How you should drink your coffee if you're serious about performance

Everyone loves coffee.?

Whether you're an athlete, an entertainer or a businessperson, coffee probably plays a huge role in your daily life.?

Regardless of which of the 3 categories above you fit into, performance within your career is high on your list of priorities. In fact, if we are being totally transparent, it is probably?#1?on that list.?

Now, you probably drink coffee because you love the taste, or you need it to function, especially in the morning, or maybe it is a combination of the two.?

Very few people drink coffee with intent.?

It may surprise you to learn, there is a right way to drink coffee. Now, that isn't to say there is a wrong way, do as you please, but just that there is a way that is going to be far more beneficial to you, from a performance standpoint than what most do.

Most people wake up and head straight for the coffee. It is an action that, overtime, has created a habit that can't be done without. No coffee first thing in the morning is unthinkable, although after reading this you might be slightly more inclined to give it a go.

So, what is this right way of drinking your coffee.

There are a few main points to this that will be outlined below.

Firstly, the amount of coffee you have per day and the timing of these. If you over consume coffee (3+ cups per day) you have likely developed a tolerance to this. This means that it now takes more caffeine (and therefore cups of coffee) for you to feel any kind of boost. Some people don't feel this at all and so you have lost one of the best natural performance enhancers available.?

If you can reduce this down to 1-2 cups per day, it is more likely that the positive impact of said coffee is going to be more noticeable.?

That doesn't mean you can only have 2 cups per day, but you may want to look towards a decaf version instead for your additional cups. Coffee is one of the best foods we have available for gut health. It is regarded as one of our 'plants' that we should be looking to consume daily. By having decaffeinated coffee, you can get the health benefits at the same time as reducing your caffeine intake, which tends to be the major downside of drinking coffee.

The timing of your last cup of coffee is also important. Coffee has a half-life of 6 hours meaning that if you drink a cup at 4pm, by 10pm there is still half that amount remaining in your system.

Many people will argue that they sleep well and can drink coffee at any time, however caffeine in your system will massively impact your deep sleep. It is very reasonable to suggest that even if you don't feel any effects of coffee, it is still reducing the amount of deep sleep you get and therefore your recovery, from a physical and mental standpoint.?

What might be better is to keep your caffeinated coffee consumption on the early side of noon and then switch to a decaffeinated version, if you are having any more during the day.?

As mentioned at the top, most people head for their first cup of coffee within 10 minutes of waking up, which should be avoided if possible, and here is why.

When you wake up your body produces a high amount of cortisol (stress hormone), which reaches a peak after 30-60 minutes, post waking up, and proceeds to drop over the course of the day.?

When your cortisol is at its peak, your need for caffeine is at its lowest, so it wouldn't make much sense to combine the two. It would be far more beneficial to wait for a couple of hours and then hit yourself with the dose, when cortisol begins to drop, and you actually need the boost.?

Delaying your first cup for a couple of hours will also help you avoid the afternoon crash.?

When we are tired, we have a build-up of adenosine which attaches to receptors to tell us we are sleepy. This adenosine builds up over the day. Caffeine binds to the exact same receptors meaning adenosine cannot, which in turn means we don't feel tired - great!

That is until the caffeine begins to wear off and we are left with a build-up of adenosine and we feel like we are about to drop AKA the afternoon slump.?

If you are a high performer, time is crucial. By delaying your morning coffee, you can make the most of your day and increase productivity.

Coffee is (and should be) a fundamental part of our day. It tastes great and serves a really good purpose.

If you are looking to gain those 1% to make a difference and are someone who is performance based, you may want to consider making the small changes outlined.?

Below is an overview of what you can do.

• 1-2 cups of coffee per day.
• Delay your first cup for 1-2 hours after waking.?
• If you are having more than 2 cups per day, look to have a decaffeinated version for the rest (good health benefits to coffee without caffeine).
• Last cup of caffeinated coffee at midday latest due to the half life.

If you found this post useful and want more topics covered next week, drop me a message with the help you need or questions you have!