I have been a caffeine addict for years. Well, I started taking coffee and tea during my schooling days to stay awake. However when I was in secondary school, I always avoid caffeine on the day of my exam papers because I will lose my creativity (to ‘goreng‘ answers) if I take it. By the time I was in university, I had to take either iced coffee or tea at least once a day… before the long haul in the library to revise work. Then I started taking on exam days. Otherwise, I could barely stay awake.The one thing about taking too much caffeine is that after a while, it often have the opposite effect…. It actually made your body and mind more tired. It spurs away your creativity and increased stress level. For some people, it affects your heart, making it beat unevenly.
Now years into my working life, the doses of coffee I take had increased tremendously. If you ever tell me there is a place that serve delicious coffee or tea, the next thing you know, I will be there checking the place out. When I am dead tired (which I often do), I will be buying strong doses of San Francisco or Starbucks coffee…. with an additional expresso shot. My body started displaying various distress signs… more tired, bodily aches, pain my lower back, more prone to allergy, etc. One fine day I realised that I am taking very abnormal heavy dosage when the coffee that taste absolutely normal to me, taste bitter for my friends (I made some coffee for my department which coffee addicts like me find to be nice but non addicts said terrible).
Finally, I decided to make some changes in my life. I started exercising again. That is when I find my health improved dramatically… almost overnight. After spending a hour exercising before going to work, I feel very refreshed and no longer lethargic. Now, in many years, I finally stop feeling tired and in fact, more energetic. For years since uni days, I always have very active dreams towards morning which makes me feel very tired in the morning, exercise has helped me to get through the day more than caffeine does.
So my advice to all tired, lethargic folks out there, get your running shoes on and get exercising! You can jog or join a gym. Another colleague of mine also used to feel tired and have migraines. Her hubby got her some pilates, tae bo and other exercise tapes. She does it every morning for half hour from home before coming to work. And viola… she felt so much better. Much less tired and more energetic.
If you like posts on health, fitness and nutrition, do visit my other blog : http://healthblog.yinteing.com/
