I am a big fan of supplementation.
Note that I say supplementation and not ‘meal replacements’ or ‘drug taking’. There is a huge difference.
And to answer the inevitable question of “Do I need supplements because they didn’t use to exist when we were healthy?”….
If you live in a cave away from all the pollutants (chemical and electromagnetic), spend most of your day active as opposed to sat on your backside in a low oxygen environment, have access to a clean, natural source of fresh drinking water, have all the energy you want along with a lean, muscular physique, have no stress and sleep like a baby AND you eat nothing but lean, organic game meat your just caught along with some organic fruit and vegetables which have travelled no more than a few miles if that….
….then you probably don’t need anything to support your physical function.
I’m guessing that’s not you or you probably wouldn’t be reading this whilst chomping a sandwich, bored at the desk you’ve been chained to for 4 hours.
So where the hell do you start in choosing the right supplements given that if you walk into the average health shop you will have a choice of 1000 different products, most with names you couldn’t spell without looking?
These arguments could rage all day, but here are the combinations we have found to work VERY well for personal training clients and fitness camp members here in Guernsey based on ‘condition’ or ‘requirements’ rather than bright, shiny colours and an advert they just saw in a magazine.
Some overlap as most are down to some kind of hormone imbalance in a giant web, and I would always advise talking to us first before just going out and buying stuff as there may be other underlying factors which often appear in conversation.
You should also note that if you are highly stressed due to finances, relationships, people or your job, supplements will have limited effects but may help at least keep you ‘stable’!
There are many touted herbs for each issue as well but too many to mention here so I’m sticking with what I know helps – just because something isn’t written doesn’t mean I would discount it.
So this list certainly isn’t exhaustive but I’ve found these to be the 90%’ers.
In other words, 90% of the time they’ll do the job while the other 10% of the time you might need something more.
I’ll tell you the 100%’er at the end…
You should also accept the fact that the following actions are more important than anything else:
– Do the right training at the right intensity and regularly
– Train well, rest well. Sleep lots.
– Eat clean and keep toxins out of your system whenever possible (but don’t be afraid to have a meal off a week)
– Learn to manage stress
– Don’t look to those around you for guidance – most of them are in just as bad a way as you, they just like to cover it up with bravado and mocking of your efforts.
Finally, any brand names mentioned are simply the brands we sell and trust based on results – other similar alternatives may be available but we can’t vouch for the effect or results!
LOW ENERGY
– A good Greens drink full of vitamins and minerals – twice per day
– Alkalizing Salts (sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium) – twice per day
– Vitamin C to help adrenal glands whilst under stress – 5-10g per day at first.
– Vitamin D particular if you live in a high latitude location or live in a sunny place but live in your office!
GUYS: A zinc-magnesium complex may also make a difference to your energy especially as you head over 30 towards 40 and beyond. Testosterone levels are a key consideration for many reasons but again, that’s a whole new topic!
LOW ENERGY / EXCESSIVE SORENESS THE DAY AFTER TRAINING
Training tires you out and can make muscles sore – no science needed to work that one out.
But if you are always shattered the day after training, you need to work on your post-workout recovery.
– Anabolic Drive or a well balanced combination of carbohydrates and protein (and creatine if you engage in a lot of strength training)
You should also make this the biggest meal of your day when your body is open to absorbing many more nutrients rather than storing excesses as fat.
POOR SLEEP
– Amino Relax an amino acid complex designed to reset your brain waves and ‘slow your brain down’ – before sleep
– Magnesium Relax – a complex based on nature’s relaxant which promotes overall wellbeing and relaxes the muscles – before sleep
– Tulsi Tea also helps (not so much supplement but something few people drink so it can help!)
TOO MUCH FAT
Can be due to a variety of hormonal issues but generally…
– Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition based on low carbs
– Post-workout protein shake to improve recovery and maintain high metabolic rate
– High dose fish oil – 6-10g per day spread out with meals. We use the Fundamental Fish Oil as a great source of Essential Fatty Acids which tastes nice and orangey instead of like swallowing a live cod.
– Possibly a natural thyroid complex such as our Iodine Forte if this has been found to be the issue but you should seek clearance from your GP first especially if already on thyroid medication.
NB PART 1 I do not recommend thermogenics because of their adverse affects as high potency stimulants on the adrenal glands. If you are already stressed, this can make your overall situation much, much worse in the long run.
NB PART 2 If you are engaging in 60 mins or less of gym training, no matter how intense of how often, you don’t need energy drinks and this will simply blunt any effort to lose noticeable amounts of body fat. Learn to eat good meals and you’ll be good to go.
CELLULITE
– Follow the above fat loss advice
– Supplement with more heavy leg workouts as well (I know…nobody likes them but they’re less distressing than wobbly legs right?)
– Add high dose Vitamin C to the mix to help with collagen reformation. This will prevent the skin ‘collapsing’ causing the infamous dimples!
– Magnesium should also be added to help with circulation and toxin removal.
POOR IMMUNE SYSTEM
– Greens drink
– Alkalizing Salts
– High dose fish oil
– High dose Vitamin C
DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
– Greens drink due to powerful inflammatory effect in the bowel area
– Probiotics
– Psyllium husk to ‘push things through’
– Possibly HCL to aid breakdown of food. Alternatively a good ‘Digestive Enzyme’ complex will help ‘mash things up’ also making more energy and nutrients available for absorption
DEPRESSION
Mindset coaching is more important here but anything that supports the brain is going to help get over depression or anxiety.
– High quality fish oils to get you thinking more clearly
– Vitamin D may also help is you suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder
PMT
– A good magnesium complex, especially if you experience increased chocolate cravings around your period
SPORTS SUPPLEMENTATION
This is a huge subject and largely depends on duration, intensity and volume of training but again, you won’t go wrong with these guidelines:
– Before 60+ minute sessions, take 1 scoops of Heart Fuel (opens up the cardiovascular pathways) and 1 scoop of Amino Work Capacity (amino acid complex) 45 minutes before you start and 15-20 minutes in. If you’re in a game situation, do it before your warm up and then just before you go out on the pitch to make it simple
– 10 minutes before the start of your race or match, take 20g of maltodextrin in water.
– At half time, instead of chugging sweetener filled drinks, just take 1g of maltodextrin in water (dirt cheap) for every 1kg of bodyweight. For racing, generally 1g of maltodextrin per 1kg of bodyweight per hour is about right, ideally sipped gradually.
– If you don’t drink coffee usually, a double black coffee hit 15 minutes before the start can get your fired up nicely. If you’re already a caffeine fiend, this probably won’t make much difference!
SUMMARY
Supplements make a big difference, but remember, the cleaner your base nutrition, the bigger the impact the supplements have.
The worse your diet, the less effect they will have in taking you up another level in terms of energy, strength, stamina or body composition.
If you live in Guernsey, come and see us and we’ll sort you out with our very ‘clean’ ranges of supplements for your goals and if you live in the UK post below and we’ll point you in the right direction!
Oh and you know that 100%’er…
WATER.
Drinking a good 2-3 litres per day of good, clean water will do wonders for all of the above conditions provided you aren’t totally out of balance in any other areas.
It controls the function of every cell in your body which controls everything else!
