The bad habit I am giving up is diet coke. Now before you start defending diet coke.....don't worry, I think it is a wonderful thing. No need to tell me how much fun a diet coke and some chips are...but I went beyond the pale. I drank so much, that I was feeling like I needed to quit. I'm not sure if it is diet coke that is contributing to how I feel, but maybe, so I thought I would.....wait for it.....quit. Yikes...
You see I feel squishy....and I know there is a ton of sodium in that sweet little drink. I really don't drink enough water...so I feel squishy. And I want to feel less squishy. I also don't want to have to have diet coke on hand. It's simple, I am addicted to caffeine. Caffeine is not the enemy, it actually helps with headaches, and other things....I just drink too much. I went from a nice balance to, "Gotta have it!!"
This latest journey actually started with Green Smoothies. My dear friend Patrice started drinking them quite a while ago. She is the healthiest eater I know....but she isn't weird about it....she loves all food, and eats it with real passion. She just eats well...lean meat, lots of veggies, fruits and nuts. So I started drinking them too...I knew I wasn't getting enough vegetables so this is a great way to get some real food in your body. They are easy to make, stuff spinach (and I mean stuff) in a blender, add water, juice or crystal light and then blend it up....Add some frozen fruit, personally I love any kind of berry. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries...you get it...berries. Blend, blend, blend.....at the end add a banana. Done..... You can tweak this any way you want to. Add frozen peaches, add fresh fruit, add kale, collard greens (not too many, they are strong, but mighty). The rule is, there isn't a rule. You can't do this wrong. I have been drinking them for a few months and I noticed my nails were growing. I have notoriously weak nails, and because of that I bite them....and then I get hang nails...yikes. So this was a big change. I am doing nothing else differently...so it must be the green smoothies. I made the leap that if my nails were absorbing more vitamins, then so are my bones. That caught my attention. I don't want a hump. I have heard, maybe it's true maybe not, that soda leaches calcium from your bones...I don't know where I heard that....maybe it's totally made up...but if it is true, I will regret not drinking less later on in life....when I have a hump.
The evidence I have with Green Smoothies is now more empirical than anecdotal. My problem nails are better.
I will let you know about the diet coke thing. Right now I am on a methadone treatment.... Excedrin every 4 hours. I know it has caffeine in it...but I will eventually wean down. I am not worried about too much aspirin right now.....one thing at a time.
And from my experience with green smoothies I will give this diet coke thing about 3 months before I judge if it is effective or not. I have lots of other things to change in my life. Things that just bug me about myself. I end up feeling weak and unable to change. And I know that isn't true...I can change.
I just did....one change gives you some power to change something else. Seriously who has ever just painted a room? After that you need some new carpet, maybe some new window treatments? Change empowers change...
I knew I was drinking too much soda...I have been drinking diet soda my whole life. Remember Tab? I drank that, then diet Dr. Pepper.....then Diet Coke....Don't get me wrong, there isn't anything wrong with soda....but when a truck backs up at your house to unload, then you may have gone too far. Wish me luck!!
Wisdom for the day.......We find out at the end of our lives how important the decisions are we made at the beginning of our lives.
I really don't want a hump...
