Marathon You Can Do It

I was wondering why Lindsey Vonn is such a fast skier, then I learnt that she is sponsored by Red Bull, the drink whose slogan is “It gives you wings”

Lindsey Vonn official sports energy drink is Red Bull. Apart from the performance enhancement she gets from the drink, Red Bull also provides Lindsey Vonn with two trainers who travel with her around the world ensuring she sticks to her regimen. Plus she also gets real American dollars from her sponsors.

Red Bull Energy drink Key Ingredients are

1. Taurine – helps to remove harmful substance from the body e.g Lactic acid, i.e my guese

2. Glucuounolactone – Works just like taurine, removing waste substance from the body

3. Caffeine – Said to improve reaction speed, alertness and concentration.

4. B – Group vitamins

5. Sucrose

6. Glucose

7. Water – You need it to mix all the above.

Source ; Red Bull site

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For some people just eating a balanced diet and doing resistance training is not enough to bulk up, they need a nutritional supplement to provide a lift.

Consuming a Creatine supplement can give a person 2 to 3 times the amount that could be obtained from a very-high-protein diet.

Some personal trainers recommend nutritional supplements to their clients. In this New York Times article a personal trainer explains how Creatine works.

If you’re looking to bust through a plateau, taking five grams of creatine before your workout might help you do that,” said Steve Hoffman, a trainer in Cherry Hill, N.J. “It adds water weight to your muscle and helps you lift more.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Build Muscle, Bust, Cherry Hill, Creatine, Creatine Supplement, Eating A Balanced Diet, High Protein Diet, New York Times, Nutritional Supplement, Nutritional Supplements, People, Personal Trainer, Personal Trainers, Plateau, Resistance Training, Steve Hoffman, Water Weight, Workout, York Times Article

Creatine nutritional supplement is for anyone who dreams to add size and defination to his muscles and to see results as quickly as possible.

Most experts warn users of creatine supplement to take it with caution because taking more than the recommended doses of fitness supplements can be harmful. Too much creatine in the system can lead to side effects.

Negative Side effects of creatine supplement

According to this wikipedia article some of the side effects of creatine may include:

1. Loss of appetite,
2. Stomach discomfort,
3. Diarrhea,
4. Nausea.
5. Muscle cramps

The important thing when taking creatine or any other supplement is to stick to recommended dosage.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Caution, Creatine, Creatine Effects, Creatine Side Effects, Creatine Supplement, Diarrhea, Fitness Supplements, Lead, Loss Of Appetite, Muscle cramps, muscles, Nausea, Negative Side Effects, Nutritional Supplement, Stomach Discomfort, Wikipedia

Quercetin is an energy boosting supplement that was made famous by FRS Energy drink. The energy boosting drink was endorsed by Lance Armstrong and everyone in cycling and running community became curious on what was inside.

One of the ingredients inside FRS Energy drink is Quercetin. In a lab study, Quercetin was been shown to increase energy expenditure in rat which made some people to suspect it might have a similar effect on humans. Although FRS claims it works, many people disagree but some swear by it.

If you believe in it or want to give it a try, you can get it naturally or take the supplement.

Natural Sources of Quercetin

To get more quercetin you can increase your intake of the following foods that are thought to have quercetin: -

• Apple skins
• Onions,
• Tea,
• Red wine.
• Leafy green vegetables
• Berries
• Herbs such as ginkgo and St. John’s wort

Quercetin Supplement

One advantage of buying a supplement is ;  Quercetin is available in higher amounts in dietary supplements than would typically be found in food sources. I guess you would need to eat a basket of Apples just to get the same amount of quercetin in a tablet.

Supplements are sold as capsules or tablets or in drink form like in the case of FRS energy drink.

A word of caution, before taking any supplement consult with your doctor.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Advantage, Apple Skins, Basket Of Apples, Berries, Caution, Dietary Supplements, Energy Drink, Energy Expenditure, Food Sources, Food Supplements, Ginkgo, Guess, Herbs, Lance Armstrong, Leafy Green Vegetables, Natural Sources, Onions, Quercetin, Red Wine, Running Community, St John S Wort, Tea

I was surfing around the internet when I found this interesting piece on cbs news

During a 2004 Summer Olympics awash in controversies over steroids and supplements, one sportswriter wryly noticed that top American swimmer Michael Phelps was playing it safe — he preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races.

I wondered whether Carnation Instant Breakfast supplement had any special ingredient that made Phelp’s swimmer faster than competition.

One fact about Carnation Instant breakfast is that it contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks like gatorade can’t match.

The carnation instant breakfast also contains alot of calories, it adds 130 calories to a single glass of milk.

All this benefits of carnation instant breakfast helps to hasten recovery.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 2004 Summer Olympics, American Swimmer, Calcium, Calories, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Cbs News, Controversies, Energy Drink, Glass Of Milk, Michael Phelps, Nutrients, Olympics, Phelp, Quantities, Sports Drinks, Sports Energy, Sportswriter, Steroids, summer olympics, Vitamin D

Dara Torres has defied age, at 40 she swims faster that she did at 20. According  to Dara Torres her one secret is Amino acid supplements.

She takes amino acid supplements developed by German swimmer Mark Warnecke, who won a world championship in breaststroke at the age of 35.

The amino acid is said to speed recovery.

Amino acid supplement composition

On his Web site, Warnecke does not offer a full list of ingredients and their proportions. He does name several amino acids, including glycine, proline, and especially arginine. He says arginine is responsible for increased blood circulation, which “significantly reduces regeneration time” of muscles. In America, he adds, it’s known as “natural Viagra??????”

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Amino Acid Supplement, Amino Acid Supplements, Amino Acids, Blood Circulation, Breaststroke, Composition, Dara Torres, diet, Mark Warnecke, muscles, Natural Viagra, Proline, Proportions, Regeneration, Swimmer Mark, Viagra

Vitamin C is the most widely taken nutritional supplement and is available in a variety of forms, including tablets, drink mixes, crystals in capsules or naked crystals.

Tablet and capsule sizes range from 25 mg to 1500 mg. Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) crystals are typically available in bottles containing 300 g to 1 kg of powder (a teaspoon of vitamin C crystals equals 5,000 mg).

If you want to go through the natural route.

Natural sources of Vitamin C.

Foods containing vitamin C

Vitamin C is found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, liver products, and oysters.

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Protein is one of the three essential components of the human diet, along with carbohydrates and fats. Protein, which is composed of various types of amino acids, provides the raw material for both muscle construction and repair.

Road running is an impact sport, all that running causes small tears inside although the tears are not visible they are buried under the skin, a runner feels them in form of slight pain. A diet rich in protein can help in repair of damaged tissue.

Although an athlete may get protein from eating regular protein rich foods, sometimes this is not enough and an athlete may need to boost the protein intake with a protein supplement

Experts recommend supplements because a high quality, concentrated protein product will repair the muscles stressed from a demanding workout more quickly than proteins consumed through food.

Popular Protein Supplements

1. Whey protein (a byproduct of cheese)
2. Soy protein, extracted from the soya bean.
3. Glutamine, a specific type of amino acid, is another well-regarded component in many protein supplements.

Just remember before you decide to use any supplement consult with your doctor, nutritionist or advisor.

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Glucosamine is a compound found naturally in the body, made from glucose and the amino acid glutamine. Glucosamine is needed to produce glycosaminoglycan, a molecule used in the formation and repair of cartilage and other body tissues.

Production of glucosamine slows with age.

Older runners complain of stiff joints that are inelastic. This makes the joint prone to damage and may lead to pain, swelling, loss of movement, and further deterioration.

If a joint pain is taking long to heal a glucosamine supplement might help to speed up healing.

Taking glucosamine as a nutritional supplement is thought to help repair damaged cartilage by augmenting the body’s supply of glucosamine.

Like other drugs and supplements glucosamine has its share side effects

Side effects may include drowsiness, headache, insomnia, and mild and temporary digestive complaints such as abdominal pain, poor appetite, nausea, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Like all supplements, they work best when taken under supervision of your qualified medical Doctor

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