SUPPLEMENTATION
Calcium for bodybuilders.
Calcium is micronutrient that is an essential mineral for health. I’m sure many of you will be aware that calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but it also plays many other roles in the body that make it an important consideration, especially for bodybuilders.
Creatine supplements ingredients.
Creatine is a popular supplement taken by a vast range of fitness enthusiasts, athletes and bodybuilders, usually used to increase performance in anaerobic type activities. There are a number of forms of creatine, which will be reviewed in this article, however the most popular ones are creatine monohydrate (creatine bound to a single water molecule) and creatine ethyl ester (CEE).
Nitric oxide supplement, does it work?
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important cellular signaller in the regulation of blood flow, mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle during exercise and in the immune system. It has also been demonstrated that nitric oxide regulates blood pressure and tissue oxygen consumption and it is for these reasons that NO has become of interest for bodybuilders and even athletes, as an increase in blood flow has the potential to increase oxygen and nutrient transport, helping to support performance, recovery and muscle growth.
Antioxidants Daily
It seems as though there is an ever-increasing amount of foods and some supplements that are being touted for their antioxidant properties. So, they must be good for you, right? It is certainly true that we need to include sources of food in the diet that contain plenty of antioxidants to keep us healthy, but what exactly are antioxidants and what do they do?
Sport drinks. Advantages and disadvantages.
Sports drinks were first created to help top level athletes improve performance. As with most things in the world of fitness, the things that top level athletes do to get a competitive edge often filters down to the recreational gym user. Does this mean though, that just because top level competitive athletes use ‘something’ that the average gym goer should automatically use them, or indeed are they likely to have the same benefits or actually have potential drawbacks?
Testosterone and Sex
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and is responsible for the development of masculine features at the onset of puberty, including increases in body hair and muscle mass. As we reach a sexually reproductive age, driven by testosterone levels, this also ‘peaks’ our activity and drives man's innate desire to have sex. Although seen as a male hormone, women also produce small amounts of testosterone and it has similar, but less pronounced effects, but it is still an important regulator of libido.
Fish Oils and Bodybuilding.
The health benefits of fish oils were first noted in Eskimos, despite a diet high in saturated fats and low in unsaturated ‘healthy’ fats, their rates of heart disease were much lower than expected. On further investigation it was found that it was the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oils that offered this heart protective effect.
Natural Weight Loss
There are many weight loss supplements on the market, but the amount that there are and how effective they can be in assisting weight loss can be confusing to people, especially for those who may be concerned about how these might impact on their health. It may come as a surprise that a vast majority of weight loss supplements are actually derived from natural food sources but are just in more concentrated amounts than would be found in some foods, for example L-carnitine is found commonly in meat, caffeine in coffee and several weight loss extracts are derived from plants that we commonly consume such as green tea. However, these are included in what some might consider ‘unnatural’ amounts, so for those who want to take a more natural way to lose weight, what is the best way to go about this?
Multivitamins For Women
Although as a species we all need to provide our bodies with the same essential nutrients to keep us fit, healthy and strong, there are often subtle differences in our daily requirements, depending on our age, activity levels and gender. Multivitamins and minerals are important for anyone who may not provide their body with enough of these essential micronutrients due to an absence in the diet. However, women often have increased demands for certain vitamins and minerals which may be difficult to obtain purely from the diet, therefore supplementation is often recommended to meet these demands.
Alpha Lipoic acid supplement, what is it?
Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is an important fatty acid that is involved in energy metabolism, which is found within the diet in meat and in small amounts in some fruits and vegetables. At a cellular level it has its effects within the mitochondria, which are the energy producing parts of the cells and plays important roles as an antioxidant, helping to protect against oxidative damage which can damage our cells.