If you’re reading this, you’ve probably wondered whether or not the caffeine and energy drinks you’ve been using to fuel your workouts is healthy, and whether there’s an alternative that can work without the crash. Maybe you want to keep your exercise going strong but have had enough of the jittery hands, racing heart, and irritability they can cause. Or maybe you simply want to do something better for your long-term health and know that while you want to continue your workout, the options you’ve been using aren’t helping you hit your goals.
Luckily, there is a pre-workout substitute for coffee, energy drinks, and pre-workout formulas that’s not only safe but vital to optimizing your health. And as an added bonus, it can offer immediate energy boosting results, without the downsides.
Here’s what you need to know about vitamin B12 and exercise and why you should make the switch for the added mental and physical edge you need to knock out your workout.
So if you’re wondering, “Will B12 boost my energy for my workout?”, we’ve got your answers.
Using coffee for a pre-workout boost
Although coffee is one of the main options people turn to in order to banish early morning grogginess or lack of motivation when it’s time to hit the gym, the jolt of energy it delivers can lead to a number of unwanted side effects.
In fact for some people, even a single cup of coffee can lead to problems with blood pressure, heart rate, and cause feelings of nervousness or anxiety. To top it off, coffee acts as a diuretic which means that it can accelerate dehydration if you don’t get enough water.
Other health concerns related to caffeine consumptions include headache, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and digestive problems. And of course, with caffeine comes the dreaded crash.
Energy drinks before exercise
If coffee hasn’t been doing the trick to level up your energy so that you can make it through your workout, you might have even turned to energy drinks. The problem is that since these drinks are packed with far more caffeine that one you would get in a single cup of coffee, the side effects can be even more evident. According to U.S. Preventative Medicine, a typical energy drink contains four to five times the amount of caffeine found in your morning cup of Joe.
Health risks that go-hand-in-hand with energy drinks are even more severe in people with high blood pressure or heart problems. And during the years between 2007 to 2011, when adults over the age of 40 had the greatest increase in energy drink related emergency room visits, with the number of visits doubling during that timeframe.
Sadly, if you think that energy drinks are healthy because of the vitamins and nutrients listed on the label, you’ll also be disappointed. The amounts of other nutrients that promise an energy boost, like B vitamins and taurine, are in such minuscule amounts that their effects on the body are negligible.
Problems with pre-workout supplements
The third option many people turn to for energy are pre-workout supplements. Unfortunately, while these supplements generally have higher levels of focus-enhancing ingredients, such as L-Theanine or Huperzine, most still contain high levels of caffeine and therefore don’t solve the problems seen in coffee or energy drink consumption.
So by now you’re probably wondering what are the alternatives to caffeine for pre-workout.
And that’s where vitamin B12 comes in.
Why take B12 instead of caffeine
B vitamins, and especially vitamin B12, are the answer to energizing your workout, without the side effects of crash of caffeine and energy drinks.
The reason vitamin B12 for exercise works is that B vitamins are vital to your body’s energy production. This means that the vitamin can have a big impact on your athletic performance.
While caffeine has an effect on your nervous system, B12 is known for its ability to keep the system healthy and firing optimally. Even better, while caffeine revs up your stress hormones, along with your workout, B12 helps to keep those levels normal instead.
Additionally the vitamin is an essential nutrient required to produce the hemoglobin your body uses to carry oxygen to each and every cell. Since healthy oxygenation is required for a strong workout, it’s easy to see why B12 for pre-workout simply works!
So if you’re asking yourself, “Should I take vitamin B12 before a workout?”, the healthy answer is YES!
Health benefits of vitamin B12
The health benefits of B12 also go far beyond your workout.
- Vitamin B12 is essential for everyday energy
When you’re deficient in vitamin B12 you can feel tired and run down. That’s because the vitamin helps your body break down and metabolize the proteins and fats from the foods you eat and convert carbohydrates to sugar. The result is energy for your body.
- Vitamin B12 supports a healthy nervous system
Vitamin B12 is also essential to the health and function of your nervous system. It works to optimize the signaling from your brain that helps your muscles contract and even plays a role in maintaining the myelin sheath that protects both your brain and spinal cord.
- Vitamin B12 boosts mood, concentration, and focus
If those benefits weren’t already enough, B12 also is important for creating the serotonin and dopamine that keep your mood lifted, while helping you maintain concentration and focus.
- Vitamin B12 promotes heart health
Deficiency of vitamin B12 lead to elevated homocysteine levels, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, since it can increase clot formation in the blood vessels that lead to your heart. Recent evidence shows that supplementing B12 can help lower homocysteine to support better heart health.
- Vitamin B12 helps you get your rest
Good sleep is vital to your health and once again vitamin B12 can help. The vitamin enhances the production of melatonin, your body’s sleep hormone and helps regulate your circadian rhythm.
- Vitamin B12 supports memory
Memory loss has been shown in studies to be associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. In fact, one study even found that levels considered to be on the low side of normal still contribute to poor memory performance compared to higher levels of the vitamin.
- Vitamin B12 maintains healthy hair, skin, and nails
Vitamin B12 is even the perfect choice to stay looking your best thanks to the vitamins role in cell production. This means adding more B12 to your life can help you maintain healthy and strong hair, skin, and nails.
Do I need a vitamin B12 supplement?
While B12 is found in many common foods like beef, liver, and eggs, taking a daily supplement can be the easiest way to get the energy you need to power through your workout, while supporting your health for life.
Liquid B12 Energy for People Who Are Nutz About Health
That’s why at Nutz About Health, we’ve tripled the dosage of B12 in our product compared to others on the market, so that our customers can see an immediate result without the worry of a crash. It’s all-day jitter-free energy and mental clarity, and whole health support to keep your exercise and your life going strong.
Sources:
The Dangers of Energy Drinks – U.S. Preventive Medicine
Vitamin B12 – NIH
Vitamin B-12 – Mayo Clinic
Folic Acid and Vitamin B-12 May Help Prevent Heart Disease – WebMD
Vitamin B12 – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
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