Is too much coffee draining your energy?
Do you need four to six cups of coffee each day just to stay awake? Is America on a collision course with low energy levels just as it is with obesity?
The lack of energy can be traced to poor diet, stress, food allergies, liver problems, too much sugar, too much caffeine and adrenal exhaustion. The adrenal glands are the big energy regulators in the body. They are just like a bank. If you make a withdrawal, you need to recharge or make deposits before you go to the bank again. That is where coffee begins to become an energy depleter and not an energy builder. Caffeine forces your adrenals to secrete energy hormones even when your body does not have much to offer. Over the years it takes more and more coffee to get the same result. (Do you think Starbucks knows about this?) The adrenals are responsible for releasing more than 150 hormones into your body including adrenalin, testosterone and cortisol. Doctors know that constant high levels of cortisol shrink the part of the brain that is responsible for memory. Cortisol also interferes with the immune system making you less able to fight off infections. If you are drinking three or more cups of coffee a day your adrenals are depleted. Your body is in a constant state of “fight or flight.” Coffee, the very substance you thought was giving you that little kick is actually, in the long run depleting your energy levels to almost zero. Over stimulating the adrenals leads to fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, depression and a weakened immune system. Caffeine has been shown to stay in people’s systems for as long as eight and up to thirty hours. Like other herbs and drugs it affects each person in a different manner.
Caffeine also forces the liver to release more glucose into the blood stream. This produces a blood sugar high that is often followed by a severe drop in blood sugar. (The need for a nap or another cup of coffee!) Extra coffee also puts added stress on your kidneys.
So what is wrong with your coffee habit if it lures you out of bed every morning? The reason you may be craving that coffee every morning is that you are addicted to its effects. Coffee or caffeine withdrawal headaches can be terrible. They often come with the overwhelming feeling of fatigue as your body tries to recuperate from its former caffeine driven pace. If you skip your morning coffee you get a terrible headache. Caffeine acts as a vasoconstrictor in the brain. That means it actually constricts blood vessels in the brain and decreases circulation! When caffeine is not present the sudden increased circulation causes headaches.
What is the answer if you are someone like me who loves the aroma of dark coffee and just can’t say no? The good news is that you can wean yourself down from the several cups a day and eventually off coffee completely if you do it slowly over a two to three week period. You can also rebuild your adrenal glands with herbs and help from organic whole foods. I like to recommend superfood blends that are very dense in nutrients and minerals. Your diet should be a building diet and avoid or cut back on stimulants, sugar, sodium and alcohol. Foods rich in Potassium should be added to the diet This will help the adrenals by correcting the potassium/sodium balance in the body. You can also help rebuild the adrenals by adding several herbs to your diet. Some of the best adrenal builders are cayenne, licorice, ginseng, ginger and hawthorn. It is also a good idea to drink plenty of water and evaluate your sleep to make sure you are getting restful sleep and waking up energized. One final point on energy. One reason we as a society may feel we need more stimulants is because the main energy vitamin, B-12, is stored in the liver. As you know, the liver is bombarded with all types of toxins and pollutants on a daily basis and struggles to perform at a high level. Doing a regular cleansing routine will help keep the liver in good shape and hopefully help you store more B-12 for your energy needs.
Marty Meshek
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-too-much-coffee-draining-your-energy-87271.html
What makes you a 'bad' mother?
I’m not here to judge anyone, I’m here to ask for experiences. What makes you a ‘bad’ mother? I’m not talking about abuse or absolute neglect to your children but what do you do that makes you feel like you’re not giving 100% to being a mother or you feel like you’re being judged by other people for not doing? Here’s my list.
1. I hate housework. I’m a stay at home mum and some days (most days) I feel completely drained of energy and lazy. I only hoover the parts of the floor that are walked over or can be seen, I tend to leave washing for days on end only to find out I have two loads instead of one by the time I get around to doing it, I’m notorious for having a floordrobe and my ways of correcting this for visitors is to gather an armful of clothes and stuff them into the bottom of my wardrobe, I pile and organise clutter to make it look pretty instead of sorting it out and getting rid of the things I don’t need and I’m notorious for leaving last night’s washing up until the morning after.
2. I allow my two year old daughter far too much TV time in front of child-friendly channels such as CBeebies. Of course we read, draw, paint, do puzzles and sing songs but sometimes I’ll let her have CBeebies for more than the recommended hour or two a day so I have some time to myself to do (or not do) housework, have a cup of coffee, read a magazine or surf the internet.
3. I lose my temper. I don’t smack or shout at my daughter a lot but when you’re asked to read the same book seven times in half an hour or you can’t go to the toilet alone or the same question has been asked six times and your toddler is still defiant I get exasperated and sometimes I’ll shout "Stand still" or "Come here" at a tone louder than my usual.
4. I drank coffee and smoked cigarettes while I was pregnant with my daughter.
5. I still have the occasional cigarette and I’m 31 weeks pregnant with DD number two.
6. I’m a big procrastinator and I’ll find myself running around to tidy up and make dinner within half an hour of my fiancee coming home or find myself running out to the local shop with minutes to spare.
7. I hide myself in the kitchen if I want a piece of chocolate so my daughter can’t harass me for some (before she realises where I am and barges in).
8. I’ll feed my daughter instant mashed potato and sausage if I feel lazy and can’t be bothered to cook a meal from scratch.
9. Sometimes I honestly can’t wait for bed time but then I miss her when she’s asleep.
10. Sometimes I just want to be alone for an hour.
11. I hate early morning starts and can’t function properly without a mug of coffee at 6am and before I was pregnant sometimes I’d sit down at night and have a glass or two of wine with my fiancee while she’s asleep.
What do you do?
I don’t feel like a bad mother and I know we’re all normal for doing things like this but I feel we, as mothers, get judged on every little thing we do. God forbid I tell some of my mother friends I allow my daughter to watch CBeebies and the dirty looks I get from other women when I’m smoking is horrendous and it makes you feel terrible. I know I take care of my daughter and she’s healthy, happy and thriving but it’s ridiculous the amount of judgement we get for doing normal day to day things with children. It’s not like I do drugs, get insanely drunk around my daughter or leave her every week to go clubbing, you know?
I do pretty much of the above. I dont think any of the above can be classed as being a bad mother, i think it just makes you human. I think a bad mother is someone that shouts at their child constantly just because the child wants some attention, not correcting them when they have done wrong and not setting boundaries, swearing infront of them so much that they pick it up, smoke while they are in the room.
I too sometimes wish my daughter would be quiet for 15 minutes so i can get on with other things, but then when she’s asleep i stand over her hoping she wakes up so we can play or if she’s round someones over night ( usually her grans ) im not having the lay in a longed for and bragged about days before, im up and out trying to get her before any normal person is stirring.
Its ok to do these things, just so long as you know that you are trying your best
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Having my days free and dilly-dallying them away until the boys arrive home from school
Occasionally, in the afternoons, while the boys are at school I eat out because it is so much cheaper to indulge when there are less to buy for (I feel awful but chalk it up to spending a great deal on their activities).
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Your not a bad mother you do things that maybe others would not but you are an honest mother i am afraid i do most of what you do and did smoke through all my pregnancies maybe wrong but all 4 of mine are healthy my only guilt trip is i work full time and often 6am start to leave for work and sometimes i am not home until 9pm at night i don’t see as much of my kids as i would like to a few hours a week and that is guilt tripping me immensely so that could make me a bad mother because i am not at home with my children but then that makes me a bad mother because i want to work rather than be at home .
At least you are a stay at home mum and your children have you home my children would love to have me at home but its not possible,
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shouting at my child makes me feel kinda bad but if i didn’t he would walk all over me
btw i also smoked drank coffee when i was pregnant. don’t let the none smokers make you feel bad about it because they don’t have a clue how hard it is to give up smoking
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Seriously? This is a joke right? Girl- you are human! lol! We all get tired! I am a stay-at-home-mom-too! So what that you get annoyed with her and want her to go to bed! WE ALL DO! The smoking thing- well its not good, but it DOESN’T make you a bad mom. No one cooks from scratch anymore, all the time, I am having coffe now and my son knows not to bother me until I am done! LOL. I think maybe you need a little motivation or need to go back to work to feel like you again. Sometimes we have a hard time accepting how our lives have turned out, being a parent, wife, whatever. You have to think- what if I didn’t have her? My son alomost died when he was born and when he is annoying (most of the time) I just take a breath and remember…. he almost wasn’t here to be annoying. Accept your life for what it is, make sure your daughter KNOWS you love her, nurture her and you’ll be fine
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We can’t be perfect all day every day. Sometimes, usually that time of the month, I’ll sit my son in his high chair with some cheerios and let him watch tv while I take a nap for about an hour. Sometimes I let him play with things he’s not supposed to when daddy’s not home because I just don’t feel like fighting with him and hearing him scream for twenty minutes over the remote for the tv. And I think most smokers smoked while pregnant. It is a super hard habit to give up. I smoked while pregnant and luckily my son is perfectly healthy. I don’t know one single smoker that completely quit. The best I saw was one girl quit except she’d have 1 cigarette every other day. Don’t beat yourself up for having your lazy days. We all need them.
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YOU and only u
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I don’t think you are a bad mom, you’re only human and as long as you take good care of your daughter then you are doing nothing wrong. I don’t agree with the idea of you smoking during your pregnancy but I know how hard it is to quit smoking (I have several family members, including my mom, that smoke). Just try to ignore the dirty looks other people give you because as long as your daughter is healthy and you love her then nothing else really matters.
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1- i try to cnvince my kids to hate school as much as i do so they’ll agree to be homeschooled again
2- i drank coofee, smoked cigarettes AND smoked po while pregnant with all 4 <~~~ i should get BA for that one
3- i let my kids choose how they want to look… ie, their clothes, their hair…
4- i allow them to swear
other than that i’m as perfect as a momma could be…. no neeed to be jealous…
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1-I drink wine sometimes.
2-I am probably over-strict all though I am supposed to be I wish I gave my kids what they wanted more. I want my kids to have good work ethics but then I realize he gets off the bus at 4-30, we do homework by 5-30, eat right at 5-30 or 6, then he has all of 30 mins to an hour before coming in a 7 for bathtime. His job is the bathroom, his room, and sissy’s room which doesn’t really get dirty because the kid doesn’t have any free-time and I hate that. I could be less strict especially on his schedule and chores. 2 days restriction for 1 straight face talking in class, is it right or is it too strict?
3-I get angry and yell. It isn’t right at all and I try to justify it with having to say something 2 times but then I remember how I hated my Mom for doing the same thing to me when I was a kid. I just need to be patient and remember the short attention spans kids have.
4-I let the baby watch a lot of ON Demand preschool stuff and whether or not it rots your brain my 19 month old knows her ABCs so it is like when Bubba is in school she does preschool, lol and I do let my 8 yr old watch King of the Hill and (gasp) Family Guy so long as he doesn’t repeat anything he sees. I know that’s terrible but it isn’t the end of the world.
The list goes on but I’m tired of bashing myself. I like this question, it’s a real eye opener. lol
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1. I drank alochol a few times while pregant and smoked a few times.
2. I drink wine and beer in front of my daughter
3. I will let her watch too much TV too so I can have alone time
4. I will read my emails and Facebook in the mornings and we’ll end up being late, so I hurry her along to eat her breakfast.
5. I get mad and yell at her for doing just normal kid things, like splashing in the tub.
6. I will be lazy and make my husband do things, like get her snacks and get her ready for bed.
7. I hide candy and snacks too so I can eat them in peace.
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1. I definitely let the housework go sometimes during the week. I try to keep up but when you work 9 hours a day, I don’t want to waste precious time with my son worrying about housework!!! That’s what his naptime on the weekend is for!
2. I smoke right now, however I didn’t smoke when I was pregnant. Don’t smoke at all in the house but I do feel guilty coming in smelling like smoke.
3. I do get frustrated with my son, and I will raise my voice sometimes. THIS is the biggest guilty point for me. I don’t do it often, but when I do, I feel awful!!!
4. My bedroom is a mess, my clothes are folded in baskets but not put away, I don’t make the bed… atleast my sons room is clean!
5. I enjoy a glass of wine… and I don’t feel bad about that because I don’t get DRUNK in front of my son. I just like to relax, have a glass of wine, and enjoy my time at home.
6. My son sleeps in bed with my husband and I when he wakes up in the middle of the night. I enjoy it, and I don’t care what any of these "don’t let your child sleep with you EVER" type mom’s have to say. To those "holier than thou" moms who make someone like me feel bad…Don’t judge me until you know what it’s like to be a mom who works full time! He’s only a baby for so long, I enjoy my snuggle time with him, so for anybody to judge me and tell me I am WRONG for that, they can kiss my a$$
I may not be "perfect" but I feel as though I am all in all a good mom. My son is a smart, happy, funny little boy… he is wonderful, so I guess I must be doing something right.
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