Aug 09
31
What Suplements do you really need?
For a few years I went to Gold’s Gym, it was a great gym, all the equipment was new, the elevated indoor track was great for warming up and cooling down, lots of space, separate class rooms and spinning rooms, indoor pool, Jacuzzi, hot and dry saunas, and a health store attached to it.
Of all the amenities, the health store got more use than anything else. They sold protein shakes, fitness drinks and bars, healthy pastries and more supplements than I had thought previous to exist. (All at a significant mark up)
I don’t even want to imagine how much that little shop was raking in! But it did make me think and take a hard look at what a person really needs to get into shape.
You don’t need anything other than your healthy diet, but there are some good products out there that you all may find useful:
- Additional protein
- Metabolism enhancer
- Pre/post workout supplement
- Multivitamin
Believe it or not most everything can fall into those categories!
Protein
Compared to other nutrients, protein takes the most effort for your body to digest, it’s also the building block for muscle development. Depending on your goals you’re going to want 1.1 -1.3 grams of protein per every pound you weigh (180lbs = 198-234 grams a day). That can be a lot of protein. You can find it in the form of energy drinks, protein bars, and in a powder form. I recommend the powdered form, since it’s the cheapest in terms of dollar to protein amount. Plus you can mix it into milk or water to your own protein shake wherever and whenever you like! Look for products contain “whey” protein.
Metabolism Boosters
Metabolism enhancers are the bulk of what you will find if you go into a health food store. There’s all sort of names for them, Trimspa, Stracker, Hydroxycut, the list goes on. All do the same basic thing, they raise your body’s resting baseline metabolism thus increase your baseline caloric consumption. It’s tempting to think of these as a magic bullet, but to really see any effect you need to be exercising regularly. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THESE! Depending on the strength, there can be side effects like shaking, jitteriness, irritability, and dehydration. I highly recommending starting with a low strength version and easing your body into them. Go with something that is all natural and even at a full dose don’t give you the shakes. Again, be very careful with these products! Consult a professional about specific products before trying them!
Pre/Post Workout Suplements
Pre/post workout supplements can help either give you extra energy during a workout to keep you working hard, or help you from feeling weak and worn out after a good workout. They typical are a drink, but a better value is to buy the powder version and mix it yourself.
Multi-Vitamins
Vitamins? Really? Yes. A good once a day multivitamin is something everyone should have. No matter how good your diet you’ll still be missing something your body needs. Ask your doctor and out of everything mentioned here it’s the one thing he will recommend to you. Don’t feel like you have to buy the fancy tailored for an age/gender one, go for a big bottle of generic stuff (it’s 99% just as good) and push them on the entire family daily.