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– fat burning – muscle support – sleep assistance – emergenC +other useful supplements!
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Very recently I was asked by a client of mine,
about what ‘supplement stacks’ I would recommend for recovery and general health.
My first response was to say how you want your nutrients to come from good whole foods, as much as possible – However; there are some nutrients you just can’t get enough of through your diet – in which case it is then acceptable to use supplements.
But Note Well!
‘Supplements’ are aptly named for they are supposed to supplement or support your diet, not replace it!
And without getting into the still controversial and undecided topic of whether or not supplements even work at all ….
…. here is a list of recommended Supplement Stacks for general health and fitness:
Fat Burning/Energy Stack:
– Acetaminophen
– caffeine (no more than 200mg)
A Few Small Tips:
> you can drink Coffee and or Green Tea
> there are many types of Lipoic Acid; get the ‘R’ kind.
> acetaminophen is just Tylenol
> eat as much spicy food as possible….
ONE BIG TIP
= Supplement Cycling=
> For the sake of keeping your organs healthy, always ‘cycle’ the amount of each of the supplements you take.
You can EITHER:
– Increasing the dose over 2 days, then decreasing it for one day, repeat for a couple of cycles. Start again at low dose
OR
– Increase dosage every day or 10 days, then decrease the dose or 10 days -including a day without dosing. repeat.
*Cycling like this is safer and healthier for your organs*
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Muscle Supporting Stack:
–
BCAA (branched chain amino acids)
– New Zealand whey protein or vegan protein
– Omega3
Tips:
> Use the Amino Acids whenever – before, during or after a workout, when your hungry or even if you are just bored of plain ol’ water – the ‘B’ = a type of amino acid that can be readily used as energy!
> Have Omega3 throughout the day, but especially IMMEDIATELY AFTER A WORKOUT – it will make your internal environment anabolic (a good thing).
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Sleep Assistance:
– Tea: Valerian root / other herbal calming tea
Tips:
> 30 minutes to an hour before bed
> eliminate as much light as possible (also 30-60 minutes before bed)
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EmergenC:
– Vitamin C + Rose hips
– Tea: ginger, honey, lemon, (rose hips)
Tips:
> Vitamin C seems to work best right as you start to get sick : take up to an entire gram (diarrhea may occur)….
> many supplements require some sort of fat to be taken at the same time so that whatever it is can be properly absorbed by the body.
> Drink the tea non-stop until you are better – Rose Hips have lots of Vit C as well as helps it get absorbed by the body.
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Other useful supplements:
– Greens powder / Super Greens
– a Brazil Nut a day keeps the doctor away! and provides you with your dose of Selenium.
– Fermented Cod Liver Oil (high in Vit D and Omega3, strengthens bones and teeth)
+
Make sure you are getting enough of these!
– Zinc
– Iron
– Vit D.
>It is not a bad idea to get your levels checked, a deficit in any one of these vitamins/minerals (and many others) can cause symptoms similar to other serious health issues > which is often misdiagnosed and mistreated with ‘medication’ (which is much different than ‘supplementation’…)
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I KNOW THERE ARE NO DOSAGE SUGGESTIONS
use whatever the lowest amount you can get and cycle up to greater doses – and remember: take some time OFF of your supplements every once and a while,
and,
remember to consume whole foods whenever possible. and in a way (and if you can) try to ‘supplement’ your supplements with foods high in those nutrients talked about above.
Hope this helps,
Questions are welcome! – I will try to get back to you within a day of two.
Stay Strong (and healthy) My Friends!
The best!