Natural stimulants: How to Feel Alert and Fabulous sans Coffee

The mere mention of the word “coffee” is enough to jolt me awake. Just kidding! How I wish that’s for real, but here I am sipping my third cup. I must admit that there were nights when I lose sleep thinking over how I can ditch my caffeine habit. I drink more coffee as I haven’t slept much the night before. Then the next day I’ll be too sleepy, so I’ll bring crank up my coffee just a bit. The cycle goes on and it’s so pathetic! Sounds like you?

Caffeine Junkie Anonymous

Coffee is life. You are not your usual self until you gulped your morning cup. But what if you are taking in too much? How will you know that you are suffering from caffeine addiction? Your coffee habit is ruining your life if you were having bouts of insomnia, irritability, anxiety, nervousness, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, headaches and occasional migraines.

You have already built-up caffeine tolerance, so there is days when you’ll reach for your third, fourth or fifth cup. You are rushing the day, but there are just moments when you are feeling so tired. You might have already tried other caffeine-containing beverages such as energy drinks and cocktails. You even tried to cut back your coffee intake, only to get attacked by a headache the next hour. Sounds like an addict in coffee withdrawal? Since this is also my dilemma, let me share how I worked around my caffeine habit.

Natural Ways to Feel Awake without Coffee

Addiction treatment experts might say that the first step to healing is admitting that you have a problem. OK, you are hooked on caffeine, so it’s not that big of a problem, you are right. Our “addiction” is not as severe as say, drugs or alcohol or sex but hey, it’s still addiction! Our chronic caffeine habit will put us at a greater risk of having brittle bones and heart disease later in life. We must cut back on coffee before it’s too late. How?

1. Plan and sleep
It’s possible to plan your day so you can have more sleep hours. There are days when I just go bum all day only to hurry up and finish my to-do at night. It’s not healthy. It’s super stressful. Don’t cram your activities; instead, plan it. Coffee might make you work fast, but it won’t help if you are inefficient. Plan your day, maximize your hours and get some sleep.

2. Drink water
Before you go about and reach for another cup, drink first at least two large glasses of water. Why water you might ask? Well, you are feeling sleepy but it might also because you are dehydrated. Clogged body equals to fuzzy brain. Drink water to flush out all those toxins. Don’t drink soda as caffeine is usually included on most sodas. Your brain is made of 73-77% water so just a glass of water every two hours during working hours is enough to keep you on your toes and awake.

3. Eat green
Meat can weigh you down. Meat can make you sleepy and less attentive. If you are particular about your brain health, I suggest that you go vegan. If that is not possible, set aside a few days as no-meat days. Eat light, don’t stuff yourself too much. Eat in such a way that you are neither feeling full or hungry. Minimize sugar intake as it can only make you crash and burn in a few hours. Eat a light lunch and munch on small snacks such as apples, nuts, carrots, celery, sweet potato and salad.

4. Drink tea
If you can’t take coffee, go for green tea instead. Green tea has natural caffeine that can make you calm and awake. Tea is effective in keeping you focused without tiring you out.

5. Buy a small cup
The best way to cut back on caffeine intake is to buy a small mug. Water down your coffee gradually and use sugar sparingly. This is also the reason why fitness experts may sometimes advise us to eat meals on a smaller plate.

6. Keep calm
Maintaining ideal temperature can significantly affect an individual’s performance. The summer heat can make us feel sleepy so better invest in a good air conditioner. Turn on the lights and crank up your AC for the sake of productivity.

7. Take small breaks
Stretch your muscles throughout the day. Walk around the office after every hour of intense computer activity. Chew gum during your most sleepy time of the day. Do some jumping jack and jog in place. If you are barely holding up your eyelids, walk a bit around the office. You can also do some eye exercises to keep your eyes awake and alert.

8. Listen to music
An excellent way to keep your blood pumping is the listen to some upbeat music. Avoid sweet songs as they can just lull you to sleep.

Conclusion
If you find yourself reaching for coffee throughout your working day and if you use coffee to feel motivated, then you have a problem. If the challenges of your work are not enough to keep you awake daily, then you don’t need a cup but rather a new job!

Thanks to Sarah M. for this guest article

How Quickly Does A Tulip Poplar Grow Yearly?

Lately, we have been in a planting frenzy over at the Ismail home. We had all of our old, overgrown trees removed about two years ago. It was both a smart and dumb move at the same time. You see, we didn't think ahead about the fact that we would have zero shade in the hot summer months. Since having the trees removed, we have replanted new ones. We did a ton of research beforehand to ensure we got what would work for our zone and hopefully grow quickly enough to enjoy the shade before we become senior citizens.

One of the dozens of trees we decided on was the Tulip Poplar. We purchased two of them, one locally and the other from on online nursery located in our state. This tulip tree pictured below was planted late last summer and started off between 2-3 feet in height. So far since the spring completely sprung, it is now at 5 feet tall and climbing! There is still a lot of time left in the growing season so we are hoping for another few feet. This tree and the other one we bought seem to be growing overnight. I have read reviews where some people said they saw 8-10 feet of growth each year.

As you can see, the leaves are huge and they grow in dense clusters. When I was researching this tree, some people said the leaves get as large as full-size dinner plates. This is a good sign that in time, it will provide tremendous amounts of shade here in the 'Famously Hot' city of Columbia.

Something we learned along the way is to be super careful when watering your tulip poplar. You can't over-water, because it will completely drown out the roots and kill the tree. Ask me how I know this *ahem*. We only give it water once a week if it has not rained and the temperatures are over 90°. Also, we put down some fertilizer pre-spring and will probably do it again later on in the summer. The birds seem to be enjoying the trees and love to retreat from the heat among the dense foliage. Next up will be a couple bird baths to place next to each of our poplars. 

I'll be sharing more about our gardening adventures and some lawn care tips in upcoming posts. In the meantime, I'd love to know what you have planted this year. Do you have any wishlist plants or trees you would like to get in the future? Please share in the comments. Have a great weekend! 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links

Get Your #myKuplove 25¢ Drink Refills At Circle K Southeast Stores All Summer Long (Giveaway)

***CLOSED*** Winner is Stephanie D. Congratulations!
Today's post is brought to you by Circle K

Today, May 15th, kicks off the new myKup (formerly known as the Roo Cup) summer promotion. Right now at participating Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina Circle K stores, you can purchase a myKup for $7.99 and get drink refills for only 25¢ all summer long through Labor Day!

You can choose from the variety of fountain or frozen drinks and beat the heat this summer. This is such a great deal and with so many Circle K locations around, you can quench your thirst as often as you please for a super low price. With the end of the school year here, a myKup would make the perfect end-of-the-year gift for your child's teacher.

Are you on Instagram? Right now, Circle K is running a fun giveaway for their beloved fans. To enter, all you have to do is post a photo showing how you enjoy myKup on Instagram with the #myKuplove hashtag. Five random winners will receive two myKups with free refills all summer long, and two $100 Circle K gift cards. Be sure to follow Circle K Southeast on Instagram and Facebook. You can also find Circle K locations here.

Additionally, Mom Files is offering a giveaway bag for one lucky reader to win. The prize is a Circle K reusable bag, a myKup, branded swag, and one $25 AMEX gift card so you can get your 25¢ drink refills all summer long. Enter below....

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and will end on May 30, 2017. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Please be sure to read Rafflecopter rules and participants must have a valid email address to claim prize. Have fun and good luck!

Stay-at-home Jobs – Some People Love Them, Some Don’t (Guest Post)

Working from home is a subject that is met with both positivity and negativity for different reasons. While some believe that it is a great thing that people are able in this day and age to complete their work duties from the comfort of their own homes, other consider that this is not a beneficial thing due to the fact that it brings with it some disadvantages.  Both sides could be considered correct depending on which you choose to lean on. However, it wouldn’t hurt to have some arguments for both for and against working from home. Many people want to learn more about what it means to work from home and they would surely love a couple of reasons for which it’s a good or bad idea. If you’ve already decided that you want to work from home you can try this out.

Let’s go on and see what the disadvantages are. We’re starting with the negative aspects then hop over to the pluses to see which side makes a better point. In the end you can draw a line and decide whether or not a stay-at-home job would suit you.

• You don’t get to chat with your office friends if you work from home. If that’s something you like doing, this may be considered a downside
• You have to constantly find the willpower to start work each day since there’s no schedule to tell you that you have to start at a precise hour
• It can be challenging to maintain the same work ethic when there is no one around to correct you or your work
• Speaking of correcting work, your boss won’t see how hard you are in fact working and will only judge you based on your number, so if you don’t put out the same performance each day he’ll think you’re slacking
• You have to re-arrange a significant deal of space in your home to accommodate your home office especially if you have a lot of things that you need around you for work

Now that we’ve seen what the downsides are to working from home, let’s take a look at the positive aspects.

• You can save up a lot of money on gas and other expenses that come up when you have to commute to work
• You get to spend more time home with your family and also take care of the household more since you can set your own schedule to a certain degree
• You can work without distractions like office chatter and commit fully to your tasks for the day
• You can sleep in more since you don’t have to wake up as early to get to the workplace
• You can wear whatever you want and sit in whichever position you see fit so that you are in your most comfortable state

Are HIIT Workouts Really Effective?

Have you heard of HIIT workouts? HIIT actually stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It is basically a very high intensity workout that gives super short breaks in between each exercise. I have accepted that I will probably never weigh 115 pounds again and have come to embrace my womanly body. My issue is tightening it up! I was introduced to Blast3Fitness.com and decided to give it a go.

Get this, their HIIT sessions are only 3 minutes long! The warm-up is 3 minutes, so if you have 6 minutes (which we all do), you can fit in a really good workout. I have to say, be prepared to feel muscles you didn't know existed. WOW. Below is the warm-up video that I highly recommend you start with.



Once you do the warm-up, you will be ready for a Blast3 session. I really like this one below although I had to improvise a bit. I have to do my press-ups against the wall so I don't mess up my knees. I still get the same effect though.



I noticed that I felt really good after doing the exercises. It was maybe 20 minutes later that my arms and legs felt like jelly. I could feel the muscles in my thighs, abs, back, and arms burn so I feel like I did it correctly. I really love the Blast3 exercise videos and have vowed to make sure I get one or two in each day. I usually hate it when those super-workout-I-run-marathons-for-breakfast people say there is no excuse not to exercise. I admit, with something this convenient, you really do not have an excuse. You can do these exercises just about anywhere. All you need is a yoga mat and minimal space. Perfect for even the busiest person! Don't forget that your health is your wealth.

This is not a sponsored post. I simply wanted to share my experience so far and I will update you all in about a month with my progress. If you are looking into a quick daily fitness routine, I highly suggest Blast3Fitness.com. Thanks for stopping by today 💓