Caffeine is like Crack

Yes, I admit it, I LOVE coffee, and have graduated over the years from cheap instant with lots of milk and sugar (glorified coffee milkshake!) to strong dark filter coffee without milk or sugar and I look forward to it every time. Coffee is my crack cocaine and it is the hardest part of my diet to control and moderate. I can walk past Dunkin Donuts, or the fish and chip shop and stay strong, but if I have been working hard, feel a little slow or tired or need a pick me up to train, then coffee is hard to beat.

I am also fully aware of the negative effects that caffeine dependence due to lack of sleep and chronic stress can have on your health and also your weight. It all stems back to a hormone called cortisol, known to many as the "Stress Hormone" as our bodies secrete it in times of stress, originally to fuel our fight or flight instincts. Cortisol, in turn raises our blood sugars, and decreases our insulin sensitivity, leading to an increase in fat storage around our bellies. Basically stress releases insulin which makes us fat. Simples!

So, how does caffeine tie in here? Often when working and partying hard we do not get enough quality sleep, which, when combined with the stresses of work, money and family life means that we live in this cycle of fatigue, dependant on stimulants like caffeine to keep us going and that mask the truth - YOU ARE TIRED ALL OF THE TIME AND NEED TO ADJUST YOUR LIFESTYLE. To further add to the argument, consuming caffeine also has a detrimental effect on the quality of your sleep, further fuelling the fire.

Currently my bootcampers are in week one and trying to cut out caffeine in all of its forms, and they are finding it hard work. If you are a hardened coffee drinker then going cold turkey will leave you like Ewan MacGregor in Trainspotting, so it is best to cut it out over the course of a week or maybe change to a low-caffeine coffee for a few days before cutting it totally. Once off of the caffeine you will experience better sleep, and improved response to stress, and potentially less fat storage around your tummy.

Remember if you don't try it, you will never know! Cut out the coffee and go to bed early.......

Stay Strong

Ben