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Supplements – Why Are They So Important?

Why supplements are important

Supplements are a critical component to your overall health and longevity. It’s crucial that your body gets the necessary nutrients in order to perform optimally. And this becomes even more vitally important when you’re regularly active or are undergoing a strenuous training routine. But while many people have a vague idea that they need to take some sort of supplement, most don’t actually know why. Let’s find out why taking supplements are so important. In this article, we’ll discuss why taking supplements are so important.

Why Supplements Are So Important Alongside a Training Regimen

Our bodies require many different nutrients for basic, daily functions. However, if you add an intense training regimen to your normal daily functions, you’ll increase your body’s need for particular nutrients. In order to recover and repair from exercise, you must fuel your body properly.

Working out, especially weight training, greatly increases your body’s need for many different nutrients. When trying to lose weight, most people typically increase their activity level and decrease their food intake. But this can actually lead to nutrient deficiencies and a sub-par performance in basic body functions. It may sound a bit counterintuitive but when you starts a workout regimen, you must eat a bit more to make up for the loss of nutrients and calories from your workouts.

Along with your diet, supplements should be considered to ensure that you are getting everything you need, nutritionally. Your nutrition should go hand in hand with your workout routine. Knowing the demands that your workout is placing on your body is an important step to achieving your goals and becoming healthier.

We Can’t Get All Our Nutrients Through Food

In a perfect world, we would get all the necessary nutrients we need from our food. However, the world is far from perfect. Years of farming have gradually depleted the soil of nutrients. Throw away all the genetically modified foods, for a moment. A true, organic apple grown twenty years ago is vastly different from an apple grown today, nutrient-wise.

Even if we assume that all the nutrients are available through our food, it would be difficult to eat a diet that consisted of every single nutrient necessary on a daily basis. The variety of foods would have to be vast and depending on where you live, and the current season, some things may just not be available.

It is vitally important to know your dietary habits and discover what nutrients you may be lacking. The “healthier” your diet, the less supplemental help you’ll need. Vice versa, the less “healthy” your diet, the more supplemental assistance you will need.

What Happens When You Don’t Get Specific Nutrients?

When your body doesn’t get the essential nutrients necessary for basic functions or for recovery purposes, major issues can arise. For example, lack of B vitamins can seriously impact your body’s ability to produce energy. As will a lack of essential fatty acids, such as EPA and DHA (contained in Omega 3 Fish Oil). Missing out on these critical nutrients would wreak havoc on your hormonal balance.

Arguably, one of the most important things you should consider supplementing with is protein. Depending on your training habits and protein requirements it may be very difficult to get the necessary protein you need to fully recover from your exercise and build muscle from food alone. A quality protein powder is a good idea to ensure you are getting adequate protein intake.

It’s not impossible to get all the nutrients you need from whole food sources, but it would be very difficult and take a great deal of effort, day in and day out, to achieve. You should, if for no other reason, consider taking supplements strictly for a peace of mind standpoint. Knowing that you’re giving your body everything that it needs to adapt and grow, and to be healthy, is great tool. So give yourself the confidence that you’re doing everything you can to achieve your goals by making sure you supplement wisely.