As I’m sitting here on this plane to Vegas for my mentor Luka Hocevar’s fit-business event, Changing The Game, at 6AM.
… Let’s just say mind is going crazy right about now!
For so many reasons I don’t even know where to start.
My clients have been killing it and keep progressing so they’re constantly on my mind, along with how I can improve every aspect of their training. Adding to that I know I gotta stay on top of my programming to keep them on their toes!
I just launched the start of my new clothing brand Kaizen Klothing with my partners Theo Bowie and Kwasi Bowie. It’s off to an amazing start and a lot of things are being implemented and planned out.
The mentor-ship myself and Theo Bowie run at Vigor Ground Fitness is booming and these college students coming into the fitness industry are hungry as can be! And because if that we are cranking out content like never before for these guys!
I’m reading multiple books on training, nutrition, success, and relationships, which only adds to my thought processing.
And on top of all that…. I’m going to LAS VEGAS!!! For my first time ever! For an epic event on the fitness business and also to party my ass off! To say I’m excited would be an extreme understatement, but we can go with excited because I’m at a lack of better words.
So why am I telling you this? Well because… What better thing do I have to do besides write an article?! Definitely won’t be able to sleep on this flight!
So I decided I would write an article on something that you, my readers would want to read about. And to be sure that it’s a topic you want, I went off a previous Facebook status asking what to write about. So Lynda McLuen won this time!
Boom Boom’s 3 Step Check List to Supplements
1.) Ingredient Check–
- This is hugely important when purchasing any supplement, especially protein. I say especially protein because a lot of protein powders have a ton of additives we don’t need at all and that will not really benefit us. So how can you do the check on your supplement? Simple. First step, read the ingredients! Obvious enough right? But what you’re looking for is a few things you may be looking over. So first check the length of the ingredient list, if it’s a decent size paragraph I can almost guarantee it’s not the best supplement to be taking. Also check the sugar content, if your goal is to stay lean do you really need the protein or supplement with 10g of sugar? No, so get the lower sugar protein. Second step, look for any ingredient that is unknown, write them down because there may be a few! Look these up online separately and check their purpose and origin. Most likely going to be different types of protein blends, dairy products, amino acids, sweeteners, fibers, etc… There’s going to be a lot, so do the research. Realize you’re putting this product into your body on a daily basis, that’s a big deal.
2.) Reviews-
- Whether you do this online or through a supplement/training magazine, check the reviews. Some reviews won’t be reliable, but out of the entire bunch there’s bound to be some good thoughts on the supplement your taking or looking into taking. See how people like the taste, how well it digests for them, how their personal results turned out, what the cost vs. quantity is, and overall of they would purchase the product again. If something comes up in multiple reviews, there’s a good chance it’s true. So although this may be 50/50 with reliability, it’s worth a read.
3.) Cost-
- Now I am a firm believer in the idea that you get what you pay for. I have a high taste in most things and if it’s an important item to me, I will pay for quality. Especially when it comes to fueling my body, I prefer organic and natural food when I have the choice and believe it is paying off tremendously. But, this doesn’t completely hold its water with supplements in my opinion. If you NEED special products such as vegan protein, organic fish oil, gluten-free, or anything else dealing with allergic reactions, then yes you may need to pay extra. But don’t buy into the supplement company’s marketing schemes with product titling and labeling. The protein that says “Extreme Potency, Fast Absorbing, Muscle Shredding, Intense Pumps” and so on…. Is damn near exactly the same as the protein that simply says “Pure Whey Protein”. So don’t buy it just because it looks cool, has Ronnie Coleman on it, or claims it’s better than the rest. Research it, check the ingredients and go with what makes sense to your pocket and your belly.
So there it is guys, plain and simple. Just 3 things that you can easily go over before purchasing a supplement that can help you stay away from the bad and guide you to the good.
At the end of the day, most of us can benefit from supplements. I’m all for the holistic approach and sticking to whole foods for your nutrition sources. Over all, at least 75% of your nutrients should come from whole food. But when your deficient in something, on the go, need a quick fix, or just need a little extra to reach your goals you should supplement it.
