S1E12: Supplements • General Nutrition Guidance

Body Shepherd Personal Training

TIP: Supplements

There may be no bigger taboo topic among fitness professionals than that of supplementation. So, in full disclosure, I am pro-supplements, so long as they are used as true supplements, and not leaned on entirely for results. Here are supplements I use every day and why:

• Protein. I find it difficult to get all the protein my body needs to grow muscle in my 40s from plate food, alone, so I use NutraBio’s Whey Protein 100% Isolate (vanilla) to give myself protein throughout the day. It’s a great on-the-go tool too.
• L-Carnitine Tartate. Carnitine is an amino acid that does a lot of amazing things, but the tartate form helps the body tap into stored body fats and use them for energy, rather than immediately available sugars from recently eaten carbs or sugars.
• Green Tea Extract. There are a ton of benefits to green tea, but in its extract form, I use it for giving my metabolism a spike and also staving off hunger. There are a lot more benefits to green tea extract, but this is what I find useful.
• BCAAs. Brand Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are used in the construction of protein, and when consumed orally, they can help the body keep muscle intact during a period of time when we are intentionally losing weight but wanting to keep our hard-earned muscle. BCAAs come in some very tasty drink forms these days, so they are also delicious to drink!
• Vitamins and minerals. These changes throughout the year, but my staples are zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C. Sometimes I add in Chromium for blood sugar control, especially during the Christmas goodies time of year, but the others mentioned are primarily for my immune system and cell health.