Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Caffeine...with Protein

Ah, caffeine.  So many think it's bad for the human body, but I will choose to read the studies and believe them to be true...that a daily dose of caffeine, in moderation, actually has some health benefits.  Like what, you ask?  Like increased physical performance, increased muscle recovery, decreased risk of liver disease, increased memory performance, decreased risk of heart disease, increased attention.

In my opinion...

If I were on death row and it came time for the warden to ask me what I wanted my last meal to be, it wouldn't be food.  It would be a coffee from Starbucks by an experienced Barista.  With or without ice.  With or without soy milk.  Definitely with flavoring.

Luckily, a visit to my local Starbucks is only a "treat" for me in my new lifestyle.  I now get my daily caffeine fix from several different sources, depending on my daily activities.

On most days, I do cardio and/or strength training, so I get my caffeine from my Octane sports energy drink.  Gone are the days of taking 8-week cycles of fat burner pills, amino acids and multi-vitamins all separately!  I realized that these supplements had too many fillers in them.  My body couldn't recognize and digest the fillers, which then lead me to taking probiotics and adding yet another bottle to my collection of supplements.  It's a vicious cycle and extremely expensive!  With Octane, I get the active ingredients for fat burning, muscle recovery AND my daily vitamins, all in a drink without fillers.  Octane is like my cell phone, I don't know how I ever survived without it!

On my workout-free days, I love to have coffee!  I wanted to share my delicious, no carb, no sugar, no dairy concoction of basic coffee with protein.  While brewing one single cup of coffee, mix a tablespoon of your favorite chocolate protein powder and a few tablespoons of hot water in your coffee mug, along with 5-6 drops of Stevia.  Add your coffee and...voila!  If you're like me, you will feel like you're getting a treat without adding to your waist line.

Last but certainly not least, I always track my drinks and supplements on myFit5.com!  My trackers hold me accountable by relying on me to track my foods and workouts so they can copy what I do.  I can't let them down!

Got any healthy secrets for caffeine lovers?  Share 'em!