Supplements - What's Necessary and What Isn't.

Supplements. What is a supplement? According to the online Cambridge dictionary, this defines a supplement:

supplement noun /ˈsʌp.lɪ.mənt/ [C]
• something which is added to something else in order to improve it or complete it; something extra

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/supplement_1

Note the phrase 'to complete it' in the above definition. I think this is what people overlook the most. Sports supplements these days are being used way more than they should be and even worse is they're being used to replace real food.

Every time I walk into a health/supplement store I'm never surprised to see the number of clueless kids spending tons of money on supplements and products they don't need. With all the variety nowadays from pump enhancers to triple extreme protein to products that claim to do everything for you except lift the actual weights, I don't blame them. The worst part is that they end up feeling like they need these products because of false advertising and marketing scams. It's taken some time to really learn to avoid such things, but once you start to analyze a product and look beyond the catchy terms and pretty colors, they really don't end up being all that amazing.

I've seen (and had experience) with employees trying to convince myself and others that products x and y will do this and that for me and if I'm serious about weightlifting then I'll buy them. Unfortunately half these people don't even know what they're talking about. Save your money, save your health and stick with the basic supplements that have been shown for many many years to have any sort of benefit and forget the ones that come and go like fad diets.

I've always been a believer in choosing real food over any kind of supplement, but for no other reason than convenience, there's a couple of supplements I'll continue to use and will advise anyone to use. These supplements are also the most researched and have stood the test of time. Stick to the basics like whey protein, some fish oil and a solid multivitamin (the last one is not even necessary if your diet is in check). Whey is nothing more than a protein that's created as a by-product of cheese production. It's cheap in bulk, easy to carry around, and very convenient to take with you to the gym.



http://biofoodpharma.com/loja/images/100-whey-protein-2342g.jpg

Tons and tons of research has gone into the effects of fish oils in the body. Omega 3 is primarily responsible for all the health benefits that fish oil are known for, and unless you're consuming higher than average amounts of fatty fish per week, chances are you can really benefit from some fish oil. With the overabundance of Omega 6 in the modern day diet, Omega 3 is needed the balance out the natural ratio. Fish oil has been shown to drop triglycerides, reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol and improve skin among tons of other effects.

Have a quick read through this website if you want to learn more: http://www.fish-oil-advice.com/benefits-of-fish-oil/

Supplements that claim to give you intense pumps in the gym are nothing more than marketing scams in my opinion. I'm no one special, with nothing more than an average athletic build. I have no super genetic inclination towards any kind of food and I can say that after eating a full, balanced breakfast with some coffee I have all the energy I need to get through a solid gym session. The ingredients list of some of these crazy products looks more like a list of all the things that go into a lethal injection. Caffeine has been shown to be an excellent pre-workout stimulant, so why people still continue to waste tons of money on useless supplements is beyond me.

http://www.jissn.com/content/7/1/18

http://www.jissn.com/content/7/1/5

You'll do much more for your health if you take the time and effort to clean up your diet. Stick to whole foods, eat more fruits and vegetables, and eat less processed food. I read somewhere once that it takes on average 3 weeks for the brain to develop any sort of habit. Make the effort to change something from your diet every few days and soon enough you won't even miss it.

Why You're Not Making Progress

http://www.fooducate.com/blog/wp-content/media/weight_scale.jpg

When people begin their approach to weight loss I assume the majority of the population out there will do one of the following: eat less food or exercise more, or both. While this isn't necessarily incorrect, it's not the entire story. Over the few years I've been working out I've probably seen hundreds of people in numerous gyms, and since I've been mainly working out at my school gym over the past two to three years, there are people I've come to see on a daily basis. What I've unfortunately noticed is that these people are in there day after day working their butts off and somehow they never seem to make any progress to their general 'physique'. They look exactly the same week after week, month after month.

You would think with the amount of effort those guys put into their curls and leg extensions they'd show at least some signs of muscle growth or fat loss. Same goes for those girls that run a total of probably a million miles or something ridiculous like that on the treadmill in a year, yet never seem to look any slimmer. If you ask me, something must be wrong, and I'm willing to bet it's their diet.

From the questions people have asked me over time I've begun to realize that generally people don't seem to understand the importance of their diet in the context of weight loss (or weight gain). That's not to say that exercise isn't important, it definitely plays it's part, but in my opinion I'd give diet 60-70% and exercise 30-40% in terms of overall importance to their goals.

It's great that people begin to watch what they eat when exercising and trying to lose weight, but sticking to a generic 'low fat, low cal, low this low that' diet won't necessarily do it for you; especially once your body has adjusted to the initial weight loss (which is mainly water) and you hit a plateau. This is when you need to re-think your diet, or maybe you should have analyzed it better from the beginning.

I'll leave you with a bit of helpful information that will at least let you see where you stand right now in terms of your body's needs. Everybody's body uses a standard amount of energy to function on a day to day basis. This is called you Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). A standard equation is used to determine this and from there you adjust your daily calorie intake and expenditure depending on your goals. The website conveniently gives you an estimate of the calories you should consume depending on whether you want to lose or gain weight. It takes some effort and lots of label-reading to really figure out how much of what you're consuming but this formula (I'll link it at the end) makes it a lot easier. Studies have shown that people generally tend to underestimate their calorie intake so again, this likely explains why people don't seem to make progress.

http://faculty.insead.edu/chandon/personal_page/Documents/Article_Nature%20Clinical%20Practice%20Endocrinology%20&%20Metabolism.pdf

For all you know you've been eating much more than you thought you were and didn't realize it, and so you have the most likely explanation for why you don't see the scale moving anymore.

Enough rambling, here's the formula provided by and fully credited to www.freedieting.com. Enjoy.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the most underrated yet healthiest foods out there. My love affair with the vegetable began about 2 years ago and I made it a goal to eat an entire broccoli a day. For the most part I've stuck with it but the way I cook it has changed. Looking back I can't believe I used to eat it raw, just the thought of putting that stuff in my mouth now uncooked makes me want to puke. I began steaming it for a while and got used to the soft texture it gives, but then recently I changed things up a bit and found a much more enjoyable way to eat it.

Take a quick look at this website to read more about what it has to offer.

http://healthbenefits-of.org/2010/05/the-health-benefits-of-broccoli.html

I begin by steaming it like usual for about 8 or 9 minutes, then throw it in a baking pan (preheat the oven to about 425F). I use an oil spray to spray the broccoli evenly and then sprinkle some salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Put it in the oven for about 25 minutes and send me a thank you message once you're done. I look forward to it more now than I do my main meal. It gives it a nice new crispy texture and an amazing taste.

Keeping It Simple

Without going into too much technical lingo, I wanted to write a brief article about keeping things simple and not over thinking your approach to exercise or weight loss.

I guess the most important place to start would be to say that even if you're not going to do much, just do something. What I mean by this is there's no need to jump straight into an advanced training program or extremely strict diet. Even if you just go for a walk around your neighbourhood or do some body-weight exercises at home; anything is better than nothing.

People sometimes get discouraged right from the start because they think that if they don't follow a professionally-made routine or follow a really strict diet they're not going to achieve their goals. That's simply not true. You can't run before you learn to walk. It's easy to find a simple exercise routine, and it's even easier to walk outside for an hour a day.

When it comes to changing one's diet, simply substituting things like refined carbohydrates for more whole foods like fruits and vegetables are little steps you can take. These keep you fuller for longer because of their fiber content, and provide your body with all the vitamins and minerals it's missing. Tons of research has shown their potential to help in weight loss, not to mention their health benefits. Generally if anyone asks me for any advice on how to change their diet the first thing I would recommend is switching to whole foods. Anything that's processed or has more than 2 or 3 ingredients shouldn't be consumed (especially if you can't pronounce the ingredients). I wouldn't expect people to make the switch overnight; when I first changed my diet it took about a year for it to be about 90% clean. I still within moderation eat some processed food, but in my opinion they're much much cleaner than what processed food can get to.

I've been approached by a few friends and randoms over the last couple of years that have asked me specifically about my diet, and I find the biggest issue is that people don't really know where to begin when looking for advice. I'm by no means a nutritionist or have any formal knowledge in that field, but I try and keep my advice as general and 'applicable to everyone' as possible. Hopefully people are in it for the long term and don't seek advice for a quick weight-loss scheme. Chances are it will rebound once they've reached their desired weight unless they take steps to make sure it's more of a lifetime change.

Once people start to realize that the choices they make regarding what to eat affects not only them, but such things as their local economy and the environment, I think it becomes easier to see that keeping it simple is really the best approach.

A few simple pointers. Try and incorporate these over a few months, no one will get them all right away.

-Spend more time in the produce section
-Spend less time in the middle part of the supermarket, the perimeter usually sells more natural food (try it and see)
-Buy food that was grown locally
-Substitute frozen pizzas for home-made pizza (making dough isn't that difficult)
-Eat more fish, blueberries, and nuts
-Drink more water and green tea
-Veggies keep you full so they're great as snacks. Eat them without limit
-Try and chew your food more. More chewing 'tells' your brain you're fuller and helps with digestion