| Okay, myth or reality: Caffeine can enhance one's | | | | increases, smooth muscles begin to relax, digestive |
| mental alertness and performance? | | | | acids kick into overdrive. In addition, caffeine also |
| Sure, it sounds like one of those too-good-to-be-true | | | | boosts your levels of dopamine, giving an effect similar |
| ideas, but the studies continually confirm that caffeine | | | | to taking an amphetamine. As if all that weren't enough, |
| really does improve performance. Not just physical, | | | | caffeine also pumps adrenaline into you, no doubt |
| bodily improvement in terms of energy or endurance, | | | | contributing to that famous of surge of energy that |
| but improvement in the old gray matter areas. It | | | | many people get from their morning coffee. Clearly, it's |
| probably comes as no surprise that caffeine helps | | | | not difficult to see how ingesting caffeine could |
| boost energy. Any cursory reading of the ingredient | | | | enhance your physical performance. Remember, |
| label on a sports energy drink confirms that. After all, | | | | however, that that very same blood is also carrying |
| professional-level athletes have a long history of tipping | | | | the caffeine to the brain. |
| back a caffeine-laced drink a few hours before | | | | Studies have found a correlation between moderate |
| competition to give them an edge. Although you might | | | | caffeine consumption and improved mental alertness. |
| be tempted to think it is the sprinters that get the most | | | | The key word in that sentence? No, it's not "found." |
| help from that sudden rush of caffeinated force, it is | | | | Moderation! To truly benefit from the ability of caffeine |
| actually the endurance sports athletes who derive the | | | | to help you maintain a sharper focus of attention, you |
| most benefit. And it makes sense once you think | | | | can't just fill up one of those bubba mugs with 54 |
| about it. Who would be more likely to need caffeine | | | | ounces of coffee and down it between home and the |
| rushing through their bloodstream, the 100 meter guy or | | | | office. Unfortunately, unless you monitor the intake of |
| the marathon man? | | | | the caffeine and limit it to only that which occurs |
| How does caffeine increase physical endurance? The | | | | normally in many foods and beverages, the advantage |
| body's best fuel lies in its fat. If it can get to that | | | | in mental capacity you will experience is going to be |
| storage supply, it will run like a well-tuned race car. | | | | more than offset by the disadvantages, which includes |
| Caffeine is kind of like putting STP in your body; it acts | | | | many of the several withdrawal symptoms and |
| to help the fat burn more efficiently. It only take a few | | | | extended periods of fatigue. |
| minutes after the caffeine has been ingested for it to | | | | If you can keep yourself from the thought process |
| travel from the intestines to the blood stream and | | | | that says if a little caffeine is good, then a lot of |
| once in the blood, it makes its way to every organ in | | | | caffeine has to be better, you can truly enhance your |
| the body. (A little aside guaranteed to win a bar bet | | | | mental processing abilities, including actually being able |
| every now and then: Did you know that the liver is not | | | | to process more information at a time. Most people |
| the body's largest organ, as is commonly thought? It's | | | | probably don't need the physical performance |
| your skin.) | | | | enhancement that caffeine offers unless they are |
| Once that caffeine starts reaching the big guns inside | | | | exercising. But who wouldn't mind a little mental edge |
| you, it really gets down to business. Heart rate | | | | over everybody else? |
