What are Supplements and why do we need them?

There are many supplements that are essential for athletes, fitness buffs and people living active lifestyles. However, it is important to remember that sports supplements are not a replacement for hard work and proper diet. Supplements are exactly that – they supplement your diet to help you achieve the optimal nutrition and health you need to reach your fitness objectives.

So if you have to continue to work out hard and eat well, do you even need to take supplements? The answer is yes. When you lead an active lifestyle, it creates an increased demand on your body for important vitamins and nutrients, increasing the possibility of developing a deficiency in one or more essential nutrients. Deficiencies in vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients can stall your fitness progress by causing overall fatigue and weakness, not allowing your body to be able to properly build muscle or burn fat, and nutritional deficiencies can lead to a variety of illnesses.

So why not just toss a few more veggies on to your dinner plate and call it a day? As simple as this option may seem, the truth is that even adding a few more servings of fruits and veggies to your daily diet may not give you enough necessary vitamins and minerals. Most commercially sold produce are laden with pesticides and other chemicals, and as they make their journey from the farmer’s field to your plate, they are exposed to numerous pollutants that deteriorate valuable nutrients. As well, cooking your vegetables also decreases their nutrient values considerably – so unless you are a raw foodist (someone who eats primarily raw foods) who eats only organic, straight-from-the-farm produce, chances are you should be taking supplements to ensure proper nutrition and health.

Which Supplements do you need?

You don’t need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on supplements. There are a couple basic supplements that you will need to ensure continued health and optimal fitness levels. Beyond these, your budget and personal goals will be key factors in deciding if you need further supplementation.

The Basics: Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Formula

Vitamins and minerals are responsible for keeping your body strong, healthy and functioning smoothly. If you become deficient in even one of these important nutrients, it can throw off the entire balance, leading to further health and performance problems. Vitamins and nutrients play an essential part in active lifestyles, from providing the body with the energy to be active, to building muscles, burning fat and even keeping your spirits up. Athletes and active individuals are more susceptible to nutrient deficiencies as the activities they do place an increased demand on their bodies for these valuable nutrients. In order to keep up with your busy lifestyle, it’s important to find a high-quality multi-vitamin and mineral formula to keep your nutrient levels where they need to be, so you can achieve the excellence you want.

If you’re looking for a high-quality vitamin and mineral pack, try Weider Megabolic Paks. There are 30 daily packs in each box, and each pack contains 7 nutritional tablets/capsules to give you a combination of essential vitamins and minerals specifically designed to help you meet today’s active challenges.

The Basics: Protein Supplements

If you’re an athlete, bodybuilder, fitness enthusiast or just lead a very active lifestyle, than supplementing with protein is must. Just like vitamins and minerals, your body needs protein to function properly, and active living puts a greater demand for protein that just can’t be met from food sources alone.

For more information on the importance of protein to an active lifestyle, click here.

To learn all about the different sources of protein supplements, click here.

Beneficial Supplements: L-Glutamine

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in muscles and it plays a critical role in protein synthesis. Glutamine helps rebuild muscle tissue and increases your ability to recover and rebuild after working out. Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that your body is able to produce it. However, natural glutamine levels are depleted during exercise and if you regularly engage in strenuous workouts or activity, than your body won’t be able to replenish your Glutamine stores quickly enough. This is why many athletes supplement their diet with Glutamine, as a deficiency in this important amino can lead to a weakened immune system and muscle deterioration.

If you’re looking for the highest quality L-Glutamine powder with absolutely no fillers, try Weider L-Glutamine or L-Glutamine capsules.

Beneficial Supplements: Creatine

Creatine increases your anaerobic energy, gives yourself the edge you need to achieve greater muscle gains and speeds your recovery. Thousands of athletes have benefited safely from supplementing with creatine.

Click here to learn more about creatine and find the answers to all your creatine FAQs

And if you’re looking for Pure Creatine Monohydrate, click here to learn more about our line of Weider Creatine products.