Information

Drinking Caffeine In Healthy Amounts

By October 18, 2013 No Comments

Is Caffeine Healthy?

Caffeine in small doses can be beneficial and help you achieve your goals. In small doses caffeine increases your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate – the rate your body burns calories) drink too much of it however and it can interrupt your sleeping pattern, cause body to increase stress levels, and increase you’re appetite for more caffeine and sugar filled foods. This vicious circle will continue through the day and in to the evening.

The heightened level of stress hormone cortisol and the increased stress on your body’s normal functions causes you to have a very poor nights sleep, meaning you will reach for a coffee and a poor choice of breakfast as soon as you wake up. Welcome to day two of the – not so fun filled – roller-coaster.

The Benefits Of Caffeine

Caffeine stimulates your body, increasing your heart rate, blood flow, stamina, muscular contraction, opening up the brains neuropathway’s to the muscles and much more. Drink it before a workout and you can increase your performance substantially, lifting more weight and achieving more reps. You will run further, last longer and run faster. Your body will burn more calories increasing the amount of fat you will burn during and after the workout.

Caffeine can be both beneficial and detrimental to your goals. If you consume the right amount of caffeine at the right times you can use it as a tool to turn your body into a fat burning machine. Two cups of coffee per day is fine, however if you have 3-4 cups or more you run the risk of boarding that roller-coaster of stress.

The Cons Of Caffeine

Coffee is perhaps the most popular source of caffeine drinks which you will consume. Caffeine packs a huge punch which will hit your body with full force, potentially triggering a stress spike. Green tea however is a great source of caffeine, packing a reduced punch, meaning that you can have 6-8 cups per day. Brilliant news if you’re an avid fan of hot beverages!

Now here’s the bad news, drinking caffeine late into the afternoon and evening can have a negative affect on your quality of sleep meaning (and I don’t mean to play the same note over and over) your stress levels will increase, promoting fat storage and increasing the likelihood of waking up wanting more caffeine and poor quality food. Have your last cup of coffee no later than 4 o’clock, so no more double espresso’s in front of the tv in the evening!