This post is part of a series titled "Twinmama's Lifestyle Challenge". For more information about how the challenge works, please visit related links here and here.

Week Nine: How Did It Go?

This week was filled with lots of illness, so I didn't quite get this challenge off the ground completely. I did manage to drag myself out of bed most of the days to do at least one load of laundry since we would have been in trouble and twindada was much too busy doing everything else plus trying to manage his business. I say the laundry challenge is definitely a keeper though - I did one load a day and it is quite manageable. I also like how it eliminates some stress not seeing the laundry basket start to overflow and running out of essentials like wash clothes (we have a lot of dirty faces around here), shirts and pajamas.

Week Ten...cue Mission: Impossible music...

Category?: Personal

What?: Step away from the hard stuff! No, I am not talking about beer or liquor. I am talking about my nemesis - caffeine. Much to my dismay, I can't consume it. It is time to eliminate caffeine from my daily liquids.

Why?: Much like medicine, when taken daily our bodies start to crave it and need it to function. This not much different than alcohol, too. Caffeine makes me jittery and active for a few hours and then I crash from its affects and this slows me down throughout the day. When I crash, I will often look for ways to boost my energy level again and this includes more caffeine or eating sugary foods. Since sugary foods add unnecessary calories and fat, this can be a real problem, too.

How Do We Go About Doing the Challenge?: I will not have any caffeinated beverages in the house whatsoever so that I am not tempted by them. Also, I will choose to order drinks that do not contain caffeine when we are out eating. I will also read labels before consuming certain food and medicine products that may contain caffeine. (For example, Midol contains enough caffeine to be the equivalent of one cup of coffee. That is how the drug fixes the fatigue symptom.)

*I am going to eliminate it completely from week one, but others who choose to follow this challenge may need to phase it out in baby steps. Also, keep in mind there is a withdrawal period for caffeine that usually lasts between 2-9 days and includes symptoms like fatigue/sluggishness, headaches and depressed mood.

Who Does the Challenge Include?: Me!

Resources to Help:

http://www.medicinenet.com/caffeine/article.htm

TLC Weekly Challenges start on Mondays and continue indefinitely. I will post my results along with the following challenge next Sunday. Remember, you are invited to participate in my weekly challenge or create your own and tell me about it! Also, if you find better ways to accomplish a weekly challenge, please drop me a comment. Good luck, fellow TLC-ers!