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The surprising ROI of your morning coffee
LF #146: 21 high protein smoothies, this cut depression risk by 25%, 52 kettlebell exercises, and more...

Hey there - it’s Don.
Happy Friday!
This one is about coffee.
So you might enjoy this more with a cup of joe in your hand.
Let’s jump right in to today’s newsletter.
P.S. Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸
🔎 What’s Inside
The surprising ROI of your morning coffee
21 high protein smoothies
Walking & depression
Health investing
52 kettlebell exercises
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💪 Deep Dive
Click here to read the article on the Layman’s Fitness Website
The Surprising ROI of Your Morning Coffee
Your morning coffee is more than just a wake-up habit.
Here are 7 surprising “dividends” you receive from starting the day with a cup of coffee.
1) Enhances morning focus
Caffeine is a well-studied stimulant that improves memory, alertness, and focus.
A cup of coffee in the morning helps you productively kick off the responsibilities of the day with your full attention.
The return? Higher productivity and focus when it matters most.
2) Ticks with your body’s clock
Your circadian rhythm wakes your body up in the morning and puts it to rest in the evening.
Drinking caffeine from coffee in the AM flows with this natural bio-clock.
3) Reduces morning inflammation
Your body’s immune system wakes up in the morning too.
The immune system is on highest alert in the early morning hours (i.e. highest joint pain, morning stiffness, etc…).
Coffee has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help calm your immune system during its morning spike.
4) Aligns with your cortisol curve
Coffee boosts your cortisol levels.
Cortisol is a hormone involved in alertness, stress, metabolism, and managing blood sugar levels.
Your cortisol naturally spikes in the morning and crashes in the afternoon.
Drinking it in the morning works with your body’s natural cortisol rhythm.
5) Kickstarts calorie burning
Coffee increases calories burned by 3-11%.
It does this by increasing the amount of calories your body burns at rest (“resting metabolic rate”).
This is a modest, but real, metabolic boost.
6) Boosts morning workout performance
Caffeine boosts both endurance and strength performance.
Try it 30-60 minutes before exercise.
Coffee is cheaper than pre-workout mixes for a workout performance boost.
7) Coffee smell is calming
A study was done on patients undergoing a stressful dental procedure (yikes).
Some patients smelled the aroma of coffee during the procedure. Others didn’t.
The patients who smelled the coffee had lower pulses, blood pressure, and cortisol levels.
Whether or not the patients were coffee drinkers didn’t matter.
So in short… enjoy the morning cup.
Coffee is a small investment into your energy, focus, performance, and well-being.
Cheers for coffee!
Today’s sponsor

Fuel your hustle.
Late nights. Early lifts. Purpose-driven mornings.
Third Shift Coffee is a small-batch speciality coffee roasted by a fellow entrepreneur and kettlebell enthusiast who gets the hustle.
Layman’s Fitness newsletter subscribers get an exclusive 10% off with code LAYMANS10.
Your fitness grind deserves better coffee.
Start strong. Stay sharp. Finish well.
P.S. Josh, the owner of Third Shift Coffee, is a long-time friend.
🔎 Finds
Here are my favorite finds/resources this week.
Need some summer smoothie ideas?
#16 is my absolute favorite, though they snuck in a surprise ingredient.
Moderate exercise (i.e. walking) for 2.5 hours a week reduced depression risk by 25%.
2.5 hours/week = 10 - 20 minutes per day.
6 sound financial investing principles are applied to health.
They are all spot on… I liked #1 (think long-term), #2 (automate), and #3 (diversify).
Greg from Kettlebell Workouts did all kettlebell fans a service by putting this movement library together.
The movements are ranked by easiest to hardest.
🏆 Client Corner
Josh, the owner of Third Shift Coffee, was one of the first guys to join LF Coaching.
And here’s his takeaway from that strength.

❓ Want to build strength you can use in real life?
Make things like picking up your kids, carrying groceries, and walking up stairs easier.
I’ll see you next Friday.
Be strong,
Don
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The information provided in this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
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