Are Supplements Right For Me? Which Ones Should I Take? This seems to be a very common question that we hear quite often. First of all, for those of you who may not know, a supplement is something intended to provide nutrients that we may not get in sufficient amounts from our diet. In essence, they are there to enhance or supplement our nutrition. We normally see people spend hundreds of pounds every month on supplements recommended to them by beefed up bodybuilders in mens fitness magazines or by female reality TV Z-listers who try to peddle their own products using their new found fame. The biggest category of these products are weight loss or fat loss supplements. Here are 4 things to consider before spending your hard earned money on something that may or may not get you the results you desire. 1. You cant out supplement a bad diet. The truth is, if your diet isnt spot on then supplements become near enough useless. Fat loss and weight loss supplements will normally only work when you have a nutrition plan with the correct macro-nutrient intake (protein, carbs, fats, etc), but then if your diet is good then this pretty much negates the use of these weight loss/fat loss supplements. Sort your diet out first before spending any money on these type of supplements. 2. Quality comes first. Another thing to look out for is the quality of supplements. This is such a huge market now and it is extremely easy for people to create knock off products and sell them at high prices with the right marketing. Beware of this! If you have a personal trainer then he/she should have already given you a supplement plan specifically designed for you. If you dont have a trainer however, then find one who does one off assessments. They will be able to provide a nutritional plan, exercise program and supplement plan for a one off price (normally the cost of one PT session). They should be able to steer you in the right direction when buying supplements. 3. The Basics. There isnt a specific supplement plan that all people should use, however I always recommend these as the basics before embarking on an exercise plan - a good quality multivitamin, a good quality omega 3 fish oil and a probiotic. Once training has begun then Id normally add a whey protein supplement for post workout. Any other supplements should be based on what your own body needs, not what you see in magazines or on TV. 4. How Do I Know What My Body Needs? The most cost-effective way of knowing what nutrients and supplements your body needs is by getting a body fat test done. A body fat test is normally done with callipers, where the practitioner will take pinches of body fat from at least 3 different sites to as much as 15. I recommend doing a test with at least 7 sites. Each site correlates with a hormone deficiency which in turn decides where we store our body fat e.g. someone who stores most of their body fat on their triceps (back of the arm) may have very low testosterone levels. We can use this information from the body fat analysis and provide an individualised supplement plan. For more information regarding supplements, assessments and body fat testing, please email info@thefatlossproject.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:57:42 +0000
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