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5 Supplements to reduce effects of overtraining!
Too much of a good thing can be bad. Of course I will always be an advocate for a lifestyle which includes good nutrition and healthy physical activity. When your level of physical activity increases in amount and intensity, however, it’s important for you to remember that it m
ay be necessary to take key supplements to help you sustain that level of activity.
Start with a healthy diet. This is the best way to get a start on meeting your body’s nutritional demands. Speak with your doctor, Pharmasave pharmacist, or nutritionist about developing a nutrition plan for optimal athletic performance, whatever your current level of exercise happens to be. This plan can be altered and adjusted to meet changes in your physical activity. When you have a level of activity which maxes out at a stroll from the kitchen to the couch, you don’t have the same nutritional requirement as a triathlete in training. It’s a plan that needs frequent fine tuning, as frequent as changes in your exercise regime occur. When your exercise level intensifies and your body’s nutritional and recovery demands are not being met, you run the risk of overtraining.
Some of the pitfalls of overtraining include illness, injury and burnout. These supplements can help fortify your body and avoid some of these pitfalls.
- Vitamin B Complex: Adequate intake of B vitamins is important for optimum energy production and repair of muscle tissue.
- Magnesium: My favorite mineral. Magnesium plays a number of rolls in cellular metabolism, regulates membrane stability and regulates neuromuscular, cardiovascular, immune and hormonal functions. It releases energy in every cell by activating ATP. Magnesium deficiency impairs endurance by increasing oxygen requirements to complete exercise.
- Rhodiola: Modulates the stress hormone “cortisol”. Under chronic stress or intense periods of exercise, cortisol levels remain elevated which impairs recovery and can disrupt the sleep cycle.
- Phosphatidylserine (PS): PS is required for the functioning of all cells and is found in highest concentrations in the membranes of cells with high metabolic activity (brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscle). Studies have shown that during high intensity exercise PS demonstrated a blunting of cortisol (a stress hormone which disrupts many systems in the body) as well as a lower level of perceived muscle soreness post-exercise.
- Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): BCAAs are essential nutrients that are obtained from proteins such as meat, dairy products and legumes. Athletes use BCAAs to prevent fatigue, improve exercise performance and reduce muscle breakdown during intense exercise.
Depending on your lifestyle, dietary habits and level of exercise, you may benefit from these supplements as a means to put a sharper edge on your athletic performance. Speak to one of the Live Well team at Pharmasave for more information about preventing overtraining.
Dan Cassidy, Nutritional Product Advisor