We all know how important sleep is in bodybuilding but most people stop there. Its easy to say “get a lot of sleep” but its not as easy as uttering a trite phrase. Many people have trouble sleeping, over 9 million Americans use prescription sleeping pills like Lunesta and Ambien but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many more people use over the counter remedies, cold medicines, pain pills, and alcohol to help them sleep. Getting good sleep is a widespread problem. You don’t need pills because most sleep problems come from one single guilty pleasure .. which also happens to be a bit addictive – caffeine. Caffeine has a very long half life so even that cup of coffee at lunch can interfere with a good nights sleep. If you have sleep problems, you need to curb your caffeine consumption. I know that is easier said than done because caffeine is addictive but you can do it! Join the 14 day Caffeine Challenge and kick the habit!
“I love coffee too much to give it up”
Its not love, you are addicted! The first step is acknowledging your addiction :) Its not just caffeine that is the problem with coffee, its one of the biggest source of hidden calories. Drinking your calories is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to lose bodyfat. Many overweight people who use cream and sugar in their coffee laugh it off with a hand wave when you suggest that part of their weight problem is the “little bit” of cream and sugar in their coffee but it all adds up! With our national sweet tooth and love for cream, those three cups of coffee in the morning can easily hide 180 calories. 180 calories doesnt sound like much but if you have that every day, that adds up to 12 pounds fat in a year. Specialty flavored coffee beverages found at Starbucks are even worse hiding an entire meals worth of calories in one sweet and creamy beverage. Switching from coffee with cream and sugar to plain green tea is a great health and weight loss bargain!
Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages there is according to WebMD, one of the most trusted sources of medical information around. We want to ween ourselves off from coffee and substitute that habit for a healthier one which is to drink green tea. I am a heavy coffee drinker and I admit I am addicted. If I can make the switch from coffee to green tea then you can too!