If you love your cup of coffee and drink several throughout the day, you may be a bit concerned whether it’s healthy. You may have had loved ones or even health professionals tell you that caffeine is bad. There are some benefits to getting caffeine naturally. For instance, a cup of coffee or tea before a workout may actually boost your performance. There are also some drawbacks to getting too much caffeine, which can easily happen if you use caffeine tablets.
Caffeine is in coffee, tea and chocolate.
Caffeine is a stimulant, which is one reason it helps your body get moving first thing in the morning. For some people that are sensitive to the caffeine, it can raise blood pressure. If too much is taken or if you’re sensitive to it, it also can raise your heart rate and make you feel like your heart is racing. For those who have no problem with a little caffeine, coffee before a workout might actually help you burn more fat as fuel and even increase your endurance during the workout.
It doesn’t take much to get the benefits of caffeine when you exercise.
If you want a boost to your endurance, it takes between 200 and 350 mg of caffeine. That’s about two cups of coffee or black tea or four cups of green tea. Avoid taking caffeine pills, since it’s far easier to abuse them or overdose. Too much caffeine can actually interfere with your workout, causing dizziness, insomnia, abnormal heart rhythms, anxiety and dehydration. Dehydration actually makes you tire more easily.
Caffeine sensitivity occurs in some people.
You’ve probably witnessed it yourself. One person can drink a pot of coffee and sleep like a baby, never having any effects from the extra caffeine. Another person takes just one cup and is left with insomnia or has the jitters the rest of the day. Each person has a different tolerance for caffeine, so monitoring your tolerance is important. It acts like a diuretic and can cause diarrhea and upset stomach.
- If you suffer from GERD, anxiety or have ulcers, caffeine can exacerbate these conditions. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid it too. Those with high blood pressure or who have sleeping disorders should limit caffeine intake.
- You might be surprised at all the things that contain caffeine. It’s in medications, such as pain relievers, dark chocolate, dietary supplements and soft drinks.
- Caffeine enters the toxic level at 1,200 mg, or about 12 cups of coffee. 1.2 to 1.7 tablespoons of pure caffeine is lethal. Taking just one teaspoon of caffeine powder has the same side effects as drinking 35 Red Bulls.
- To be your healthiest, after a cup or two of coffee, switch to plain water. It’s energizing and can help make you more alert. If you drink coffee or tea, drink it black to avoid the extra calories of sugar and added toxins from sugar and milk substitutes.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness