Do you feel it's needed to take any supplements while working out? Or is the exercise itself generally enough? Do you take any yourself?
Our bodies are amazing machines. I honestly don't understand why anyone would use anything to push the body further than it's naturally built to go on it's own. Supplements aren't regulated either, so you never know exactly what you're getting. You could be downing completely ineffective garbage created in a dirty bathtub. The best thing you can do for yourself is eat whole foods and let your body do what it's meant to do.
For the most part, the supplement industry exists because they cater to dumb people, who'd rather look for a miracle pill online instead of actually working out. Not saying that's your case... There are good supplements out there... But work on your nutrition and get some work done. I doubdt you really need supplements at this point.
Oh I don't take them myself, so that's definitely not my case I was asking because I see so many people taking them and it's such a well established industry , so I thought there must be some advantage to them.
I don't take any supplements during a workout or for a workout specifically. I get all of my nutrients in my food, and if I need anything else, I usually have a supplement in the morning (usually fish oil for my health). I'm not big into the idea of taking supplements during a workout, which is why I'm not even sure what kind of supplements could be out there. I just think that if you need a certain something, there's definitely a food item that could provide it for you.
Supplements are fantastic if you actually know how to use them properly. There's a lot of people who seem to think that if you just take the supplements you'll be fine and not realize you need to still have the well-balanced diet and exercise regularly. They do help, but they aren't the magic "lose all your weight" pill or powder without exercising and dieting as well. In the end, every weight loss technique comes back to having a healthy diet and exercising. If you don't do those things, you're not going to lose weight.
Instead of supplements, go for a natural healthy diet. Instead of shelling out your money for supplements, have them spent for foods that are naturally healthy for the body. Besides supplements don't guarantee 100% absorption unlike foods. Usually when you drink supplements, you would also have to eat food for them to be absorbed. I would suggest that you couple your exercise with food instead of supplements.
I think instead of spending your money on all those "power foods" and "power supplements", it is wiser to exercise and eat in a balanced way to keep up your strength. I'd say listen to what your body is telling you and give it the nutrients it needs and wants. Common sense has a lot to do with it. Unless, of course, you are trying to be an athlete or bodybuilder. In that case I'd get some professional advice.
In some cases Humans have messed up food sources too much. So there's a place for supplements. In other cases, supplements are high quality, safe, and just convenient... But there's a lot of scam artists looking to make some money off people in this industry... As far as the healthy diet everyone raves about, that takes a lot of work and practice to... It's no piece of cake. We're talking eating for optimal performance here... It can also be expensive. Eating organic, eating gluten-free. I laugh when people just talk about like it's nothing. Having said that, the cream of the crop of athletes in our planet is 100% supplement free so...
The only hard part I see is coming off the horrible diet to eat right. People get themselves so accustomed and addicted to all that sugar and salt etc, that real food tastes so bland and boring in comparison. If they would give their bodies the time they need to adjust, they would come to truly appreciate what the earth provides. Otherwise, there is nothing simpler than just eating real. Did the earth make it or was it made in a factory.. easy peasy. Real food and lots of it. I also spend less on groceries now than when I was eating the typical western diet. If you compare a food to a "food" you might see "food" is cheaper (not always.. produce is so cheap!), but you have to look at the whole to see the real difference. It's not as hard as everyone makes it out to be at all... hence the obesity crisis.
Sometimes there are exceptions to that hehe. I think I might try taking some vitamins at least, to make up whatever is missing from my diet to reach the daily recommended amount. As for supplements to boost muscle mass gains and generally helping out with working out, I think I'll keep away at least for now.
The loss of energy resulting from exercising conditions your feeding needs. Similarly, your nutrition conditions the energy you have to perform your exercises properly. You should supplement your diet if you exercise regularly, otherwise you will not perform properly in the gym. As a minimum: a good plan of vitamins and minerals as well as essential aids such as basic amino acids. Indispensable!
I'd suggest you try to watch your nutrition intake with some kind of app like myfitnesspal or something similar. After you do that for a week, you can see if your diet lacks something. For example my diet lacks Vitamin C, so I take vitamin C pills. In case you lack proteins, you could either try eating more fish or other high-protein-food or you could just get some protein powder and make yourself a protein-shake for breakfast.
The only supplements I take is One A Day for Women vitamins. That's it. Last week, I bought a small case of Ensure and I plan to try that soon. I know there are supplements to help with your body strength and muscles as well. I haven't gotten around to them and I am unsure if I want to take them just yet. For me, exercising is enough. I try to eat healthy and drink lots of water before my workout and after. I would like to read some people's post on supplements they take and if it helps them while working out.
I feel that supplements are only good for substituting what you lack in your lifestyle. Multivitamins for example, these are not needed unless your practice a poor diet. I feel it's always better to do things naturally. Food gives you the energy you need while fluids provide fuel for the long haul. In addition, I don't think anything is wrong with supplements, I just feel natural will be more healthy in the long run.
I don't think it's necessary, because I have tried taking a few supplements before, and I did not notice anything different to my body. I still felt the same, so I can't say for sure if they really work. So I think you're better off not taking them while you exercise. That also spares you from the added expense, so you get to save money too.
Let's see what I have next to me... Vitamin D Biotin Garlic pills Zinc Chromium I'm sure I could cut out most, if not all of them, but I particularly enjoy zinc as I think it wards off illnesses rather well and Vitamin D. That said, I do tend to experiment with vitamins for brief periods of time.
I personally like to use pre-workout to boost my energy levels at the gym, and I use protein powder to make shakes to supplement my diet. I stay away from the hard-core stuff though, as I think may people go overboard, and it can be harsh on your body using lots of different things.
I don't understand why people use supplements when they've been proven in countless studies to not help the body. Individuals with malnutrition due to a sickness or disorder can benefit, according to studies, but everyone else is just wasting their time consuming supplements that aren't doing anything helpful. I'll save my money and continue to be healthy enough to where I wouldn't need supplements even if they worked.
