#24: February Challenge Wrap Up

February was definitely not what I had pictured or hoped going into it. I made it two weeks of increasing consistency and found a god groove and then ... sick.


So being sick took me out of the running for two weeks. Now it's February 29th and the last day of my Challenge. Tomorrow is a new day, a new month, and therefore, a new Challenge. But before I move into next month, I really need to clear out this month. I was very disappointed not to be able to finish out the month because I was both enjoying it and doing well at it and was looking forward to mixing it up a little to really push myself. I can see that I'm back in the space I was prior to starting in February where I'm tired, overworked, lacking energy. I need to finish this Challenge despite the month it's assigned to being over. There is something in this overall project that is directly linked to my previous inability to finish big things I want to do, big projects I start, big changes I want to make. So to have something else get in the way of my finishing is frustrating. But allowing it to have control or be my excuse is the wrong way for me to force change.

So, for starters, I'm going to continue the February Challenge into March. Rules remain the same:

• Workouts 5 days each week
• Workouts include at least 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength
• Workouts must be at least 30 minutes, but 3 times each week, the workout must last 40 minutes+

What else am I adding tho? I had a full-blown plan for March that I was ready to begin on with full-enthusiasm. But one my favorite friends was in town for the past 4+ days and during her visit we started a conversation that led me to want a different challenge ... TOO. Grrr ... So I've been trying to decide which to go for because I don't want to do both at once. I want to do both and think that both may be equally hard for me. Because I'm continuing the cardio into March (altho it's the secondary Challenge in March), I think that the March Challenge needs to compliment it versus work against it. 

Because I still plan to have my original March activity in another month, I'm not going to say what it was. So what is the plan now?

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March Challenge:

ELIMINATE CAFFEINE

This is one of the potential activities on my big list of options that I thought "NO WAY." When I was first thinking about this project I was thinking that I probably couldn't make it thru my day without caffeine and that others may not be able to make it thru their days if they were in contact with me and I'm "off" caffeine. Then this weekend I was having a conversation with the friend about vices and it came around that coffee was my vice. I think I was drinking my vice's top line product, aka Vanilla Latte, as we discussed it. I realized that my morning coffee is really part of my routine that affects me significantly when it's off. If I don't have my coffee, I often forget to take my morning pills. If I forget to take my pills, my day is crazy. And even if I take my pills, but forget the coffee, it messes with my brain power, my clarity, my schedule, my promptness and timeliness. And once any of those are off, my whole day gets off. 

Also in the conversation, I realized that I really am relying on the caffeine. How is that different from "needing" to smoke, get high, get drunk, etc.? I'm not sure it is. It's just a more legal version of some of those other list items, and a more accepted version of the others. I have always been somewhat sensitive about my intake of drugs, prescription or otherwise, and alcohol out of concern that I would be come addicted. 

I admittedly come from a family that has various levels of addiction on both sides. I have known from a young age that I am much more likely to be the person to takes one hit of something hard core and is addicted. I've always known I'm much more likely to become dependent on sleep aids, pain relievers, alcohol. And if I'm being brutally honest with myself here, I have gotten carried away with alcohol on many an occasion. I never felt dependent on it, but I have often been bad at stopping myself at the right drink during the night. 

So the processing in the conversation led me to a place where I realized I was addicted to the caffeine. Some of that addiction is mental and schedule related, but I'm certainly physiologically addicted as well: I cannot go without caffeine for a whole day without intense headaches, nausea, shakes, sweating. It is fairly debilitating at its worse. 

So in marches March and I'm going to go cold turkey. it's 6:30pm right now and in 5 1/2 hours, there will be no more caffeine going in my system. That isn't just my coffee, it's soda, tea, chocolate, etc. I know that in order to help my day stay smooth without the coffee, I will still need to have something. So I'm off to the store this evening to buy herbal tea in order to have something each morning and caffeine withdrawal pills that I can chew when the symptoms hit. 

This is gonna be rough!!!

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Bottom line:

FEBRUARY CHALLENGE: C

*Can't totally fail because I did it well when I was doing it. 

MARCH CHALLENGE: No Caffeine

Rules:

• No coffee, even decaf because it isn't truly without all caffeine
• No caffeinated tea
• No chocolate
• No energy drinks

Wish me luck. 

And my friends, kids and family too.