The 5 Factors of Body Transformations

The 5 Factors of Fat Loss

Part 4 of 5 in a Series: Supplementation

Even if you eat the most nutritious of foods, it is virtually impossible to satisfy your body’s nutritional needs with the number of calories recommended to lose fat. In addition, due to a typically busy lifestyle, it is difficult to eat perfectly every day for the rest of your life. Therefore, when following a fitness program, muscles become undernourished, causing your body to shed the muscle it can’t feed. By supplying the body with the nutrients it needs (e.g., a multivitamins, essential fats, protein), you can help satisfy all your nutritional needs for repair and growth.

The benefits of using supplements as low-calorie nutrition during an exercise program are well researched. As simple as just the daily use of a multivitamin formula has been found to be the most inexpensive nutritional insurance.

The reason behind adding supplements to your daily meals is to supply the body with nutrient dense, low-calorie or calorie-free nutrition and select compounds that have the potential to improve health, alter body composition and increase performance and metabolic rate.

The Categories and Uses of Supplements

The one thing I do recommend for EVERYONE regardless of their individual goals is a multivitamin specific to a man's or woman's needs. A multivitamin formula is the foundation of any complete fitness program. Additional vitamins and minerals will boost your nutrient intake beyond what is available through the foods you eat. These additional nutrients allow cells to reach their potential creating the ideal environment for positive physical change. Taking other supplements before creating a nutritional foundation is like adding expensive accessories to a car that doesn’t run properly.

1) Altering Body Composition

It is difficult to get enough nutrients from your normal diet to support your fitness goals. Any time there is an increase in cellular activity, as during exercise, the body increases its use of nutrients. On top of the multivitamin/multi-mineral recommended above, a few staple supplements I utilize when trying to alter body composition are:

Protein Powders (with a mix of proteins)

Meal Replacement Powders (with the occasional Meal Replacement Bar)

Essential Fatty Acids/Fish Oils

By supplying these nutrients without climbing the calories too high, the attempt is made to satisfy all nutrient needs for repair and growth without exceeding the amount of calories needed to sustain the mandatory deficit for fat loss. When undernourished, the body must shed the muscle it cannot feed.

2) Increasing Performance and Metabolism

Specific nutrients and combinations of nutrients have been found to improve exercise performance and increase the calories burned during and after exercise. Supplying the body with calorie-free nutrients can improve performance and, therefore, assist with fat-loss and muscle-gain goals.

This is a higher level of supplementation and should only be utilized after the above staple supplements are being met. A few of the ones I utilize from this category are:

Creatine

Thermogenics/Fat Burners

Beta-Alanine (usually in combination with some form of Arginine/NO2)

Branch Chain Amino Acids

With some of these products you must use caution. Especially ones that cause a stimulus effect. You should be in perfect health beforehand and may want to consult a qualified health care professional before utilizing. Any one who has a family history of heart disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. should use EXTREME caution and get the okay of a doctor before utilizing any of these.

Conclusion

Sensible supplementation is recommended in order to supply the body with the right combination of nutrients and compounds that have the potential to enhance performance, reduce body fat, increase muscle and/or improve health. Proper supplementation creates the environment your body needs to get maximum results.

But...they are called "supplements" for a reason. They are to "supplement" proper nutrition....not take the place of it.

Next time up...Factor 5: An often overlooked factor BUT one that can really separate true success from failure.

See you then!

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