Supplementation Made Simple
I was downing my fish oil caps this morning, praying they wouldn't go down sideways like they usually do; I was wondering what kind of supplementation other runners use to augment their diets. I must admit the fish oil caps aren't nearly as bad as I first anticipated. I thought I'd be burping cod-flavored vapors half the day, but that isn't the case at all. I can expect one subtle cod burp approximately 20 minutes post ingestion of the golden inch long logs, and then there's no further surprises
I come from a long line of vitamin pill poppers. My dad, back in the 70's, regularly shook out an assembly line of multi-colored vitamins for this and that. He grew organic produce, made his own yogurt, sprouted his own alpha sprouts, and blended up smoothies in the industrial sized vita-mix. He was a man way ahead of his time on the nutritional front; he reminded me of an ultra-conservative old hippie. He must have spent a fortune on all those vitamins, and once I was in college studying chemistry and nutrition, I wondered if my dad just had expensive urine, since most water-soluble vitamins not utilized by the body, will be instantly eliminated and flushed down the toliet. My dad is still healthy and doing well, but I honestly think he could have benefited more from more exercise and a little less vitamin action.
I believe the best way to get all the right nutrients into your body is to eat a varied diet. I try my best to avoid over-processed foods, cooking from scratch most of the time, and getting in all those fruits and veggies. I fall deficient, at times, when I get busy, so I favor a simple supplementation program of augmenting with a high-quality multi-vitamin and now...the fish oil caps. You can spend a small fortune on every new vitamin, supplement, or herb that purports to do all these amazing things...and then have it turn out to be just a bunch of snake oil. So, how did I come to be popping the fresh squeezing of all this cold water halibut? I've heard all the benefits of fish oil and the Omega 3 fatty acids for lowering your cholesterol, but at last check my cholesterol was an astounding 160 with the right configuration of LDL's to HDL's. My husband's cholesterol was a little more alarming at >200.
I think it was the Master Sean that first recommended that I try fish oil to help with the delayed onset muscle soreness generated from the Torture Chamber. Really? I'd never heard of fish oil being used for this purpose. Sometimes, I think the fact that I'm a nurse, but a presently non-practicing one, is a bad thing. I know a little bit about a lot of things, but nothing really in depth. So, I guess I was distrustful of the new application for fish oil. I have since read three other articles extolling the virtues of fish oil for reducing muscle inflammation associated with vigorous activity. Runner's World, in it's most recent issue gave fish oil a thumbs up as a supplement worthy of serious consideration. I've been taking the stuff now for over a month and I think it's helping. Fish oil works by blocking the chemical messengers that release prostaglandins in the presence of inflammation. I don't have nearly as much muscle soreness as I previously did. I think my skin looks better too...still greasy as a cod, but very smooth and clearer. My husband feels unduly burdened at having to shake out the fish caps every morning, so I think he probably remembers them, maybe three times a week. I'm reluctant to do this for him as I already have two children.
The Princess has even taken the fish oil to the next level of insanity...she takes the oil straight, a teaspoon at a time, every morning. I don't think I'm ready for this. She said, "Oh, it doesn't taste fishy at all! Just like Lemon Pledge!" This doesn't help, and just the oil consistency alone, would have me gagging. It's supposed to be absorbed better taken in this fashion, but oh well...I'll pass on the liquid.
So for my other runner friends out there and anyone interested in nutrition in general, what supplements have you discovered that appear to be the real deal?
I was downing my fish oil caps this morning, praying they wouldn't go down sideways like they usually do; I was wondering what kind of supplementation other runners use to augment their diets. I must admit the fish oil caps aren't nearly as bad as I first anticipated. I thought I'd be burping cod-flavored vapors half the day, but that isn't the case at all. I can expect one subtle cod burp approximately 20 minutes post ingestion of the golden inch long logs, and then there's no further surprises
I come from a long line of vitamin pill poppers. My dad, back in the 70's, regularly shook out an assembly line of multi-colored vitamins for this and that. He grew organic produce, made his own yogurt, sprouted his own alpha sprouts, and blended up smoothies in the industrial sized vita-mix. He was a man way ahead of his time on the nutritional front; he reminded me of an ultra-conservative old hippie. He must have spent a fortune on all those vitamins, and once I was in college studying chemistry and nutrition, I wondered if my dad just had expensive urine, since most water-soluble vitamins not utilized by the body, will be instantly eliminated and flushed down the toliet. My dad is still healthy and doing well, but I honestly think he could have benefited more from more exercise and a little less vitamin action.
I believe the best way to get all the right nutrients into your body is to eat a varied diet. I try my best to avoid over-processed foods, cooking from scratch most of the time, and getting in all those fruits and veggies. I fall deficient, at times, when I get busy, so I favor a simple supplementation program of augmenting with a high-quality multi-vitamin and now...the fish oil caps. You can spend a small fortune on every new vitamin, supplement, or herb that purports to do all these amazing things...and then have it turn out to be just a bunch of snake oil. So, how did I come to be popping the fresh squeezing of all this cold water halibut? I've heard all the benefits of fish oil and the Omega 3 fatty acids for lowering your cholesterol, but at last check my cholesterol was an astounding 160 with the right configuration of LDL's to HDL's. My husband's cholesterol was a little more alarming at >200.
I think it was the Master Sean that first recommended that I try fish oil to help with the delayed onset muscle soreness generated from the Torture Chamber. Really? I'd never heard of fish oil being used for this purpose. Sometimes, I think the fact that I'm a nurse, but a presently non-practicing one, is a bad thing. I know a little bit about a lot of things, but nothing really in depth. So, I guess I was distrustful of the new application for fish oil. I have since read three other articles extolling the virtues of fish oil for reducing muscle inflammation associated with vigorous activity. Runner's World, in it's most recent issue gave fish oil a thumbs up as a supplement worthy of serious consideration. I've been taking the stuff now for over a month and I think it's helping. Fish oil works by blocking the chemical messengers that release prostaglandins in the presence of inflammation. I don't have nearly as much muscle soreness as I previously did. I think my skin looks better too...still greasy as a cod, but very smooth and clearer. My husband feels unduly burdened at having to shake out the fish caps every morning, so I think he probably remembers them, maybe three times a week. I'm reluctant to do this for him as I already have two children.
The Princess has even taken the fish oil to the next level of insanity...she takes the oil straight, a teaspoon at a time, every morning. I don't think I'm ready for this. She said, "Oh, it doesn't taste fishy at all! Just like Lemon Pledge!" This doesn't help, and just the oil consistency alone, would have me gagging. It's supposed to be absorbed better taken in this fashion, but oh well...I'll pass on the liquid.
So for my other runner friends out there and anyone interested in nutrition in general, what supplements have you discovered that appear to be the real deal?