A Change of Habit

Recently, I did something that I thought I’d never, ever do. The aging process sometimes comes with a little bit of wisdom, or at least a greater degree of self-awareness as the passions die a little more with each passing day. As Ernest Hemingway said “ Old men are not wise, just more cautious”, and perhaps that sense of cautiousness has led me to reassess some of my lifestyle choices.

I have always had three basic components to my day ever since I was 17. These are what I call the three ‘browns”; coffee, chocolate, and pipe tobacco. There were stretches of time where I did without one or the other, not out of desire to quit, but simply out of a short-term lack of desire. I have never deliberately made any attempt to quit any of the three. I’m a person who works out and enjoys vices in moderation, and felt that whatever side-effects these substances might produce would be outweighed by the usual regimen of physical labor, exercise, and nutritional supplements. I was wrong.

It not that these substances, when used in moderation, cause huge problems their own. Moderate use is safe and in some cases recommended. The problem for me is that these ‘browns’ tend to exacerbate existing bumps, scrapes, and strains incurred throughout my life. I noticed that within two days of not drinking coffee, that my knees, elbows, hands, and hips, normally wracked by intense pain from abuse in the gym and at work, stopped hurting altogether. I mean it. I felt like a new person, and was able to start training again with more energy and vigor than I’ve seen in couple of years. I was also, for the longest time, having appendicitis-like symptoms, and at time they were quite painful. Within days of stopping my caffeine intake, the pains disappeared and have not returned. I am also sleeping much deeper than I have in years, and the old pattern vivid and lucid dreaming has returned full force. Now, if I could only get the cats on my sleep schedule, all would be perfect.

I don’t get sick much, but when I do, it’s serious. I try not to be a cry-baby. Caffeine is a stimulant, not a nutrient, and it causes more urinary function than normal, which puts and added strain on your system when trying to recover from flu or cold. Caffeine also washes nutrients out of your body, so if you are taking vitamins, herbal supplements, or medications, the level of help you receive from these health aids are greatly diminished. It was such a sudden and powerful flu at prompted me not only to limit my caffeine intake for the duration of the illness, but to cease using it altogether. I was a good decision.

I am not going to get into the science of caffeine or cocoa, or their effects on the body. There are 100s of websites dedicated to that. My purpose is to express the importance of reviewing some of the every-day habits we have as far as nutrition is concerned. When we are young, nothing appears to effect us, and as we age, everything seems to try and kill us. The coffee and tea are now ‘verboten.’ I have already stopped eating deep fried foods and have cut back on my salt intake. I have seen real improvement even though I wasn’t chronically ill, maybe I just didn’t know I was about to be. A cost/benefit analysis never hurts, no matter what one discovers in the process.

If I ever have to give up my beer, however, I may have to kill myself.