What should my daily supplement routine look like?

 

As an individual who is involved with the fitness industry, we all know how important longevity is, we are constantly beating our bodies up in hopes of gaining new muscle. After we are done beating out bodies up in the gym, recovery and proper nutrition are the next key pieces to the puzzle.

The main concerns we should have as athletes is staying injury free and ensuring that we are recovering properly, there are a number of supplements that can help us achieve those goals. Getting sick can halt our progress so we want to make sure that our immune system is performing properly. Daily supplementation with zinc can increase the ability of your immune system to fight off illnesses. It can also reduce the levels of LDL(bad cholesterol) that collects in the walls of our blood vessels which can lead to heart disease and heart attacks if left unchecked. Another supplement we should all be using is Quercetin, which is a flavanol associated with berries and fruits. Quercetin has numerous benefits, it is a potent antioxidant that can help reduce the levels of free radicals(unstable atoms that can cause illness, inflammation and aging) in our body. Two other supplements that we can add to our daily regimen aer Omega 3’s and a high-quality multivitamin. Omega 3’s have a variety of positive effects within our bodies, they can reduce inflammation, prevent joint pain, slow muscle wasting and can increase the rate in which our body synthesizes protein into muscle. Multivitamins provide us with all of the nutrients that we aren’t getting through diet, a lot of the foods we eat are not as nutrient dense as they once were due to the pesticides and chemicals used by farmers, our soil that grows these fruits and vegetables is not nearly as nutrient dense as it once was. Multivitamins help us reach our RDA of many nutrients that we might not be getting through food, for those of you who compete and are following a restrictive diet, you may not be getting many of the vitamins and minerals associated with foods so a multivitamin is a must. Turmeric and Curcumin can also be added in for the extra anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin D is one of the last supplements that should be incorporated into your daily routines, if you spend a lot of time in the sun it is likely that you will have adequate levels of vitamin D in your body already. However, many people do not get enough sunlight exposure especially in the colder winter months. Supplementing with Vitamin D has a variety of positive health effects including: healthy bones and teeth, regulating insulin, supporting cardiovascular health, better looking skin and nails and it can also boost muscle protein synthesis.

 

 

Supplements are not miracle pills that will immediately yield results, they require consistent long-term use in order to see their effects. Having a well thought out and intentional supplementation plan is something that can increase your performance inside and outside of the gym.