My husband and I are trying to quit soda in the new year. Cold turkey and sober since January 1st. It has been three weeks now; trophy is in the mail, right? You see, I haven't really had a full nights sleep in over a year and found myself cracking open a Diet Coke before noon most days. Or going to a drive-thru of some sort to get an even bigger Diet Coke. I would just start lagging and I was so unmotivated and so tired around 11 a.m. I felt like I really depended on that DC fix at least once a day.
Hence, the quitting. I didn't like being so dependent on caffeine for my energy. So for the last three weeks, I have had to find ways to get my butt in gear without caffeine. Here are a couple things I have tried that are really working for me. Do I still dream about the sound of the can popping as it opens? Yes. Progress though people! Progress!
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Make your Bed. This probably sounds like it has nothing to do with giving you energy but it does. For some reason, making your bed in the morning is proven to increase both productivity and happiness. Navy Seal William H. McCraven, commander of the forces that led the raid to kill Osama bin Laden, echoed the same sentiment in his 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas. He advised graduates, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.” (Merle,2015)
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Get dressed. I actually need to write "get dressed" on my daily to-do list. Sometimes you need a day to stay in your pajamas until 2 p.m. Most days though, just getting dressed, and throwing on some mascara and lipgloss, makes a world of difference and always motivates me to get out of the house and get stuff done. This includes getting my kids dressed too!
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Go for a walk. The other day, my boys had woken up from their afternoon naps. We were watching a show together and I could not stop yawning over and over again. All I wanted was a caffeine drip IV. I decided we should walk to the nearby grocery store to get a couple last minute things for dinner. I bundled the kids up (it is still cold here), dusted the cobwebs off our poor deserted stroller (been cold for a while now), and took the boys on a little walk. We all got a second wind, the constant yawning stopped and we came home, turned on some tunes and made dinner with a pep in my step. Walks for the win!
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Make a plan. I love having something to look forward to, even if it is just meeting a friend for lunch, taking the kids to story time or a planned workout later in the evening. I love having a plan to keep me accountable, keep me motivated and it helps me know that I need to get things done to work around our plans.
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Exercise. I also need to dust the cobwebs off my running shoes. I haven't tried this method for more energy in the new year yet (one goal at a time I guess), but of course, exercise is another proven method to naturally give you more energy, endorphins and make you feel good! I have a friend who told me it may sound opposite, but on days she works out in the morning, she can conquer her to-do list with ease. She rides that running high all day long. But on days she takes a break from working out, she is slower and lazier. I am planning on slowly getting back into a work-out schedule to also give me a daily boost!
None of these methods require a lot of work and, on the whole, are easy ways to stay motivated during the day. As I brave this caffeine-free new world, I am happy to be armed with simple ways of making sure I get off the couch, feel productive and stop yawning.
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Merle, Huffington Post (2015). https://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-merle/benefits-of-making-your-bed_b_7980354.html
