When you are trying to balance a fitness regimen with the rest of your daily life, it isn't always easy to find the energy to keep moving. If you don't like the taste of black coffee and don't want to indulge in all of the sugar in an energy or espresso drink, you may find yourself craving coffee and the stimulation it provides with no easy alternatives. Although care must always be taken when ingesting pure caffeine, buying it in bulk as either powder or pills can be the most efficient way to get the energy boost you need without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle in the process. 

Delivering Energy When You Need It 

One of the advantages of pure caffeine is that it isn't tied to large quantities of sugary drinks, meaning you can take it an hour or two before exercising without worrying about stopping for constant bathroom breaks. This also lets you control when you get that energy spike caffeine is famous for, allowing you to plan around your workout instead of exercising once it kicks in. 

Avoiding Unhealthy Caffeinated Drinks

Of course, there are plenty of other reasons to avoid your standard caffeinated drinks. Most are packed with sugar to make the taste of caffeine more palatable and increase the jolt of energy it provides, but you'll need to work off those extra calories later anyways. If you'd rather not deal with blood sugar swings and tooth decay, cutting out sugary beverages like coffee and energy drinks may be one of the smartest decisions you could make. 

Minimizing Your RPE

If you have ever had a day where every step on the treadmill felt like running a mile, you may already be familiar with ratings of perceived exertion, or RPE. RPE measures how hard you feel like you're working, as opposed to the actual amount of work performed. Caffeine has been shown to decrease the RPE of exercising individuals, possibly improving their performance as a result. On mornings when you're dragging your feet to the gym, caffeine may mean the difference between a productive session or an hour of drudgery. 

Controlling Your Dosage

As ubiquitous as caffeine is, it's sometimes easy to forget that it is still considered a drug, and that means it can be mishandled. When switching over from caffeinated drinks to pills or powder, remember that you only need a small dose to experience significant effects. Follow your healthy caffeine supplier's recommendations carefully, and never take more than the suggested amount. By respecting this supplement and everything it can do to help your fitness program, you should remain safe, active, and stronger than ever.