3 supplements to help you move your body more
We have partnered with Allison Madigan (well&tight certified Trainer and Holistic Nutritionist) to do a 5 part series on supplements. There is so much clutter in the health food isle/stores and it can be very overwhelming to understand what your body needs. Each 5 part series aligns with the 5 pillars of Vitality5 offered at well&tight: Nutrition, Movement, Sleep, Resilience and Connection.
Part 2 – MOVEMENT:
At well&tight, we believe you should be active 5 hours of your week. Half of this time (2.5 hours) should be in an activity that elevates your heart rate (HIIT, Spinning, Running, Cycling, Bootcamp etc...) and the other half spent moving your body in ways that supports mobility and functional movement (yoga, barre, pilates etc...). Proper movement and regular activity will unlock the key to living longer and more fully with daily movement. You will feel better, think better and look better.
- Daily movement keeps us young and fights aging.
- Daily movement helps us think well and keeps our minds strong and clear.
- Daily movement reduces our stress, anxiety and depression symptoms.
Here are 3 of the supplements that I (Allison) recommend to help our bodies stay strong and fight any pain and inflammation so we can continue to move the way we are supposed to.
1. L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. In times of metabolic stress, glutamine is utilized by the body for tissue repair, gastrointestinal tract support, and natural defense system function.
Glutamine plays a large role in maintaining healthy intestinal integrity by enhancing the intestine's protective mucosal lining. In addition, glutamine is important in the preservation of muscle mass.
Whether your goal is to increase athletic performance, boost metabolism, improve recovery or even build muscle, research shows that L-glutamine is a must-have supplement.
During an intense workout, your body becomes stressed and your muscles and tendons require more glutamine than the amount supplied by a normal diet.
After an intense workout the levels of cellular glutamine can drop by 50 percent and plasma levels by 30 percent. It can also cause decreased immune function. This has a negative impact on your resistance training. It is a gateway for the body to use your muscle for energy rather than carbohydrates, but glutamine can prevent this from happening.
Supplementing with L-glutamine allows your muscles to fight and push further, which boost your strength and helps repair your skeletal muscles.
Replenishing glutamine levels after an intense session could take up to five days, so it is important to take it on a regular basis if you are doing intense exercise.
L-glutamine also burns fat and builds lean muscle mass by helping suppress insulin levels and stabilize blood glucose. This enables the body to use up less muscle mass to maintain blood sugar and insulin sensitivity in the cells.
Product I recommend – AOR L-glutamine powder
2. Turmeric (curcumin)
This has become particularly popular in the past year with turmeric latte’s gaining popularity because of their anti-inflammatory benefits.
Curcumin, the principal curcuminoid in turmeric, has been the subject of vast research in recent years. The nature of curcumin’s biological effects make it an interesting compound to researchers who study common chronic health concerns, such as those associated with joints, the cardiovascular system, glucose metabolism, brain function, mood, and cell-cycle regulation.
Curcumin helps relieve joint inflammation and supports joint health to help relieve minor pain associated with physical activity.
If you have been exercising and inflammation sticks around, it can get in the way of healing, that’s when supplementation can really help to bring down the inflammation and help the joint pain.
Turmeric is notoriously hard to absorb which is why the quality of the supplement is very important. Genuine heath offers a supplement with fermented turmeric – the fermenting process makes the curcumin more bioavailable, antioxidant rich and enhances the anti-inflammatory activity.
Product I recommend: Genuine health fast joint care+ with fermented turmeric
3. Protein
The protein found in food is used by every part of the body to develop, grow and function properly. It can be argued that nothing is more important than consuming protein foods, and because proteins are involved in just about every body function, it’s important that you consume enough every day.
Proteins are long chains of amino acids, which are essential molecules for all metabolic processes. Amino acids, such as glutamine, argine and glycine, allow for the break down, transport and storage of all nutrients, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water. Amino acids can be found in many different types of foods, even vegetables, but the highest sources are those that come from animals — like meat, dairy, eggs and fish — plus to a lesser extent certain plant foods like beans and seeds.
The body can make some amino acids on its’ own, but it depends on protein foods to obtain the rest.
Protein helps make you feel full which in turn prevents over eating. It takes longer to breakdown and digest, which leads to the feeling of satiety. Protein also has minimal effects on blood glucose levels, and actually slows down the absorption of sugar.
As it relates to movement, eating protein is necessary to build and maintain healthy muscle mass. As we age muscle mass declines, but some research shows that eating sufficient protein can help counteract this.
When you strength train muscle tissue is damaged as it works. Protein will help speed up the repair so it is important to have in your post exercise snack or meal.
Product I recommend: genuine health fermented vegan proteins+. I personally love the vanilla flavour. Click here for our overnight oat recipe.
Bio: Allison is a holistic nutritionist. After 15 years in the marketing industry she decided to head back to school and follow her passion. She has a strong belief in the power of food and proper nutrition to keep us in optimal health and prevent disease. Her mission is to empower people to make healthy and mindful decisions for themselves to achieve optimal health and wellness without it being difficult. She works with clients to formulate a plan that works for them. Allison does not believe in diets, rather a healthy lifestyle. Her three pillars are Holistic. Healthy. Mindful. To find out more visit her website.