- Gregory Ferenstein says 30 seconds of high-intensity exercise such as push-ups gives him more of a mental boost than a cup of coffee
- Further testing revealed his overall cognitive performance had increased by
12 per cent after exercise – but only six per cent after caffeine - The only thing caffeine helped with was his short-term memory
By
Anna Hodgekiss
10:23 EST, 3 December 2013
|
10:28 EST, 3 December 2013
Boost: Millions of us reach for a coffee to increase energy levels – but how effective is it?
Millions of us reach for a coffee at least once a day to boost our alertness and counter flagging energy levels.
But what if there was a free alternative that worked even better?
Writer Gregory Ferenstein believes he has the answer – 30 seconds of high-intensity exercise such as push-ups whenever he feels drowsy.
He discovered that the exercises gave him double the energy boost of his daily Starbucks – and saved him a considerable amount of cash in the process.
Writing for The Daily Beast, he explained: ‘Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I find a
quiet corner and perform some form of body-weight exercise that jolts my
heart up to at last 70 percent of the maximal beats per minute (for me,
that’s about 170).
He said his favourite exercises are 20 burpees (a push-up to
jumping jack) or 40 mountain climbers (push-up position, bringing knees
to elbows).
He added: ‘I’ve found that 30 seconds of high-intensity body-weight exercise gives me the same mental boost as a shot of caffeine.’
To try and scientifically prove if that was the case, he applied his findings to a tool that assesses cognitive performance – the website quantified-mind.com.
In his piece, Mr Ferenstein explains how he performed the tests after both 250mg caffeine and exercise, to see how it affected his memory and reaction times.
For reference, a Starbucks Grande Cafe Americano has 225mg of caffeine.
He said: ‘Essentially, these types of games test if users are paying attention and if they can think on their feet (i.e. if I’ve got brain fog).’
He found that his overall cognitive performance increased by six per cent after caffeine – but 12 per cent after exercise.
The only benefit caffeine gave him was when it came to short-term memory, which improved by 26 per cent compared to 16 per cent with exercise.Â
A wealth of research backs up his findings. Last year researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute found that high-intensity exercise boosts mental and physical health.
Alert: Short bursts of high-intensity exercise such as push-ups could boost brain power and performance more than caffeine (file picture)
Previously sedentary adults were put through four months of high-intensity interval training.
At the end, their cognitive functions – the ability to think, recall and make quick decisions – had improved significantly, the researchers found.
Last year researchers from the University of South Carolina found that regular treadmill sessions also give a boost to the cell’s powerhouses in the brain.
Research leader Dr Mark Davis said this energy boost helped the brain to work faster and more efficiently.
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Anyonebutafootballer,
Severalplaces, United Kingdom,
25 minutes ago
Is the misspelling of ‘coffee of exercise’ the most comment-worthy aspect of today’s DM trivia? Green, green, geren, grene, grnee….!!!
Anyonebutafootballer,
Severalplaces, United Kingdom,
30 minutes ago
What’s the betting that ‘coffee of exercise’ hasn’t been corrected yet because the journalist has gone for a coffee OR exercise!
kevin,
keswick,
44 minutes ago
I think you mean press-ups. Duhhh.
crustedcrouton,
San malodorous – China,
57 minutes ago
‘Coffee of exercise’. …….any relation to ‘Anne of Cleves ??
Old Peculiar,
Leicester, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
Kill two birds with one stone. A kiss and a cuddle with the missus wakes me up and increases the heart rate!
Anyonebutafootballer,
Severalplaces, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
‘Coffee of Excercise’ – is he a Dutch footballer?
Vote UKIP,
Our only hope, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
I had to drive from Oxford to Blackpool last weekend, it was such a hectic day that I had almost nothing to eat all day, but I did stop off for one costa coffee cappuccino and one Starbucks cappuccino. Those two drinks were enough to give me the shakes and feel on edge, it was a weird feeling, also that evening I had such bad stomach cramps it was unbelievable. Before you all start saying it was my own fault or not eating, yes I know, but I have vowed never to stop off for a coffee again…..
Suzannah,
London, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
Push-ups with cold muscles is a recipe for disaster.
Nuts,
London, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
What do you mean DM, “…coffee of excercise?†What does that mean???
bexgreen,
southport – uk,
1 hour ago
Coffee of exercise???? Do you not read your articles before publishing them??
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