Thank you BrainGear for sponsoring this post. Discover Your Highest Gear!
A Typical Work Day Afternoon
It’s 2:30 in the afternoon. You step out of the last meeting you have in the day, yawn for the 5th time in the last hour as you’re reminded of the mountain of tasks you still need to get to before you leave. The idea of a mid-afternoon pick-me-up sounds not just perfect right now, but necessary. So, you go for the 3rd cup of coffee in the day.
Tell me this doesn’t give you all the feels. Coffee makes me feel like I can conquer the world!!
For a brief moment, the warmth of the cup in your hand and the hope of feeling 100% focused, energized, and alert gives you a fuzzy feeling. But as soon as you sit down in front of your computer, the bitterness of coffee and your to-do list and triple-digit email inbox brings you back to reality.
As you inhale the coffee (that’s what I do anyway) you yawn some more due to the tolerance you’ve up because your body is so used to high levels of coffee now. As you gulp down the cup, you wonder if it’s possible to OD on coffee.
My Stomach Ulcer Problem
I certainly haven’t heard of people ODing from coffee. What I have more personal experience with, however, is stomach ulcer. Yes, years of working in the corporate world has made me a seasoned marketer but also messed up my digestive system semi-permanently. You see, I got it by drinking coffee in the morning on an empty stomach for years. Probably since college days. I started having problems around late 2016 when things got pretty intense in my first job as a manager. First, I thought I was having just acid reflux because after meals I would often feel like I am so full that if I bent over I would vomit. After about 2 months of feeling this way, I went to a gastroenterology. And I had an endoscopy. The imaging told us that I developed these micro-abrasions in my stomach lining and they were the results of having over active production of stomach acid.
I was instantly put on medication, a diet plan, and I had to stay off of coffee for at least 2 months. It was torturous and I had to switch to green tea which is total BS (LOL. Sorry, no offense to tea drinkers). But it worked. I also never drink coffee on an empty stomach anymore. Occasionally I’d still get a flare up. But with the right diet management and careful consumption of coffee, I’ve more or less kept stomach ulcers at bay.
An Ideal Coffee Alternative
When BrainGear contacted me, I was ready to jump on the project and try out this novel drink with their patented formula. I had been looking for something that would power me through during the mid-workday lull that we all go through! The drink tastes fruity, slightly sour, not very sweet (which I like!) and basically like vitamin water. So guys, here’s the verdict. I’ve been drinking BrainGear drink for the last 2 months (not consecutively like they recommend though, I will explain later) and I have to say that it really does promote my overall focus and attention at work!
Now Pay Attention to This
- BrainGear is really transparent with their ingredients. Even though the formula is patented, you can actually see everything that goes in this bottle. So you won’t need to worry about unknown or secret ingredients that you can’t read up on!
- I don’t drink it on an empty stomach like they recommend on the label. Everyone’s digestive system is different, and like I said, mine is of the delicate sort. So I don’t drink anything sour or acidic on an empty stomach out of principle.
- When I tried BrainGear the first time, I drank just 1/2 of a bottle. I did not drink any coffee that day or anything else that would change my energy level – and I had very slight jitters. They went away relatively soon (within an hour) and it gave me the effect I was looking for. I would recommend anyone who’s trying it for the first time to start small in terms of quantity. Slowly ease your way into the recommended level of consumption to the one label which is one bottle per day (4.5oz).
How I Make It & Drink It
1. Prep orange slices at home. Freeze them overnight and bring them to work in a tupperware!
2. Find an adult sippy cup (OK fine tumbler!) like this one you see in the photos, make sure the bottle is glass so it’s see-through and the fruit slices on the inside will show! If you’re like me, beautiful things tend to help good habit stick better. So if your goal is to drink more water throughout the day, which it’s definitely one of my goals, you should get a bottle that supports that habit!
3. If you choose to, find a filler like La Croix sparkling water. Or you can just use water. My addiction with La Croix is serious, guys. It satisfies my soda cravings and has zero calories, like what? How did you not win a Nobel Food Prize?? OK. Right. It doesn’t exist…
4. Pour BrainGear into the bottle and leave it in the fridge for about an hour. Fun fact: BrainGear tastes better when it’s cold! Then, it’s ready for you to drink!
That’s it guys- if you ever do try BrainGear, can you tell me how you like it and how you drink it? I’ll let you in on a secret: I actually started carrying the small bottle with me in my purse. LOL. It almost feels like a flask. When I’m too lazy to make the fancy drink, I’ll just carry the bottle with me take a little sip here and there throughout the day. I love it!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.