I finish work at 5pm this afternoon. From there I have to walk to where my mother-in-law works for a lift home. On the way there I plan on stopping into the local Costa’s and treating myself to a yummy hot chocolate or iced something (depending on the weather).
My Hot Chocolate Treat
So I did indeed end up stopped at 5:15pm for the most amazing hot chocolate – with whipped cream and mashmellows – from Costa. Even though I had the previous habit of buying a mocha latte (always with an extra shot), I didn’t feel the need to buy one. I’m actually pretty sure I’ve curbed my coffee habit and I feel a lot better for it. So thank you RNLI.
These last 10 days have been very strange for me. I’ve been through some serious caffeine withdrawal, started jogging and refused wine. All of these events would have made me laugh in your face if you had suggested these things to me even a month before now. I do feel like I’ve achieved something. Interestingly, I also didn’t turn to alcohol this evening. I have enjoyed a large mug of twinnings peppermint tea. Feeling very relaxed now.
Have you been doing the #H20nly challenge over the last 10 days? It would be great to hear from you!
I’m not just doing this for the health benefits. I’m not allowed another cup until 5pm on Friday 12th June 2015 to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
Giving up everything non water for 10 days in June
Sorry this post is a bit late. I was planning on posting yesterday…. but I had some very exciting news that I will share in due course. But I don’t want to jinx anything… So you will have to wait….. Sorry!
It was boiling hot today. We have the fan going properly in the office for the first time this year.
Part of giving up coffee and anything non-water is partly to help raise money for the RNLI. Not been very successful so far 😦 In this vain I thought I would help convince you by sharing some of these RNLI tweets about the people they’ve rescued at sea.
These brave people help out people in danger every day. Most of them are volunteers. To keep doing what they do they need money to fund their equipment, centers and boats. It’s not cheap. But they do save lives every single day all around the united kingdom.
I’m not just doing this for the health benefits. I’m not allowed another cup until 5pm on Friday 12th June 2015 to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
Giving up everything non water for 10 days in June
So I have less than 48 hours left of this challenge. I can’t believe how quick the last 10 days have gone and how much has actually changed.
Personally, I have never felt so good. I feel so much more relaxed then I ever remember being. But it’s not in a laze about and waste the day way – I feel so much more focused and productive. I’ve definitely made the decision to try and eliminate caffeine from a my diet as much as possible. Isn’t it strange how something we take to help is actually more of a hindrance.
I’m thinking a blog on different types of decaffeinated drinks – I need to find my new hot drink of choice. If you have any recommendations that would be very welcome. The only one I really know that makes a half-decent decaf is Nescafe.
I’m so looking forward to a drink with some flavour in….
I’m not just doing this for the health benefits. Did you know I’m also trying to raise money for the RNLI? I’m not allowed another cup until 5pm on Friday 12th June 2015 to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
Giving up everything non water for 10 days in June
I made it though the weekend! That was always going to be the most difficult couple of days. It was always going to be the period of the challenge filled with the most temptations. But I have successfully navigated it and made it to Tuesday (my weekend is Sunday and Monday).
Woke up at 6 this morning (with my alarm) and felt pretty good again. Actually managed to sort some clothes away, finish off some washing up and all the other things you usually do in the morning. So this water thing seems to be some good.
What I am definitely starting to find is that I’m more hungry now that I’ve given up coffee. I keep getting an uncharacteristic attack of the munchies – which I am trying to combat by drinking lots of water. So hopefully this health kick doesn’t destroy my waste line…
Made it through lunch. Starting to struggle now. For some reason I am feeling really tired! Could defiantly murder for a coffee right now! 😦 But I promise I’ll be good and stick to water (still through a straw because my teeth are still sensitive).
In a separate bit of news – I was sat outside work for a few minutes of fresh air in the sun when the Google maps car swung past. So keep an eye out on Google Maps for June 2014 19B Moor Road, Broadstone! This reminded me of a similar event in Portugal last year while my husband and I were away. So I had a quick look when I got back and I found this… It’s me and my husband 🙂
Google Maps Image – Portugal, Albufeira.
This is the picture I was taking when it drove past….
My picture of the Google Street car in Portugal
I’m not just doing this for the health benefits. Did you know I’m also trying to raise money for the RNLI? I’m not allowed another cup until 5pm on Friday 12th June 2015 to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
Day 7 of the H20 Challenge. The bags under my eyes are becoming less noticeable and my skin is looking a lot healthier.
I can’t believe I’ve been without coffee for nearly a week. For me this has been a huge lifestyle change. My husband still keeps forgetting and tries to offer me beer, coffee or juice. Which does add a slight extra level of difficulty to an already interesting challenge – it’s almost as if he is trying to catch me off-guard.
This morning has been fun – my husband and I went to go an see a house. So hopefully we can get this one before it goes… We’ve lost out on 3 already 😦 I’m looking forward to getting one so I can get started on planning a re-decorate! Although when I got back to my mother-in-laws I got offered coffee again. I’m definitely going to have to be on my guard today!
In addition to only drinking water I’ve also found a training plan for a 10K race for beginners from the RNLI. It’s a really comprehensive guide if – like me – you have no experience with running or other speeds above a gentle pace. I’ve been starting out the plan on week 1, which hasn’t been too strenuous. I’m hoping to sign up for the Southampton 10K in April – just figure that some extra time to get ready could be a good idea….
After realising I have no shoes suitable for running I invested in some comfy shoes. £15 in Tescos – Bargin!
For those that are interested, here’s a picture of all my knitted squares so far. I’m really looking forward to when the blanket is finished – hopefully it will look fantastic in whichever home I end up in.
The nine squares I’ve completed so far.
Even for all the healthy drinking (I went for a meal at my parents and had to refuse wine!), my diet hasn’t been fantastic this weekend. I’m pretty sure all I actually ate was pizza (x 3) and a sandwich. Although the Pizza was veggie for 2 of them… so that’s ok right?
I’m not just doing this for the health benefits. Did you know I’m also trying to raise money for the RNLI? I’m not allowed another cup until 5pm on Friday 12th June 2015 to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
Giving up everything non water for 10 days in June
My husband runs an airsoft events company – Drone Airsoft – on the south coast. We run games on the first Sunday of every month. It’s usually a great day – I use it as a chance to get some photography practice in and use the down time to get on with projects.
I’ve had the opportunity this week to have a go at practising my panoramic shots. This is one I’ve taken with the panoramic function on my Fuji.
A panoramic Picture I’ve taken of one of Drone Airsoft’s zones. The sun was possibly a bit bright?
This is another shot I’m really happy with from yesterday – although I do admit this has now how a little fiddling with the brightness-contrast and sharpness.
Enola Gaye Blue smoke. 50 x zoom. Close up with Sharpness and brightness-contract tweeked.
In addition to having some fun with the camera, I also got a chance to get on with my current knitting project. I subscribed to a knitting magazine back in January. “Art of Knitting” – if you want to know more about it this is a really good review of the first issue. I’ve been knitting for years but have never progressed past the basic cast on, knit stitch, cast off. So when I saw this I figured this would be a great opportunity to learn some new knitting skills! 🙂 Each issue has a pattern and wool to knit 1 square. This is now completed square 9!
Square 9 – Diamond Stitch Square.Pretty easy to knit, but you have to concentrate and not lost count on the stitches!
Interesting, I’ve reached a point with coffee that I’m not even craving it any more. One of my friends came down to the site to keep me company and she had some of the coffee we provide complementary on site. I did not even feel like I fancied one. It actually did not actually bother me. The only thing I’m missing is the option to have a hot drink – hot plain water doesn’t quite do it for me. Interestingly, this is the first time I have not felt utterly exhausted at the end of a Drone Game. I also woke up a lot easier this morning.
In the last year, my husband and I have really started getting into fruit teas. Not green tea – even the posh stuff leaves a strange taste in our mouths. We only drink Twining’s though – the difference between their teabags and the cheaper stuff is significant. Try smelling the dry tea-bags side by side. You will see the difference. The other option for fruit teas is the powdered stuff – but they are packed with sugar. So I am really looking forward to some fruit tea on Thursday night 🙂
I’m not just doing this for the health benefits. Did you know I’m also trying to raise money for the RNLI? I’m not allowed another cup for 4 days to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
Well I have officially survived to day 5 of the #H20nly challenge. Actually feeling surprising good. Last night, rather than feeling totally exhausted, I had a extra nervous energy and ended up being awake until about 10pm (by which time I am usually completely exhausted). I awoke with my alarm at 6am and rose without issue at 6:15 for a shower. I have a feeling that this non-coffee thing might be the key to trying to perfect a shorter nights sleep and gain more time in my day. How interesting…
Yesterday I manage to consume the entire of my 1.5L bottle of water. So that appears to be the way forward! Never felt more awake to be honest. It’s nice not having the 2 extremes that coffee seems to give you.
Starting to feel the effects #Day5
So with this new found time I had yesterday evening I got started on a free course being run at future learn – the secret power of brands. Which will take me through what a brand actually is – always helpful if part of your aim is to try and create one. One of those interesting things you have to do when you’re trying to teach yourself about marketing. This evening I will attempt to get some more of that finished as well as help my husband prep for his Drone Airsoft game in the morning.
On a totally unrelated note – here is a uber cute video of some baby goats bouncing on a trampoline. They are just sooo cute and they made my lunch a little happier – so I thought you would enjoy them too.
Feeling sorry for me? I’m not allowed another cup for 5 days to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
Giving up everything non water for 10 days in June
This coffee withdrawal thing isn’t fun. Last night – even though I should have been doing a million other things – I had to go to bed really early. I was completely exhausted and obviously not allowed my usual pick-me-up. During the night I also remember feeling really thirsty – but that could have been because it was a really warm night.
So I am currently on the 3rd morning of the #H20nly challenge for the RNLI (check out my Just Giving page here). Once again I woke up craving the coffee (or any sort of hot drink in a mug to be honest). However, the headache has gone so that was definitely a huge plus. Brought a couple of 1.5L bottles of water for 50p from Tesco and the first one is 2/3 gone (it’s currently 1pm). So feeling pretty good right now.
I have also noticed that the bags under my eyes have started to fade (this is me with no make up – I never usually wear any anyway). Starting to also feel a little happier with the whole process – although the desire to add some lemon to my water is still there. I have definitely started to feel a little short of patience today. Not sure is that is the coffee or just me having an off day though….
Feeling sorry for me? I’m not allowed another cup for 6 days to try and raise money for the RNLI – you can donate on my justgiving page here.
So I am currently on day 2 of the #H20nly RNLI challenge. In a normal day, I usually consume 5 or 6 cups of coffee a day. So yesterday was not particularly pleasant.
That got me wondering – why do we drink the stuff? Coffee drinking in my family is a habit cultured from about the age of 13. It’s a social thing and we have a weekly coffee morning where a much of the family as possible gathers to partake in drinking my grandmothers strong coffee.
For all this social benefit, we also know that coffee does have a physical affect on the body. I’ve been experiencing what I am pretty sure are withdrawal symptoms for about the last 18 hours. So I thought I would do a quick bit of research as to what the internet had to say about the matter. I’ve included some of the interesting ones below.
“In a 2005 review of nine studies, researchers found that for those that drank four to six cups of coffee per day, versus only two or fewer, their risk for Type 2 diabetes decreased by almost 30 percent. The number decreased by 35 percent when people drank more than six cups per day.”
“Our main finding is that the combination of the two substances improves cognitive performance in terms of sustained attention and working memory by increasing the efficiency of the areas of the brain responsible for these two functions. ”
I can see the logic in this. I’m pretty sure my coffee habit is what got me through university!
“Some studies show that moderate coffee drinkers (1 to 3 cups/day) have lower rates of stroke than non-coffee-drinkers; coffee’s antioxidants may help quell inflammation’s damaging effects on arteries.”
Though the research is limited at best, it appears that the more coffee people drink, the lower their incidence of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. One analysis of nine studies found that every 2-cup increase in daily coffee intake was associated with a 43 percent lower risk of liver cancer.
“Even though coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of the skin. This is a result of dehydration which is the worst thing for your skin. So when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that you’re pairing it with water.”
“If you’re sensitive to caffeine, it can cause irritability or anxiety in high doses (and what’s “high” varies from person to person). How? Chemically, caffeine looks a lot like adenosine, a “slow-down” brain chemical associated with sleep and relaxation of blood vessels.”
“Of course, if you caffeinate yourself daily, you’ll likely develop tolerance to its effects and the jitters will subside. But that also means that eventually you’ll need a regular caffeine fix just to reach your baseline level of alertness. And your body will adapt by producing more adenosine receptors, making you more sensitive to the effects of adenosine. So if you don’t have your daily cup, you’ll likely develop withdrawal symptoms like extreme fatigue and splitting headaches (caused by constricted blood vessels).”
That explains why I was in a foul mood yesterday and the headache this morning.
So we have now reached the end of the first 24 hours without coffee. It’s not been a particularly fun experience for me.
On average I’ve usually had about 5 cups of coffee by this time most days. It’s a habit that I’ve partially developed to give myself a break from the computer. So today has felt a bit weird. I’ve now got to a point where my head is starting to ache and I’m feeling a little light-headed.
An update on the lemon/lime addition debate – it’s not allowed 😦
Staring at my bottle of water and intensely wishing it would transform into a cup of coffee #H2Only@RNLI Can I flavour the water with lime?
MrsKirstyHoll 