The Scoop on Coffee in the Office

The Scoop on Coffee in the Office

by | Jul 5, 2023 | Ask an Acer - Expert Tips for Your Biz, Coworking News

One the things our members love most about the ACE Office “freebies” is our excellent coffee from Oakville’s Firebat Coffee Roasters. But some of us hit the café area with more frequency and urgency than others. It got us wondering: is there such a thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to caffeination?

We decided to check in with our resident health & wellness experts at the The FlipSide to explain the pros and cons. 

The Good News

You may think that the biggest benefit of drinking coffee is the jolt of energy it gives you, but did you know it also provides a nice dose of fibre and a boost to your cells?

According to Dr. Tim Spector, a cup of coffee has more fibre than a glass of orange juice (1.5 gm per cup of coffee vs 0.7 gm in same amount of OJ.). For many adults, coffee represents the main source of dietary fibre. The recommended daily intake is 28 grams of fibre, but definitely don’t drink 18 cups to get there!

The main source of nutrients for your gut bacteria is found in fibre, so your morning cup can be a very good thing – especially when you consider the fact that coffee is rich in a particular type of fibre that highly specialized microbes in your gut feed on exclusively.

Coffee also has a high concentration of polyphenols: compounds found in plants that impact our health positively. They play a major role in giving plants colour, favour, and micronutrients. Consuming plants high in polyphenols protects us against heart disease, regulates blood sugar, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, and slows the visible signs of aging.

Caffeine Fix vs Decaf

In nature, caffeine is an insect repellent created by plants for self-protection. In humans, caffeine acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug by activating an adrenaline delivery system to help enhance alertness, focus, concentration, and mental and physical performance. It takes 20 minutes to feel the jolt, and 5 to 7 hours to feel the crash once 50% of the caffeine has worn off. Key point? Caffeine does definitely affect your brain and nervous system.

If you enjoy coffee but don’t want caffeine, decaf is an option. However, beware: “decaffeinated” does not mean “non-caffeinated.” The most effective processes can remove up to 99% of the caffeine, but many products still have an active range of 3-10% caffeine.

The quid about decaf is that if you want to get the benefits of the coffee bean (fibre and polyphenols), but less caffeine, seek high-quality coffee. Decaffeination changes the density of the bean, rendering a darker and shiny look. Decaf also goes stale more quickly; experts suggest buying decaf in beans and grinding it yourself. Decaf is nearly as healthy if polyphenols are retained, but more research is needed given that current studies lack big numbers.

Coffee and Sleep

Two factors determine your wake-sleep cycle. One is circadian rhythm. The second – the important when we consider coffee – is what Dr. Matt Walker calls sleep pressure. It goes like this: upon waking, sleep pressure molecules start building in our brains. If unaltered, this continues to happen naturally for 12 to 16 hours, building natural fatigue which later in the day will put us to sleep. (This is part of the melatonin release process.) Caffeine has the power to artificially pause and modify this natural brain pattern.

Let’s explain with an example. Imagine your brain is a large empty theatre. Every morning, upon waking, the theatre opens its doors and sleep pressure molecules start coming in, slowly, occupying the seats, one by one. After a coffee, the theatre doors slam shut: no more sleep pressure molecules can enter to take a seat. But here’s the thing: sleep pressure is still lined up outside, waiting. While the doors are closed, you feel like a star on stage, performing full of energy and focus… until about 5 to 7 hours later when the caffeine starts to wear off. What happens then? The doors reopen and a crowd of sleep pressure molecules crash into the theatre, all at once. This is what we all know as the “caffeine crash.” This is also the moment when we think: “Oh, I need another coffee!”

And the process starts all over again.

What happens when we drink coffee later in the afternoon? At night, while trying to prep dinner or fall into a deep sleep, you get the crash of all those molecules trying to take their seats. If asleep, you may or may not wake up, but your brain will start a party for sure. Your sleep cycle will be interrupted, and you’ll wake the next morning fatigued feeling like you desperately need… a cup of coffee!

Moral of the Story

Coffee in and of itself is not a bad thing, in moderation. But beware if it’s become a crutch to make up for a lack of energy or continuous poor sleep, or the boost needed to hustle against time regardless of what your body is telling you. In the words of Dr. Spector: “if coffee damages your sleep, then all the benefits are irrelevant.”

Keen to learn more? Check out:

Podcast with Dr. Tim Spector: Is coffee healthy?

TedTalk with Matt Walker: How Caffeine Affects Your Sleep

Subscribe to The FlipSide newsletter or follow them @TheFlipSidePlan

ACE Coworking members, Rosana Fernandez and MV Anzola, are the co-founders of The FlipSide Plan. They are credentialed professional coaches known for designing, managing and delivering top-notch corporate wellness workshops and programs on health and productivity. Follow ACE Coworking & The FlipSide Plan on social media to stay up-to-date on our regular co-hosted Lunch & Learn Workshops, which you are welcome to attend!

 

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Traditional Office Lease Vs. Coworking Private Office

Traditional Office Lease Vs. Coworking Private Office

by | Apr 11, 2022 | Guest Post

by Mark Fornasiero

Now that we have finally dug out of the last of our lockdown restrictions, people are looking to make some long-term decisions about how and where they will work. We know that commuting to a central office five days a week is not in the cards for many people. But continuing to have a separate place to work outside of your home is still essential for your mental health, for maintaining a healthy boundary between your work and family life, and as a productivity tool. (No distractions like the fridge, Netflix, laundry or pets when you are at an office!)

If you’re trying to decide between renting your own private office for you and your team or opting for a managed office space like you’d find in a coworking location, here are a few things to keep in mind:

FLEXIBILITY

Coworking memberships are designed to be flexible, with no long-term commitments like you will find in a regular office lease from a traditional landlord. Typically, an office membership at a shared space is between 6 to 12 months in length. Businesses change, the environment changes (as we know) and knowing that you aren’t on the hook for a 5-year lease will give you great peace of mind.  

MORE THAN JUST 4 WALLS

When you take a private office in a coworking space you get much more than four walls and a door. You get access to a great community of like-minded people who value community and are serious about getting work done. At ACE we have a full calendar of events to support our members’ wellness, social life, educational opportunities and business growth. Of course, you can make as much use of these events as you choose. Whether a member likes to attend a little of everything or prefers to keep their head down and work, it’s nice to know the opportunity to connect is there if they want it.

SPACE & OPTIONS

A good shared office space will have lots of places for you and your team to work other than just your office. Boardrooms, lounges, café areas and phone booths are all at your finger tips at ACE Coworking and at most well-appointed spaces. Make sure you book a tour before signing up to check all these out.

PEACE OF MIND

If you’re considering an office lease with a traditional landlord, don’t forget that you will still have a lot of other expenses and jobs ahead: you’ll need to arrange your own internet service, cleaning service, schedule the purchase of coffee and office supplies, buy renters’ insurance, and be available when the Amazon delivery shows up. A good coworking space will often have a couple of internet providers to make sure you’re always connected and definitely have someone on site to handle the inevitable IT problems that pop up.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Finding the best way to work as we enter this new, exciting future is an important decision. Make sure you take a holistic view of all the factors that will affect where and how you work. Most coworking spaces with private offices will offer a free trial day where you can see if a shared workspace is a good fit for you. That is probably the best thing you can do to help you make a choice between a fixed, long-term lease and a flexible membership-based shared office space.

 

Mark Fornasiero is the co-founder of ACE Coworking and the creator of The Clear Insight Program. An avid practitioner of mindfulness meditation, Mark also provides professional consulting to entrepreneurs looking to launch and operate their own independent coworking spaces.

If you’d like to get more inspiration and education from the staff and partners of ACE Coworking, sign up for our monthly newsletter. You’ll also stay up to date on the events we run and the amazing promotions we often offer!

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Office Space, WFH, Hybrid: What’s the best “place”?

Office Space, WFH, Hybrid: What’s the best “place”?

by | Jan 6, 2022 | Guest Post

by Catherine Harrison

Place /plās/ : a portion of space available or designated for or being used by someone.

The modern workplace has shifted and shaped over the past 20 years – with the pandemic accelerating change even more. Until recently, we had office-goers or gig-economy freelancers, home-office entrepreneurs or corporate rush-hour types. COVID-19 threw all that into a blender and tilted how, when, and where we work, creating new confabulations and opportunities. The “place” where we work has evolved immensely.

Even pre-COVID, work had been shifting. Offices had been morphing from cubicles to open shared spaces, creating nomadic work pods and enabling ‘working from home,’ and for traveling professionals, they could ‘work from anywhere. 

Now, as we begin 2022, all this is up for grabs, inviting new iterations to truly reimagine what it means to work and where we can do it best. 

Right now, leaders are determining what the new work world will look like for our teams: those administrative and professional workers who go (or used to go) to the office to get work done. Our choices seem to be: all-office, all-remote, or a hybrid of the two. But coworking spaces are emerging as an important option too. Let’s explore this new way to work. 

 

MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS 

Humans flourish with a balance of connection, quietude, positive energy, new ideas, development opportunities; a sense of both autonomy and inclusion; and a measure of predictability combined with flexibility. Where does this happen best? Although employees exist at either end of the spectrum – I need my office! I love working from home! – many do best with some time working from home combined with time around others at a work ‘place.’ 

The claustrophobic WFH “Groundhog Day feeling” has caused its share of mental health issues during the pandemic. Countless workers have reported feelings of loneliness, and increased stress that comes with blurred lines between work and home. 

Coworking spaces can help mitigate these issues. We know there are psychological benefits when work life is separated from home life. When solo work is balanced with teamwork. When in-person is balanced with virtual.  When we provide options and opportunities for an employee, their overall health and wellness improves, and we both reap sustainable benefits.

 

MORE CONVENIENCE; LESS COMMUTING

According to research carried out by Pauline Roussel, companies understand that “… coworking spaces can be a part of an office management strategy and a work strategy for their employees. It’s already started: certain companies, such as Spotify, give their employees a monthly coworking budget.” 

Successful coworking spaces offer beautiful surroundings, ergonomically friendly chairs, healthy food and drink options, printers, reliable free WIFI, mail service and concierge options, and enough space to blend solo work with open concept.

Imagine walking to work! Driving less than 15 minutes! Hopping on a local bus or riding your bike! Shorter commutes to a local coworking space can translate to valuable time and energy spent on high-quality work or improved work-life balance. Stress is reduced. Consider the employee who shares living space with others: they may lack privacy or a professional-looking environment for their video meetings. A coworking space offers these benefits, increasing both their efficiency and creativity now that they’ve been relieved of distractions like doorbells, dogs, and kiddies. 

Employers can now create teams in multiple locations at lower costs, with no long-term commitment. When Dialpad Inc. scaled, for example, they decided to use coworking spaces in lieu of satellite offices, allowing for greater versatility. Also, as travel restrictions lift, coworking spaces will appeal to out-of-town businesspeople needing temporary workplaces. 

 

INDIVIDUALS & COMMUNITIES WIN 

 Coworking also boosts local economies. Employees buy lunch, coffee, and even do their retail shopping closer to home. Imagine all the spending happening in your own neighbourhood, instead of the corporate office’s neighborhood, far from home?

Shared office space is also a great way of building up local relationships; people are more likely to network with people from other companies and swap ideas. It reminds me of the Village Square: different proprietors working separately but together. It also requires leaders to think creatively about manifesting and cultivating a corporate culture where employees feel connected and aligned with their company of employment while they mingle with others in a coworking space. 

Whether you be a sole proprietor, run a small business or multinational corporation, consider how a coworking spacemight be a meaningful part of your ‘workplace’ strategy. It will likely help your bottom line, and more importantly, support the psychological and physiological wellbeing of your employees. A true win–win.

If you’d like to learn more about coworking, whether a flexible hot desk or a private office, we would love to show you around ACE Coworking.

Book a tour here.

ALSO…

You’re invited you to join us at our next ACE Book Talk on Wednesday, February 23 from 8:45–9:30am. We will be discussing Three Colors, Twelve Notes, by our guest blogger, Catherine Harrison. This insightful read is a memoir and a guidebook for the curious and those who want to learn how to cultivate a reflective mindset. Email us at info@acecoworking.ca if you’d like to reserve a spot.

If you’d like to get more inspiration and education from the staff and partners of ACE Coworking, sign up for our monthly newsletter. You’ll also stay up to date on the events we run and the amazing promotions we often offer!

Join Our Newsletter