subject: Caffeine Workout [print this page] A cup of coffee will be valuable addition to your per-exercise routine, delaying muscle fatigue and keeping you focused and energetic. But you definitely don't want to overdo it, though. Sleep problems, headaches, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, or maybe even a heart attack can be the result.
Use this tips to make your workout better:
Match the amount to your body.
If you're a small person, your tissues don't use up as much, therefore you need a lesser dose. A very rough recommendation is 0.5 to 1.4 milligrams of caffeine per pound of body weight. Coffee averages about 20 mg per ounce, or 160 mg per 8-ounce cup. That's about the limit for a 130-pound woman, though a 200-pound man could probably down a couple of cups. Go above 4 mg of caffeine per pound and your workout could be ruined by digestive distress, the jitters, and other unpleasant side effects.
Track your tolerance.
If you're a caffeine newbie, a smaller dose will initially provide a noticeable difference. If coffee is already part of your daily routine, you're likely to need more for the same effect.
Add fuel to the fire.
Getting juiced on caffeine doesn't put gas in the tank. Pairing your coffee with oatmeal or a small bagel with peanut butter before you exercise to avoid cramps. Drinking coffee black with a small snack provides the fluid you need for hydration as well as the carbohydrate, sugar and sodium that the body needs to sustain itself.
Consider the source.
It's hard to know how much caffeine you're actually taking in. Substituting for caffeine-spiked sports drinks, lets you monitor your intake more precisely just by reading the nutritional label. But don't confuse such drinks, which contain sugar and other carbs to keep the energy going, with sugar-free, caffeine-loaded "energy drinks".
Don't sweat dehydration.
Too much coffee and you might have some serious problems.Caffeine is a diuretic and make you lose vital fluidor so goes the belief. It's not true.It's a common misconception that when you consume caffeine sometimes you feel the urge to void.But in studies that looked at the urine volume produced over 24 hours whether or not someone consumed caffeine, there's not a significant difference. The problem with the misconception is that it leads many a coffee drinker to compensate by drinking much more water than necessary, and that could send any jogger running for the nearest bush.
