If you’re just starting out on a fitness journey, you may have started looking into supplements to help support your training. With so many available, it can become confusing knowing which ones are suitable for you and your needs. Simply cleaning up your diet and eating healthier is great and will have an incredible impact on your health and performance, but these key supplements will add further benefits.
In this article, I will go over some of the key supplements that will hugely benefit your health and performance right from the start. These supplements are true staples in my own nutritional structure and will be kept in for life.
1). Super Strength Omega 3 Oil
Omega 3 has a plethora of benefits on human health. It is found naturally in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, however, to consume the dosage required for optimal benefits, it’s likely oily fish consumption isn’t sufficient. So a good quality omega 3 supplement is extremely beneficial.
- Improve your ratio of omega 3: omega 6 within the body. Omega 6 is rich in modern day diets, whilst Omega 3 isn’t. Omega 6 is pro-inflammatory, meaning it can lead to chronic low-level systemic inflammation which is linked to many illnesses and diseases. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory, meaning it will neutralise any inflammation caused by omega 6 if the ratio is balanced and help protect you from things such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, arthritis plus many more.
- Improved mental focus. The super strength omega 3 supplement is high in both EPA and DHA. EPA regulates blood supply to the brain which is essential for delivering nutrients to the brain and promoting good mood and concentration. DHA helps keep brain membranes healthy and therefore ensures we have good memory and cognition.
- Increased fat loss. By turning on genes responsible for fat mobilisation and turning off genes responsible for fat storage (lipolytic and lipogenic genes, respectively). So when trying to burn body fat, omega 3 will assist with this process providing your nutrition and training is in the right place.
2). A Multivitamin
Vitamins and minerals are essential for so many systems and processes within the body. Vitamins and minerals not only support good health but massively benefit training performance and recovery. Meaning your fitness journey will benefit hugely from adding in a multivitamin supplement.
Although they are found in vegetables and fruit, due to farming processes and cooking methods, the quantity is often limited. So adding in some extras is often a good idea.
3). Impact Whey Isolate
Whether your goal is to build muscle, burn body fat, improve health or reach a performance goal, a good quality protein powder is very useful. When taking part in regular exercise, we need an above average intake of protein to ensure our muscles and organs have all the tools they need to repair and regenerate.
Inadequate protein intake when exercising can lead to muscle loss (very detrimental to the ageing process), inadequate recovery and suboptimal performance. If your goal is a fat loss because you want to get in better shape, not having enough protein from the diet will hinder your progress because of lost muscle mass and therefore a decreased metabolic rate.
The impact whey isolate is easy to digest form of protein powder and so when taken after a workout, provides the body with a quick and easy dosage of protein to kick-start recovery.
4). L- Glutamine
The reason I would recommend this supplement is to improve the function of your digestive system. Poor diets, stress and rushing meals in our busy modern day world can cause the gut and intestine to become damaged and inflamed due to food not being broken down properly.
When the walls of the digestive system become inflamed, they become more permeable. This means unwanted pathogenic bacteria can make its way through the system and into the bloodstream. This can then lead to a plethora of issues around the body.
L-glutamine is the main amino acid used to repair and regenerate damaged tissue within these organs and so makes a great addition to your daily nutrition.
5). Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine may seem like something slightly more advanced, however, if it helps you get an extra 10%-15% out of your training right from the start, this will inevitably speed up your results.
Taking creatine enhances the body’s ability to perform high-intensity work and therefore assists with muscular hypertrophy and performance. Creatine is stored in muscle cells (as creatine phosphate) and supplies our fastest and most powerful muscle fibres with an immediate energy supply.
However, stores are very limited and are used within a matter of seconds and therefore during high-intensity exercise, these fibres fatigue quickly. Supplementing with creatine increases the amount of creatine phosphate that is stored and delays fatigue of these powerful fibres. Therefore it helps us perform a few more reps or sprint faster for longer before fatiguing.
The Bottom Line
Supplements should support a good quality diet that supports your needs and goals. If used correctly, they can have a huge impact on your health, performance and results. If you are confused about which ones to get, I highly recommend making the above 5 your first choice.
Our articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you're concerned, consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or introducing any major changes to your diet.
Alice Pearson is a UKVRN Registered Associate Nutritionist and UK Anti‐Doping accredited advisor, having obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition and a Master’s of Science in Sport Nutrition. She has a specialist interest in the use of sports supplements for improving health, fitness, and sport performance. Alice has experience working with both amateur and elite athletes, including providing nutritional support to Tranmere Rovers FC and Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club. Her nutritional guidance is always supported by evidence‐based research, which she keeps up to date through continuing professional development and independent learning. In her spare time, Alice loves travelling, hitting the gym, and getting stuck into a good book. Find out more about Alice's story here.
