[Perform Beautifully] Supplementing for Success
October 22nd, 2009
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by Jodi · Filed Under: Nutrition
You’ve researched your meal plan.
You’ve done metabolic testing.
You wear a heart rate monitor, pedometer, compass, ipod, satellite dish—you get my point.
You know what you are having post workout on lifting days vs. game days.
You have a new workout wardrobe.
You are all set right? NOPE!
Now you’re like the woman who got all dressed up and forgot to put on earrings. You are missing something and it is in the form of supplementation.
Supplements are a billion dollar industry and if you don’t think that they work hard for your money, think again.
Right now you can buy a supplement that does just about anything you want it to do. Or better yet, it will SAY it can do just about anything you want it to do, but that doesn’t MEAN it can do everything that is says it can. So what’s good and what’s not? As always with me, it depends on what your goals are!
Keep in mind that there are two camps out there: those that feel you do not need to supplement if your nutrition is in line and those that feel food is never enough and no one ever has perfect nutrition. I am in the second camp. I also firmly believe that we cannot eat enough at times to support the abuse we put to our bodies. Please keep that in mind, as well, as I give you some very basic guidelines below and when you read next week’s recommendations for supplements. Need I remind you that I am not a doctor, I cannot diagnose—nor do I try and anything that I speak about with supplements is for information purposes only. You need to work this out with your doc!
Here are some statements that you can bank on:
Not all supplements are garbage. In fact, there are many that are worth your time.
Supplements are not closely regulated so if you are performing in sport that tests participants, it behooves you to know what you are taking.
If it is has a neutral or positive effect on you and you can afford it—take it.
You must track your progress while taking them or you are wasting your time.
Don’t be numbnut! Run your supplements by your doc to make sure they are not interfering with anything else.
Make sure you know what interferes with what so that you do not take supps together that cancel each other out.
Rotate them in and out so that you may reap the benefits of many supps and keep the cost down at the same time.
No matter what you may want to experiment with, you should always take a multi vitamin.
Do your research! Know the company and know the product! Do not get caught out there taking something dangerous!
The best ergogenic aid to date is still caffeine. Throw your fat burners away and get a cup of coffee!!
Next week I will wrap up this series by giving you the best supps for performance, weight loss, weight gain and immunity. Hang tight until then!
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Yay!
I am a believer in supplements, too. I won’t get into the details of my supplemental routine, but I agree, multi’s are a must (and fish oil, but that’s a topic for another day!);-)
Looking forward to the info. Meanwhile, waiting for my coffee to finish brewing…
)
Nice to hear where you stand on this- I often wonder if the multi-vitamin and supplements I take makes a difference or if eating a vast variety of food is enough. Writing this as I wash my multi & fish oil down w/ coffee while cooking breakfast. mmmm…
I personally have very mixed feelings concerning supplements. This past spring I broke down and decided to give Hydroxycut a try based on the fact that it is advertised and sold everywhere – seemed like a safe bet right? I took only one 2 fluid ounce wildberry drink and bam! Nice trip to the ER! I had a full blown allergic reaction to something in it. By the way my case is one of those that was reviewed by the FDA.
The only supplements at this point that I am willing to take are those that are reviewed by ConsumerLabs – fish oil, vitamins, etc. I have also learned that it is vital to call or email the manufacturer and demand the results of their analysis for your product and batch.
Anyways that’s my 2-cents worth:)
Yay! Looking forward to the next one. I so far, have only read that multi-vitamins are a waste. One of the sources was the Tufts University Health Letter. Thanks Jodi.
Regarding caffeine- for those with cellulite, isn’t caffiene a no no?
Kim, Joanna and Christine: Thank you for stopping by!
Jenn: Definitely take a multi!
Pam: Holy moly!! Ok, when I say supplements, I never mean fat burners or anything close to that. I always mean vitamins and minerals and proven safe ergogenic aids. I am with you on the CL. I love them. Good tip on demanding research from the companies!
Lynn: I believe many folks say that b/c they don’t want people to depend on them instead of eating right. But as an athlete, you need so much more than the average person that food alone won’t do it.
Jenna: That’s debatable. The amount of caffeine you would have would not be an issue here, though. With cellulite they say excess caffeine which is defined as more than 2 cups of coffee a day.:o)
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