PowHERhouse Confidence Coach and Women’s Supplement Consultant, Steely Springham provides us with her top 3 supplement recommendations for women – and why. If you want to know where to start this Spring to look better, feel better and perform stronger in your body, business and life, look no further. Thank you, Steely!
There are so many good supplements out there, and although I do believe in getting as many nutrients from the foods we eat as possible, our food system is simply becoming more and more devoid of nutrients due to the poor quality of the soil they grow in along with pesticides and harmful chemicals used in the growing process.
It goes without saying that every women should have a good quality multi-vitamin for active women to help maintain optimum performance and metabolism. I personally choose one that has whole food nutrients along with the vitamins and minerals. In addition to a quality multi-vit, there are many supplements that I recommend to my clients based on their individual needs to add to their daily health arsenal for optimal health performance.
If I have to pick just 3, these are my top picks for powHERful women:
1. Coenzyme Q10 supports heart function
Most people overlook a vital compound called CoQ10 enzyme. It is a naturally occurring compound found mainly in the energy producing parts of cells in the body, especially the heart and liver. CoQ10 plays a vital role in producing energy in the mitochondria which is the part of the cell responsible for energy production (ATP), which is the energy currency of life. Your mitochondria is the high-energy molecule that stores the energy that we need to do just about everything to function and live daily. With your heart having the most concentration of mitochondria in your body, taking CoQ10 is vital for heart health as well as your overall health.
CoQ10 enzyme has been proven to help increase energy, support heart and blood vessel function, strengthen the immune system and provide antioxidant support. Common uses for CoQ10 are weight loss, heart failure prevention, cardiomyopathy, heart attack prevention & recovery, and fighting against high blood pressure, gum disease, kidney failure, migraines, and Parkinson’s disease.
It is recommended to take 30 – 200mg per day, and because it is a fat soluble compound, it must be taken with a meal containing fat in order for your body to absorb it at all.
2. Omega 3 fatty acids for hormone balance
When something is called ‘essential’, as in the case of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, it means that the body cannot product that substance on its own, making the consumption of it essential to your life. For women who have to deal with the chemical curve-ball of hormonal imbalance, making us more susceptible to disease, Omega 3 fatty acids play a vital role in restoring hormonal harmony in the body as well as keeping hair, skin, and vaginal tissues healthy leading up to and during menopause. It is an important supplement for maintaining a healthy heart, brain and nervous system. It can also help to reduce joint inflammation.
3. Glutamine is all about muscle recovery
An amino acid is the smallest form of a protein building block. Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid produced in the body and has been proven to assist in muscle recovery, reduce protein catabolism and increase muscle metabolism. It is found in the skeletal muscles as well as in the blood and the gut and is used as a main source of fuel for the immune system; considered by some to be ‘conditionally’ essential, particularly if there is injury or compromised immune function. Exercise causes injury to muscle cells due to ripping and tearing muscular tissue as it is used. This causes our immune system to trigger the recovery process to help repair the tissue. Supplementing with glutamine will help reduce the amount of muscle deterioration from training because the available glutamine in the muscle cells can then be utilized for protein metabolism and further reduces muscle catabolism, or wasting of muscle tissue. It reduces DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), considerably making recovery faster and the ability to perform optimally sooner without being too sore to do so.
Connect with Steely online at @steelyspringham.
