I DIDN’T EAT TODAY.

It was by choice — I wanted a break from my often constant eating and preoccupation with food.  Yes, I did the “cleanse” thing.

If you talk to my clients or friends, they’ll tell you that I enjoy eating. I preach the consumption of  prepared foods: chicken, fish, brown rice, broccoli, lean meats, egg whites, veggies.  I typically eat 5-6 small meals a day. One or two of these meals is usually some type of protein bar or meal replacement drink.

On the other hand, if you talk to Bronson, he’d rat on me. It’s true I’m a sucker for a good chocolate chip cookie and Krispy Kreme. The last time we had them (Sunday) I ate most of the dozen. Okay, two dozen. But it was cheat day.  I also have a less-than-ideal relationship with sugar, (with Red Vines being my chief weakness in that department) and caffeine (a.k.a. my iced coffee, the “old school way” from the Coffee Bean).

But I’m giving all of this a rest—hopefully a long rest—as I embark today upon a sunrise-to-sunset fast called The Master Cleanser, which you can read more about in one of my earlier posts.   If you’re interested, you can also buy the book here.  Here’s what happened on my day in the fast lane…

In 2006, my blood pressure tested higher than normal and my doctor ordered me off all caffeine. At the moment he issued this edict, I nodded along in happy agreement (maybe it was just the Lexapro?) but the thought bubble over my head went something like:

“You doctors just don’t understand how real people live. C’mon—me, a TRAINER who gets up at FOUR THIRTY in the MORNING, quit drinking COFFEE?? Yeah, right.”

Still nodding, I agreed to a follow up seven days later so he could re-test my blood pressure and determine whether or not I needed to be placed on “blood pressure meds.”

As I left the office, those three words rang in my head: “Mocha Iced Blended.” I pulled myself out of my daydream and started doing the math. I’d been drinking coffee every day from the time I was 13. More or less EVERY DAY for the past 21 years. Maybe the doctor was right after all. Could I really be a coffee junkie?

I decided to quit.

I started by going cold turkey. That lasted—(not)—for a little less than three days. By the 69th hour, I’d succumbed to a Diet Coke late in the afternoon. I tried to sell all sorts of reasons to myself, but it was really all bullshit. I needed a new plan: a way THROUGH the madness.

MY “PRACTICAL WAY” TO STOP DRINKING CAFFEINE

I created this approach from scratch, and it’s been a pretty easy way for me to reduce the amount of coffee I drink, largely because I haven’t felt deprived, while “tricking” my body.

• Taking a tip from a client who suggested coffee drinkers are far more addicted to the ritual of drinking the coffee than the actual beverage, I moved our coffee pot from the central point in the kitchen to the far side, making the coffee “ritual” less central to my morning experience. Next I took two large clear plastic canisters and placed them on the kitchen counter. I bought a large can of 1/2-Caf which contains 50 percent less caffeine than regular coffee and dumped it into one of the canisters. I bought the same sized can of “decaffeinated” grounds and poured them into the other canister.
• When I take a scoop from the 1/2-Caf can, I take an equal amount from the Decaf can and mix it into the 1/2-Caf can, thereby diluting the ultimate caffeine content of the beverage. I’ve mixed about 75 percent of the Decaf into the 1/2-Caf now, which means that I’m mostly drinking mostly decaf now.
• I’ve also changed my behavior. Instead of setting the alarm clock for 4:30 AM, now I sleep until 5:15 AM, and immediately hop into the shower, waking up naturally with great lemon-sage aromatherapy from Bliss Spa. That gives me an extra 45 minutes of sleep each weekday—that’s almost 8 hours of extra sleep every week. Not a small thing for a trainer.
• I’ve done a few of other things too. I’ve stopped using those impossibly huge mugs in favor of smaller mugs. I don’t make as much coffee in the morning, either. And I stop at two mugs, max. This morning, I only had 3/4 of one.

About a week to the day, I returned to my doctor. I could almost hear the pride in his voice when he gave me the good news: “Congratulations Sam. Your blood pressure is normal. You’ve saved yourself from having to start a new medication, and you’ve improved your health.”

I think he was a little surprised that I’d done it.

I was, too.

(Originally published: Jun 3, 2008)

Mother, actress, songwriter & activist Conny Van Dyke allowed me a glimpse into her personal daily world. And shares how her life has been altered by the major stroke she suffered on Mother’s Day, 2010.

As a trainer, I’m often asked which alcoholic beverages are best from a healthy lifestyle perspective. Red wine (and especially pinot noir) tops the list of healthy alcoholic beverages.

Here’s why:

Drinking red wine may preserve memory and protect the central nervous system. It also prevents clots and blood vessel inflammation—both of which are linked to heart disease and decline of cognitive function.

Overall, red wine drinkers have overall lower body mass indices (BMI’s).  And moderate wine drinkers tend to have narrower waists and less abdominal fat than people who drink hard liquor. (Higher BMI is associated with greater risk for disease).