Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is about that morning cup of coffee. Here's
Speaker 1: how to make it be a positive morning ritual, one
Speaker 1: that is pleasurable in addition to possibly having some health benefits.
Speaker 1: To this week, we have been talking about ways to
Speaker 1: take care of our brains. If we want to take
Speaker 1: our days from great to awesome, being on top of
Speaker 1: our mental games can help a lot. Our brains are
Speaker 1: the most important productivity tools we have now and in
Speaker 1: the future too, so we want to keep these tools
Speaker 1: as sharp as possible. That brings us to today's topic, coffee.
Speaker 1: In health literature, it always seems inevitable that the things
Speaker 1: we love will turn out to be bad for us. Candy, soda,
Speaker 1: hot dogs. So it seems like coffee, which many of
Speaker 1: us drink every single morning and indeed, which is often
Speaker 1: the thing that lures us out of bed, might fall
Speaker 1: into that category. And yet that doesn't seem to be true.
Speaker 1: Various research has found that drinking coffee on a regular
Speaker 1: basis might improve alertness, as one might imagine, and also
Speaker 1: it seems to protect the brain against cognitive impairments. It's
Speaker 1: unclear exactly why this is, but substances in the coffee
Speaker 1: beans and the chemical reactions that are part of roasting
Speaker 1: the beans might have something to do with it. That
Speaker 1: means it's not the caffeine itself, which is why taking
Speaker 1: caffeine pills or drinking energy drinks probably wouldn't have the
Speaker 1: same effect. Everything needs to happen in my moderation. Downing
Speaker 1: gallons of coffee a day will make you tense and irritable.
Speaker 1: That will have negative effects on your health. But it
Speaker 1: does seem to suggest that probably a cup or two
Speaker 1: a day isn't bad. It might even be good. So
Speaker 1: if that's the case, it is fine to make a
Speaker 1: cup of coffee part of your morning ritual. And if
Speaker 1: you are going to do that, well, why not make
Speaker 1: it the best ritual possible. I will admit that in
Speaker 1: the past, my husband and I have made a full
Speaker 1: pot of coffee one day and not finished it and
Speaker 1: just reheated the remains the next day. But I recently
Speaker 1: decided that if I am only going to drink one
Speaker 1: to two cups of coffee a day, I really want
Speaker 1: to enjoy those cups. So now it is always a
Speaker 1: fresh pot. We make it at home since going to
Speaker 1: a coffee shop would take way more time than we
Speaker 1: generally have in our busy mornings. Plus both of us
Speaker 1: usually work at home, so it's really more efficient if
Speaker 1: you are making your coffee at home to spring for
Speaker 1: the good stuff, get mugs that you like and that
Speaker 1: fit well in your hand, then choose a moment to
Speaker 1: pour your coffee when you can actually sit and enjoy it.
Speaker 1: Maybe that requires waiting until the kids are on the
Speaker 1: bus and then you sit for ten minutes before you
Speaker 1: drive to work or fire up your laptop. Or maybe
Speaker 1: you have really little ones to the point where you
Speaker 1: trade off with your partner to shower, so maybe each
Speaker 1: of you gives the other ten more minutes, maybe by
Speaker 1: getting up a little bit earlier so both of you
Speaker 1: can sit and savor. Or if your life allows for it,
Speaker 1: go sit outside for a bit or near a picture window,
Speaker 1: or spend the time reading something delightful. Really enjoy the
Speaker 1: experience of tasting your coffee, of feeling that heat, experiencing
Speaker 1: the smell, and then that sense of alertness. Sip slowly
Speaker 1: if that means you don't make it through the whole cup.
Speaker 1: In ten minutes. Well, oh well, we are aiming for savoring,
Speaker 1: not slurping. If you do decide that you need half
Speaker 1: a cup later on, so be it. But when that
Speaker 1: first cup of coffee is really noticed and enjoyed, and
Speaker 1: when you're doing everything you can to get enough sleep,
Speaker 1: which you should be, then that might be all you need.
Speaker 1: You'll be possibly helping your brain with that good coffee,
Speaker 1: but you'll definitely be waking yourself up in a lovely way.
Speaker 1: And who couldn't use more of that? In the meantime,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b the number four,
Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media
Speaker 1: dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
Speaker 1: in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.
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