Supplements 101

The three basic foundations to achieving your fitness goals are ensuring a sound workout, nutrition and rest plan. There’s no question that it takes commitment to stick to these three pillars, but there is an extra something you can do to assist in meeting your goals when it comes to nutrition.

Supplements are exactly what the name implies, in that it’s something that’s added to make up a deficiency. Now, with a good nutritional plan, there should be very few deficiencies. That said, sometimes our lives make it difficult to eat perfectly, which is where where the need to take supplements can come into play.

Now, there are hundreds of different types of supplements available for someone living an active, fitness lifestyle. Below, are some of the recommended essential supplements in order of importance that can make up any shortcomings that you may have in your diet.

Before you get to that, it’s important to know that there’s no point wasting money on any supplements (beyond a multivitamin) if you don’t have those three pillars of workouts, nutrition and rest in order.  Fitness and supplements can be a great fit, but only if you're eating right and taking the time to recover.

• Multivitamins
- It would take a lot of work and effort to get all the vitamins and minerals you need through your diet. Multivitamins are an easy way to ensure you get them when you’re having one of those days.

• Protein Powders
- Chances are you’ll be increasing your protein intake if you consume the recommended daily requirement. It’s not easy to do and protein powder not only ensures you’re getting enough protein, but also ensures you’re getting good quality protein at the right time. If you supplement with protein, the best kind for your buck is whey protein which absorbs quickly into your system. It’s also a good idea to use it first thing in the morning to make up for the hours you’ve gone with out food, and right after your workout, to replenish and feed muscles so they can repair from the work you put them through.

• Creatine
- This is something that the body produces naturally, but supplementation with creatine can greatly impact your results. Creatine helps to volumize muscles, increases endurance and will help you get stronger. Be sure to take your creatine just before and even after your workout.

• Glutamine
- You may get enough glutamine in your protein consumption, but glutamine is the most abundant amino in the skeletal muscles. It’s important to make it part of your nutritional plan as if you don’t have enough, your body will feed off itself.