If you’re like me, you love a good cup of coffee in the morning.
Many of us enjoy starting our day with a good cup of coffee.
And if we’re honest, likely rely on the coffee to wake us up and bring us back to life in the morning.
You may have wondered should I be drinking coffee before a workout?
What about after a workout?
Let’s dive in.
Benefits of drinking coffee before exercise:
First, coffee in moderation is good for us.
- Increases our energy levels
- Increases our metabolic rate
- Lowers risk of depression,
- and
- decreases our chances of getting type 2 diabetes.
But how about coffee before a workout?
Pre-workout caffeine:
Benefits:
- Rev your metabolism (your bodies ability to burn fat)
- Increase endurance and strength,
- Reduce fatigue,
- Suppress the effects of exertion,
- Improve circulation,
- Higher levels of focus,
- and enhance your athletic performance.
There is even research showing that pre-workout caffeine may increase the caloric burn several hours post exercise!
Cautions:
We all have a tolerance.
Be mindful of the dosage of caffeine as this obviously could affect activity.
We could experience things like
- increased heart rate,
- sour stomach
- or even some nausea.
These are all signs that you may have exceeded what works for your tolerance levels.
What about drinking coffee post workout?
This one surprised me a bit, but drinking coffee post workout may actually help with your workout recovery.
However, I wouldn’t take that as a permission slip to drink coffee throughout the rest of your day to get you through your day.
The further we drink, caffeine later into the day, will disrupt our natural sleep cycles, dehydrate us and affect our eating rhythms.
Think of it more as a greenlight if you work out early that you can still enjoy your coffee after a workout and be okay.
Last thing,
And if you’re being mindful of your health and your overall weight management, try not to add an abundance of calories to your cup of joe.
