I want to cover the misconception about what 5 Hour Energy is and what it is not. I am not calling the company a liar with their product’s name, but I want to say it is misleading.

First of all, let us define what energy is when talking about human function. When speaking of energy within the cells it is best to call it by its real name, adenosine triphosphate or ATP. ATP is a molecule created by the cells from the calories we consume and oxygen. It is potential energy that is ready to fire. When ATP is broken down from ATP to ADP + P (adenosine diphosphate plus phosphate) Energy is released.

If you examine how energy occurs and the body and how it is made, you will realize calories must be consumed to create energy. If you look at the bottle of 5 Hour Energy, you will notice it only has 4 calories. This is not a lot of energy at all. So what does 5 Hour Energy do for you.

What this liquid supplement has in it is a huge amount of vitamin B12. This vitamin is known to promote better transmission of electrical signals within the brain and to muscles. Basically it is making your body more efficient at doing what it is already doing. Mostly this is affecting your awareness more than anything else.

One thing I wanted to point out as well. Most people don’t realize that their body can only consume a certain amount of a nutrient in a specific time frame. The rest is just excreted out through our pee. You will notice this happening when you take 5 Hour Energy, the next time you go pee it will be neon yellow. My suggestion is to take sips of it throughout the day to get more out of it. The other reason you want to sip it throughout the day instead of taking it all at once is you could be like me and get vitamin B rushes. This is when you take too much vitamin B12 at once; you get a rash on your neck and start to get hot. This doesn’t happen to everyone though.

So the next time you decide to go buy a 5 hour Energy, remember that you are not actually getting any energy out of it. Do not expect to go for a 10 mile run off of just drinking this supplement. You will need to still consume carbohydrates and fats. But if you are looking for something to help stay focused at work, this supplement is wonderful. Again, just make sure that you sip it throughout the day.

Please leave a comment to share in this discussion. If you liked what you read here, visit my website at the Red Mules Running Specialist.