Swedish Coffee Challenge
At the end of May, Johan asked if I've ever tried 1-2-4 with coffee.
1-2-4 is the pattern I came across with regard to alcohol, or anything really, that reduces the chance of over-doing-it.
One an hour
Two a day
Four a week
Johan's timing was perfect.
A month earlier, I was talking with Dr. Jeff Shilt. I had a concern that sustained, high intensity training might be bad for my health. Jeff was succinct...
If you really want to do something for your health, consider drinking less coffee
I knocked out alcohol a few years ago. Coffee, however, has been a 20-year habit. I've metabolized a heck of a lot of caffeine in my life.
I told Doc J that I wasn't interested in that adjustment, and we left it.
However...
I pride myself on being a model-patient and I remembered what he said
...and, behind the scenes, I noticed it was taking more and more intake to get a coffee buzz
...and, then Johan came along and said pretty much the same thing
I found myself in the position of ignoring a doctor, an Olympian, two goal-medal coaches, and a long-term friend... all rolled up into two people.
I decided to give it a shot.
I stopped the morning after Johan's question. Johan's on a break as well.
3.5 weeks so far.
No headaches
Drinking more water
Overall hydration better (assess via urine color) - likely means my recovery is better
The one drawback has been waking up _really_ early (3am) and, for the first two weeks, I couldn't fall back asleep.
Cravings, perhaps.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
One of my fears of stopping coffee was I wouldn't be able to wake up. The autobrew was my alarm clock.
FALSE - if anything it's too easy to wake up!
Another fear, I'd have less energy.
FALSE - no change in energy
Two things this experiment have proved to me, yet again.
#1 // when you get to a place were more ceases to work, try less
#2 // every so often, call your bluff on the stories you are telling yourself
My inner narrative on coffee proved false.
Not the first time, I'd been fooling myself.
Related Post is The 30-Day Test // binary choices are easier for me than moderation, less cognitive burden
What was your daily caffeine threshold at the time you talked to Dr Shilt and Coach Johan? And what was «less amount» according to Dr Shilt?
Just asking for a friend ☺️