MMMM..... coffee!!
For a lot of us coffee is an absolute staple every day.
BUT have you ever asked yourself if that caffeine hit is doing you more harm than good?
There's no doubting coffee beans have been shown to have health benefits due to their high anti oxidant amounts, with anti oxidants being protective against oxidative stress. To ensure we remain healthy and free of diseases and cancers reducing our oxidative stress is very important.
But other than the anti oxidant properties in caffeine and that rush of adrenaline caused by a cortisol spike when that stimulant enter your body, is it really good for us?
Well, as I just mentioned above, caffeine acts as a stimulant for the body, leading to a rush in cortisol which gives us that boost of energy. Yes before training this can be a great thing and has been shown by research to help overall performance. But the thing is, most people aren't just using caffeine to aid in performance, it has become more of a daily habit, a social thing to get a coffee.
I myself fell guilty to this, it just became a habit to get a coffee.
The issue is with the amount of internal and external stressors we are exposed to in this day and age, constantly stimulating your body with caffeine intake everyday leads to negative side effects such as:
- Raised cortisol levels ( this leads to low testosterone, high estrogen levels)
- Gut microbiome issues , such as GERD ( stressor on the body)
- Less energy due to the body adapting to running off caffeine and not your natural energy
( a good indication of this is if you yawn within half hour of drinking your coffee)
I was starting to notice these symptoms so decided to go caffeine free. Within the first week I had horrible headaches which eased into the 2nd week.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, which no doubt many of us are, I challenge you to ween yourself off caffeine, give the body a detox and just assess how you feel.
Now I'm not saying to never drink coffee again, I would be a hypocrite as I still am drinking decaf coffee now purely for that coffee taste rather than the coffee hit. It has does wonders for me in relation to a stress response point of view though, you can also substitute with teas etc.
So give it a shot and let us know how you go :)
Coach Luke
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