Staying fit and healthy feels like it should be easier than it is. But between understanding how to exercise effectively, and what you should really be eating, it can all feel like an uphill struggle.
However, there are ways you can boost your efforts, such as having a Ipamorelin dosage calculator, to help you achieve optimal health with supplements. Pre-workout and post-workout supplements can significantly improve your chances of success. Here’s why a combination of exercise, proper nutrition and effective pre-workout supplements will help you reach your goals.
Pre-workout supplements can help boost your endurance and fitness
Paul Coates is the director of the Office of Dietary Supplements. He says that while dietary supplements designed to improve athletic performance shouldn’t be used instead of a healthy diet, they can help people to achieve their goals faster.
Here’s a look at some of the vitamins and supplements you could try to help you become fitter, stronger and healthier as part of a balanced exercise and diet plan.
- Take Pre-workout supplements
Supplements designed to be taken before exercise include ingredients that will boost energy levels. For example, 4 Gauge contains L-Theanine, Citruline, creatine and L-Carnitine. Not every pre-workout supplement has the same ingredients and it’s always a good idea to consider which best suits the activity you’re planning to do.
Some pre-workout supplements are designed specifically to increase your strength. Others are formulated to boost your endurance levels. The following five ingredients are used across many of these kinds of supplements.
- Creatine – this can give you a boost for short bursts of high intensity exercise such as weightlifting or sprinting. It’s not designed to increase endurance for activities that need prolonged strength, such as running.
- Beta-Alanine – this is an amino acid that improves muscle fatigue. This is ideal as a pre-workout supplement for keen weight trainers.
- Caffeine – research from the International Society of Sports Nutrition shows that caffeine improves endurance for people doing intense cardio activities such as cycling or running.
- Nitrate – this molecule comes from beetroot extract and is known to boost performance and speed. It’s a good pre-workout supplement for cyclists and runners in particular.
- L-Citrulline – this boosts blood flow and gives muscles enough oxygen to support endurance workouts.
- Ingest more protein either through supplements or diet
Whether you want to increase your endurance or build strength (or both), protein is vital to your success. Protein can help you lose fat, lower your blood pressure, control blood sugar and repair muscles. Casein and whey are the most used proteins and while they are both derived from milk they offer different benefits.
Whey protein is faster working and is helpful for muscle building. However, it doesn’t stay in the system as long as casein. The latter also helps to boost the digestive system and immune system thanks to its bio-active peptides. The best course of action is to take both in some form. Whey is best ingested as a pre-workout supplement while casein should be taken before you rest as it can help your muscles and body recover.
- Make sure you are getting enough magnesium
Magnesium works in hundreds of different ways within the body. From converting food into energy to lowering blood pressure, it’s an essential mineral for anyone wanting to be fitter, healthier and stronger.
There is scientific evidence that magnesium can increase the exercise performance of everyone, from people with a chronic disease to full-blown athletes. You can take magnesium as a supplement, or get it from foods such as seeds, oily fish and dark chocolate.
- Take more Vitamin K2
This vitamin is vital to build strong bones and to keep the heart healthy. Vitamin K2 creates proteins, which help to prevent blood clots and slow down the build up of calcium. It’s naturally available in meat, fish and eggs, but for vegetarians or vegans Vitamin K2 is also available as a supplement.
- Include more fish oil
Exercising regularly is essential for overall health. However, exercise can also lead to inflammation and muscle soreness, particularly if you’re not ingesting specific nutrients in sufficient quantities. Fish oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which scientists say can reduce inflammation levels in the body. Fish oil can also boost endurance and increase the speed at which muscles grow. To increase your intake of Omega-3, eat fatty fish such as tuna and salmon. Alternatively, you can buy fish oil supplements to add to your daily intake.
Whether your goals include increasing endurance, running a marathon, training for a specific event or weight loss, balanced nutrition will help you achieve them. The key to success is a combination of regular exercise, proper nutrition and carefully selected supplements.