Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Sports Supplements -What You Should Know Before Taking Them

By Andrew Hoffmann


Many people who exercise or participate in sports take sports supplements to improve their performance. Different supplements are taken depending on your goals, whether it?s to improve your nutrition, gain muscle mass or lose weight. When buying sports supplements, keep the following points in mind to help you choose the best ones. You'll find that some supplements will work better for you than others, so you have to be the final judge on what's right for you.

You should always keep safety in mind when choosing sports supplements. Remember that products labeled as sports supplements aren't strictly regulated and can make all kinds of claims about the benefits. Many of the ingredients found in certain products are not well tested, or have been shown to have side effects. The best policy is to be cautious and research any ingredients you're not familiar with. If there are any issues about a particular product or ingredient, you should be able to find lots of information on it online. The bottom line is to verify everything for yourself, and also keep in mind any issues you might have in relation to various sports supplements, such as any allergies or health conditions.

It is important to realize however that getting fitter, stronger or improving your performance cannot be achieved JUST by taking these supplements. They are only designed to support you so that you can get the most of your workouts or athletic activities. Avoid any product that claims to do all the work for you since, like steroids, these are unsafe and untruthful advertisements. You can get real benefits from sports supplements as long as you recognize that you still have to put in the time and effort at practicing, playing or working out.

Many people like to drink energy drinks to enhance their workouts, but it would be a stretch to call many of these sports supplements. An energy drink that's high in sugar, for example, won't help you much even if it has additional nutrients added on. Plain water is much better for you, in fact. However, some energy drinks do contain amino acids that can be helpful for working out. Caffeine, which is also found in many energy drinks, has also been shown to improve short term endurance. Energy drinks that are natural and not sweetened will give you better long term energy without a sugar crash.

Energy drinks that are natural and not sweetened will give you better long term energy without a sugar crash. Sports supplements, then, come in many forms and perform a variety of functions. There are protein powders, energy drinks and bars and other types of supplements, depending on what form you prefer. No matter what anyone says about sports supplements, of course, your own body has to be the final judge about what's good for you.




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