Ep 13: Love It or Leave It: Popular Supplements

In this episode I breakdown some of the popular supplements that I am asked about often and tell you whether or not I would love it or leave it. We cover fat burners, greens powders, collagen, protein powder, creatine, and more. The fact of the matter is you DO NOT NEED supplements in order to reach your goals, but they can be beneficial and I want to help shed some light on whether or not these products are actually helping you get the fit body you are working so hard on or if your money is best spent elsewhere. 

The first 10 minutes of this episode I give some disclaimers, including talking to your doctor first and why I made the best decision in the world to become a sponsored athlete with Legion supplements!

At the 11 minute mark we start digging into all of the supplement talk if you want to skip the disclaimers and get to the info. 

Links- 

Shop Legion: https://bit.ly/3CoLjhX

Use my code HILARY at checkout for 20% off or double rewards points

Collagen study referenced: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770102/

Website: www.hilarybalancedlifestyle.com

Connect with me on Instagram: @balancebyhilary 

Transcript

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Hey guys, today's episode is a love it, or leave it episode, which is just sort of a review on things that you guys ask me about often. And we cannot get any further into this podcast without talking supplements. Supplements are hands down. One of the things that I get asked about the most, and I get it, they're everywhere. Right? I mean, you walk into your Walgreens, you walk into the grocery store. They are truly everywhere. There's commercials. There's just all kinds of information out there about supplements. And I am excited to break down some of the most popular supplements right now, kind of in the current buzz in terms of just sort of overall health. But most importantly, I'm going to be talking about ones that. Are related to body composition, right? Because we talk a lot about losing body fat gaining muscle here at balanced, by Hilary. That is what we aim to help you do. And also performance because your training and your exercise that directly correlates with your body composition goals. So we're definitely not going to cover everything. There are so many supplements and we could do an entire series really. We on supplementation in my nutrition degree. We really had to go pretty deep on these topics i'm not going to do that to you guys today i want to give you the information that you are interested in those popular supplements that you see on social media or that you hear people talking about and want to give you some good solid science Before we get started, we're going to go over some disclaimers because that's definitely important. There is again, so much misinformation about the topic of supplementation. And so I just want to get some disclaimers out of the way. Number one, I'm not going to get super science-y. I mean, obviously there's going to be some science to talk about here, but I'm just, I'm not going to get into the weeds of it all. So forgive me if you really liked the science side of things, I'm going to water it down just a little bit, just so that I can make sure I get this information to you in a digestible way. That's understandable to where you don't feel confused and overwhelmed, but. Instead educated, informed so that you can make a decision. The most important disclaimer that I want to give is that as always, you need to talk to your doctor, your physician, before you start any kind of supplementation, any kind of diet changes, any kind of exercise routine. Today, I'm talking about things in sort of a broad perspective, sort of overall health, most importantly, like from a body composition standpoint. So your unique body and health status, you might have certain supplements that your doctors working with you on. And so it's just really incredibly important that you do talk to a doctor before you start taking any kind of supplement. The next disclaimer that I want to give is that I am a sponsored athlete with Legion supplements, which you'll hear me kind of mention Legion a few times throughout this episode. If you follow me on social, you see me talk about Legion supplements all the time and it's because I absolutely freaking. Love them and full disclosure. You guys, for so many years, when I started my social media platform, I would get hit up from supplement companies like, Hey, try our products. We want to, you know, have you talk about our products to your clients or to your audience and. I would try things. I would try things when I tell you guys that I, I think I've tried pretty much all of it. I'm not getting, I used to have this cabinet in my kitchen. Oh my gosh. It was just, it had so many supplements and these were ones that I bought. These were ones that were sent to me and I just, I never really loved. Anything for a long time, I actually used optimum nutrition, which you can find those at like your Walmart. I know GNC carries those. And I really liked that. I mean, that's what I use for quite a long time. However, they actually changed. The formula. And I kind of got back with my protein shake routine and I was having the worst stomach pains, acid reflux, bloating. I could not figure out why I was breaking out. I couldn't figure out why. And I removed the protein shake from my day and immediately everything got better. And this isn't to knock optimum nutrition. We have clients that because I've suggested it still use it and love it. And it is a great option. Option because you can typically find it in your Walmart. But for me personally, I tried to then add it back in and I had the exact same experience of the bloating and all the issues. So. The change that they made. And unfortunately, like this just happens with companies, right? They'll change formulas and things, whatever the change was. I remember my brother and I figured out what it was that they had changed. It just did not sit well with me. And I was super bummed about it because I was like, man, like protein shakes have been such a stable for me. Like, what am I going to do? And I would definitely use like the Fairlife premixed little protein shakes. I would buy those from my Sam's club and I loved those, but I definitely get tired of those flavors. And I also just like, you know, a protein powder that I can mix into some milk. So when I tried Legion for the first time, I was kind of mind blown because I did not have a single bad reaction, no bloating, no acid reflux. But I'll be honest. What actually got me the most was the flavor, because here's the thing I would just, I'm not willing to choke down like something disgusting. I'm just not like, I'm not, you know, that Chucky just will. Okay. I'm not the kind of person who will sacrifice and do that. Like, I'll just make like some grilled chicken or something, if that's how it has to be. Right. Like I'm not going to do it. And I just tried so many things that I didn't like. And again, what I'd used before, just wasn't sitting well with me. So when I tried Legion and the flavors blew. My mind in terms of just taste and the consistency of it. I truly like it was a game changing moment. Becoming a sponsored athlete with Legion was probably one of the easiest yeses I've ever had, because again, I'm really picky about. Any kind of affiliation. It has to totally totally align with my values. It has to be evidence-based. It has to be representative of products I actually use and things that I would actually suggest for other people to use. And Legion has so many things that you can check out their website. I'll link it. Truly our awesome about the products, but the number one reason that it was an easy yes. Besides just it tasting good and all the other things. Is because one of the mottoes is you don't need supplements. And this is the other disclaimer that I want to give you guys is you don't need supplements. You literally do not need supplements to see the body composition changes. You want to be a healthy individual. You don't need them. And for me, a company that is a supplement company. That their motto is you don't need supplements. Like that level of transparency and authenticity is right at my alley. I was literally like, thank you because my saying has always been food first. Supplementation second. That's just my philosophy. And you'll kind of hear about that when we talk about these supplements, but it's really important for you guys to know that you don't have to use supplements. The reason that I use them, the reason that I suggest them is because they can help. Seriously, like that's literally it is. They can help. And you can see better results, but it doesn't mean that you have to have them to see results. And so I want to put my disclaimer out there about my sponsorship with them. There are so many supplement companies. And what I would just suggest you do if you're looking at different products and things, is that do a little research into that company. I mean, see what they are. Ethics and morals are around not only, you know, how they market their products, but also how they process what their ingredients are. There's just, again, I'll, I'll share the link for Legion. There's so much from a value standpoint of processing ingredients, you know, morals around supplements that I just truly am a fan of. And that's why it's easy, easy, easy to talk about these products. I love them. It's great. Now with that being said, because I'm always going to keep it real with you guys. Always. There are products that Legion makes that I have never used. And to be quite honest, I'll probably never use. And just because I love the protein powder and I love my pre-workout and all of these things that I do use from them, which all again, talk about. Doesn't mean that I necessarily endorse all of the things. They're still backed by research, but they're not products that you'll probably ever need to use. And we'll talk about that, but just want to be super, super clear as we get into this, that yes, there are products that are on legions list of supplements that you can buy. But it doesn't mean that I necessarily am going to suggest them for you. My main goal here is to break down those popular supplements that you guys asked me about that I'm seeing on Instagram and all the things and, and give you some information so that you can make educated and informed decisions about whether or not these supplements are good for you. So let's get into it. All right. I'm going to say that this list is in no particular order. And it is, but what I will tell you is that at the end is really where I share the three supplements that I use very regularly. And that I also am just a huge fan of in general, they're the most backed by science, um, which makes them an obvious kind of yes. And while I don't use them all the time, they are definitely things that are pretty consistently in my routine, especially during goal phases and seasons of life. Um, but otherwise this list is kind of scattered. So I'm just going based off of. The things that you guys have asked me about, and we are going to kick it off with fat burners. So LoVetre leave it with fat burners. I'm going to go ahead and leave it. And here's why. Yes, there is some scientific evidence that backs up that certain types of fat-burners. Now, remember not everything's created equal, but certain types of fat burners, you know, truly Ken show some evidence for. Burning more calories and also maybe some control of appetite and cravings. With that being said, I still do not suggest fat burners. Reason being that for fat burners to truly be effective and work. Every single part of what you are doing needs to be on point. The way that you can look at fat burners is that they kind of give you an edge. Okay. So. If your diet is not in check. If your training is not in check, if your sleep and stress management is not in check. That fat burner is not going to do those things for you. That it's saying it does. In fact, I mean, just giving the example of sleep and stress. I mean that oftentimes if you are not getting adequate sleep or you've got high levels of stress, that absolutely messes with your hormones, which messes with your appetite. So that little edge that, that fat burner can give you to help you control your appetite. It's probably not going to work the way that you're wanting it to. Now again, you can think about it as it can give you an edge. If the conditions are right, that you are already doing everything. Right. Right. Like you are just nailing your nutrition. You are so solid in your training and your recovery. If those conditions are right, maybe yeah. There's this edge that it can give. Give you so I can see this for like physique competitors and things like that. But for the average everyday woman, just looking to get fit, get in shape. It's not going to do the things that you want, and especially not as effectively as controlling your diet, right. Making sure that you're eating enough protein, really hitting those macros, having a balance in your macros, staying in your calorie deficit, making sure that your strength training and building some muscle or just moving your body. Focusing on your self care, your sleep, your stress, those things that is going to give you an advantage and be the most effective way to see fat loss results. I am personally going to tell you when it comes to fat burners, just leave it. Instead focus your efforts on those things that I just listed and don't waste your money. The next popular supplement and this one is really, really popular, and that is a greens supplement. I get so many messages about this. Hilary. Should I try a green supplement? I can't tell if it's just a waste of money. Is it actually worth it? And here's what I'll tell you about a green supplement. I personally, I'm going to leave it now. You absolutely. If you have tried a green supplement, you feel like you've seen some benefits from it. I'm not saying that it doesn't have some good things. Oftentimes it's got some good vitamins and minerals that can obviously help promote health. However, The thing about greens is a lot of times people think, well, if I'm taking my green supplement, then I don't have to worry about fruits and vegetables. Right? Like eating actual whole fruits and vegetables. And I personally, I just have a problem with that. Eating a well-rounded balanced diet. It truly is just important for overall health. I mean, What are you going to do if you don't have your green supplement, right? Like it's just so much easier to access fruits and vegetables. And I am a huge fan of knowing that I'm getting the best benefit possible from the vitamins and minerals. In my food, because it hasn't been highly processed. So something that you do need to consider with green supplements is that there's just things that are lost in the processing. Some of those vitamins minerals, things are just being stripped away because of the processing that takes place. So oftentimes these green supplements, they're just missing things. And those are things that, again, if you're not eating fruits and vegetables, you're just not getting the full nutrient, you know, breakdown that you need in order to have overall health. I also from a body composition standpoint am not a fan because fruits and vegetables are one of those things that I'm constantly reminding our clients like, Hey, let's add some fruits and veggies in. Let's add some fruits and veggies in because they've got fiber and they fill you up right when you're in a fat loss phase. And you're trying to stay in that calorie deficit, eating your calories. He's eating food that fills you up and gives you good volume. That's going to help you manage your calorie deficit and fruits and vegetables are one of the best ways to do that. So again, if you're taking this green supplement and you're skipping out on fruits and vegetables, you're losing the, you know, full nutrient part, but you're also losing that volume, those volume filled foods that are going to allow you to feel full and stay in your calorie deficit and see the fat loss results that you want. So for a greens powder or supplement, I'm personally going to say, leave it and spend that money on good whole fruits and vegetables that are going to fill you up that are going to give you all of the nutrients. Again, if you like, you know, your green supplement and you feel like you see some benefit, it's not hurting anything to have some added nutrients, but if it is causing you to skip. Skip out on those fruits and veggies. Definitely going to say. Don't do that. Let's leave it. Let's make sure that we're getting plenty of fruits and veggies in our diet. And just an added tip. If you are somebody who doesn't love fruits and veggies, I'm still going to suggest things like. Hiding it in your food, like cutting it up really small and putting it in soups or making a smoothie. Right. Where again, you're still going to get those nutrients. You're going to feel full. So you can find some little ways around. I'm not a big veggie and fruit eater to incorporate them into your diet. If you're struggling with that one. To kind of go alongside this one. I do want to talk about a multivitamin really quick, because I am from a just general health perspective, a fan of a multivitamin. You definitely don't necessarily need it, especially if you are somebody who eats a really well-rounded. Balanced diet. But to me a multivitamin, it's kind of like an insurance policy, right? It just, it ensures that you are getting the nutrients that you need. If you have a period of time where maybe you're eating. A little bit less of something, then you can just kind of feel good and knowing that your bases are covered when it comes to this. So definitely a good multivitamin Legion has an awesome one. That's the one that I take and it's really got a really good profile for women specifically. So there's a men's version and a women's version. So definitely check that out. If you are looking for a solid multivitamin. Another supplement that I want to note here again with the general sort of health topic. Cause we're about to dive into more of the body composition side of supplements. Last one is fish oil is a really good supplement to take. If you're somebody who doesn't get a lot of the omega three fatty acids, these are just so important for overall health. There's so many benefits. Now, if you're somebody who does get lots of omega-3 fatty acids, so things like salmon and sardines. No, a lot of people are like, I don't eat a lot of like sardines and anchovies, but if you, if you do get things like salmon or flax seed, chia, seed Walnut, some of those good omega-3 fatty acids. You probably don't need a fish oil supplement for me personally, I do get those things into my diet. Not as much as I would necessarily like, so on days where. I'm not having that. I will just take that my fish oil supplement. And again, it just kind of covers the bases and is like a little insurance policy to make sure that I'm am getting the important benefits from omega-3 fatty acids. All right. Kind of moving into more of the body composition and performance side of things. We kind of got the health. Side covered collagen is the next one that I want to talk about. And I already know, I already know because I've had. So many conversations on social media about the topic of college and holy cow, what a hot supplement right now. I wonder if in 10 years, if this podcast will still be a thing, but also if collagen will be such a hot topic 10 years from now, I can tell you right now, it is definitely making a splash in the supplement world. And I get asked about it a lot, and I have lots of conversations in the DMS about the topic of collagen. And unfortunately, when it comes to this particular supplement, there's just a lot of misunderstanding around college in. The protein part of it, especially. And if it should be counted towards your daily protein intake. So here's what I'm going to tell you guys, when it comes to collagen. If you are wanting to use college and because of hair, skin, nails, joint benefits. There is some good research that shows that. Yeah, there's probably some benefit. And most importantly, I've had clients have an anecdotal experience where they feel like their hair, skin and nails and joints just completely benefits from collagen. And in that case, um, yeah, I mean, I'm gonna keep taking it if that's, you know, If I'm seeing those benefits for sure. However. When I am going to tell you to leave it. What I am saying is, is if you are using it for the benefit of body composition and hitting your daily protein target. It's not the best option. So at the time of recording this, and I always say that because research changes, right? So things could be different. At the time of recording this, the fact of the matter is, is in terms of taking college in and having it boost, you know, muscle mass growth. It really. Just isn't holding a lot of weight and here's the thing about it. Really, what we're looking at is especially compared to like other supplements, like a whey protein powder or a good solid protein powder. Collagen just doesn't really do it when it comes to muscle protein synthesis research, and it showing a ton of benefit. And here's the reason why. So I talked about this on the show before different episodes. I've brought this up and definitely, I know I've shared about it on social media. But in order to grow your muscle, you need to be activating muscle protein synthesis. And there are certain amino acids. That helped that take place. And the truth is, is that college in does not have the nine essential amino acids. And in fact, it's missing one of the most important ones that help stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Now, that's not to say that because collagen is not this complete source of protein, that it doesn't count for anything. Of course it counts for something, right. It can still count towards a protein goal, but you really would want to be making sure that you are kind of maybe going above your protein target. If you're using like a big chunk of your daily protein. S, you know, target coming from college. And because again, you're not getting that full benefit. It's missing that essential amino acid that's truly needed for muscle protein synthesis. And just to be super clear about this, what, what I'm trying to say is the reason that we are so focused on our protein goal, there's really two reasons. One of them is that we're trying to stay full and satiated throughout our day, because that helps us manage our calorie deficit. But. But the number one reason that we are so focused on a protein target is that we are trying to either build muscle, which is going to help us, you know, with our metabolism muscle is metabolically active. So it helps you burn more calories. But also, you know, retaining lean muscle mass because whenever you're in a calorie deficit, you are losing weight, you're losing body fat, but unfortunately you're also losing a little bit of muscle mass and we want to try and negate that as much as possible. It's not totally. Possible for us to completely keep it from happening, but we want to do the absolute best we can. And what we know from sound scientific research is that. Strength training and using our muscles and also just a higher protein diet intake is going to allow us to retain that muscle mass as much as possible. And in order to do that, we really want to be having these good, complete sources of protein and things like college and that are lacking those essential amino acids They're just not the most effective, especially when you stack them up next to complete sources of protein, like food, right? Like milk and eggs and meat. But also when you stack it up next to something like a whey protein powder, A complete protein powder source. Something that has all nine essential amino acids. And here's the deal. I mean, honestly for me, it's like, I want the most efficient thing. And not be spending the most money. I don't want to buy. Hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of supplements. I want like the one or two things that are going to get the job done. And so for me, Something like whey protein powder, which we're getting ready to talk about. That really covers all the bases. It like ensures that I am getting those essential amino acids that I'm making sure that that muscle protein synthesis, you know, is taking place. I want that one, because that means that I am 100% sure that I'm doing everything I can, and I'm not left with this chance of like, well, I've also got to make sure that I really go above and beyond with all the rest of my food, the rest of the day, because I know that that 20 grams or whatever of protein that I logged is coming from this incomplete source of protein. So the reason that I suggest leaving it is if your goal is body composition based. And you are trying to build muscle or retain lean muscle mass either because you're trying to look fit and it's a body shape, or because of overall health, you want to keep your muscle mass or because you know, that muscle mass is great for your metabolism. It's going to help you burn the most calories, right? Then I'm going to leave it because I'm going to go with something that's going to give me more bang for my buck. I mean, plain and simple. It's not that I'm cheap. Necessarily it's more that I just want to spend my money efficiently. Now again, if you want to use college and because of the benefits that have been shown for hair, skin, and nails, maybe some joint help, then absolutely by all means, go for it. But if you are consuming collagen with the thought that it is really helping you from this muscle gains and muscle retention point of view, but I want you to know is that it's probably not doing as much as you would think. And that there are better ways, more efficient ways to spend your money and truly make sure that you are getting those benefits. And keeping in line with this thought process of. Spending our money on the things that are most effective. Let's talk about BC AA. So this stands for branch chain, amino acids. You'll see this a lot of times kind of near like pre-workout supplements and things in the grocery store or health, food store or supplement store wherever you're at. And BCAA is definitely are one of those things that I feel like people are just, again, kind of confused about and just like college in BCA. are missing those essential amino acids that complete nine essential amino acid profile. So are there some benefits to using it? Especially if you have a really low protein diet. Yes. There's always going to be some benefit. There's always going to be something right. That is helpful. That is beneficial. However, it's not the most effective way to get the job done and branch chain amino acids. They're just kind of one of those things that's kind of gotten this reputation based on like the research that continues to come out. That it's kind of a waste of your money. Especially if you are eating a good protein diet. Now again, if you're lacking in the protein, in your diet, then what you're going to want is a good protein powder, right? Just the most effective way to get the job done. Is to have a whole. Protein source that is going to allow you to get all of those essential amino acids so that you can get the full benefit now. Like I said at the beginning of this episode, You can get this from your food. If you do lots of dairy, eggs, meat, all these things, you're going to have a really good, solid protein. But oftentimes I come up against clients who aren't always able to get all of those things in, whether it be because they're plant-based or they really just, you know, want the efficiency of supplementation, And where I'm always going to tell them to spend their money, to get the best bang for their buck is going to be with a protein powder. So. Let's just talk about protein powder since we're all ready here, you guys. Hands down. I've got three more supplements to talk about with protein powder being included in them. And these are the three that I recommend. These are the three that I use. And you don't need these things, but absolutely they can be beneficial and helpful. And I'm going to explain why, but let's talk about protein powder since we're already here and we're on this subject. Definitely cannot suggest enough a good solid protein powder. If you are somebody who consistently struggles to hit your protein target. Nowadays, it seems like there's a lot more people putting on their products, like complete protein source. So definitely look for that. It can be kind of hard when it comes to protein powder, because it's just one of those things that. Not every protein powder is created equal and it can just be hard to tell, but again, oftentimes you will see that something is a complete source of protein that will be listed. Whey protein. So, um, I know I'm saying it, but it's w H E Y protein powder. That's going to be a complete source of protein. Caisson protein powders. Oftentimes, you know, these even like vegetarian proteins, plant-based proteins. We'll have stuff added into where it is a complete source of protein, but you'll just have to do some research because there are so many out there. I mean, I could just sit here and talk about it all day, but you're going to probably have to do some Googling and finding out. And if it is a complete protein source, like again, that should be really easy to figure out with a simple Google search Like I have mentioned, I am very partial to our Legion products. I just, I just have no bloating even with the whey protein. So oftentimes I'll hear people say like dairy just gets to them. So one thing about our whey protein at Legion way plus is that it is a whey protein isolate. So this is a form of whey protein where they've processed it and removed the fat and also the lactose. So I will have women tell me, I cannot believe it. Like I normally, you know, with whey protein powders have like stomach troubles and I have absolutely had zero issues in using whey plus from Legion. So it'd be worth it, trying to see for sure. And there are just so many amazing flavors just because we're already talking about it. I'm going to tell you guys my favorites. It's okay, honey cereal. If it's in stock, you guys grab it. Like I can't even. You enough, like grab. Honey serial. It is so freaking good. It's got like honey nut Cheerios vibes. Mix it with a little milk or almond milk, whatever it is you like to use. So freaking good. Also, I tend to be a chocolate girly. But I'm telling you the vanilla protein way plus, so, so good. The flavor is amazing. And I liked that I can like kind of cook with it. It's like my fun one. I can do like smoothies and all sorts of stuff. It's really, really good. The chocolate is good too. I will say also cinnamon cereal is good. Strawberry banana guys. I could go on and on I, if I had to suggest one, it would definitely be honey cereal and also vanilla. Can't go wrong with chocolate. So anyways, you guys, um, really just when it comes. To protein powder. What I want you to know is, again, you don't need it in order to see results. You can just go for the foods, you know, eating meat and dairy and things like that and get your protein in that way. Here's the reason I love protein powder. It's kind of effortless and I am somebody who needs sometimes just to like, not think about it. And it's also that insurance policy, like we've been talking about, like, it ensures that I am going to be able to get to my protein target. And not, you know, get to the end of the day and be like, oh man, I'm super short, Like, it's pretty solid that if I have a protein shake, I'm going to be able to hit that target. And here's the other thing about it. It's convenient and I can take it on the go. Like I can just throw it in a shaker cup. I can take it with me when I'm going to pick the boys up from school or we're running errands or we've got sports and activities. It's so convenient and it's filling, you know, I truly feel really full from, I don't know if it's just Legion. Gin or, you know, if all protein powders give that fullness, but it definitely, really does fill me up. And so it serves that purpose. And the other thing is. When you look at the cost per like serving for how much protein you get. So with way, plus it's like 21 to 23 grams per serving. I do a little bit more than that, just to kind of make it like an easy 30 grams of protein, But whenever you're looking at, you know, how much protein costs for that amount in like food, like in chicken breast or whatever, it might be protein powder usually is the better, like a budget friendly. Like it's kind of an upfront cost, but broken down by like serving and stuff. It's actually cheaper than food. Which again, like I said, I like saving money. So for me, I just, it's just nice to know that it's convenient. I'm going to hit that target. I can take it with me on the go and it's going to save me some money. I mean, right now chicken and eggs are insanely expensive. It's like ridiculous. My grocery bill is through the roof, so I actually saved some money by supplementing. And those are the reasons that I like it again. We really want to be hitting our protein target. If we are trying to change our body composition, because we need to be retaining our lean muscle mass or building our lean muscle mass and hitting your protein target is how that's going to happen. Making sure that you've got a high quality protein source that has all nine essential amino acids is going to give you the best bang for your buck in ensuring that you are truly getting the full benefit and therefore. For reaching your goals. So, absolutely look at your labels, do a little Googling, a little research, but when it comes to protein powder, big time, love it. Another love it is creatine. And this is one that I get asked about. So much. and I love it because creatine is actually one of the most researched, tried and true supplements. And so let's just kind of talk about creatine and the benefits that it can have. So creatine is still in line with what we're talking about with protein in terms of we're talking about our muscle mass. Studies consistently show that creatine can increase your muscle mass, your strength, just like your overall exercise performance. Creatine is actually found naturally in your body. And basically what creatine does is it helps produce ATP and ATP is just an energy molecule. And it's the one that helps us do work. Right? So lift the dumbbell ATP is this energy source. That's going to allow you to do work and unfortunately your creatine will deplete and you won't be able to produce. As much output, however, supplementing with creatine. What that's going to do is it's going to create additional stores. That will produce more ATP and it's going to do things like enable you to do more work more volume whenever you are strength training, right? So busting out some extra reps or sets. And that is obviously going to help us in terms of muscle growth, especially that long-term muscle growth, being able to do more volume in a workout. Creating also helps with some cellular like functioning. That's also going to help with like repairing muscle tissue and therefore again, seeing some muscle gains and growth. There's also research to show that. It will help you retain lean muscle mass. So it reduces muscle breakdown and honestly liked is such a solid three things. Whenever it comes to body composition, like those three things alone are awesome. I do want to note there's this added like possible benefit of creatine when it comes to neurological decline, I'm somebody with, you know, big, big interest in brain health. And even though that's not as solid as the body composition research. I mean, Hey, if it does all this awesome stuff for your body, but it might also help. BrainHealth like definitely cannot hurt. Creating also helps in short term. So I kind of explained like the longterm muscle growth repair, all of that. It also helps in the short term. And you'll typically hear people talk about, well, creatine makes you bloat up. It makes you hold on to water weight. And this is true because it does increase cell hydration and creatine lifts your water content in your muscle cells. That's just the function of what it's doing and that can cause your cells to expand. And therefore you'll see sort of this muscle pump. So you've got this sort of short term benefit of, you know, A little muscle pump. I mean, who doesn't love that? Right. Unfortunately. I see so many women say they won't take creatine because they don't want the water weight. And man, I just want to be like, no, no, don't let it do not let that be a reason. It's just water. It's not like it's body fat or anything like that. And honestly, some women don't even see I've had so many clients not see a single change in terms of this. Like they just don't really experience this. You. Volume and, um, you know, jump up on this scale because of the waterways. I think that that's such a bad reason to not take creatine. There are so many benefits and this is where guys breaking up with the number on the scale and letting it like affect you. Not getting the benefits of creatine, just because you're going to hold onto a little water weight. Man. I really hope you reconsider that. If that's a reason that you've been thinking about not taking it, because I can definitely tell you the research is so solid. And again, if we're talking about building muscle mass and knowing that muscle is metabolically active, that it's going to help you burn more calories, which means you're going to burn more fat. And you're also going to have a body shape that looks fit and toned that you feel confident in. Like it is so worth it to have a little bit. Bit of, you know, waterway jump up on the scale in order to know that you're really doing something really good for your body composition and your muscles by supplementing with creatine. I mean, there are a lot of studies out there on creatine, but there's one in particular that comes to mind that just shows that, you know, creatine increased muscle growth two to three times, for those who were training. Without the creatine supplementation. I mean, I'm going to take those odds. I cannot suggest enough looking into creatine. Obviously. I love it. There's really no reason to leave it. And even if you're hearing this and you're thinking, well, I don't really strength, train. There is still some really awesome added benefit for like high intensity interval training things, where you are still using your muscle, that explosive movements, jumping and things like that. So, Ladies, if you are really wanting to get the most bang for your buck, when it comes to muscle mass, I'm telling you. Good solid protein powder with all those amino acids and creatine. This is like the power house supplement to like duo that I just cannot suggest enough. For me personally, I take creatine every single day. So I use legions. post-workout actually, it's called recharge. I buy the unflavored and I actually mix it either into my daily protein shake, or I will mix it into my coffee. It actually mixes in really well, or I will mix it into my pre-workout. That's actually the most common thing that I do. Um, and I take it daily. I can feel the benefit of being able to do more work when I'm supplementing with creatine. And I absolutely see it from a muscle gains body composition standpoint too, if you're looking for a solid one recharges. Awesome. Again, I do the unflavored just because I already do flavored pre-workout and I'm like, I don't need like multiple, like flavor drinks. The unflavored is nice because you can add it into anything no matter what, and make sure that your. You're taking care of for the day. Alright. And the very last supplement that I do want to talk about is actually pre-workout and this is one of those that I'm kind of love it and leave it. I did not use pre-workout for a very long time. I just honestly, like I would have my coffee in the morning and then I would work out. And a couple of years into my journey, I just found that I kind of wanted a little boost and I would actually use BCAs, which I was just telling y'all that I'm very much leave it on BCIS. And I would honestly share this very authentically with people I wasn't using BCAA is for the benefit that most people would thinking that they're getting like, you know, this solid protein I was using it because it had a slight dose of caffeine and I could mix it into. To my water and it was fun to drink like before I worked out and also during my workout. So intro workout. And I was just using it for this added little caffeine boost, but I was too scared to use. Pre-workout. Because I have anxiety. I'm one of those people that if my heart rate starts going crazy, and I know I've had a lot of caffeine, like I will convince myself that I'm having a heart attack. So I have to be kind of careful I can drink a whole pot of coffee. No problem. It's the weirdest thing, but pre-workout yeah, all the other stuff, it's just kind of like, Ooh, Over the top. However, I will say, I really just felt like the BCAs. Just like such a waste and I wanted some other added benefits and that's when I started using pre-workout probably gosh, about a year or two ago now. And the biggest reason that I use it is caffeine is again, one of the most studied things. And it's just a matter of having that little boost of, you know, edge, energy focus that I can get from caffeine. And there are other ways to get it. Let's be real, you know, there are other sort of supplements and things, but I truly just, I love caffeine. I don't have any problems with it. As long as I. I have my dosing, right. And so I'll tell you for me personally, I actually use a mix of legions pre-workout poles. I do half of the stem free one. So pulling out that caffeine, but still getting some of the other awesome benefits that have good focus and, and just energy without it being the caffeine part. And then I will mix in sometimes not all the time, but just when I feel like I need it, I will mix in some of the poles and then I'll throw my, uh, recharge post-workout creatine. And I will have that, you know, a little bit before I start working out. But really while I'm working out, just like having something like fun, flavorful to drink while I work out and that knocks out my creatine, it gives me that little boost of caffeine if I need it. So if you're just honestly, somebody. Who. Sort of struggles with your energy levels in your workout. Caffeine is a widely studied, you know, way to boost that energy boost Uh, focus and, you know, help you really show up for that workout and get it done. All right, you guys, I know that I've covered a lot of ground here. And at the same time, I also still have not talked about so many things that we could talk about, but wanting to, again, just give you sort of an overall view of some of the things you might be seeing and hearing about some of those common ones we hear about when it comes to body composition goals, sort of overall health performance, things like that. So hopefully this has given you a nice little round up and you can take home some, you know, important little nuggets of information to make some decisions. For you whenever you are looking at supplements, but the number one thing, the number one thing I want to end with and remind you is that you absolutely do not need supplements in order to see results. You can get everything you need from food. You can drink coffee, where you can find energy and other ways you don't have to have these supplements, but if you are somebody who just feels like you need that boost in energy, so pre-workout might benefit you. You aren't hitting your protein target and you need something convenient. Creatine. I'm going to push that one on. Y'all kind of hard because it does have such solid research, but it's still, you don't need it. You can still get an awesome shape without it. People do it all the time. But this is where supplements can just help. They can give you that edge. They can make things easier for you, and they can sort of optimize your results in a lot of ways. So hopefully this episode, shed some light on some things and was helpful for you guys. We're gonna wrap it here and I will see you in the next one. Bye guys.