Vicci Murphy Nutrition: Coffee and your workout!

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Coffee and your workout!

Coffee has a pretty bad rep when it comes to healthy eating however there is evidence that coffee can in fact help you with your workout.

Now, when I say coffee I'm talking about an Americano or plain regular coffee not a Starbucks double mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream or the likes!

Here are some of the benefits of coffee!

1. Increases the quality of your workout

When you drink coffee it does a number of things to your body:

Helps your body to free fatty acids, this increases the use of fat for energy consumption
Decreases the sensation of pain & fatigue which helps you to keep going for longer
Releases the muscles calcium stores which helps increase endurance

The end result is increased strength and power in your workouts!

2. Faster Recovery

Coffee can help you recover faster from your workouts allowing you to get back to training faster after intense workouts. It does this by helping your body replenish muscle glycogen fuel stores.

Research indicates that muscle pain can be decreased as much as 48% when taking coffee (tested against a placebo).

3. Increased Focus

When you are feeling tired and sluggish coffee can act assist by boosting your mood and helping you feel less drained.

The caffeine in coffee helps to improve concentration and response time. Perfect for that 3pm slump!

4. Improved Circulation

Researchers in Jap discovered that people who were not regular coffee drinkers experienced a 30% boost in capillary blood flow after drinking five ounces of regular coffee, compared to those drinking decaf.

Improved blood circulation means that you are also improving the oxygenation of your tissues, which may boost your performance.

Get the most out of your coffee

To get the most out of your coffee consumption its best to follow these guidelines:

Have your coffee before your workout rather than after
Try not to eliminate the benefits of coffee by adding any sweeteners, sugars or syrups
Try not to exceed 2-3 cups a day
Don't drink it too soon before bed, or you will disrupt your sleep quality
Opt for freshly ground organic coffee where possible
Obviously if you a pregnant you should not drink coffee