Caffeine has been proven to be incredibly helpful. It improves brain function, reaction time and even the ability to burn fat.
Here are some tips to utilize this popular (and legal!) performance enhancer:
RELATED: How to safely consume caffeine
Pre-workout
Caffeinated gum: Caffeine consumed under your tongue or chewed is absorbed
straight into the bloodstream. That’s why something like Run Gum is a great option. Though the aftertaste may leave something to be desired, the combo of caffeine, taurine, and B vitamins stimulates your central nervous system and aids muscle function.
Coffee: As a caffeine delivery system, coffee is tough to beat. It’s delicious, cheap and you can get it almost everywhere. It’s also a rich source of disease-fighting antioxidants.
Midrace
Coca-cola: Periodic consumption of low doses of caffeine during a long-distance event gives athletes an energy and performance boost without affecting heart rate or lactate levels. Research also supports drinking something sweet like Coke during a long endurance event as a way to activate your “happy hormones” and help you concentrate.
Energy gels: Gels are designed to meet the body’s nutritional needs during exercise, explains coach Matt Fitzgerald. “They contain only what’s useful and nothing that isn’t.”
Patches: These patches, the size of a nicotine patch, supposedly work for up to eight hours. They stick to your body via kinesiology tape, provides the wearer with a steady stream of caffeine through the skin.
RELATED: 10 tips for staying alert without drinking caffeine
Post-workout
Chocolate: Cacao has an anti-inflammatory effect and reduces oxidative stress from strenuous activity, which can cut recovery time.
What about caffeine powder?
Avoid. The supplement has been linked to overdose deaths, and the FDA issued a warning about it. One teaspoon contains as much caffeine as 16 cups of coffee.
RELATED: When you shouldn’t order an after-dinner coffee
Curated article and photo credit from:
Outside Online
