Dietary Supplements For Exercise Performance
No matter your fitness level or strict dedication to an eating plan, it can still be hard to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need. While it may not be a big concern for some, finding the right workout supplements can make a huge difference for those wanting to break out of a fitness plateau or begin a new wellness journey altogether.
If you are reading this article, it is likely you are already investing time and money into your health and are looking for new ways to optimize your results. Dietary supplements might be the key to unlocking the next level of your athletic performance.
While you might associate all supplements with pills, that is just one category they tend to fall into. By definition, dietary supplements are simply a diverse range of nutrient-rich products. They can come in many different forms ranging from gummies to sprays, drinks to chewable tablets, and even IV therapy.
Finding the right mix of supplements also includes picking the forms that work well for you. If you hate taking pills, there are many other suitable options out there for you. Contact your doctor or a trusted medical professional to help find what works best for you and your body.
How Vitamins and Minerals Play a Role in Athletic Performance
Vitamins and minerals play an important biological role in our well-being. While dietary supplements are not meant to replace nutrient-rich meals, they can be an effective tool to get adequate amounts of essential nutrients that might be missed in a healthy diet. They can also aid in your overall wellness and help manage some conditions, as deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can have negative consequences on major body functions like muscle repair, cardiac health, and metabolic actions.
These functions all affect athletic performance as well as the day-to-day health of individuals. By taking part in numerous activities in the body, vitamins act as coenzymes. A coenzyme, or cofactor as they are sometimes called, is a small molecule that enhances the actions of other enzymes (proteins that create reactions in the body). These reactions are vital to every function that keeps us moving, breathing, and processing energy. Let’s break down some of the vitamins and minerals below that should be addressed when talking about athletic performance.
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements All Athletes Should Know
Vitamin D
Among all its other benefits, vitamin D is known to reduce injury rates and improve sports performance. Conversely, there is a correlation between vitamin D deficiencies and sudden cardiac death, especially in athletes. Because many athletes partake in prolonged competitive activity, their cardiac health is of the utmost importance to monitor and support. In many cases, Vitamin D supplements have proven effective in promoting optimal performance and reducing injury, especially in older adults.
Vitamin K
Closely related to Vitamin D, Vitamin K is also extremely versatile. Vitamin K plays a role in bone health and blood coagulation. This supplement is often considered for improving heart health, increasing bone density, and reducing cancer risk. Even for athletes who are already healthy, Vitamin K has been shown to increase their fitness levels. At 10X, we combine Vitamins D and K in our one-of-a-kind supplement so that clients can receive the synergistic effects of using them together.
Magnesium
Another nutrient for athletes or anyone seeking to improve their athletic performance to be aware of is magnesium. Magnesium is an essential mineral that assists over 300 enzymes in our body with their vital functions. This mineral helps to regulate muscle contractions, lower blood pressure, and boost sleep quality. Even if your main focus isn’t related to fitness, magnesium supplements are a great option for anyone wanting to improve their overall wellness.
What Supplements Should I Focus on For My Fitness Goals?
We have already touched on the benefits of vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium supplements, but what if you have specific fitness goals you are trying to achieve? What are the best supplements to add to your routine if you want to lose body weight, or if you’re just looking to build muscle mass?
At 10X Health, we know that everyone’s fitness goals are different, which is why we want to help provide suggestions that fit exactly what you are looking for. Below are a few common fitness goals paired with supplement suggestions that are a good place to start:
Body Weight Loss
According to a Gallup poll released in 2022, 55% of U.S. Adults report that they would like to lose body weight. There are many factors that go into weight loss strategies, but proper nutrition is at the core of giving your body the support it needs to lose fat and build lean muscle mass. Taking a probiotic can lay the groundwork inside your body by diversifying the bacteria found in your gut. Probiotics also aid in regulating blood sugar and reducing inflammation which can be beneficial for healthy body weight management.
Gaining Muscle Mass
When we are trying to tone or build muscle mass in our body, what we are actually doing is breaking our muscle tissue down. When it rebuilds, we get bigger, more resilient muscles. But our bodies need the appropriate fuel to accomplish that. In sports nutrition, protein supplements (like whey protein or pea protein powder) are one of the most common workout supplements because they help promote muscle growth. We know that eating protein helps build muscle mass, but what helps our bodies once those proteins are broken down into amino acids? The answer is vitamins and minerals.
Try a daily multivitamin (like 10X Optimize) that includes B vitamins to help in the synthesis and transfer of amino acids and magnesium, which supports muscle protein synthesis, restoration, and strength.
Overall Wellness
If there is one supplement that can 10X your overall wellness, it’s turmeric. Turmeric has been hailed for its multitude of health benefits for years. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, helps in the management of arthritis, anxiety, and inflammatory conditions that might be preventing you from living the life you want to be. Other benefits of turmeric that you can enjoy include improved brain and immune function, anti-aging properties, and a reduction of digestive health issues.
Improved Athletic Performance
For athletes, turmeric may also enhance muscle recovery and performance by helping manage muscle fatigue, soreness, and inflammation from frequent exercise. Along with turmeric, vitamins D and K may work to optimize athletic performance. When vitamin D3 is taken in combination with vitamin K2, you can get calcium into your blood more efficiently and therefore into your bones faster. By moving calcium to the bones more quickly, you may be able to avoid deposits forming in your arteries and blood vessels. This process leads to improved cardiovascular function, one of the most vital for any athlete.
Things to Keep in Mind When Picking Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements have been gaining popularity ever since the 1970s and continue to be considered a safe and effective way of addressing many wellness concerns in a more holistic way. However, it’s important that you feel safe with what you choose to put into your body. Before beginning a new supplement as a form of treatment, we recommend talking with a trusted professional.
When speaking to your doctor, consider asking them some of these questions recommended by the National Institute of Health, to help ensure you’re making the right choice for you:
- What are its potential benefits for me?
- Does it have any safety risks?
- What is the proper dose to take?
- How, when, and for how long should I take it?
With any supplement, finding the proper dose and duration of care depends on you. Your body is unique and deserves a supplement plan that is just as personalized.
At 10X Health we take our client’s individuality seriously. That’s why before we recommend a supplement protocol, we have our team of healthcare professionals analyze your information and design a plan that fits your goals and health history. One of the ways we make sure we are getting the most accurate information about your body is through our genetic and blood tests. We will explain the benefits of these tests and why we chose them below.
How Genetic and Blood Testing Can Make Supplementation More Effective
Taking an active part in your health means making sure you are aware of what is happening inside your body as well as what it looks like on the outside. As any athlete knows, you perform better when you have taken the time to fully understand the ins and outs of your sport. Just like you wouldn’t show up for a game without learning your plays, you shouldn’t go through life without learning more about your body.
There are many ways to find out what is going on inside of us. When it comes to knowing what supplements you should take and if they are working for you, there are two tests that provide the most accurate results in the shortest amount of time: genetic tests and blood tests. Let’s break these two tests down a little bit more to find out how they can make supplementation more effective.
Genetic Testing:
By now, you are likely familiar with what genetic testing is. Sometimes referred to as DNA testing, genetic tests are undertaken by people like you who want to learn more about their body, their ancestry, or both. While some of the more well-known DNA tests focus on family history, we designed our genetic test to highlight the genetic factors and mutations that interfere with your wellness and athletic performance.
The 10X Health genetic test looks for five actionable genes that may indicate vitamin and nutrient deficiencies hiding in your body, including MTHFR, which controls your body’s methylation cycle. The methylation cycle regulates genetic repair and energy generation. If there is a mutation in this area, your body may not be functioning as optimally as it could be and therefore, you may not be seeing the results you want from your performance.
While you might not think gene mutations are common, 44% of the world’s population have a mutation that makes it tough for them to create enough of the 5-MTHFR gene. Testing is the only way to know if you are part of that 44%.
Our genetic test begins with 10X Health sending you a kit. Once you get your box in the mail, you swab the inside of your mouth with the provided materials, send it back to us, and our experts take it from there. It’s as simple as that!
After our team receives your package, we begin testing and analyzing your results. From there, we will provide you with a detailed report and recommendations based on your genetics. Because we know that reading a health chart can leave you with many questions, our support doesn’t end when we send your results. You will get direct personalized communication with a member of our team.
10X Health professionals will not only review with you where your body is now but explain the potential it has. If we think you would benefit from adding a supplement to your sports nutrition plan, we will provide you with a supplement protocol based on your unique genetic makeup.
Blood Testing:
The second test we use to determine our individualized recommendations is a blood test. Your blood sample will be collected by a partnering clinic or doctor. To ensure we are getting the purest sample, we will connect you with a trusted partner in your area. The blood test analyzes dozens of unique biomarkers to measure how well your systems are working and fill in the gaps the genetic test can’t quite reach.
Biomarkers tell us everything from the efficiency of your organs, like your pancreas and kidneys, to the exact vitamin levels in your body. We can even run a full hormone panel if you have been experiencing any symptoms that could be related to an increase or decrease in your hormonal production and may be affecting your exercise performance, muscle growth, or even increasing weight gain.
Once we get your blood work to our lab, we will measure your sample against a normal panel and see if your levels are within a healthy range. If your results fall short, don’t be discouraged. Our goal is to get your body functioning at optimal levels.
With these two tests, the team of experts at 10X Health can get the most comprehensive view of your health as it is now. Genetic and blood tests not only tell us what you might be deficient in but also why. They help us identify the root causes of potential issues and the biggest areas for improvement which can be addressed with dietary supplements and other therapies.
Through a collaboration with you and, if you choose to have one, your dedicated wellness advisor, we can devise a roadmap that will get you on a path to optimal wellness. As we all know, finding the right plan that fits with your goals and lifestyle can take time. No matter the duration, you will always have the support of your wellness manager and the 10X team to get you feeling and performing your best.
What Sets 10X Health Above the Rest
Choosing to send your samples to us is incredibly personal which is why we take your trust in us incredibly seriously. Once we get your genetic material, we follow a carefully designed protocol to ensure your information is protected.
Unlike other companies, we never share or sell data and results. We know how important it is to keep your personal information safe. We not only promise to do that, but we have the technology in place to ensure it.
10X Health proudly displays our HIPAA seal of compliance. This is a third-party HIPAA verification that is the healthcare industry standard for protecting your privacy. Just as we have created the top-of-the-line tests to give you the highest quality results, we also follow top-of-the-line safety standards to show our clients how dedicated we are to their privacy.
If you’re not quite ready to take the leap into genetic or blood testing but still want to support your overall well-being, we understand. We recommended ordering our on-the-go supplement pack, 10X Health System. This system is designed to give you 6 essential dietary supplements to upgrade your sports nutrition or wellness routine.
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Considering personalized supplementation as a way of reaching your optimal athletic performance? Reach out to 10X Health to learn more and get started understanding your health, or order your genetic test.
