STARTING A SUPPLEMENT JOURNEY? READ ON

I am sure you have scoured the health food aisle especially when it is coming close to summer as we are. In that aisle I am also sure you would have spent some time looking at the array of supplements and 'health boosters' as they are marketed all over the shelves. But how important are they?

Are supplements actually beneficial to your health? How much? Where do you even start when it comes to choosing the right supplement for your health needs?

The Beginning!

It can be a minefield I completely understand the confusion that has spiked the world when it comes to choosing the right supplements. John from the gym raves about BCAA's while Amanda at the Christmas lunch said they do not do anything for you... Which advice would you be going towards? the health nut or the gym junkie?

Let me give you some of my advice and knowledge on the area of supplements hoping to create less confusion in your mind when it comes to supplements.

Vitamin/mineral Deficiency

One of the most common reasons someone would embark upon a supplement journey is through the advice and direction of a GP. After a blood test or series of tests conducted by your GP they might notice you are deficient in some vitamin or mineral. As a result they may get you to take some supplements which help bring you back up to normal functional levels.

One of the most common deficiencies right now is Vitamin D deficiency. As we stay at home for longer durations due to 'work from

home' becoming the new norm there are rising rates of people spending less time outside. Hence the lack of Vitamin D in their system...

As directed they scour the aisle and pick up a bottle of Vitamin D supplements embarking on a supplement journey. Unless directed by a GP to stop taking them at a certain time usually you will find most people will not stop and continue taking these supplements with no end. However, understand that if you were deficient and start taking a supplement once you fill up taking more of that supplement provides no additional benefit to you!

Personal Trainers/Gym Goers

Another area of the world that loves to promote supplements are your frequent gym junkies or personal trainers! This part of the population love supplements and will start pushing all these types of supplements down your throat as a necessity for health and fitness... How do you filter through and decide upon what is good and bad?

You are embarking on a new health and fitness journey and surrounding yourself around people that may live and breathe this stuff but maybe you do not? It would be a good idea to do your own research or enquire with your GP or allied health professional before taking anything.

Before You Start Taking Supplements You Should...

I will give you a quick run down here... supplements SHOULD be looked at as additional aides and not some magic fix to your health and fitness goals. Get the basics right first then you can start getting into the nitty gritty I like to say.

Think of it like this... I like to think of supplements as the decorations you would fill your house with. When you build a home you should always start first with the foundations. The foundations when it comes to health and fitness are:

1. Weight management - being able to manage your weight through steady increases or decreases depending on starting position

2. Healthy body composition and outlook - having a healthy bodyweight and view of one's body shape and composition

3. Positive eating habits - getting a balance of the 3 macronutrients in your daily diet (protein, fats, carbohydrates), managing your fluid/water intake daily (adults need 2-3L/day depending on body weight), and ensuring you are eating whole foods to get a balance of micronutrients in your body also

4. Goals with a direction - having targets or goals that you aim for that are never ending, basically having a goal but being able to move forward once you achieve that specific goal also

5. Process or program adherence - having the discipline in place to follow and adhere to a program whether this be yoga/flexibility based, strength based or even meditation based. Strength and conditioning has a place in everyones life especially when it comes to the ageing process however this does not mean you have to pump weights in the gym. It could be using things around your home!

To me having a handle on these 5 elements first will make a larger impact in ones life than any supplement provided on the market. Even performance enhancers will not make a huge impact if these 5 elements are not also followed in conjunction.

So When Can You Take Supplements And Which Ones Should You Take?

Have a look at your diet and conduct an assessment of the types, quality and quantity of your nutritional input. Would you rate it a 10/10 on a daily? Probable not, I don't either... When you did this assessment what did you find? High/low protein, high/low carbs, high/low fats? How about the amount of food

that was sourced from whole foods and not packaged or takeaway?

There are so many factors to improving your diet and it is difficult to become a full nutritional expert over night but putting little steps forward each day/week will make a difference in the long run.

Now you may have noticed a pattern and seen low protein as a big marker. Your first step should always be let us get some more protein from food first. If this is also challenging that is where I would source a protein supplement! Do your research before choosing between the wide range offered on the shelves and ask a health professional.

Protein Powder

Protein powder is overused in my opinion as I find it really easy to get my level in without supplementing this. However there are populations such as vegans/vegetarians who are not eating meat that will benefit from supplementing protein powder.

As such food first, if you can't protein powder second :)

Creatine

As I stated before, supplements are usually found in your diet just in larger amounts when compressed in a pill. One of my favourite supplements on the market in the fitness industry is creatine! Creatine is actually found in red meat however to get the same output you would gain from supplementing creatine you will need to have just under 1kg of red meat.

The greatest benefit to me of creatine is its effect in improving protein synthesis or muscle recovery and growth. Basically it helps retain increased water in your muscles helping you recover a lot faster after your exercise sessions.

BCAA's

Branch chain amino acids have rised in popularity in recent years as more research has been conducted on their value in the recovery process post exercise. But how beneficial are they?

Your main source of recovery post exercise is rest, water intake and protein intake. If these 3 things can be confidently ticked off then that is the point I can guide you towards supplements like BCAA's. These are more pushed towards athletes that may need to recover in shorter time periods as they may have an exercise session 10 hours apart. However, if you are not adequately recovering from exercise, going harder than usual in a gym based challenge or wanting to make a big spike/change in your health/fitness journey supplements might help you recover a lot faster.

Unless you feel like you are not recovering properly, feeling sore for days on end or getting injuries more frequently it should be diet first supplements second.

If one of your main issues is recovery post exercise I wrote a blog about this so you can read further > https://www.dynamicrecov.com.au/post/muscle-growth-with-decreased-post-exercise-soreness

Key Takeaways

Follow through with the 5 elements listed above (fluid/diet adherence, program adherence, goal adherence, weight management and health outlook upon body composition) you will not gain much of anything from a supplement. Being fully religious on these 5 factors will mean supplements will not have too much of an effect upon your life and training. So did I increase or decrease confusion? maybe a bit of both but the main thing I want you to take out of this blog is to make more informed decisions as to what goes in and out of your body!

5 elements first, supplements later!

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