• HEALTH & NUTRITION
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Best supplement for sports recovery

Working out is important to keep your muscles toned and your endurance up. Exercise can have numerous advantages to the body including weight loss, increased cardiovascular function, improved mental health, and much more.

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But let's face it, exercise can be difficult and even painful during the recovery period. With difficult recovery after your workouts, it can be uncomfortable and delay your ability to get back into your workout routine. This is why you should prioritize your recovery to receive optimal results and workout experience.

So how do you enhance your recovery? There are many supplements that can improve your recovery, including CoQ10, basic proteins and more. Below we take a look at supplements which can boost sports recovery and discover how they will help your body to function at the best level possible.

CoQ10

CoQ10 is a common sports recovery supplement that you may have heard of by now. It comes in many forms but is most commonly found in pill form. CoQ10 is naturally found in the body, specifically in the mitochondria to support the mitochondrial process of forming adenosine triphosphate, i.e. ATP.

ATP is the body’s usable form of energy, so it is vital to keeping up with the energy your body needs to complete and recover from your workout.

CoQ10 also works as an antioxidant to help prevent damage to the cells and speed up aging processes. Taking CoQ10 consistently can help not only with both exercise recovery and during your workout, but it also holistically supports your entire body’s energy production capabilities while also providing antioxidant benefits wherever it goes. CoQ10 has so many amazing benefits to take advantage of on top of just helping with your exercise recovery.

If you are interested in taking CoQ10, discover our world-first, enhanced CoQ10 formulation MitoQ

Protein

Protein is an essential part of any diet to keep your muscles strong and healthy. But, when you are actively working out, specifically in strength training, it is important to have enough to support your activity. Just like BCAAs, protein provides your body the amino acids and protein necessary to rebuild your muscles after sports or exercise.

Protein can be eaten as a food, such as beef, chicken, pork, beans, and legumes. Or you can take a protein supplement such as a whey protein to get the protein. The protein powder can be added to water or a milkshake to easily get in the protein before, during, or after your workout.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are another aspect of your normal diet that is vital in fueling your body during exercise and ensuring that it recovers properly. Omega-3s are commonly found in fish, chia seeds, flax seed, and walnuts. These fatty acids are essential for reducing inflammation in the body’s normal inflammatory pathways, lowering cholesterol, and reducing the risk of developing heart disease.

The reduction in inflammation is the most important for recovery after exercise. Reducing the inflammation and free radicals in the muscle helps to reduce the soreness you feel after exercise and reduce muscle fatigue. Omega-3s are great for recovery but also have other amazing benefits to take advantage of as well. If you are interested in omega-3s you can find them as fish oil pills or omega-3 pills very inexpensively.

Creatine

Creatine is another amino acid supplement, but this one has a different purpose. Creatine, sometimes also called creatine kinase, is very important for providing short bursts of energy and for overall muscle recovery after intense exercise. Creatine is naturally found in the body from being created in small amounts from the intake of foods such as red meat or seafood. Taking creatine has shown, in some cases, to decrease muscle soreness, muscle tightness, and even reduce injuries after a workout.

For vegetarian's, creatine supplements can be even more effective because their creatine stores are lower from not eating meat and animal products. Look into creatine if you are wanting increased energy and recovery speed.

L- Glutamine

Glutamine is a very prevalent amino acid in the body that is used for building proteins and contributing to other metabolic processes that occur in the body. Glutamine has shown to decrease muscle loss between workouts and to increase muscle recovery and reduce muscle fatigue and soreness.

L-glutamine comes as a pill or as a powder. Glutamine has been shown to have very few side effects, especially because it is naturally occurring in the body so your body recognizes the supplement. It is also very important to keep the immune system strong and keep your body from developing infections that could worsen your health and even keep you from reaching your fitness goals.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is a building block for creating proteins. It also has an essential role in producing the buffer carnosine which is important to reduce acidity in the muscles. An acidic muscle can cause soreness and fatigue leading to decreased recovery.

Beta-alanine can be very helpful in aiding muscle recovery and even building muscle during and after your workout.

Caffeine

You may not have expected caffeine to be on your list exercise recovery agents, but it is quite helpful. So, not only will caffeine wake you up in the morning and get you ready for your day, but it can also help to soothe your worn muscles. Caffeine is thought to block some pain and exertion signals to your brain so that you do not recognize that your muscles are fatigued or sore. Caffeine can also act as a diuretic to increase urination and flush toxins from your body. While this diuretic function can be helpful you must also be careful to drink enough water to prevent dehydration.

Caffeine can be found alone as caffeine pills or of course in drinks such as coffee or tea.

Working out is a large commitment to yourself and your lifelong health and well being. Post workout recovery should not be standing in your way of reaching your goals. Taking supplements for your post workout routine is not only beneficial for feeling more comfortable but can also increase your ability to carry on with your daily routine and get back to your workout the next day.

Choosing a supplement that is best for you is very important and can make or break your workout. One of the greatest things about these supplements is that not only will they enhance your recovery, but also your actual workout.

When choosing or starting a supplement you should always consult your healthcare provider or doctor to make sure it is safe for you. This is especially true if you have preexisting conditions or take other medications. You will want to make sure that the supplements are not contraindicated and that they will be helpful and not harmful.

Hopefully you now know many of the helpful sports recovery supplements and how they work in the body. Good luck!

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