Is caffeine/coffee good for you? Should I drink a pre-workout? What preworkout should I drink?

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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