The important thing to know about getting fit is that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Rather than quick and easy solutions that could end up backfiring on you in the long run, you should be looking at sustainable, gradual shifts that are tailored to your body type, strength, and overall health. In our previous article ‘Getting Healthy While Not Changing Your Diet’, we talked about a few of these gentle changes, including exercise and a better understanding of your diet.
Diet plays a crucial role in fitness, but beginners can often end up surprised that what they’re eating isn’t enough to get them that final push. That’s where supplements can come in. While it’s crucial to note that you should check in with a doctor or dietitian before integrating a supplement into your diet, many supplements are great boosters on your journey to fitness. Here are 5 supplements for your fitness journey.
Optimum Gold Standard
Even someone with basic knowledge about sustained exercise knows that protein is an essential nutrient. You should be taking in protein proportionate to the amount of activity you’re doing. If you can’t quite reach that with a diet of meat or protein-rich plant foods, then supplements are the way to go.
The Optimum Gold Standard whey powder is a classic, well-beloved for its affordability and effectiveness. It’s a high quality, whey-based protein powder that easy to find and digest. It’s definitely a great starting point for your fitness journey.
Thorne Research 3-K Complete
If you want to make sure that your bone and heart health keeps up with your body, then you need to look at taking some vitamin K. Vitamin K2 is the most popular choice for supplements, playing a crucial role in calcium absorption, cardiovascular health, and even blood clotting and wound healing.
Thorne Research 3-K Complete is a fantastic K2 supplement if purity is what you’re looking for. With no artificial flavors, preservatives, or additives, you can be sure that you’re getting the best amount of vitamin K2 possible. Plus, Thorne Research’s supplements are always third-party tested, so you can trust that it’s a good investment.
Brightcore TrueFood
A healthy gut means a healthy body. Taking care of your digestive system should be a top concern, especially if you’re making changes to your diet. However, when possible, you should also be looking for a supplement that can offer you more than just better digestion.
This is where Brightcore’s TrueFood complete superfood blend can come in. A blend of chlorophyll-rich sea grasses, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, and healthy probiotics, this supplement goes the full stretch in keeping your body healthy and thriving. Not only is it packed with vitamins and probiotics, it also goes a long way in boosting your immune system and keeping your energy levels up.
Pure Encapsulations Creatine Powder
Exercise can put a lot of strain on your bones and muscles, so an important part of fitness is ensuring that you’re giving your body the tools to recover. Creatine is great for this, as it can not only increase lean muscle mass, but also helps lean muscle recover more quickly and completely. Taking in creatine can go a long way in improving your energy, especially if you do short, high-intensity activities like weight-lifting.
If you’re looking for a creatine powder that works, Pure Encapsulations Creatine Powder is the way to go. It’s a high-quality creatine supplement that’s also non-GMO and vegan, so you can integrate it easily into any diet. Each serving size has 4g of highly digestible creatine monohydrate, and is free from artificial sweetners, colors, and fillers.
Nuzena Berberine Pure+
At first glance, berberine sounds almost too good to be true. It plays a crucial role in a variety of body functions, many of them too complex to explain quickly here. To put it simply, it helps improve cardiovascular health, lowers your blood sugar, and can even help with weight loss. It’s great support for metabolic processes in your body, and has been used to treat ailments like type 2 diabetes.
The Nuzena Berberine Pure+ capsules are a great choice if you’re looking for a berberine supplement. These veggie capsules hold 600mg of concentrated berberine, and their purity is proven by third-party lab testing. Additionally, they are certified GMO- and gluten-free, and can be easily integrated in vegan diets.