On my facebook page (which you should like), I was asked all about coffee, caffeine, and what to drink to energize before a workout for better performance!
Here’s a video that sums up what I feel about that!
Coffee/tea: I think coffee is healthy, but you just have to be careful about what you put in it - that gets dicey!
I also think you need to be careful about when you drink it. If it’s too late in the day, it could keep you awake. Here’s a link to the podcast that I referenced about how caffeine can throw off your body’s rhythms!
As for decaffeinated coffee, I don’t think it’s a great idea, because the process to remove the caffeine is a chemical one, and I try to avoid chemicals!
Herbal tea is always a good idea (again, as long as you aren’t dumping crap in it)!
Pre-Workout: I think that pre-workout bots are great, as long as they aren’t abused. I have noticed personally that if I drink anything with caffeine every day that it starts to lose its effectiveness, and I have to increase my dose! So I try to only use them when I have a REALLY hard workout ahead of me, or if I am REALLY tired and have a hard time getting going! As far as WHAT to drink - I think coffee/tea are great pre-workouts! Sometimes, however, you’d really have to drink serious amounts for them to have their effect, and then you might have a lot of liquid sloshing around in your tummy, which is no bueno! So when I need to “break out the big guns,” I turn to Energy & Endurance by Beachbody, which I affectionately call E&E! Just like coffee, the most important things to consider when you look at a pre-workout are that there aren’t tons of creepy, unhealthy things lurking within!
Beachbody is coming out with a new line of performance supplements in a few months, too, and I know one is a pre-workout, which I am excited to try! I am a little scared at the same time, too, because I love E&E so much and I am concerned I won’t like the new stuff as much, but I am ready to give it a shot! If you want more information on it and to be informed right away when it is available, you can sign up for that here!
Just like with coffee & tea, I don’t recommend drinking pre-workout too late in the day, because you don’t want to be unable to fall asleep! Of course, I’ve mentioned before that I try to avoid working out at night anyway, because even without any caffeine, the workout energizes me and keeps me awake! And for me, I have to watch my serving size. This is something I need to post on my E&E tub!
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions that I can answer in a future episode of Mandie.tv!
What’s your go-to when you need energy?
xoxo,
Mandie
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10 Comments
I totally agree on your take on caffeine. You should try Yerba mate. It’s wonderful!
Ooh, yes! I am a tea fiend, so I have tried most kinda, yerba mate included! There’s a really awesome coffee/tea place near my place that has a great variety of it!
I don’t specifically add caffeinne before a workout or run (although I do drink some up until about noon or 2pm in tea or whatever) . . . but always specifically do caffeine before a race and have noticed that it does help my performance . . .
That sounds like a wise choice! I don’t think it is essential for every workout, but I do notice I perform better with it! What’s your drink of choice?
I used to be in a bad rut of drinking lots of energy drinks. Talk about horrible for you! Now, I only drink a cup of coffee in the morning (maybe two if needed) and tea. I do use a pre-workout energizer from Vega before some workouts/runs, but I have limited my caffeine more and more. So easy to get addicted to it. I still love it though. Ha.
I know what you mean about the tea equivalent of that! Tea and E&E are my addictions. I make sure to take a few days off every once in a while to make sure that I am not becoming dependent and can still function without them! haha
I love my one cup of coffee every morning. I don’t usually have more than one a day and I put one tbsp sugar free creamer and 1 packet Truvia.
I can’t seem to drink anything but water before, during, after a workout.
I had no clue about the decaf coffee being a chemical process. I think my dad and mom drink that so I’ll have to bring that up. Thanks for the tips!
My pleasure! =)
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I agree completely!