Cutting out coffee

I used to think that I needed coffee in the morning to be able to function as a teacher. I would tell my students that coffee makes me a better teacher. Yeah... I would get the jitters, but I had a ton of energy that enabled me to really get excited about teaching.

As I mentioned in a previous post I have high blood pressure. I've been trying to lower it by changing my diet. I learned from reading the book, "The Great American Detox Diet" and from the website http://www.overcaffeinated.org/caffeine/effects/ that caffeine can raise your blood pressure!

We all know that caffeine helps us stay alert and feel that we have more energy.

But there are more drawbacks than it's worth (to me anyway)
1. Affects sleeping habits. It can actually hinder you from getting a good nights rest.
2. Elevated heart rate and blood pressure. This is a big deal for me since I'm trying to lower it!
3. Causes loss of fluid which leads to dehydration.

So to cut it out.... tricky..... how will I manage my 26 five and six year olds???

The plan:
- Take vitamins
- Drink lots of water.
- Go to bed at 9:00 pm.
- Do stretching in the morning... maybe some yoga?

I know that when vitamin B is taken with food it turns the food into energy. So every morning I take this. I still feel tired in the morning, but it's not as bad without the B supplement. This has also encouraged me to take other vitamins. Since I'm taking one I might as well take the others!

I've been doing well on drinking water. I want to get a water jug and bring it into school with me so I don't have to go to the water fountain all the time.

Going to bed at 9:00 has been really hard for me... I'm still working on it.

I've been stretching with my students first thing in the morning. I have found this not only helps me when I'm feeling tired, but it also helps them. When I notice that they have a gaze over their eyes, or that I am feeling really tired, we stand up and do 30 jumping jacks, some squats, sit ups, or whatever exercises we feel like doing. They L. O. V. E. this kind of stuff!

Last week was my first week without coffee. All week I felt tired and had a headache. That lasted until Friday. I had no symptoms over the weekend and so far today I am feeling fine.

I'm still not convinced that I can be a teacher without coffee... it's difficult, but it's getting better. I just need to keep my body hydrated, filled with the nutrients it needs, and rested....

Now I can just say, "Drinking water, eating right, excersizing, and taking vitimens helps me be a better teacher!"