A Downside to Coffee?

Well, not really. It's a small blip in the radar, when it comes to our favorite morning beverage. This morning's segment was about coffee, actually caffeine, and exercise. Mike Cantrell was a hoot and he made short mention about one of the side effects of caffeine and your workout. I thought I'd expand just a little.

I'm an avid mountain biker. There's nowhere I'd rather be on a Saturday or Sunday morning. And I generally indulge myself in a cup or two of coffee pre-ride, as it's just part of the weekend morning tradition. And there's the rub...

Caffeine is a diuretic, which causes you to lose or expel fluid. Expel? Generally means you have to "pee".

If you haven't been out on the mountain bike trails lately, you may not know that they generally aren't equipped with restrooms. Nor do they provide porta-potties. Nope, it's all about nature and means you have to find a convenient spot amongst the trees and brush to "expel" that fluid. For some reason, and this is not based on any scientific fact, it's worse in the winter months. I'd guess, and this is only a guess, it's because you don't sweat as much when it's cold out, so more of that fluid is hanging around waiting to fill up your bladder. And, as you can probably imagine, it's a bit more of a production for the females than the males in any mountain biking crew.

There's a more serious side to the dehydration...of course. We live in a state that gets pretty darned hot and humid several months of the year. It's easy to get dehydrated, even without the assistance of a diuretic. So be careful when you head out for that walk, run, bike or other outdoor activity. Go ahead and enjoy your coffee, but make sure a good water supply is available to you, and drink up.

Have a great week!