Supplementing A Healthy Lifestyle

With all the vitamins and supplements that are in the market, it can be hard to know what to look for when you want to add something extra to your daily routine. I often get asked what things I incorporate into daily life or my fitness routine, so I put together a list of things that I currently use.

Everything included here is literally in my cabinet as I’m writing this. I will also note that I do my best to find products I consider “clean,” i.e. no added sugar, no GMOs, all natural flavors, and gluten-free is a bonus (I try to stay away from gluten because of my eczema.) Another good thing to point out is that everyone’s body is different and what works for one person may work differently for someone else or just not work at all.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nutritionist or registered dietician. Check with your doctor before starting any diet or supplement routine. All opinions are my own and based on personal experience.

Fueling Workouts

Electrolytes + BCAAs. Although I’ve never been one to use a preworkout (I’ve tried several times and they just don’t work well with my body), I do love a good intraworkout – Electrolytes + BCAAs. If I’m doing a light workout, plain water will work just fine for the most part. But when I am in the middle of a heavy lifting sesh or instense high-impact cardio, a good electrolyte mix gives me the flavor and boost I need.

In the middle of 2021, I switched my electrolytes to one with BCAAs. (Keep reading to see what I had been using.) When engaging in any intense physical activity, electrolyte replenishment is super important to help your body recover and rehydrate. An electrolyte supplement will replenish essential nutrients your body loses through sweat, control your body’s fluid balance and regulate your blood pressure. Consuming electrolytes during an intense workout may help with performance by regulating essential functions within the body.

What are BCAAS? Branched-Chain Amino Acids. BCAAs are known to have an impact on muscle growth, soreness and recovery. Basically, these specific amino acids are part of the group of nine amino acids considered essential for your body but cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through your diet.

My Product: Zeal Naturals Enhanced Electrolytes
Features I Like: This product boasts itself as ZERO: sugar, calories, caffeine, gluten, dairy, soy and nuts.
My Experience: While I could probably do just as fine without the BCAAs component (sidenote: other supplements, such as protein, may already include enough BCAAs), I do feel as though I’ve seen benefits since starting this product. I don’t feel I’m quite as sore as I used to be after some of my tough workouts. My soreness level has decreased as well as my fatigue after workouts, so all in all I would say my post-workout recovery has been positively impacted.

Before I switched to Zeal Naturals, I had been using Ultima Replenisher™ for several years and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an easy way to add electrolytes, whether to supplement for workouts, through illness or just daily life. I originally started using this product when I started a Keto lifestyle in 2018, because it was clean and keto-friendly. There are also a lot of great flavors to choose from!

Added Protein. Protein is an essential part of our nutrition, and incredibly important when it comes to post-workout muscle recovery. Most people simply don’t get enough protein in their diet, so an easy way to increase your intake without substantally increasing your calories and other macros is a good, clean protein powder.

I’ve been a part of my gym community, Burn Boot Camp, in Baton Rouge for four years and Afterburn is their branded protein. The product is clean without added fillers and blends well, available in whey and plant-based. The taste is a little milder than other products, but still has a good flavor. A majority of the time I mix mine with water, but I always recommend almond milk as an alternative because I do think the Afterburn tastes GREAT with almond milk – especially the plant-based. The plant-based actually has a little more flavor in my opinion and almost tastes like a milk shake when mixed with almond milk.

My Product: Burn Boot Camp Afterburn, Chocolate Plant-Based
Features I Like: The plant-based has 30 grams of protein! There aren’t many brands that pack that much of a punch in their protein powder. Also – vegan, non-GMO and gluten-free.
My Experience: For more serious gym-goers who use a protein powder religiously after a workout, you know the flavor in most products isn’t always the greatest. But you mix it and slam it just to get it in and help build muscle. Afterburn is pretty darn good, honestly. Especially mixed with almond milk – that’s why I love the chocolate the best, because it’s almost as if I’m drinking a chocolate shake. It’s an easy and delicious way for me to up my protein intake, especially after a tough day in the gym.

Before using Afterburn, I enjoyed Rule 1 protein. Not quite as clean as Afterburn, but still a pretty good product and the flavors were really good.

Everyday Health

Essential Vitamins and Nutrients. We already know a healthy lifestyle with plenty of nutritious foods is important to overall health. Did you know we’re supposed to eat 9 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day to get all the necessary plant-based nutrients our bodies crave? (And more if you’re an athlete.) Who does that? Practically no one – it’s a lot of food! Even if you do manage to eat more fruits and veggies than the average person, our food is so much more processed today, the nutrients are just not there.

This is where Juice Plus+ comes in handy for me. It’s fruit and veggies – 100% whole food – in a capsule. It helps bridge the gap between what we’re supposed to eat and what we actually do eat. There’s no supplement label, but a nutrition label because it’s actually just food – the best thing you can give to your body. And for all the moms out there looking for the best products for their kids, the Juice Plus+ Healthy Starts for Families program allows you to get a free order of kids chewables with every order of adults – no extra cost.

My Product: Juice Plus+ Fruits, Veggies, Berries and Omega Blends
Features I Like: 100% Whole Foods, NSF certified, plant-based, non-GMO, gluten-free.
My Experience: Since starting Juice Plus+, I have more energy to sustain throughout the day, more mental clarity and focus, I am sleeping better and experience less stress and anxiety. I was taking A LOT of supplements (vitamins and such) before starting Juice Plus+. My main concern was going off of some of the things I was taking (like added magnesium and zinc). But I didn’t experience any of the issues I thought I would. I feel great on Juice Plus+ and knowing that my body is getting more nutrients it needs everyday.

Collagen Support. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies and helps support pretty much everything in our bodies – bones, joints, skin, ligaments, tendons. It’s like a “glue” that holds us together. As we age, our body naturally produces less collagen and thus enters collagen supplements. There is varied research about whether or not a collagen supplement is actually necessary or valuable, but I always say I feel everything works differently for everyone and you have to do some research and see what the best option is for you.

I originally started taking collagen as an attempt to revitalize my hair when it started thinning in my early 30s. (Most people know collagen as the hair, skin and nails supplement.) After about 3 weeks of using Sports Research Collagen Peptides, my hair seemed to have slightly more volume. But I used it inconsistently so not really sure it did too much for me in that aspect. However, I ordered more from time to time after I used up my container and kept it around. About 3 years later, when I started experiencing knee pain, I began to take it regularly again and found that it helped a bit with joint pains.

Again, everything works differently for different people and I encourage everyone to research and find the best product for you.

My Product: Sports Research Collagen Peptides
Features I Like: Unflavored, gluten-free, non-GMO
My Experience: I had experienced a mild impact on hair growth, but seemed to do better with easing joint pains. I love this unflavored version because I add it to coffee (which I drink black) and it doesn’t really change the taste for me. Would be easy to blend into smoothies or other meal options as well. Sports Research seems to be a good brand for supplements and I also used their biotin for a period of time as well.

Melatonin. Melatonin is a natural hormone in our body that regulates sleep cycles. Your body releases more melatonin during evening hours in response to darkness to help facilitate and promote sleep. Daylight disrupts hormone production, keeping us awake during the day.

Many people have trouble sleeping at night, and when I go through periods of intense anxiety, I’m affected by this as well. Because I try to stay off of chemicals or non-natural products as much as possible, I looked for a melatonin supplement to help. Most melatonin supplements you’ll find in store are gummies and therefore contain several grams of sugar. I searched for an alternative so I wouldn’t impact my clean eating. I turned to EZ Melts and it worked great for me.

My Product: EZ Melts Melatonin
Features I Like: Contains natural sugar only, dissolvable, non-GMO
My Experience: This product worked so well for me. I find it kicks in about 45 minutes to an hour after I take one tablet, and just generally calms me down and gets my body prepared to fall asleep. And unlike sleep aids, I don’t wake up feeling groggy. SIDENOTE: melatonin works if you have trouble falling asleep, but will not keep you asleep the whole night. If you can fall asleep easily but experience restless waking in the middle of the night from anxiety or other issues, melatonin won’t be your best option.

What supplements do you currently take? Leave a comment and tell me what you plan to change or add to your routine!