Many people use energy drinks to get an extra kick for a few hours in their day. They’ve become incredibly popular over the past few years. Red Bull started the energy drink craze, through some very clever guerrilla marketing, and then many, many copycats followed. Regular people (non athletes and those who don’t train) use energy drinks to stay awake at work, or to party with at night (Red Bull and Vodka anyone?).
Since this site is geared towards fitness, we’ll get into which energy drinks are best for athletes and people who stay active. Everyone gets tired. Whether you’ve had a long night at the office or are becoming fatigued from training, sometimes we all need a boost to get us through our workouts. But not all energy drinks are the same. Some energy drinks give you a boost from a whole lot of sugar, while others are made specifically optimized for athletes
Red Bull, Rockstar, and Others – Not recommended
If your goal is to lose weight or train harder, and you’re drinking Rockstar, Red Bull, or Go Fast, then you’re out of your mind. These energy drinks that you find in your local convenience stores and bars are so full of sugar and empty calories you might as well be drinking a soda with a caffeine pill thrown in.
Do you know how much sugar these drinks actually have in them? Rockstar Energy Drink: 200 Calories, 48 grams of carbohydrates, and 46 grams or sugar. Red Bull: 160 Calories, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 39 grams of sugar. Go Fast: 90 Calories, 23 grams of carbohydrates, and 21 grams or sugar.
Even if you’re not into fitness, you shouldn’t make a habit out of drinking these kinds of energy drinks. They have great marketing gimmicks to make you think that they’re not that bad for you, but they really are.
FRS Healthy Energy – Highly Recommended
This is a product I’ve recently come across and I have to say it’s great. FRS Healthy Energy was designed specifically for athletes. While I am not the greatest of athletes, when I need a boost, it is not going to come from a can of sugar. FRS Healthy Energy not only gives you a boost, but helps speed up your metabolism too. It was originally designed as a fatigue fighting health drink for cancer patients, but endurance athletes got a hold of it and now it is being marketed that way.
FRS Healthy Energy’s key ingredient is Quercetin, which is a natural antioxidant found in apples, blueberries, and fruits. The rest is a patented mix of vitamins, metabolic enhancers, and antioxidants designed in a way for your body to fully absorb all of the main ingredients. It also increases focus, so you can probably use it to study for a final or finish up a giant pile of work.
Coffee – Use at your own risk
Coffee has been the “energy drink” of the ages. It’s debatable whether or not coffee is good for you or bad for you, but when used in moderation it’s the cheapest “energy drink” out there. While you don’t want to be drinking from a coffee thermos during a workout, it can really give you enough energy to jump start your day.
Drink it black. Straight up and black. When I say coffee, I don’t mean a 400 calorie double caramel latte from Starbucks. If you want caffeine in its purest form, you have to drink it black. That means no sugar, no creamers, and no whatever else they are putting in coffee nowadays. This is especially true for those aiming to lose weight. Adding those extra sugars will null any benefits that coffee may give you. Stick to one or two cups. It can be very habit forming, so do not start your day with a half a pot of coffee. Drinking excessive amounts of coffee can cause all sorts of problems, not limited to bowel problems and blood pressure problems.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
check out Infinit Nutrition (www.infinitnutrition.com). it is a “customizable” hydration / endurance beverage. You can control the level of sugars, electrolytes and even include protein. One of the options is adding caffeine. It is an awesome product and I highly recommend it. I have used this product for 2 years with fantastic results.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:41 am
1 to 2 cups of coffee may be a good advice but it’s better to avoid it because of its caffeine contain. Red Bull contains a much larger amount of caffeine than a cup of coffee.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:11 am
I always take a cup of strong coffee before my workouts. Works wonders. Honestly, I combine it with fat burners. Gets the workout going!
April 11th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
^ Wow that sounds like a plan that would stop your heart.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 am
Well, I like black coffee very much. Especially I’m in OT in the office.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:19 am
One of the concerns with energy drinks is an excessive amount of sugar, caffine and calories in them and that they are consumed like water. A question I have raised is we have many young people age 10 and up drinking several of these at a time and we don’t know the long term health affects. Are we creating a problem by letting children drink them without any moderation and is this going to cause them to constantly reach for a drink of this type every time they start to feel a little drained. We all have a natural energy cycle that flows in small waves throughout the day and are we short cutting that natural cycle at a young age?
May 19th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I enjoy a Medium coffee with 1 splenda or just black during my morning cardio. It gets me going and doesnt give me the jitters like some supplements do. I dont like the amount of sugar and crap in energy drinks and dont find red bull does anything more for me then my usual cup of coffee. My intent is to loose/maintain weight, I dont want the 30 grams of sugar and carbs that these drinks are loaded with!
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Patricia, I’m much like you and enjoy a coffee during my workout. I get weird looks from people but its no weirder then people chugging back a red bull…they are the weird ones for loading up on sugar and calories only to have to do an extra 20 min of cardio to burn that Red Bull off! I don’t find coffee gives me jitters or makes me rush like some supplements do either. For me coffee is a mild stimulant that doesn’t seem to have any negative sides.
http://www.UsHealthFoodStores.com
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Yes, one of the problem with energy or health drinks is their sugar levels but I have discovered a health drink called purple which you can get at GNC and drug stores. It has the strongest antioxidant 7 fruit juice punch ever, when one is not exercising or like just chilling, can have purple as it is sugar-free except from sugar in fruits and it can be mixed with cocktails too to make it healthy cocktail
! When I saw it on Oprah I got this first thing next morning and now I am sharing this with all of you, maybe it helps. If you don’t believe me check this out http://www.drinkpurple.com and you will know for yourself and satisfy yourself. let me know if you liked it or not.
Scott.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Yep, coffee it’s also for me. In the morning without taking my breakfast I start my workout, at this way I’m burning fat right in the first minut. Works perfect for me, and I’m sure for many others.
June 12th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Here is the world’s first 2 in 1 healthy energy drink: Verve!
It’s part healthy energy drink without the high levels of bad sugar and caffeine found in leading brands like Red Bull and part nutritional supplement as each can contains a full spectrum of vitamins, 65 minerals, antioxidants, aloe vera, decaffeinated green tea, and the amazing fruit, Mangosteen. It tastes great, works fast, energy boost lasts 5-6 hours, and there’s no crash and burn feeling…
It’s been tested by Brunswick Labs to have the highest ORAC score of any energy drink tested to date, has just been named the official energy drink of 2 pro sports teams, and is recommended by 2 of America’s top doctors…
You can learn more by going to http://www.myverve.com/themlmdreamteam
July 10th, 2008 at 2:29 am
I love to take coffee 1 or 2 cup per day , in the moring and after lunch.
But suger , cream and wip cream in coffee made me fat so, i change to drink dark coffee.
September 17th, 2008 at 2:09 am
I read in a newspaper about a survey that coffee is the second most consumable drink across the globe. But here in India, we give preference to tea . At every occasion tea is a must. But i can’t figure out tea has more benefits or coffee. Let it be.
Never mind, coffee is the best.
November 13th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I love a cup or two of coffee in the morning, but nothing after noon for me. It interfers with normal sleep.