To Supplement or not?

I get this question regularly. But before I can answer this question, we need to define what ‘supplements’ are. This is particularly important when it comes to protein powder. I don’t consider this a supplement because it’s really a food. A good shake replaces some other food you would have eaten otherwise. Would you consider cottage cheese a supplement? I think not.  And when you buy a larger container of a high quality supplement, you can basically have a meal for less than $1.00 and that’s pretty cheap for a meal.

I also don’t consider a multi vitamin a supplement. Sure it’s not a food but in today’s high stress world where even the best of us don’t eat enough fresh, organic fruits and veggies, a well balanced multi vitamin makes sense. Moreover, when doing an extreme program like P90X, you have additional stress on the body which means you need a higher level of vitamins and minerals to keep your body nourished.

So while we could debate these two items as supplements or not, for sake of argument, I’ll put these down as ‘must have supplements’

MUST HAVE SUPPLEMENTS:

• High quality protein powder.  I use the Gaspari brand Myofusion for an evening shake (high protein and very low carb and fat) shortly before I go to bed.  For those looking for the ultimate in nutrition, consider Shakeology.I use Shakeology in the mornings after I workout.  Shakeology is definitely a meal replacement shake with over 70 nutrients.  Because it has ingredients that are energizers (maca & chia seeds) I recommend you take Shakeology during the day and not at night.   You can get by with just the Myofusion if you are on a budget.  If your primary goal is just weight loss, Myofusion gets the job done.  But if your goal is total health in a lean body, and you have the budget, Shakeology is a great investment.
• High quality multi vitamin.  I’ve used Activit before and liked it.  Right now I’m on Nature’s Way Alive multi vitamin.  I like this one because it adds green foods, bioflavanoids, enzymes, amino acids and more so it’s more readily absorbed and used by the body.

Now after these two ‘must haves’, I’m a lot more flexible.  However, I’m a very curious person and like to try out different supplements.  So here’s what I currently take:

• My #1 supplement is Xtend.  This is a branched chain amino acid supplement that helps me add lean muscle and recover from hard workouts more quickly without adding any calories.  I love this stuff!!  It costs me about $.65 per day to add this.
• Jack3d or Gaspari’s Superpump250.  These are what are referred to as NO or nitric oxide supplements.  They don’t actually contain any NO but ingredients thought to produce higher levels of NO.  NO will give you better muscle pumps and greater stamina. Jack3d is a smaller serving and mixes much more easily in water.  Great for men and women who want to add more lean mass.  Please note that these supplements have stimulents in them.  While it can get you motivated to workout, I would not take them if you are doing an evening workout- you'll be up all night lol 
• OxyElite Pro Fat Burner.  It has about as much caffine as a cup of coffee and gets me going in the morning.  I take 1 everyday about 30 minutes before breakfast. Love this stuff! It's different than other fat burners on the market because it has all natural ingredients...I won't name names...but some of those labels out there are downright scary!!

So now you know.  Remember a high quality protein, a good multi vitamin and a good diet will do 80%+ of the job.  The rest is for those who want the added edge and can afford it!myshakeology.com/trimandtoned