Supplementation: Nutrients for Your Body

Supplementation is the third of the fab five fitness fundamentals and is a very important factor. Since your body gets depleted of nutrients during your workout, your have to re-supply it with the proper nutrients to give you energy, strength, and to help your liver metabolize the fats. But what supplements do we use? How much do we take without going overboard?

You do not ever need to take a pharmacy worth of supplements in order to get your needed nutrients. In fact, overusing supplements can damage the liver and kidneys and leave you dehydrated.

The primary supplement that you should be taking, whether you are working out or not, is a multivitamin daily. Unless you get all your foods from the farmer's market, you will not get the adequate amount of vitamins and nutrients from today's synthetic foods. A multivitamin will supplement what you do not get from food and should give you the proper amounts of vitamins A thru C, Iron, Calcium, Copper, Magnesium, and many more. A multivitamin gives us nutrients without calories and helps replenish nutrients diminished in the body after exercise.

There are a host of multivitamins to choose from. Do your research to determine which multivitamin works best for you. Multivitamins have various reactions with different people. Some claim nausea and others say certain brands do not provide the energy claimed.

A controversial issue is the use of fat burners. There is a huge misconception that taking a fat burner will directly result in body fat loss. Remember, there are no magic pills or formulas. Some fat burners simply claim to raise the metabolism temporarily but then the body adjusts to the fat burner, resulting in a return to a lower metabolism. Most experts believe that the only proven method of raising the metabolism is through food intake. Ironically, fat burners usually come with an eating plan and it is the healthy eating plan in of itself that results in the body fat loss, not necessarily the fat burner itself, as previously believed by many consumers.

There is no proof that fat burners actually work. Only two supplements have been proven to raise the metabolism: Caffeine and Ephedra. Ephedra was being banned by the FDA due to its association with heart problems and has had a rocky history in the health and fitness industry. Caffeine, when consumed in reasonable quantities has been said to elevate the metabolism.

Another misconception as it pertains to supplements is the use of protein in the form of powders and liquids. The body can only absorb a certain amount of protein daily and too much protein may result in kidney or liver disorders in certain people. Nutritionists agree that most protein should be consumed in the form of food, with additional protein supplements used for athletes only.

Unless you are a bodybuilder heading towards competition, the multivitamin is all you need. If you are trying to build a competitive body, there are many other supplements to enhance performance, increase muscle mass, and give you energy. Mass building products should be stacked and must be used very carefully and not overdone, as this may result in health problems. It is always recommended to seek a doctor's advice before consuming supplements other than a multivitamin.