Category — health

So I’ve been on detox for a week now, and lot of people doubted I’d make it even this far, let alone finish. Why? Because I’m known for my going out antics, love of a good beer and a good cup of coffee.

What makes it worse is that the detox I’m on is quite strict, possibly overly strict: No meat, egg white wheat products, oranges (wrong PH), you get the idea. I can have fish every so often though. Mix that in with the variety of herbal pills you take with it - yes, the effects are true - and you get an interesting diet.

But I’ve made it, and I’m feeling better for it, I think. That might just be the removal of beer and coffee, but I’m sleeping better and I do feel a little better than I did - not that I ever felt bad.

So what do I miss? Well, I really do miss my morning cup of coffee, but I think after this, I’ll limit myself to just that morning coffee. And obviously beer, but again, that will be down to once or twice a week. And meat and eggs. That’s been the toughest as you can imagine, especially when you make scrambled eggs as good as mine!

The one downside is going to the pub with your friends and watching them getting drunk is no fun… hmm… Beer. Not helped when friends go “I admire your will power. Want a beer?” Thanks for that Dave. So cruel.

I will make it though. Only another week to go… No problem!

This blog is slightly off topic for me, but I’ve started riding to work, but those mountain bike tires were a little slow for my liking, so I decided to go with street tires. I knew it would make a difference, but I didn’t realise how much!

I went with Specialized Armadillo tires, which are apparently the choice of cycle couriers everywhere - I found that out afterwards btw.

But, it was a great choice! I don’t know if there’s better ones or not, but as my first street tires, I’m really happy. They felt much faster in a straight line, and cornering seemed more stable on the tarmac - mountain bike tires have a small contact when turning, these are based on motorbike tires, so corner really well, but I’m not going to push it!

And as for riding to work itself, it’s great! It takes me 25 minutes to get to work on the bike. It takes 40 on the train and an hour on foot. And, when I get to work, despite being a little hot, I find it much easier to get going and focus in the morning. I also feeling healthier after just a few weeks of riding. I just hope I can keep it up and it’s not just a new year fad. Oh, and the view crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge is awesome as ever!

I feel a little background to this blog is in order. For the last few months, I’ve been feeling exhausted. My sleep patterns are erratic, and I generally get about 2 solid hours of sleep a night. My days are spent trying to stay conscious by consuming vast amounts of coffee. Focusing on my work has been tough, and remembering things clearly… Don’t go there.

So, a friend suggested I give up caffeine. Try a few days without it. Now, me being me, I don’t do things by halves. So I stopped at that moment, and haven’t touched it for the grand total of two weeks now.

Any difference? Well, I feel a lot more alert - probably helped by my new swimming regime. But seriously, I’m finding it much easier to concentrate now, and the low points I used to get during the day have now gone. However, it’s not fixed my sleep patterns. I’m still having trouble sleeping though, but it doesn’t seem to matter as much. I do have a tub of Nescafe Gold Decaffeinated on my desk, as I do miss the bitter taste of coffee.

Overall, I’m quite glad to have stopped. Please that I’ve managed the self control to get through the pain (that infamous headache), and not go to the local cafe to buy one when I feel tired in the morning - which is less often now. It’s also saving me money. You’ll be quite surprised how much that $3 a day adds up to over time.