By Susan Hickey

If you’re like me, you are struggling to adjust to darker mornings and the early wake-up call to get kids to school. The simple answer is, “get more sleep!”  Most parents will tell you that’s not so simple – we all know that after the kids go to bed, we use our “adult” time to finish necessary tasks or occasionally find time for ourselves. Enter coffee – the amazing brew that can make getting out of that warm bed just a bit more appealing.  Did you know that coffee is much more than a pick-me-up in the morning? Coffee actually has many health benefits that will help you feel less guilty about your morning cup of joe, including:

• Better cognitive function: Coffee gives you a mental boost thanks to caffeine, a natural stimulant. Caffeine acts on the brain to improve memory, mood, reaction times and mental function.
• Nutrients: Coffee is a great source of B vitamins, potassium and riboflavin, as well as anti-oxidants.
• Type 2 diabetes prevention: Multiple studies found that regular coffee consumption- either regular or decaf – decreases the chance of Type 2 diabetes.

• Neurological disease prevention: Regular daily caffeine consumption is linked to a lower risk of developing both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
• Improved exercise tolerance and effectiveness: Caffeine can improve endurance and exercise performance, per one study. Additionally, another study found that people who drank one to two cups of coffee per day were 17% more likely to meet recommended physical activity levels, compared with those who drank less than one cup per day. Hey, whatever gets you moving, right?
• Cancer: Researchers have found that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of colorectal cancer – a leading cause of cancer deaths in the world.

If you are thinking about adding coffee to your personal daily schedule, keep in mind a few caveats:

• Don’t go overboard. Experts recommend limiting consumption to less than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. An 8-ounce cup of coffee generally has 80 mg to 100 mg of caffeine, which averages out to about four cups a day. Take precautions if you’re expecting -according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, it’s safe for pregnant women to take in up to 200 mg of caffeine per day, or about two cups. It’s unclear whether higher caffeine intake poses a risk.
• Avoid coffee later in the day. Caffeine can remain in your system for hours after your last cup. So a late-afternoon latte may contribute to a restless night. To be safe, stick to decaf in the afternoon and evening.
• Beware of add-ins. Be careful to limit creamers and syrups that might cancel out coffee’s health benefits due to increased saturated fats and sugars.

Coffee can be a great way to help you get moving in the morning, and it has many other benefits as well. There is no excuse for missing that 5:15am spin class!  Check out all the early morning classes that you could enjoy with the help of this magic brew.  And don’t forget to grab a cup of coffee and socialize with friends in the YMCA lobby!

References:
Clevelandclinic.org - The Health Benefits of Coffee
Healthline.com - Top Evidence Based Health Benefits of Coffee