A noble and controversial subject: SUPPLEMENTATION!
Girls, I have a question! How many of you support yourselves with supplementation? I do, and I am a 100% convinced to it! Why? Supplements are the perfect adjunct to a diet! They are used to cover the demand for specific micro and macronutrients of the body that is regularly loaded with physical and mental effort, it allows gradual and better adaptation to a specific strain. Let’s not lie to ourselves, in today’s times, where all food is modified as much as it can be, shortages of these micro/macronutrients are common, so supplementation appears to be the perfect solution for all intensively training woman! And now that you are convinced, Lovely Ladies, I will brag about what I take and why (why not!).
BCAA
Branched chain amino acids, this includes leucine, isoleucine and valine. All of them are amino acids that our body is unable to synthesise by itself, simply put – they have to be provided from the outside. Why BCAA? Because of a few, very important reasons!
They are the main muscle building blocks
- They are needed for muscle regeneration after workout (training upsets the body balance, it’s a period of time when more protein and muscle fluids are used. If you want the training to do the least damage possible to your muscles, you need to supply it with the main building blocks, which is BCAA!)
BCAA are an important source of energy for muscles
- When the body burns all the available energy supplies (ATP, glycogen) it starts to “burn” amino acids for energy purposes, especially BCAA, which is why it’s important to replenish them!
BCAA reduces the feeling of fatigue
- BCAA blocks the passage of tryptophan (amino acid) to the brain, where it is converted into serotonin which makes the body “sleepy”. A high concentration of BCAA can delay the feeling of fatigue and extend the ability to exercise.
HIGH-PROTEIN NUTRIENT
It’s often hard to make a meal with enough protein, it’s much easier to get carbohydrates. Therefore, supplements are a perfect way to supply your diet with wholesome protein! It’s not just protein that shapes our feminine figure, the most important information for us is where it comes from! Increasing the amount of protein at the expense of carbohydrates, we increase the pool of energy expenditure, because protein is an ingredient that creates a lot of heat. This means, that body needs more energy to digest everything and assimilate protein than it provides. And one more thing… a lot of women are greedy when it comes to sweets (yeees, me too). On the one hand, diet, dreams of ideal figure, on the other however, sweet ecstasy… And how to live! Protein supplements that are available in stores have a massive taste variety and can be an equivalent of sweets, which are often hard to give up.
CREATINE
Creatine is a supplement that allows us to increase strength. It sounds simple: increases strength, thanks to which your muscles become bigger. In reality, for this to happen you need to meet certain other additional conditions, otherwise the effects of using creatine supplements are going to be haggard. Creatine = strength, however it depends on you, girl, how you’re going to use this strength! If you supply an appropriate amount of nutrients and the strain will be intense enough, it will allow our muscles to grow.
That’s all when it comes to supplementation! There is, however, another thing I would like to mention to you girls, because supplements that are supposed to improve the quality of our figure is one thing, vitamins and minerals are other! It’s known for a long time, that “Polish girls have the most vitamin!” indeed! However, nowadays it won’t be enough, especially when you’re regularly sweating buckets at the gym! A diet is nothing more than balancing food and nutritional values. Women hold a diet with meticulousness, counts calories, checks nutrient content of the diet, and she does it because she knows that without it she will never reach the dream figure! Is this enough, though? Are you sure, that you’re supplying your body with enough vitamins and minerals? Remember, girl, that a physically active human has a higher demand for vitamins and minerals, and todays groceries, so very processed, are starting to be very lacking in terms of vitamins and minerals. To my diet, I also add:
- Omega 3 fatty acids (correct brain, cardiovascular disease and heart function)
- Calcium (regulates neuromuscular conductivity, the bones building blocks)
- Zinc (necessary for a lot of hormone productions: insulin, testosterone, growth hormone, immune system)
- Vitamin B (plays a role in metabolic processes)
- Antioxidants (protection from the effects of free radicals)
In summary, dear ladies, a workout has to give us a beautiful figure (which also includes improved self-esteem and better mood), as well as health and strength, and to achieve this we need to approach the subject smartly, and if there is a possibility to support yourself with supplements, vitamins and minerals, then why not? Be strong Baby
