I’m an exercise purist. I won’t wear just any clothes or shoes. I pace myself like the experts say I should. And I only ever drink water before, during, and after. If I’m headed for the gym or a jog, I’ll postpone my caffeinated cup of joy until I’ve earned it.
It makes sense, right? It just can’t be healthy to get all lit up on coffee before 100 reps of anything. Or can it? Because my mind just got blown by the idea that drinking coffee before a workout may be a great idea.
Scientists gave a bunch of coffee to a bunch of test subjects and I guess sat back and waited to see if their hearts would explode during a workout. Not only did everyone’s pulse keep right on pulsing, the buzz actually helped boost everyone’s results.
I can see where caffeine makes you work out harder. That’s hardly rocket science. But caffeine also raises our dopamine levels, which amps up our sense of well being. Which means coffee also makes us enjoy working out more than we might. Those exercising coffee lovers found it easier to work out not to mention motor through the rough patches. The moral of the story seems pretty simple: drink a cup before you go, and you’ll do more and love it all the way.
Not only that but how savage is this: later in the day, people who worked out while caffeinated ate around 70 fewer calories than those who didn’t, and they were better able to keep their cravings under control.
Of course, timing is everything. (When isn’t it?) Since caffeine’s beloved effects max out 30-75 minutes after you quaff that cup, you want to pour it about an hour or so before you mount the Stairmaster give or take.
Works for me. Or at least I’ll give it a whirl and see if it does. Nothing would make me happier than skipping the tap and filling my water bottle at my neighborhood café. That’s an exercise routine I could get used to.