Hey there ,

I want to talk to you about coffee today.

First, let's get something straight: coffee, for me, is a nonnegotiable and a quality of life issue. Meaning, having it as part of my morning ritual sets a more satisfied tone for the day (as opposed to say drinking green tea or water with lemon--both fine choices, but let's face it, just not the same). 

And we know that the more satisfied we FEEL, the less likely we are to overindulge later. This is key.

BUT.

Just because I love it, doesn't mean it's benign. And over the last 6 months, I've been sticking to one (maybe not-quite-that-small) cup a day pre-workout.

I have gotten quite a few questions about why I am knocking my coffee habit down to 1 cup per day, and so I thought I would post the pros and cons of coffee consumption. 

Essentially, coffee is an individual thing, with some people doing well on it and others not. It really depends mostly on your metabolism (the main enzyme that metabolizes caffeine appears in 2 forms, and it's genetic), but also on personal preferences--my did has always preferred his caffeine in the form of diet sodas. What will work for you (or not) is 100% unique.

Here is my list of pros and cons, along with who will do the best on it and who might not ('bout to get a little science-y on you):

Pros:

• Good source of antioxidants (actually the #1 source of them in the western diet!)
• Increase calories burned during exercise as a result of increasing catecholamine/cortisol release (shown in caffeine)
• Increases performance during exercise, as a result of catecholamine release/also increases energy (duh!), shown in caffeine
• Increases mobilization of fat from periphery (along with potentially some muscle), as a result of catecholamine release and cortisol
• Best for overweight/obese individuals, and can actually help burn more fat in these individuals as a result of fat mobilization
• Um, it makes life way more enjoyable :) 

Cons:

• Increases long-term adrenal output (putting some at risk for adrenal fatigue over time)
• Increases muscle break down from the periphery (arms and legs) to use for energy, in time of low food intake, low glycogen and especially during exercise (best way to combat this is to eat something upon waking and pre-workout like whey protein, BCAAs or a little carb, all of which release insulin, which turns off cortisol release)
• Can increase subcutaneous water retention as a result of increasing cortisol
• Over time, high cortisol release can increase fat storage in the mid-section. To combat this, using low-intensity, slow walking (30-90 min) as many days as possible (in nature is best)
• Worst for people who are stress-driven, Type A, dopamine-dominant types
• Coffee beans are the most highly pesticide-sprayed crop, so getting organic is paramount. The pesticides can interrupt hormonal metabolism (increases estrogen relative to progesterone), which can cause various symptoms and even affect fat loss.

Drinking coffee--frequency, amount and timing--is a very individual thing. For some, it will be fine and for others, it will add to the cortisol burden and have negative physique consequences. The best way to monitor is to pay attention to your individual sensitivities, take progress pics along with measurements to monitor what's going on. 

In general, most people will do fine in moderate amounts, but a problem arises if you are doing excessive amounts for long periods of time. Or when you are RELYING on it for your energy.

I did this for many years when I was teaching up to 20 fitness classes every week and waking up at 4am and getting home at 9pm each night, doing "The Fitness Hustle." 

My friend Rae Anne and I were talking about this recently, because she's not only a gym owner and serious fitness pro, but a recovering 3 x 20 oz coffee drinker, too :) She mentioned that so many of her clients ask about how to manage their energy and not crash at 3pm. 

This is so, soooo common. 

I think many of us use things like caffeine or sugar or alcohol to simply get by in those moments when WE NEED SOMETHING (!!!) I know I do. And these things, though they feel great in the moment, end up becoming a crutch. We use them like Advil--covering up the symptoms, but never addressing the underlying issue.

Energy management is the same way. We can skate through on caffeine OR we can address what's really going on. 

When you are putting the right nutrition in your body and training to complement that nutrition, your energy levels stabilize. This has to do with how much fiber, protein and water you are getting. But also examining if you are eating the right starches at the right times and in the right amounts. And how dietary fats are affecting you.

Lifestyle factors like sleep and stress matter too. They affect our energy, motivation, cravings, hunger and ability to lose fat or not. They don't have calories, but I think we'd all agree they impact results.

Your energy throughout the day is a direct reflection of what's going in your mouth, how you are moving and how you are thinking.

This can all feel like a really tricky and overwhelming puzzle. How can you make sense of it all? What should you eat? How much? How can you know if something is "working" for your body? That takes a lot of introspection work and attention to your sensations, like hunger and cravings. Plus making adjustments and monitoring ongoing.

I always recommend that people start their journey with a coach who can help you figure out what works for you. This takes time and work on your part, but a great coach can guide the process and help you make adjustments as necessary. If you "get" this process, you don't really ever need another "diet" or "coach" ever again.

My friend Rae Anne used her 10+ years of experience working with women to create an amazing 12-Week Body Balance program called RAM 12 that is open for registration this week. She has a ton of personal experience and thousands of clinical hours in the trenches. This program is a great starting point if you are sick of trying to figure everything out on your own. 

Rae Anne's program CLOSES TOMORROW NIGHT (Friday July 11th) so grab it before it leaves the virtual shelves. Questions? Email Rae Anne.

On that note, CHEERS! to whatever you're drinking! Me? I'll stick with my organic coffee with organic cream and stevia :)

Talk soon!

Ox, 
Jill