Before I begin, I want to be clear that this is no way an endorsement on my behalf and I am not being paid by anyone to talk about these supplements. These are just ones that I enjoy taking and have worked into my daily routine (when I remember to take them). Lets begin!
I don’t take a whole lot of stimulants and fat burners like many weight lifting athletes do. My supplements revolve more around overall health and rebuilding than anything else.
Noxygen
Noxygen is a supplement that I typically save for days when I work big muscle groups. Its my favorite for leg day because Noxygen is a vasodilator. Meaning its delivers blood and oxygen to the muscles faster and more so than the body would without the supplement. It can also be a great morale booster because it provides a great pump. But thats besides the point, isn’t it? 😉 I usually like to mix this stuff in with my BCAA’s or a pre workout and I chug it all about 15-30 minutes because I start.
BCAAs
BCAA stands for branch chain amino acids. These amino aids stimulate protein synthesis which is fantastic for muscle recovery and regrowth. I really like Optimum’s nutrition bcaa formula for its flavor and variety. Their other supplements can be lacking in good ingredients and all around quality but they definitely have the BCAA thing down! Watermelon is my favorite flavor because it tastes exactly like a a watermelon jolly rancher. I drink it with my Noxygen before some workouts and often times I will sip it through out the day by itself. BCAAs are great because there are times where they are better to take, but there are no serious rules that some supplements come with such as fat burners and pre-workouts.
Green Tea
I drink a cup of green tea every morning before breakfast like clock work. Some people drink coffee, I drink green tea. I drink it for the far burning benefits. Green Tea Extract can be available in capsule form but drinking the tea itself gets the job done too. I must say I am very particular about my green tea brands. My favorite is Bigelow Green tea and I buy it in bulk! I find that many other green teas taste like literal swamp water. Literally! I am not kidding! So many green teas taste like algae filled swamp water. Thank goodness I have found a brand that doesn’t. Honestly, I could write an entire blog post all about swampy green tea, but I will spare you and skip that for now. 🙂
Iron & Omega 3 Fish Oil
These two supplements I take on the daily for all around health and wellness. I am slightly anemic so the iron helps keep my levels balance and the fish oil is a supplement I incorporated into my daily life to ensure I get good fats in addition to the fat macros in my diet. Fish Oil is such a great, all around supplement to take. Its known for helping with a variety of ailments from cataracts to depression!
L- Carnitine & Melatonin
Don’t be confused, even though these two supplements are pictured together they do very different things. For starters, I take melatonin for sleep. It’s a great natural sleeping aid to use if you ever get hit with bouts of insomnia. Melatonin is the hormone that occurs in our body naturally to make us sleep and its better to take it in small amounts rather than taking an antihistamine if you’re in a pinch.
The L-Carnitine is for an entirely different purpose. L-carnitine is sometime categorized as an amino acid (a building block for proteins) that is naturally produced in the body. Its primary use for body building is to protect the muscles during a high intensity workout. It moves fats into the center of cells where it can then be used as energy during workouts. Essentially, L-Carnitine keeps the body from using muscle tissue as energy which would then lessen your muscle mass, and uses it stored fat instead. This helps you lean out while still maintaining muscle mass and is really helpful for prepping season. I take a serving of it 30 minutes before every cardio session and metabolic workout.
Whey Protein
I am extremely picky when it comes to whey protein. I don’t know what it is about it but some brands make me gag and I simply can’t get a shake down. I have found two proteins that I can take. One, I actually love and enjoy drinking and the other is just what I can get by on.
Lets talk about Thorne Research/EXOS
I put the “EXOS” in there because originally the protein was EXOS but Thorne Research incorporated them and revamped their formula. This protein is by far the best whey protein I have ever had. It isn’t quite as accessible (only online) and its a bit more expensive but it is AMAZING. Chocolate is the best flavor in my opinion and it actually tastes like chocolate. Not some weird, whey watered down version of it. Its really freaking delicious. Only downside to this whey is the fact that it isn’t low carb. Depending on how much you take, it can be 6-10g of carbohydrates in each serving. If you have 2-3 shakes a day… that can add up. I only take this protein on my high carb days, which is twice a week, and I take Isopure the rest of the week.
Isopure is a whey protein that my coach highly recommends. Its great for prep because it is zero carb. It isn’t quite as good though. With the Thorne I could even take it with water and it still tasted rich and oh so yummy. However, with Isopure I can’t stomach the stuff with water unless it is ice cold. All in all I suggest you take it with almond milk to give it back the rich flavor. Chocolate is the only flavor I have tried from them but they have an extensive variety. They have a whole line of all natural flavors and then even weird ones like cinnamon roll and mango peach. Personally, I wouldn’t want my whey to be citrusy but to each their own! Thorne Research/ EXOS on the other hand sticks to the classic chocolate and vanilla.
Girl Gettin' Fit 