NatNews

While many individuals appreciate the caffeine in coffee to help increase their energy and brain functioning, according to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, coffee also contains antioxidants and additional active substances that may positively impact an individual’s health by reducing internal inflammation and protecting against diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.

Dallas resident Paige Ryder Celuch, who runs with the White Rock Running Co-op, said she requires two cups of coffee each day to function properly.

“I feel like my morning coffee is a ritual for me, and the afternoon coffee is for performance,” she said. “I need the kick to get through the afternoon.”

Some athletes drink coffee prior to their workouts for a little extra boost. The caffeine can increase muscle strength, endurance, and power, allowing people to feel more accomplished in their exercise routines. Ryder Celuch said she sometimes opts for an extra caffeine kick prior to exercising but knows that it’s important to limit her intake.

“I think a Red Bull or coffee before running can give you a little energy, and I will often have caffeine if I wake up super early to work out or if I have to work out after work,” she said. “I do think you can overdo it and make your heart rate too high if you consume too much before cardio.”

Dallas-area resident and avid runner Cindy Hallo said that drinking coffee has become a necessary part of her day and a significant aspect of her life, in general.

“It started out as a way to stay up late and study in grad school, but now I really enjoy the taste,” she said. “Trying coffee in different places is one of my favorite things to do when I travel.”

And now her body simply doesn’t feel right if she doesn’t get her caffeine fix—she said she gets headaches if she doesn’t have a cup of coffee or something with caffeine in it every day. During the pandemic, she drank a half-pot each day because she was home all day, but she has since decreased the amount she drinks.

“That was a dark time,” she said. “I’ve weaned myself off to one cup a day.”

Dallas resident Dan Sullivan, who runs with the WRRC, said he hasn’t yet acquired the coffee taste and is doubtful that he ever will.

“I choose iced tea (unsweetened) as my morning caffeine kick when I need it,” he said. “I’ve tried coffee a few times and recall burning my tongue more than once. Not to mention, I’d have to shower any coffee with cream and sugar, so what’s the point?”

Dallas-area resident and Brooks ambassador Kyle Burnett, who doesn’t like to drink coffee prior to running but does sometimes enjoy caffeine for a little bolt of energy prior to a workout, said his day would not be the same without a cup of joe.

“Not having coffee is like not having a morning [bathroom break],” he said.

Sullivan, on the other hand, said he doesn’t prefer coffee or anything of the sort to get him through the day or out the door to go work out.

“I don’t find myself feeling a caffeine urge very often,” he said. “The morning tea trek is more just part of a routine to get out and about and away from screens. I don’t drink a lot of tea, so it doesn’t adversely affect my exercise. But let’s be honest, anyone who uses a caffeine kick as an excuse not to exercise needs to join the WRRC for some motivation.”

The best-selling cell phones of all time are the Nokia 1100 and the Nokia 1110, released in 2003 and 2005, respectively.

It’s easy to get caught up in routines and everyday lifestyles, but every once in a while, an individual makes a major life change that throws those things completely out of whack. Sometimes the results are advantageous, while other times they create uncomfortable situations in which a person can either learn and grow or struggle more than expected.

For many adults, such changes involve relocating to different cities or states. Dane Sebring, who lives in the Mid-Atlantic area, said he decided to voluntarily uproot himself from nearly a decade of working at a meaningful job alongside peers and close friends he respected.

“I could tell my previous job was taking a serious toll on my mental and social health, and I could see warning signs manifesting in other coworkers in my peer group, too,” he said. “I knew I had to make a change. I still deal with the effects of that high-pressure environment daily—it continues to bleed into every facet of my social, professional, and academic life. Despite those conditions, I miss that place every day and wouldn’t give up a second of the time I spent there. The new job has predictable pacing and allows me to adjust my schedule to accommodate grad school. It’s a healthy change and has given me some time to decompress.”

Lyndsey Kohn, a native Texan who relocated to Colorado for a few months in 2021 and recently moved from Dallas to Austin, said she gives careful consideration to her big decisions but also is in a place in life that allows her to make those decisions on her own and solely for herself.

“I am a big believer in the pros/cons list,” she said. “I am also single and have no kids and no major debt, so I don’t have much holding me back from making spontaneous life choices. I’m grateful to have a lot of flexibility and opportunity to live that way.”

For Sebring, his process of making decisions is a bit different, though he is similar to Kohn in the fact that he’s able to make changes with only himself to consider.

“I work for the federal government, so they make most of those decisions for me,” he said. “I am also single with no kids, so a total bellyflop would only affect me (unless it was so bad that I had to move back in with my parents). I would offer that it is helpful to seek candid feedback from friends, family, or a therapist to dissect and understand the motivation driving the change, though.”

Dallas-area resident and former teacher and instructional coach Madison Royal, who spent her entire childhood in Texas, moved to Boston upon graduating college to accept a teaching position that included an internship with a private school. For her, it was what she referred to as a “phenomenal” change.

“It made me see the rest of the world and allowed me to see the other side of education with the independent schools,” she said. “It opened me up to a different kind of learning and also pushed me to grow when I already graduated and felt like I was ready. It was just a whole new world out there.”

Royal also made a significant life change when she and her husband made the decision that she should quit her job to take care of her now 8-month-old son. She said it was important for her to do so because it’s an opportunity that wasn’t going to happen again, and she wanted to make it happen. It was a risk she knew she needed to take and one that came with an outcome she knew would be worth it.

“I absolutely think that people should take risks,” she said, “because if you aren’t willing to take risks, then you probably aren’t going to get the reward you want or likely deserve.”

Kohn also believes that it’s important for individuals to take chances and step out of their comfort zones, and she said that it’s also OK if people realize that the changes they made in their lives aren’t meant to be permanent.

“There is no reward without risk—whether that be at a job, a relationship, moving, etc.,” she said. “I think the key with taking those risks is having a little faith in the process of change. I’d also argue that we normalize saying ‘this is not working for me.’”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

NatNews dear readers Becca Finke, Kevin Roberts, and Jonathan Finke (not pictured) recently ventured to Fripp Island, South Carolina, on a golfing trip

Monday, April 10: National Siblings Day
Wednesday, April 12: Arts Trivia Night at Center Cafe
Thursday, April 13: Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center
Saturday, April 15: WRRC Saturday run at Taco Joint
Saturday, April 15: Decades: Back to the '80s at the Meyerson Symphony Center