Coffee, Stretching and Fulfilling Morning Routines

One of the most powerful takeaways of my gap year was the power of morning routines.

In my experience, the moment you wake up and the hour that follows very much dictates your mood and how your day goes.

Having just turned adult-aged, I believed that one of the few staples of adulthood lay within having a coffee every morning, and perhaps a few more during the workday.

Mornings can be beautiful, too!

I’d once been a sincere follower of this tradition, yet I’ve since come to learn that it may not be the best feature to have in a fulfilling morning routine.

What could possibly be better than coffee in the morning? Well, many things actually! But here’s one of my answers — stretching.

Coffee, the double-edged sword

Starting from 11th grade in high school, I’ve woken up to a bottle of black coffee every single morning.

There was something so undeniably adult-feeling, perhaps even masculine, waking up to such a strong beverage.

Something about the bitterness, and the fact that nobody (including me) could reasonably enjoy such taste so early in the day made me feel I was courageous to brave such a challenge in return for a productive day.

“Drinking coffee for the function, I don’t really like the taste”, I would say, to which I’d be met with looks of confusion.

Theatrics aside, the associated energy boost from coffee was what sustained this habit for three years of my life.

Let's face it, we all drink coffee partly for the aesthetic.

In hindsight, though, I don’t believe I’ve weighed the pros and cons of such a habit well enough.

Beyond the health implications of downing a bottle of black coffee on an empty stomach had for my body, perhaps starting off the day with something I wasn’t fond of didn’t prepare me for a productive day after all!

Here's a personal, retrospective analysis of the pros and cons of a morning coffee drinking routine.

Pros of coffee in the morning

Benefit 1: Quick Energy boost!

This is straightforward enough, the caffeine from coffee takes you from a drowsy state to a less-drowsy state so you can start your day.

Caffeine actually works by binding to adenosine receptors, which are receptors in your brain that promote sleep when activated. In effect, it physically blocks the part of your brain that makes you sleepy.

What happens when it wears off? We’ll talk more about that later.

Benefit 2: Enhanced Concentration

Coffee enhances concentration. A recent study found that caffeine worked to enhance problem-solving skills, making us feel more focused.

But I’m sure you didn’t need to read a study to know that. The feeling of hyperproductivity after the first sip of coffee is what makes you (and me) keep going back to it despite its drawbacks!

Reference: Houston Methodist, Healthline

Cons of coffee in the morning

Drawback 1: Bowel movements

I don’t know about you, but having to use the restroom mid-morning meeting or lecture due to stomach cramps is far from the best feeling ever.

Coffee is somewhat of a laxative and stimulates bowel movement; you’d see how this might not play in the best interest of breakfast-skippers like myself.

To some, though, this might actually be a health benefit — aiding digestion! To this regard, I propose a regular dietary intake of fibre as a better alternative.

Drawback 2: Anxiety

I remember the times I would have my morning coffee and hop onto the train. Then, out of nowhere, I felt my heart racing, my mind spiralling, my knees buckling…

On a less dramatic note, caffeine can trigger a person’s fight or flight response. To those of us prone to feeling anxious, caffeine’s effect of increasing one’s heart rate can also trigger unwanted anxiety.

For something that’s supposed to start your day for the better, anxiety-induction does not seem like an attractive feature whatsoever.

Drawback 3: Caffeine crash and fatigue

What happens when the caffeine blocking the adenosine receptors in our brain wear off?

You’d start to feel groggy, tired and even fatigued — this is known as a caffeine crash.

In my experience, there’s only two ways to get out of a caffeine crash:

1. Sit or lay down for a bit and rest (not a good look for when you're in the office), or

2. Have another cup.

In some ways, this reminds me of the myth of Sisyphus — the man doomed to push a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down every time it nears the peak — a caffeine crash is an inevitable consequence of a caffeine high.

Drawback 4: Skin health

This isn’t one of the conventionally mentioned effects of coffee, but coffee might contribute to bad skin.

The high acidity of the beverage messes with your hormones and the amount of oil (sebum) your skin produces. On top of that, coffee dehydrates your body. These are both factors that could lead to acne breakouts.

Unhealthy skin is probably among the last things a university student would want to worry about!

As we drink more coffee, our tolerance for caffeine grows. Over time, we’d feel less energised per each cup of coffee, with the effects of caffeine crashes unrelenting every time.

In the long run, you’d understand how this is a hardly sustainable lifestyle for both health and the wallet (Starbucks runs everyday can be brutal). What could be a better alternative?

Reference: Healthline, PageOneCoffee, Everyday Health, Rebecca Fitzgerald MD

Stretching: A fulfilling alternative

When the pandemic heightened, I had more time to myself in the morning before work (all hail WFH). I was thinking about my health — I wanted to do something less intense than a HIIT workout but as transformational in the morning time.

Naturally, stretches seemed like a good fit. No sweat, no panting, just a lot of touching your toes and feeling good.

I follow Cassie from blogilates for my morning stretches.

Within the first week, I started to reap the benefits of this 10-minute addition to my morning routine. I still reached for my morning cup, but I felt more energised in a way that felt natural, if that makes sense.

Stretching in the morning was a time for me to be mindful, concentrated and grounded. Not plagued by distractions, I felt connected with my body in a way I haven’t felt in some time.

So obviously, I fell in love with stretching in the morning. Over time, it had actually replaced coffee in my morning routine — I felt up and ready to start my day by the end of it!

Therefore the question goes: how does a morning stretching routine compare with a coffee drinking one?

Morning stretches vs Coffee

Waking up

Just like coffee, stretching in the morning gives you a great energy boost to start your day.

Like all exercise, stretching increases blood circulation to your brain and muscles, making you feel more energised.

In fact, experts state that stretching can also increase your energy level — since relaxed muscles require less energy to move than tight, contracted muscles, people who stretch regularly use their energy more efficiently.

And, unlike coffee, there won’t be an inevitable caffeine crash somewhere down the line!

Concentration

The benefits that stretching brings to our body could also enhance concentration, too.

A small study found that stretching was effective to increase concentration and decrease fatigue amongst a group of high school students.

From a more holistic perspective, a relaxed body can definitely aid productivity. Our bodily experiences influence our cognitive state — bad posture, physical tension and muscle strain take a toll on our energy and mood, which in turn affect our ability to concentrate and work

Reference: Huffpost, azcentral

Additional benefits of stretching

Other benefits of stretching every morning include:

• Increased flexibility. I mean, who doesn’t like touching their toes?

• Relieving tension. Free yourself from physical and mental stress

• Better posture. Good posture improves working quality and prevents back pain.

• Peace of mind. Enjoy the window in the morning when you’re not bombarded by emails or messages.

• No unwanted side effects. Yes, this was a direct dig at coffee, especially the bowel movements.

Reference: Focus Physical Therapy

So, who wins?

Well, the answer I’ve been alluding to should be obvious.

Stretching is a healthy and active alternative to get energised and enhance work quality. There’s also so many more benefits that stretching brings to brain, muscle and body function!

This is not to say I will not go on and enjoy many more Americanos in the future (I just had one in the afternoon). It is only that, to me, stretching out-performs coffee in the context of a morning routine.

Unlike coffee, I looked forward to stretching every morning — it made me feel refreshed and ready to conquer the day.

I didn’t feel like I was cheating, in the sense that I was actively earning my boost of energy every morning instead of getting it from a cup, and it’s fulfilling!

There’s also a feeling so rewarding knowing that you are taking the time and effort to keep yourself healthy by building positive habits.

Ultimately, I believe the best morning routine should include things that motivate you. Start your day with something you look forward to — whether it be journaling, planning your day, going on a run — this will be transformational to how you wake up and your mindset for the rest of the day.

Mindset is everything. Wake up with the belief that you will have a great day, and practice a routine that will make it happen.