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Nutrition Supplements: Sue’s Favourites!

 

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Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed my first blog post.

Thank you for all the emails so far. Some of you sent me amazing stories, and I was so glad to hear that the information I provided was of help. I’m pretty sure I’ve replied to everyone, but do let me know if I didn’t get back to you. ([email protected])

You’ll probably notice from my first article that I prefer to stick to simple, helpful, and informative points, rather than going into too much heavy detail. I just think the subject of fitness and nutrition should be accessible to everyone, and what I want is for you all to continue to benefit from the information I give.

On that note, I’d like to point out that everything I write is based on my own personal experience and I’m not promising that it will work for everyone!

The topic of my next blog post is one that was requested by a lot of readers – What supplements does Sue take? Myself & Sue get all of our fitness supplements from BodyFirst Nutrition in Clontarf. BodyFirst stock an amazing vast range of products they are great at advising people on what is best for their own individual needs.

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1. Protein

> Sue’s Fave: BSN Syntha 6 Vanilla Flavour

A lot of you out there asked about the difference between male and female protein products, and the simple answer to this is, not much!

Look at it this way, is there a male and female chicken breast out there or male and female steak? No… same with protein.

If you are looking to buy a protein powder I would recommend a Whey protein powder. Why? Well it doesn’t matter what your goals are, everyone should consider taking a protein supplement. It’s one of the first supplements you should consider when starting a muscle- definition (toned) or fat-loss program.

When you work out in the gym you are essentially tearing your muscle, i.e. breaking them down to build them up and make them stronger.Whey protein, however, is a fast acting protein that will help speed up your recovery. It is ideal to get a chicken fillet salad, fish meal or any form of protein into you straight after your workout so the muscles can repair themselves quicker, but if like most people you are rushing back to work, or home for your dinner, it is convenient to drink a protein shake to help with this process.

Try drinking a shake immediately after your workout. You should go with 20-40 grams of whey to enhance muscle recovery and boost muscle protein synthesis.

In terms of brands, there are so many out there. I know that a lot of you don’t like the taste of these shakes, Sue is the same, but, after testing a good few out we found one or two that she likes. Sue uses BSN Syntha 6 vanilla flavour, which tastes really good and is easy to drink. With the Syntha 6 you also get 14 grams of carbs per serving along with your 22grams of protein. This is ideal if you are on the go and don’t have access to food immediately after your workout.

Another brand that I would recommend is Optimum Nutrition. These are one of the biggest and most reputable companies out there. It’s my personal favourite protein out there, and I use their mint chocolate 100% gold standard whey. Its amazing and tastes like a mint Aero, which is really good if you have a sweet tooth like me! 🙂

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2. Pre-workout 

> Sue’s Favourite: Amino Energy Fruit Fushion

So what is a pre-workout drink? It is, in simple terms, a drink you take before you exercise so that you have increased energy, endurance, focus, and, strength, as well as additional help in burning body fat.

Sue likes a drink called Amino Energy by Optimum Nutrition, and her chosen flavour is Fruit Fusion. Sue always drinks one of these energy drinks righ before hitting the gym as she feels it gives her drive to push herself even harder. I believe this is a great product for women to try, especially when compared to other pre-workout drinks, simply because it isn’t as intense as others and wont make you feel like your body is going to crash after taking it.

I find some of the other brands out there are too strong in terms of intensity, and you can sometimes have trouble sleeping if you drink one too late in the day. Sometimes you might experience a tingling sensation on your skin after taking a pre-workout drink, but don’t worry, this is completely normal! The tingling sensation comes from an ingredient called Beta-Allaine.

To help satisfy these demands, ON’s Essential Amino Energy combines an optimal ratio of rapidly absorbed free form amino acids- including muscle building BCAAs and arginine for more intense vascular pump – with natural energizers, beta Alanine, and N.O. boosting ingredients to help you reach your next level.I hope I haven’t scared you into thinking that this type of supplement is bad. Try it out. Some people love it and some don’t.

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3. Multivitamin 

> Sue’s Favourite: Opti Women 

Multivitamins essentially fill in all the nutritional gaps in your diet. As you all know, Sue can be very busy at times, so, when she is on the go, she sometimes doesn’t get the chance to enjoy a perfect meal containing all the essential nutrients she needs to keep her going.

As a result, she sometimes feels as though she is lacking in energy. When she takes multivits however, she finds it helps her maintain her energy levels throughout the day.

People that lead active lifestyles need even more nutrients than the average non-active person. 

Being deficient in these micro-nutrients will slow down fat loss and muscle growth as well as cause low energy levels, so I strongly suggest that you take these first thing in the morning with your breakfast.

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4. Quest Bars

Recently, I found these AMAZING protein bars that are great for snacking on. If you have a sweet tooth like me, you’ll know how hard it is to combat the dreaded cravings. I will do a blog post on this at a later date, but for now, I want to introduce you to Quest Bars. The Cookies & Cream Quest Protein Bar, (my favourite!) has 21 grams of protein, tons of fiber, and no sugar added. Try them!

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5. Green Tea

So I imagine a lot of you out there already drink Green Tea or have tried it at some point in your life. Did you know that one cup of green tea has more antioxidant power than the same amount of fresh fruit, vegetable juice, or wine.

Green tea may benefit digestion and nutrition by providing vitamins important to the body, such as vitamins B, C and E. The high antioxidant effect of green tea may be the reason for any digestive effects, because antioxidants help cells in the body function more efficiently and help clear waste.

If you don’t like the idea of taking a pre workout drink before you go to the gym, there is also some caffeine in it however not as much as coffee so having a cup before you do a workout  will aid your performance aswell as increasing your body core temperature, metabolism and burning fat.

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That’s it for this week guys! I really hope you found the information helpful!

Let me know what blog post you wanna see next?

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If you have any questions, or would like me to do a blog post on a particular fitness/nutrition topic, just email me on [email protected]

Dylan 

Referrences: www.bodybuilding.com

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10 Comments

  1. Christina
    27 February 2015 / 14:34

    Sorry, I meant to say that ‘if your tummy is at all sensitive to lactose you might be better off turning to plant protein’. Makes more sense!

  2. Christina
    27 February 2015 / 14:31

    Hey Ronna – spotted your comment and may have some advice from experience. Although whey protein typically contains very low amounts of lactose, if you have a sensitive tummy you might be better off turning to plant protein. For the past 6 months I’ve been using this stuff called ‘Sunwarrior’ which is gluten, soy and dairy free and you can buy it in health stores like Holland and Barrett. It has worked wonders for me as an avid runner and I haven’t had any stomach complaints so far. Might be worth a shot! 🙂

  3. Ronna
    26 February 2015 / 06:10

    I have been working out for over 20 plus years. I find the whey protein upsets my stomach. Any other suggestions, Sue?

  4. holly
    31 August 2014 / 15:25

    I’m loving these fitness posts! I’ve always struggled with me weight/weight loss and I’m really trying to lose weight at the moment so these posts are really helpful and informative 🙂 and it does help that I love the so sue me blog and I know this is honest information that sue would follow 🙂

  5. Nat Harmon
    13 August 2014 / 13:39

    very helpful 🙂

  6. deborah
    31 July 2014 / 15:04

    Hi dylan, just wondering about the protein bars..wpuld u take thrm b4 r after training(training for a marathon) ..ive just had them delivered to me( i live in donegal)..should i take one once a day r half of one? Thanks a mill
    deborah

  7. Ciara Kelly
    31 July 2014 / 12:26

    Another great informative post Dylan thanks!
    I’ve known about Protein shakes but only tried them on and
    off a bit. But didn’t know about the Amino pre working out drinks –
    sounds interesting for me to try. Especially before long runs. I tend to always
    drink a Lucozade? Also, I drink one green tea in the morning, but I did not
    know all of the benefits (thought it was just the antioxidant!) I’m going to try
    and drink more of it now, perhaps even replace a couple of coffees with it!
    Cheers

  8. Rebecca
    28 July 2014 / 13:30

    Hi Dylan ive been thinking of buying supplements and protein shakes for a while now been looking at them every other week! Read your blog last night and today i bought the amino acids and whey protein to try them out i run every other day i clock up about 9k, I’m slim but need more toning and definition will the protein help with this? Could you recommend any drills i could do on my alternative days? Many thanks and love the blog x

  9. Julie
    28 July 2014 / 00:08

    Thank you so much, so helpful!

  10. Laura
    27 July 2014 / 21:12

    Love your blog section Dylan


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