Caffeine free … 🤔

It has been 2 weeks.

For 2 weeks I have been weaning myself off coffee. First, I cut back to 2 cups a day. One in the morning, and then another with lunch. Then I cut out the mid-day cup. And now, I have cut it out all together.

Instead, I drink more water, herbal teas, and just today purchased a 1/2 pound of decaf coffee from one of the local coffee roasters.

Like many men, I sometimes suffer from a bought of prostatitis, and have even written about it previously several times. It is annoying having to interrupt a ride for a “nature break”, and get up repeatedly throughout the night. During the past 2 weeks I have tracked the number of cups of coffee I have a day, and the number of times I get out of bed to visit the washroom.  My Garmin Activity Tracker actually records the quality of my sleep, and the number of times I’m up. I am happy, and somewhat surprised, to report that several times this week I did not get up once. That’s right. I did not get up even once. I can’t remember the last time that has happened.

It would appear coffee is the culprit. Over the years, I have gradually increased my intake with ever stronger blends. There was a time I never drank coffee but that changed when I moved to the west coast, and was introduced to a place called Starbucks. They had just opened their first Canadian location a block from my new office, and I began making daily treks for a cafe latte, a “tall” dark black coffee, or a “shot-in-the-dark” (black dark roast plus a single shot of espresso). At first, it was once a day but gradually increased to 3 or 4 times a day. Not only was I drinking way too much coffee, I was spending a lot of money unnecessarily.

I have also stopped drinking fluids of any kind later 5-6 PM. As I’m writing this it is 4 PM and I have just made a decaf coffee. This will be my last drink for the day. And, one other thing. I stopped using electrolyte tablets for my gym workouts, and short rides under 90 minutes. I don’t need the extra salt for these shorter workouts.

Well, I’ll see if this lasts. I have not been on a long ride yet but have noticed that I go less frequently throughout the day as well. Maybe 8-9 times. Come to think of it, I just returned from a 2 hour ride, and did not have to stop. Not once. That’s good 😀 I can remember times when I have had to stop as many as 3-4 times on the same route.

Most people urinate between six and eight times a day. But if you’re drinking plenty, it’s not abnormal to go as many as 10 times a day. You may also pee more often if you’re taking certain medications, like diuretics for high blood pressure.

And here I thought coffee was a health drink full of antioxidants and essential nutrients.

Black coffee is low in fat and calories and supplies a wealth of antioxidants that help protect your health. Certain risks have been linked to drinking large amounts of black coffee, but rest assured that you can safely drink a cup of coffee every morning. People who drink a lot of coffee are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who drink smaller amounts, or no coffee at all, according to some studies. According to Harvard Medical School, this is because it contains ingredients that lower blood sugar.

Oh well. I’ll just have to learn to do without 😟