4 Supplements for the Ultimate Health and Fitness Stack.With obesity levels rising, chronic illnesses out of control, life expectancies declining, and fitness levels lagging, it’s safe to say that the developed world isn’t in the greatest of shape, and that’s putting it mildly.
Thanks to unhealthy diets and increasingly sedentary lifestyles, more and more of us are finding ourselves getting fatter and unhealthier by the day, and that simply has to stop. Being overweight and unhealthy will not only affect your physical health, it will also put a huge strain on your mental health as well. The good news is that there are things that can be done to lead a healthy life, so it’s never too late to make some changes.
Obviously the two biggest changes you can make with regards to your health and your weight, is to exercise more and clean up your diet. As well as a healthy diet and smart exercise regime however, the next thing you can do is use health and fitness supplements to help get in shape.
If you want to improve your health and fitness levels, here’s a look at 4 supplements to create the ultimate fitness stack.
Omega-3 fatty acids
In terms of importance for health reasons, omega-3 fatty acid supplements are right up there with the best, and for good reason.
Omega-3 essential fatty acids are so important because it is estimated that as many as 8 out of 10 people are deficient in these very fatty acids. As they are essential, this means that we need them to function optimally, but our bodies cannot naturally produce them, so they should come from dietary or supplement forms.
Commonly found in foods such as oily fish, omega-3 fatty acids can help strengthen the heart and cardiovascular system, they can provide cognitive health benefits, they can ward off dementia later on in life, they can balance hormones and blood sugar levels, and heaps more besides.
Simply take 1 x capsule per day and you’re all set.
Creatine
If you’re physically active and you exercise regularly, creatine is one of the best supplements for athletic performance that you could wish for.
Creatine is especially popular amongst bodybuilders and weightlifters, due to the fact that it can help to increase energy levels which in turn makes for a more productive workout.
Creatine serves as a phosphate donor for the renewal of ATP in the body. ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is used as a primary source of fuel by the muscles, or more specifically, the cells that make up the muscles. The more ATP that is available, the more fuel the muscle cells will have, and the harder your muscles will work when training.
Creatine is great for lifting that little bit more weight, busting out that one extra rep, running that little bit faster, jumping that little bit higher, and so on.
Multivitamin
When it comes to health and fitness, a good quality multivitamin is probably the best all-rounder supplement that you could wish for.
A multivitamin will provide all vitamins and minerals needed by the body in order for it to perform its basic physiological processes.
From immunity boosting to hormone regulation, and everything in between, a multivitamin per day will provide countless health benefits and is very strongly recommended.
Protein supplements
For muscle recovery and growth, protein supplements such as whey protein and casein protein are vital.
Protein is essential for the growth and repair of muscle tissue, and a protein shake is a very convenient and effective way to get a large volume of protein into your body quickly, allowing the body to use it for protein synthesis to assist with the production of new muscle proteins.
After strenuous exercise, a whey protein shake is ideal as it is fast absorbing so it will enter your bloodstream quickly. Right before bed however, a casein shake is perfect because casein is a slow-digesting, slow-absorbing protein that enters the body much slower, so you can enjoy a steady stream of proteins and amino acids as you sleep, thereby keeping you in an anabolic state.
—
Milos Ilic
Personal Training & Nutrition
