May the coffee be with you...in moderation

This morning was one of those mornings. Landon woke me up by sitting on my face earlier than I would have liked. I was tired. Most days every mom wakes up a certain kind of tired.

So we do what smart tired moms do. Nothing makes me more of a morning delight than a delicious cup of hot coffee with just the right amount of creamer.

If you're anything like me, coffee is more of a comfort thing. The smell, the taste, the feel as it flows through your veins...I love it all. But if I'm going to be honest, I am not much more awake than before my delicious cup of crack. Maybe a little...but not much. 

On top of that, having more than a cup causes my stomach to hurt. It's the pain of caffeine, I suppose. Small sacrifice for the love of my cup, right?

Wrong. Which is why at 28 I made an old lady switch to decaf after that first cup. (No offense, grannies) 

Okay...so back to my morning.

After reheating it 7 times within a 30 minute period, my cup of joe was gone. My next thought...."I need more."

Now I KNOW that having that second cup is going to make me feel crappy, probably more irritable because who feels crappy and is super sweet, is probably going to be reheated 7 times, and still won't make me feel awake and happy, which is supposed to be why I "need" another cup.

Knowing all of this, off I went to the kitchen for that second cup.

As predicated, while sipping my favorite addiction, my stomach started to hurt.

What was I doing?!

Remember the list of things a second cup would and wouldn't do from earlier? That was still all true.

But I wanted it, thinking that somehow despite all of my other experiences, this time would be different.

How often do we do this with life? It's crazy. 

I know what is going to make me feel better and more energized. It's eating those God given nutrients found in good food. It's using my body to get those endorphins going.

I know this but yet it's so much easier to sit on a couch and sip a second cup of coffee.

Today I put away my second cup of coffee. I reached for my shakeology with 70 whole foods and just the nutrients I needed to get that feeling I wanted. I got my workout in and gave it my all for 30 minutes. 

And you know what? 

My stomach didn't hurt.

I didn't feel like I was dragging.

I didn't have to regret that second cup.

I didn't have that fatty creamer.

But I did get the energy I needed from real foods and nutrients.

And I did get those endorphins flowing with my workout.

The rest of my day has been better because of it. 

Are you living for instant gratification like I was with that second cup of coffee? To the point where you know what you really want, but make excuses to why what you want right now is the "better" choice in the moment?

That's what society has taught us to do. You have to intentionally be different. You have to intentionally be intentional.

I challenge you to do that. If you feel you didn't today, start tonight. In the end, you will be so glad you did.