A Girls Guide to Supplements

For most women the reason we even walk into the gym in the first place is not so that we can look Huge and cut like the guys we dream about and see in magazines, no we go to the gym to achieve something much greater, confidence in the way we look and feel. A good, hard, training regimen is the only way to get a perfectly lean body, and it releases all those endorphins that make you feel awesome afterward. At the root of getting lean however, 80% of you program is actually nutritional. What you do not hear about with most nutritional programs is the power of the supplements you take. By adding these 10 supplements to your overall program you will be able to develop more lean muscle, accelerate your fat loss, and improve your overall health.

Whey Protein: Helps lean muscle growth

Whey protein is one of two different kinds of protein that comes from milk (The other is Casein). The primary reason you would want to add whey into your diet is due to the speed at which it digests. Whey is ideal for women primarily first thing in the morning (usually right after a workout) and in the evening preferably your last meal before bed. Reasoning is because it is fast digesting and in both those situations you do not want heavy foods even proteins sitting in your stomach, you want your metabolism to continue moving. Staple proteins such as chicken, eggs and tuna are much slower digesting so they will not help you recover form a workout quite as quickly. At night when you are sleeping is when your body is in repair mode and is more anabolic than any other time of the day, so by making sure your last meal of the day is fast digesting you will not have something sitting in your stomach while you sleep preventing this process.

Multi-Vitamin: Overall health

Many people are aware that a multi-vitamin is a staple in any persons day not just those who are active. Most people realize the benefit to a god multi-vitamin is to fill in the nutritional gaps that your everyday meals do not fill. What most people do not realize is that it is very important to make sure your vitamin is wholefood and not synthetic. Wholefood simply means it is all natural, that it is 100% from fruits, vegies or other foods we may normally be able to eat and are mostly or entirely unprocessed or artificial. Synthetic is man-made. They come from a laboratory where scientists created this nutrient we need out of basically nothing. Studies have actually shown that synthetic vitamins do increase risk of several types of cancer as well as other medical issues, for example Vitamin E is typically taken to prevent heart problems when in fact Synthetic Vitamin E actually causes different heart problems including an increased risk of heart disease. By making sure your multi-Vitamin is wholefood you will be making sure that what goes into your body will indeed improve your health (National Cancer Institute and Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Caffeine: Accelerated Fat Burning

Many of us are already familiar with taking caffeine to get a boost in our energy and to perk us up quite a bit but in the gym it has a much more important role to play. Caffeine increases the amount of fat that gets released from the fat cells. When taken in conjunction with a metabolic rate increasing substance such as green tea extract or hoodia that will increase fat broken down in the bloodstream you will become a fat destroying machine.

Fish Oils: Good for overall health and fat burning

The health benefits of fish oil include its ability to aid in treatment of heart diseases, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, AHDH, low immunity, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, arthritis, IBD, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, eye disorders, macular degeneration and ulcers. It is helps in weight loss, pregnancy, fertility and skin care (particular for disorders such as psoriasis, acne). Fish oil improves the efficacy of exercise in reducing weight. Exercise combined with fish oil has a positive effect on the body shape and body composition.

Calcium: Overall health and muscle strength

Calcium is a well-known product to help with overall bone density and strength. It helps prevent osteoporosis and several other diseases. Calcium is also required for muscle contraction to actually happen. And research suggests this unassuming mineral can also help spur fat loss. This may be because calcium decreases the amount of dietary fat that's absorbed by the intestines and suppresses a hormone called calcitriol, which is responsible for reducing fat burning.

Nitric Oxide: Increase in energy

N.O. controls the muscle groups that help our blood vessels to expand. This obvious allows more blood flow to circulate through the body. Increased blood flow means an increase in oxygen circulation and amino acids getting to different parts of the body. All of this results in a jump in energy which allows you to be able to not only have more energy during you workouts but it also allows to receive a better “Pump” or increased blood flow to whatever muscle group you are lifting. This increase in blood helps the muscle cells to expand triggering them with a signal to grow.

L-Glutamine: Muscle strength and rehabilitation

Glutamine is the most common amino acid found in the body and is the basis of our entire immune system. During any sort of intense training glutamine stores are depleted to help with muscle and strength recovery. This depletion results in a weakened immune system due to pulling that glutamine out, this can increase risk of getting sick. Studies show that it can take up to 6 days to replenish glutamine stores. L-Glutamine supplementation can minimize breakdown of muscle and improve protein metabolism allowing for faster better recovery.

Creatine: An amino-acid-like compound that occurs naturally in muscle tissue.

Creatines main function is to help muscles create fast energy during high intensity work outs. Taking a supplemental creatine can help give your body stores of energy to pull from during training of any sort for a better workout and better output. It also helps pull water into the muscle cells increasing their size and causing a stretch that can yield muscle growth.

B-Complex: Overall health with essential vitamins

B-Complex is a well-known energy supplement. It is however also used for promoting a healthy nervous system, alleviating stress and anxiety, and play an essential role in metabolism function. Deficiency in Vitamins B2, B3, B5, and B6 can result in fatigue and lethargy, impaired digestion, or even abnormal sleep patterns. It can help you not only in making your nails, hair, and skin healthier and also giving you a great general well-being and superior health benefits.