To Supplement or Not to Supplement?

That is the question. The short answer any fitness professional will tell you is yes. But there is a caveat. You need to know what you are doing. You can go into The Vitamin Shoppe or GNC and they will sell you anything you want. You can even ask them some questions but most of them are not going to tell you any more than what is on the label.

It is a widely understood fact that we need to eat every 2 to 3 hours. It has to do with the thermal effect and maintaining a high metabolic rate. This would be a discussion on its own for another time. Let's just say there is plenty of scientific evidence backing this statement up. So, even if you follow this, can you obtain all of the nutrients your body needs from food alone?

Once upon a time this was possible. With all the modern conveniences, fast food and even faster lifestyles, this has become next to impossible. In order to receive all the essential micro and macro nutrients our body needs, we must take a high quality, well recognized vitamin and mineral supplement. If you are active and/or have a poor diet, then the need becomes even greater. Look for a good multi-vitamin. Ask your physician or fitness professional for a recommendation.

In addition to vitamins there are energy bars, drinks, creatine, glutamine, amino acids and even caffeine. I will address each one in order to give you the scoop and what to take and not take, when and why.

I see some people use energy bars and drinks to replace a meal. When I say they use it to replace a meal, they eat an energy bar or drink an energy drink instead of eating one of only three meals a day. The problem here is that three meals is not enough. Everyone should be eating 5 to 6 smaller meals each day. Then you can have the energy bar or drink to replace one of these meals only when it is not possible to eat a real meal or to supplement an intense workout.

Eating a high protein energy bar as a mid-morning meal after you had a morning workout is ideal for assisting a person to lose unwanted fat. A high intensity workout is one in which you have stressed your body for 60 minutes or more. For illustration purposes, I drink a protein shake one hour before my workout. I then perform a high intensity workout and have a high protein energy bar or another protein shake immediately after. I did this for a month and then measured my body fat percent. I lost 6 pounds and 1.3% body fat. That equated to over 4 pounds of fat!

Creatine is a good supplement for anyone trying to gain muscle mass. It should only be taken by individuals who are lifting very intensely. There are products out there that do not require loading. Loading is where you take a large quantity for a period of time and then reduce it to a smaller level. If you want to use creatine, stay away from the liquid kind. Creatine breaks down in water so if you have to mix it in water or take a liquid creatine, you are actually getting very little, if any benefit. Use capsules. If used properly, it can increase muscle size and endurance over the course of a few weeks. I used it during the month I mentioned above in order to minimize any muscle loss.

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in plasma and skeletal muscle. Studies show that taking 5 to 12 grams of glutamine following rigorous exercise aids in the recovery from tissue damage. If you plan on an intense one hour or more workout lifting very heavy weights, this would be a good supplement to take. Otherwise, there will be little to no benefit to you.

If you are an endurance or strength/power performance athlete, use amino acids for increases in performance. This only benefits those who workout vigorously and eat a healthy diet.

Finally there is caffeine. There have been studies that show that caffeine can enhance performance. This supplement has been long debated but the evidence is very strongly in favor of being a safe performance enhancer. Unlike most of the other supplements, this one can benefit you performing only 30 minutes of exercise. Caffeine will prolong fatigue by up to 10%. The best part is that this supplement can increase fat oxidation and thermogenesis without adversely affecting fluid balance. There are tablets that can be taken but a black cup of coffee can have the same effect. Just do not put cream and sugar in it as this will add calories, fat, and carbohydrates.

Supplements are a great tool for weight management and for maintaining good health. But it is only a tool. Proper eating habits and regular exercise are still needed. Always get advice from professionals who are more familiar with supplementation. Express Train Fitness for Men can give you information and supply you with what you need. There are also many vitamin remedies for every day ailments which we can tell you about.