Morning coffee - before or after yoga?

Drinking a cup of coffee in the morning has been a part of many people’s daily routines all around the world. It has lots of benefits for your body, just like doing yoga itself. But what happens if you combine both? What if you drink coffee in the morning and also do yoga? Should you drink your morning coffee before or after yoga? How to truly reap the benefits of drinking coffee? And is there any bad consequence?

Before we start talking about when you should drink your coffee, whether you should drink it before or after your yoga session. Let’s talk about the benefits of drinking morning coffee on your body itself. This will help you become aware of all the benefits and how it affects your health.

The health benefits of drinking coffee in the morning

1. A huge source of antioxidant

Studies showed that coffee has a huge content of antioxidants. It’s even higher than green tea. Coffee is rich in powerful antioxidants like hydrocinnamic acids and polyphenols. Antioxidants help fight inflammation in your body, which also protects you from free radicals. Polyphenols and hydrocinnamic acids can prevent and reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases.

2. Improve energy levels

The caffeine in coffee gives you an energy boost in the morning. The high amount of caffeine in coffee can act as a stimulant for your body, which makes you more alert. Moderate caffeine consumption will help you battle fatigue as well.

3. Cure depression and boost happiness

Coffee drinkers seemed to have up to 20% lower risk of depression compared to those who are not. It can help you to improve your mood. A study by Harvard University found that people who drank four or more cups of coffee per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide.

4. Lower risk of diabetes

Drinking coffee enhances the use of insulin and protects the cells that produce it. As a result, it helps your body to regulate blood sugar levels better. On a side note, inflammation is also the leading cause of diabetes type 2. And the caffeic acid in coffee can significantly reduce the inflammation and flush out the toxins out of your body.

5. Help you live longer

In a recent study, we found that drinking coffee actually makes us live longer. Men and women who drank coffee regularly had a lower risk of death by 12% in men and 7% in women. It makes sense since coffee contains a lot of vitamins and minerals that will protect you from developing many kinds of diseases, thus will help you live longer and healthier.

Is it better to drink morning coffee before or after yoga session?

To know whether you should drink your morning coffee before or after yoga, let’s dive deeper into the pros and cons of each choice and see which one suits you well.

The pros and cons of drinking coffee before yoga

Drinking a cup of coffee before starting the day is so common that it has become the norm for some. In fact, many people say they can’t function well until they have their morning coffee. They claimed that having a cup of coffee in the morning makes them more alert and gives them an energy boost for the rest of the day.

If you’re planning on doing some cardio intense yoga, like Rocket or Power Yoga, Ashtanga, or Hot Yoga, having a cup of coffee 1 (one) hour before your yoga session will likely help. You’ll be more alert and have more energy to finish your session. Some also benefit from burning more calories. Some even said it also increases strength and endurance.

Drinking coffee before yoga can make your muscles work more efficiently. You’ll perform better and last longer with less risk of burning out. It also helps reduce muscle pain while fueling them up at the same time.

However, there are some side effects of consuming caffeine before yoga. Coffee is known as a dehydrating agent and many fitness professionals don’t really recommend you drink coffee because of it. And since coffee is acidic, it might be a problem for those who have a sensitive stomach. This may lead to inconveniences in the middle of the yoga session. So, if you have stomach issues such as acid reflux, morning coffee before yoga is not recommended.

Besides, if you plan to do a more slow-paced yoga, like restorative yoga or yin yoga, coffee is definitely not your best friend. Your goal with slow-paced yoga is to enter the meditative state and be in peace. Caffeine will make you more alert which is not in line with your yoga goal.

The pros and cons of drinking coffee after yoga

With the inconvenience coffee brings to some before doing yoga, consider drinking it after the yoga session instead. The good news is there are also many benefits of drinking coffee right after your yoga session. In fact, there might be more benefits of caffeine when you consume it post-yoga sessions than the pre-yoga session.

A cup of coffee after yoga will help your body to recover much faster, refuel the muscle, and restore your energy so that you’ll be ready for a long day ahead. Some yogis also prefer doing yoga on an empty stomach because it helps them to move more freely and flexibly on the yoga mat.

Especially after some heavy yoga session, your body needs refueling. After eating those we recommend what to eat before and after yoga, just enjoy a cup of coffee. It will result in full-body recovery and an energized brain. A super-charged brain will leave you stress-free. And you’re ready to tackle the day and be more productive. Coffee can also help controls the insulin spike after any meal and increase your metabolism.

There are more pros than cons to drinking coffee after your yoga session. The only drawback of drinking coffee after yoga is it might spike your adrenaline levels since some exercise like yoga has already brought your adrenaline level up. Injecting caffeine on top of the already high adrenaline might cause stress and leave you feeling anxious.

All in all, It depends on your body

Both options have pros and cons that are equally important to consider. There’s no right or wrong in drinking your morning coffee before or after yoga sessions. It depends on how your body responds and reacts to caffeine. You should try it yourself to know what’s best for your body and how coffee can benefit yourself.

Drinking coffee has been proven to give you many benefits physically and mentally. However, please keep your caffeine intake moderate to reap all the benefits. Keep in mind that consuming too much caffeine is also linked to some problems like high blood pressure and insomnia.

Some find it so energizing to drink coffee before yoga and some people find it easier for their body to recover when drinking coffee after doing yoga, no one answer fits for all. Know your body and adjust to it to reap all the benefits!