2025 -- Justin Higgins
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A summary of what I learned is below. I've been a regular coffee drinker since I was 16. If I think about it, I've probably regularly had caffeine in my system since my first pizza party as a child. I like caffeine. Not enough to write an opera about it, but I like it. Not a big fan of my dependence on it. So I took a break. I "weaned the bean". In December of 2020, I substituted hot cacao for coffee so that by January 2021, all sources of caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, soda) could be cut. Peets. This time, no headaches just more of a morning dullness for the first several weeks. For my morning ritual or social drink, I drank herbal tea. Lifting weights regularly also helped. Mornings I began with a workout had a sustained energy and focus. Not pulse-y like with caffeine. I did fail this goal however, as I had chocolate a handful of times when offered (once for my neighbor's birthday and once for cookies my fiance made).<br>
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Next year: I love how reliable my days are without caffeine. I love feeling great. I wanted to break the cycle of unfocused, Sisyphean workout sessions with no goal. Enter Stronglifts 5x5. A dumb-simple strength training program based on the principles of "progressive overload" a fancy phrase for "if you do an exercise successfully, the next time you do that exercise, add more weight, more repetitions or do it faster". I set out to execute 150 Stronglift workouts before end of year. That's roughly 3 times per week. Manageable to a newcomer like me. So I built my gym and started all exercises with no added weight but the bar. This was tedious for several weeks but necessary to establish proper form. Eventually, I got to a weight I couldn't lift. Excellent. Gravity doesn't lie. I would attempt the lift for 3 successive workouts and if I failed on the third, I would drop weight for that exercise. A simple calculus that works: try, try, try, step back, try again.<br>
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I took several vacations this year and upon returning would drop the weight significantly. I wanted to avoid an ego-induced injury ("I was able to lift that 3 weeks ago, why not now after I've been stagnant this whole time?") but in hindsight think I deloaded too much. Regardless of weight, some days were more challenging than others. Challenging because of mental fatigue prior to the workout. Pre-workout probably would've helped with this but better to build the mental resilience without I figured. Also, most of them are just caffeine. Apart from my no caffeine rule, my diet didn't change. I'd consciously choose to add protein to my meals but didn't track macros or calories. Pretty sure I never hit the recommended 1g/lb of body weight to build muscle. Summary: I felt a sustained energy after my workouts. Focused, Prime Boosts Pills - http://wiki.thedragons.cloud/index.php?title=Some_People_Are_Hard_To_Please vital, good feelings. Next year I'm committing to a Push-Pull-Legs split, some regular cardio and consistently eat enough clean sources of protein.<br>
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First a man takes a drink; then the drink takes a drink; then the drink takes a man. I'm an addict. Whatever I get into, I get into. It can be a great power if it's focused but that also means some things are pretty seductive. Alcohol is one of those seductions and it's seduced me plenty of times. Over the last few years, I've stopped drinking. Not at home, Prime Boosts Pills - https://hwekimchi.gabia.io/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&tbl=&wr_id=1330078 not with friends and seldom at social events. But it was a loose rule, which meant I would bend it. It was great. My hill to climb was turning down a social drink. Mexican weddings are a blast and turned up when tequila is on the dance floor. Weddings were still super fun without the alcohol. I didn't have to explain myself as often as I'd thought and my drink refusals were made loads easier with my beautiful, supportive, soon-to-be wife.<br>