and more.
So I stop all coffee for a couple of weeks every now and then. This is what I do to kick start my morning on those days.
- Super charged water: One of the main reasons for feeling sluggish in the morning is “Dehydration”. We spend 8 hours not drinking water. Can you imagine going through your work day without drinking water? We lose water and our essential electrolytes (salts and minerals the body needs to function well) as we sleep.
So drink this as soon as you wake up in the mornings:
-1 glass of water, squeeze in half a lime and add a pinch of Sea salt or Pink himalayan salt.
This drink is designed to get the body back in the groove. It is amazing what such a simple glass of water can do to the system as soon as you wake up.
The water helps bring the hydration of the body up.
The Sea Salt and Pink Salt are full of minerals that the body is craving. Regular table salt has none of these minerals.
The lime helps stimulate the production of bile, stimulates the gastrointestinal tract and helps the absorption of the minerals.
- Lucky Number Burpees: We all require a little luck first thing in the morning. Many of us have a lucky number. Mine is 21, it’s my birthday and my old school roll number. It is a multiple of 7 and for some reason always makes me feel happy. So every morning I start my day with a bit of luck. I fall to the floor and bang out 21 burpees. A burpee is an exercise where you place your hands on the floor, shoot your legs back out, do a push up (if you can) and then bring your feet in between your hands and jump up! Its an explosive move that definitely gets the heart rate up!
Don’t worry, you do not have to do burpees. Choose a lucky number for yourself and do that number of reps of an exercise you like. Squats, jumping jacks, high knees.
Do something that is slightly challenging and will guarantee to get your heart rate up!
These kinds of high intensity exercise bursts release adrenaline into the system creating the same effect as the first cup of coffee. - Cold Shower: This is one that I have a love and hate relationship with! I love how it makes me feel but I hate the thought of turning the shower cold! AAAAAAAAAH! I get goose bumps just thinking about it. So I have arrived at a compromise. I have a nice hot shower and then for the last 20 seconds turn the water to cold!
The cold does a number of things. It starts by creating a panic response in the body. The same hormones are released as coffee uses to stimulate us. The cold forces our blood vessels to constrict and then expand, bringing in movement at a cellular level.
You step out of the shower feeling energised! Vibrant and ready for any challenge the day can throw at you….After all, you just had a cold shower!
Start these three habits today! Kick the morning coffee habit (for a bit) and supercharge your day through these!
