Supplements: To Use or Not

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Hi, the use of supplements is a controversial one to say the least.  It’s become a multi-billion dollar industry and we see our sports heroes used in all sorts of marketing and advertising campaigns on a daily basis.  Every time one of our footy stars is seen at a press conference with an energy drink sitting on the table in-front of them, you can bet your bottom dollar that the manufacturer has paid for the privilege of it being there.

And those supplement brand ads plastered all through, “The Biggest Loser”, again they are paid for and when two of the shows personal trainers are talking about that brand, you do realise that they are simply reading from a script don’t you?

Now, the second most asked question I get confronted with (outside of what should I be eating) by my clients is, “What supplements should I be taking?”

So clearly all of the advertising and marketing that we are bombarded with daily is working.  So my question is this: What advice should I give?

My philosophy of the whole supplements industry is quite simple really.  I like to define supplement in 3 words.  “On top Of”

So my take is this.  Eat the highest quality food you can eat, according to what’s right for you and THEN take supplements to top up your nutritional intake.  This whole mentality surrounding the theory that if you eat poorly you should take this pill or drink this shake to offset your poor choice is just wrong.

You can’t have a big night out, drink lots of alcohol, eat crap food and expect to take a Berrocca to fix it.  It just doesn’t work like that.

Also, if you’re consistently eating a poor diet, no amount of supplements or exercise is going to get you your results.

World renowned holistic practitioner, Paul Chek uses the analogy, “Eating a rubbish diet is like trying to build a boat with rotten timber and rusty nails and taking supplements won’t plug the holes, your boat is still going to leak.

So once I’ve given my take on supplements, it’s time to point them in the right direction.

But how does one choose?  I mean, there are so many different brands, products and varieties?  Who do you trust?

Ever since I entered the Fitness Industry I’ve grappled with how to bring my valued clients a range of good quality, competitively priced supplements without having to stock a large range in my studio (and incur the expense that goes with that) or succumbing to the temptations of getting involved with one of the many multi level marketing ranges out there, whose product range claims to be superior  than everyone else’s, scientifically proven by so called independent advisory boards and the cheapest on the market.

I tried a number of different multi level marketing companies, but couldn’t come to terms with the whole, get others involved syndrome.  I tried to align myself with actual wholesalers and manufacturers of supplements, but again for numerous reasons, the relationship didn’t work.

So, today I’m happy to say that I’ve finally come across a supplement that I’m happy to talk about, promote and even sell to my clients.

Almost every single person that I have ever come into contact with seeking my advice on training and nutrition, no matter what their goal was, whether it was to lose body fat or gain muscle had 1 major flaw with the nutrition.  They simply didn’t eat enough protein.   Regardless of what else people were eating, their number one issue was they simply weren’t eating enough protein.

Now, in a perfect world, I’d like to see you simply eat more protein in the form of good solid real MEAT.  But so many of you complain, especially at breakfast.  Almost without a doubt, the number one complaint I’m confronted with from my clients is that they simply cannot stomach eating meat at breakfast.

I reckon you’ve simply been brainwashed into thinking cereal, toast & juice is a healthy breakfast and that as a result of this faulty programming, you’ve become so accustomed to eating cereal, toast & juice for breakfast that the mere thought of trying to down a rump steak makes you gag.

If you can’t stomach a nice piece of eye fillet steak for breakfast, then maybe your next best option is to take a protein supplement.

 Lite & Healthy  is one brand of protein that suits the bulk of my clients.   For a starters it’s NOT derived from whey, meaning those who are lactose intolerant can rest assured that there’s no dairy in it.  The protein content is sourced from whole grain brown rice .

Secondly, there’s no gluten in it, so those that are gluten intolerant can also rest assured.

it’s jam packed full of great superfoods like ground chia seeds, raw cacao powder, mangosteen, green papaya, red maca powder, acai berry, indian gooseberry, spirulina, chlorella and is sweetened with stevia.

 

ABOUT: Pat Rae is a personal trainer, lifestyle coach, massage therapist, motivational speaker, author and presenter.  He is the owner of a boutique PT studio in Brisbane  and an online health and wellness program both of which have been established to help people live healthier, happier and more energetic life through exercise, eating whole real foods and stressing less.  See more at http://www.prpt.com.au & http://www.patrae.com