Thursday, February 18, 2010

Tired, Tired, Tired!

I woke up this morning feeling totally wiped out. I had enough sleep so I'm not sure why I keep feeling so tired, not only in the morning but all throughout the day. This isn't a recent issue it's been going on for months. I read an article this afternoon that lists 6 Everyday Energy Zappers. It was a rather interesting article so I thought I would provide some highlights.

First off feeling tired all the time is not normal and can actually take a huge toll on your health. This may sound like common sense but everyone I know is always saying how tired they are. To me, it seems normal to be tired. Well it is not and here are some of the 6 energy zappers that spoke to me:

  • Too many options - life is filled with so many options, so many decisions that need to be made everyday. Try and not made a big deal out of the small stuff.

  • Wired 24/7 - whether it be the computer, phone, blackberry, iPhone or multiple items, we are all connected for the majority of the day. We leave no time for ourselves. It is important to carve out some time in the day to just be. Be accountable to just you!

  • You're in a slump - how are you sitting right now? Are you hunched over? Hunching over causes your chest to collapse and your lungs to compress which limits the amount of air you can take in. Because of this less oxygen will get to the brain, leaving you fuzzy headed. Plus, did you know, "For every inch you lean forward, it takes about twice as much physical effort to hold up your head," explains Patrice Winter, a physical therapist.

  • Messy office - A Princeton University study found that clutter suppresses the brain's reaction time, making it more difficult to mentally focus. Time to clean up the desk!


Definitely some things I need to work on. Now lets talk about my eats for the day!

Breakfast

A small container of fresh pineapple and cantaloupe:


Organic strawberry milk:


And a much needed caffeine boost, coffee with skim milk:


So here is the situation. I used to get Starbuck's vanilla latte's every morning. Needless to say that kind of thing can get rather expensive. The husband and I have decided to go on a budget which means no more latte's for me:(

However, I still need my caffeine in the morning so I'm trying to figure out how to like coffee. I tried adding Raw Sugar:


The sugar didn't work so I tried adding some Coffee-Mate:


After adding all of these items to the coffee I still couldn't stand the taste. Any suggestions on what I can add to my coffee to make it taste better?

Lunch

The first thing I reached for at lunch time was a big bottle of water. I also added some Crystal Light lemonade:



The water was exactly what I needed. I've been so dehydrated lately it's crazy!

To eat I had a cup of chicken rice soup (not pictured) and some pasta salad.



Dinner

I wanted something really comforting for dinner. I also wanted something that tastes good. The first thing that came to mind was a bowl of chili topped with cheddar cheese.



So good!

Question:

What do you drink to wake you up in the morning?

I used to drink latte's but I need to find something new and it is hard! Help!

10 comments:

  1. Hey Tracey! My parents used to make their own cappucinos growing up, and if I recall correctly, they used honey to sweeten the coffee portion. You could also try maple syrup (probably the real stuff, not Ms. Buttersworth), or even corn syrup (trust me, this is not as gross as it sounds).

    Hope you and Patrick are well. :)

    -Heather

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  2. I drink my coffee black. But I have used the lighter flavored creamers from Coffeemate and I believe it is International brand. You can check them out in the fridge section at the grocery store. This might also be the coffee bean problem. Do you buy Starbucks coffee beans too? I have a bean grinder and buy mine from sam's club. They sell the pregrounded beans too.

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  3. As I read the first section, I realized how hunched over I was. I sat right up! Something Ive been aware I need to work on, but always forget. I'm a sloucher!

    I love love love adding Silk Almond Milk to my coffee. I was struggling with what to put in it before I found it - didn't like all the junk in coffeemate, and could never get the right sugar or stevia-milk ratio, nor did I really like the taste of it. But almondmilk? Ohhh, so good! You have to use more than you'd usually use when it comes to comparing it to creamer - but it's still a much healthier alternative :)

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  4. I just wanted to say thanks for stopping by my blog :) And I sadly resort to coffee as my mid morning pick me up. I look forward to my cup every day :)

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  5. I use flavoured "creamers" in my coffee such as International Delight's. They've got some great blends out there!

    I haven't had strawberry milk since I was a kid! I used to love the stuff...

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  6. I've been drinking milk lately to wake me up!

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  7. I would recommend getting a frother - then you can froth your warm milk and it is more like a coffee-house drink! (I think)

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  8. As soon as I read the slumping part, I noticed I was slumping. Thank you for making me sit up straight.

    I could NEVER get a good night's sleep until I started wearing a night guard to prevent me from grinding my teeth.

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  9. Ok - first of all, there is NOTHING better than chili topped with cheddar! That looks SO good!

    I always start my morning with a coffee - I add agave and almond milk. You do get used to the taste though. Try adding more milk. It really makes a difference.
    Im at the point now, where if I have to I can drink my coffee completely black. But that may just be my caffiene addiction talking.

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