Sports Supplements for Women
The sport supplements market is a huge business, which has been growing, year on year. It has largely focused on men in the past. We very often see image of boys drinking shakes during or after training at the gym. However, the industry is increasingly targeting women. I think one of the main reasons for this is: you girls have been changing your approach to training, many of you are not afraid to lift weights, do HIIT training and you are very determined to get results. (In my experience as a PT, you are quite often more focused and determined than the guys.)
One of most common goals for women is losing body fat. In the market there are many products which can help you to do so.
Fat burners
Products called “fat burners” are quite often packed up with many chemicals, which names or roles are very difficult to understand for most of people. They usually working by elevating your heart rate or/and body temperature, which many of you can find unpleasant. You can have big problems with sleeping, especial if you take them and train in the evening. On positive side they usually work quite well and give you a very good kick before training.
If you’re just starting to use sports supplements, then you probably want to start with natural fat burners – L-carnitine, CLA and Green Tea tablets. They all, except for green tea, occur naturally in our body.
CLA-conjugated linoleic acids
These are fatty acids, which help you to burn fat.
L-carnitine
Helps in the metabolism of long chain fatty acids in the energy cycle. It is synthesised in the liver, brain and kidneys from essential amino acids-Lysine and L-methionine.
Green tea
Is a powerful antioxidant and can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol and helps to burn fat as well.
The dosage of all of them is 1000-2000mg a day. They bringing a good results but don’t make miracles – you must still have a good diet and exercise.
Whey protein can work in a few ways
Proteins are harder to digest and you will feel fuller for longer, so whey protein makes the perfect snack between meals. To digest them you will be using energy as well, not much, but sine.
Remember that to speed up your metabolism, ideally you will have 5 small meals /snack a day, as well as exercise regularly.
Nutrition books advise that women need 1g of protein per kg of body weight per day. However times change: more and more girls are not afraid to do intense plyometric-weight lifting training as they see results in the form of a toned body and increased fitness. (Unfortunately, a lot of girls still believe the myth that if you lift any weights then you will build up big muscles, that’s nonsense, but still widely believed.)
Whey protein shakes are very handy for this type of exercise; helping with faster recovery and transformation into stronger toned muscles.
Protein shakes can be great remedy for quite common excuse, “I haven’t have time to eat’’. You shouldn’t replace your meals with shakes but, like I said, they are a perfect snack and take only a few seconds to mix.
Protein/recovery bars
Many of you do more than one class in the row and quite often you can feel drained during the second class. If this happens, maybe you should try protein / recovery bars. Always look at the nutrition on the label – you are looking for high protein, low fat and good proportion of slow realised carbs and sugars. These bars will keep you going and you will be able to give 100%.
You could argue this stuff is expensive; my answer is to shop around. You can find very good deals on the internet. Personally, I use two websites: www.discountsupplements.co.uk and www.myprotein.co.uk. You can choose easy way and go to nearest Holland &Barrett but you will pay over the odds.
Remember-never look at flashy, marketing stickers on the front, the important information is on the back in nutrition section. Compare them!
Stay fit.
Artur
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