🎶 Oooh…the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup…

I believe the majority of you reading or listening to this newsletter know this little jingle from Rockapella and Folgers Coffee…

Sorry, you might have that little jingle stuck in your head for the rest of the day now…

Well, contrary to what the jingle is stating, the best part of waking up is actually to wait 90-120 minutes before drinking your delicious morning cup of coffee (or whatever form of caffeine you drink while reading the morning newspaper).

How did I come upon this knowledge you ask…

A Health Journey

Back in August 2022, I started working with a health and fitness coach. (For all the women reading this, if you happen to be looking for a coach, I highly recommend the ladies at Flexis Fitness…science-backed programs designed specifically for women).

On one of the very first calls that I had with my coach, I mentioned that for the most part, I always felt like I needed more coffee to make it through the afternoon and onto the evenings. She asked if I drank coffee within 20 to 30 minutes of waking up in the morning - of course I said, who doesn’t?

Without hesitation, she said, maybe you should try waiting one and a half to two hours before having the first cup. WHAT??!! I don’t think that I could do that!

She explained the science behind it, which paraphrased went something like this…

When you wake up in the morning, you still have adenosine (the sleepiness factor) in your system. You would think that by drinking caffeine you would eliminate that, but due to the makeup of caffeine, you end up blocking that adenosine.

So, when the caffeine wears off - the adenosine is freed and causes the sleepiness to return.

By waiting for 90-120 minutes, you give adenosine the opportunity to work itself out of your system. A couple of ways to get the adenosine out of your system quickly is to:

* hydrate when you wake up (H2O)

* get bright light in your eyes as soon as you can, ideally from sunlight (but bright artificial lights can also do the trick)…

* And ten minutes of movement (jumping jacks or walking, etc.)

She said for me to think about it, and try it out.

Okay, I said.

Of course, after that call, I headed onto the good ‘ole internet to see if I could find out some more information about it and I stumbled upon the below video podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman. The science behind it is so fascinating…

If you are wondering how it went…since August, I wait to have the first cup of coffee for at least an hour or longer in the morning. And when I do it in combination with moving and getting sunlight I feel more energized and less groggy in the afternoon. I also don’t feel like I need more coffee to get me through the day unless, of course, I have some heavy theoretical reading to do for school 😂.

Reflecting…

At some point in the last couple of months, it led me to think about how I started off my days in Benin…

* Wake up with the sun, not an alarm clock, between 6:30 and 7 am…

* Drink some water and brush my teeth…

* Stand outside on the porch to enjoy the coolness of the morning…

* Go back inside, boil water, and make a beautiful French press of coffee…

* Then usually, take a cold shower (too lazy to warm up water for a hot shower in the morning!).

This simple routine is what the majority of people in our community in Benin do in the morning. There are additions to this routine, depending on who you are and your jobs within the household. Most mornings people wake up and sweep the floors of their houses and yards and wash the dishes. It isn’t jumping jacks or push-ups, but it is movement.

It made me wonder if these steps lead to a less stressed, more happy population. Maybe I’ll have to give Dr. Huberman a call to do a study in Benin :)

Ending with a story…

This is a story about a son and his father and a horse.

The father and son were going to visit some family and had a long day of travel ahead. They both started out riding the horse.

They met someone along the road.

The person said, “You both are riding the horse! Don’t you know that is too much weight for the horse?”

So, the father got down and started walking, while the son continued to ride the horse.

A little while later, they met another person on the road.

“What is going on,” the person says to the father, “you are old and your son has more endurance than you, why are you letting him ride the horse?”

So, the father and son switched places.

They continued on their journey.

They met a third person along the road.

“What is wrong with you?” the person said to the father. “You are the father and you are riding and you are making your son walk?”

The father descended and he and his son decided to walk next to the horse.

They were about to arrive at their destination when they met a fourth person.

“Are you not smart?” the person said to the father and son.

“You have a horse that you could both be riding to have a faster journey, but you have chosen to walk next to the horse.”

The father then leaned over and told his son, “What you can learn from this is no matter what you do people are going to have their own opinion about it.

This little story, a parable, is one that my husband recently told me. As per usual with parables, there is a lesson to be learned. And if you haven’t figured it out already, here is the one for this little story.

Stick with what you believe in and what you believe is right. Because no matter what you do, you will never be able to please everyone.

By the way, if any of you decide to try and delay your caffeine in the morning - please let me know how it works for you! It has been a game-changer for me, so I thought I would share!

Have a wonderful week ahead…

Stay well and smile often 😊

Debra

TODAY’S PICKS…what I would share if we were chatting at the water cooler 💦

📖  READING …Besides all the articles for school 🙂  Strong Mothers, Strong Sons by Meg Meeker, M.D ; The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler; Tranquility Tuesdays by Laura Vanderkam

🎧  LISTENING …Marketplace Podcast…I have been learning about the economy from Kai Rysdal and the crew for over 5 years!

🎶  MUSIC …still Sea Shanty’s! All because I watched The Fisherman’s Friends 🎣

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