Supplementation 101
I was standing in the check out line at a National Chain Food Store, and saw that they were selling chocolates infused with melatonin to help you fall asleep.
I didn't look at the ingredient list or even the amount of melatonin in them, but as a business owner, it got me to thinking about two things: Innovation in the food industry as well as their marketing ability with whatever the "sexy" trends are.
As a Coach, it also made me think about 2 different things: where we've moved as a Country, which is to Band-aid our problems with some sort of a chemical-even if it is with supplementation of what has seemingly been a harmless sleeping aid: melatonin; and why I left a 20 year career as a Clinical Registered Nurse to open my own company and treat the SOURCE. (Talk about a rekindling of purpose!)
Regardless of how you slice it, it lit a fire under my culo to sit down and write a blog post on a topic I've been avoiding: SUPPLEMENTS.
What you should know about me as a Coach is that whenever anybody asks me questions about supplements, I AM VERY PARTICULAR AND RARELY PROVIDE A BLANKET ANSWER.
Reason being: Supplements Supplement. That's no typo.
The job of a supplement is to SUPPLEMENT your daily Nutritional Program, and to fill in deficient voids in your body.
I wanna get that out in the open from the get, so that when you know without a shadow of a doubt where I stand, and why I make the recommendations that I do.
QUICK HEAR ME OUT AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO SUPPS:
I may not be practicing as a Clinical Bedside Nurse any longer, but my commitment towards your health and safety has not wavered. In fact, it has INCREASED.
ESPECIALLY TODAY-we've got people of all ages, on all sorts of medications; they've got multiple health problems; they're on all kinds of energy drinks and other stimulants...the list goes on and on.
I refuse-REFUSE to lay down some blanket statement about supplementation without fully looking at you comprehensively-and that includes your current Nutrition/Supplementation Regimen, your Training Splits, what you do for a living, how much time you spend on electronics, your health history, your prescriptive meds and what I refer to as your Cumulative Stress Load. (Read more about that here) .
If you haven't met me before-you'll learn real quick I hold a high standard within our Academy to do things which are RIGHT (but not always easy!). If that resonates with you, read on. If not, our Academy is not for everybody. Take care and be safe out there. If you have a change of heart, we'll be here.
FOR MY PEEPS WHO ARE SERIOUS AND READY TO MOVE FORWARD: LET'S CONTINUE...
For us to have an intelligent conversation about supplementation, there are two things we need to bring into the light so that you may make an educated DECISION about whether or not supplementation is right for you and your current situation.
1) A few quick points about supplements in general
2) How supplementation fits into the context of your goals.
A FEW QUICK POINTS ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS IN GENERAL:
The supplement industry is NOT regulated by the FDA. What this means, is that there are no legal obligations for a company to adhere to the rules which govern prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.
This creates a double-edged sword for us as consumers. This non-regulated space is what allows companies (including vitamins!) to make and sell supplements; as well as allow us to be free in our choice to use supplements, which is pretty darned cool, if ya ask me.
However, it places a high degree of responsibility on us as consumers to conduct our own due diligence on the risk/benefits of a particular supplement, as well as the company which produces it.
As consumers, we are relying on the ethics and values of the supplement company (as well as any other company which is involved in the manufacturing process) to accurately and honestly list their ingredients and the quantities/concentrations found in that particular supplement.
It is my personal belief that most natural supplement companies are well-intentioned and ethical in disclosing what is in their supplements. But when we get into some of the "harsher" supplements (i.e. preworkout complexes), there have been some illicit substances which have made their way into the products and listed on the label as "proprietary blend."
'Nuff said.
HOW SUPPLEMENTATION FITS INTO THE CONTEXT OF YOUR GOALS
Let's take melatonin, for example.
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps your body's sleep/wake cycle. What that means is that melatonin basically tells your body when it's night time and time to go to sleep, and when it's daybreak and time to wake up.
Supplementation with a naturally-occurring hormone sounds easy enough, right?
I agree; it DOES sound easy.
HOWEVER, (you knew that was coming!) what you need to know is that WHENEVER YOU SUPPLEMENT WITH AN EXOGENOUS SOURCE OF WHAT IS NATURALLY PRODUCED IN THE BODY, IT MAKES THE BODY NOT PRODUCE IT.
It's just like anything else-Why do the work when someone else is doing it for you?
Makes sense, right?
That's how the body works-if the body sees it's got the hormone, it won't waste the time or energy to produce it. It honestly doesn't care how the hormone gets there-it only cares that it's there.
It's Not Crazy, It's Physiology.
The next obvious question to ask is: Well then what happens? If my body isn't producing melatonin because I've been taking it, will it start to produce it again?
Whatever the answer-(and I don't have a crystal ball to see into the future) it's going to somehow impact your goals.
WHEN LOOKING AT SUPPLEMENTATION-LOOK AT YOUR GOALS-SHORT AND LONG TERM.
This means you have to come to the table prepared and have VERY CLEARLY DEFINED goals, so you can make an educated and informed DECISION which is right for you-both short and long term.
Here's what I'm gonna tell ya: In order to get the right answer, you gotta ask the right questions.
ONE SUCH QUESTION IS: What has you in the position to be seeking out a supplement?
ANOTHER IS: What is your goal? What exactly are you trying to accomplish (as in the goal itself; not the goal with supplementation)
What we usually find is that there's something you've overlooked with the problem you're having: THE SOURCE. (I know-that was bold, wasn't it?)
This is why I look at your Cumulative Stress Load. I look to see if you're taking meds for ADD/ADHD, I look to see how much screen time you have every day. I look to see how you recover yourself from your workout-which includes your Nutrition Program.
I look for the SOURCE of the problem, and focus on correcting that; because just a like a fire-you can throw water on the flames all day long, but unless you expose and extinguish the SOURCE, that thing'll keep on burnin and causing destruction.
Food For Thought. If you have more specific questions, your next step is to schedule a formal consultation with me and/or have us out to your Agency. CLICK HERE and we'll get you rollin!
