Posted on December 13, 2018 by Emily Forbes

Before I went on holiday last month, which was very overdue, I was starting to drink more and more coffee. I tend to drink coffee for the enjoyment of it rather than the caffeine fix, usually having just one a day. But because I was feeling so tired, my single coffee a day had snuck up to 3, sometimes 4. It had become a caffeine crutch and not just a thing a enjoy. To break this cycle, rather than tell myself I would just reduce it down, I did a 30 day challenge to not have it at all.

Did it work?

So far, so good. It’s been 21 days without a coffee. It would’ve been about 25 days now, had I started when I said I would. But I had to get up for the airport at 3 am and I didn’t get to bed until 12, hence I needed a coffee. Then there were a couple of other excuses. I got a headache on one day so I cured it with a coffee. But that was the last one I had. I did nearly slip up when I automatically ordered a coffee when I went to a cafe but I hastily changed it to a de-caf on realising, so don’t count that.

The 30-day challenge.

The 30-day challenge doesn’t only have to be used to reduce your coffee consumption. You can use it to challenge yourself to make or break any behaviour. As it’s only 30 days it is very manageable for most people. I use it a lot with my clients (and myself).

We have 30 days of:

  • No beige food
  • Drinking 2 litres of water a day
  • No sweet treats
  • Walking 10,000 steps a day
  • No alcohol
  • Eating a minimum of 3 vegetables a day

But I also set 30-day challenges for my clients to do which incorporate diet and fitness targets. So every day they have a new challenge.

I’m confident I will complete my no coffee (or no caffeine) challenge. It doesn’t mean I will never drink coffee again, just I will going back to drinking it on my terms, for simple enjoyment. You could even try a 30-day challenge for a New Year’s resolution. Rather than try to give up or start something and fail, try to do one thing for 30 days only. A different approach, it may work. Try adding in a 30-day challenge for anything, it doesn’t even have to be diet and fitness related. Study a language every day for 30-days, or try reading, paying-it-forward. It may actually change your life!