One of the biggest problems with many energy drinks is that they are full of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Not only will these ingredients increase your risk of diabetes, they will also cause your body to release serotonin. Before a workout, serotonin is your worst enemy as it will leave you feeling tired and lacking the drive and energy to train.
Now you might be thinking that this doesn’t apply to you as your energy drink is sugar free or low carbohydrate, but these types of energy drinks can be just as bad as they’re generally full of toxic sweeteners or artificial ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. Sweeteners and artificial ingredients add to your body’s toxic load, making it harder for your body to burn fat and stay young and energetic.
Now here are my top 3 Clean & Lean alternatives to energy drinks:
1/ Organic Coffee – Coffee has been shown in numerous studies to improve drive, concentration, strength and endurance. Opt for an organic coffee to limit your toxin intake and don’t have coffee after 2pm so it doesn’t effect the quality of your sleep.
2/ Green Tea – A cup of green tea is a great alterative to coffee if you’re sensitive to coffee. It’s full of antioxidants and is a great natural energy booster.
3/ Berry Burn – Bodyism’s pre workout supplement that contains Acai berry, Green Tea and L-Carnitine. All 3 are natural energy boosters that don’t fatigue your adrenal glands as much as many energy drinks or high caffeinated drinks. It’s also low in sugar and tastes incredible.
The same rules apply to the foods we eat every day as to what we consume pre-workout. Stick to natural ingredients as much as possible and don’t consume anything that you can’t pronounce!