With a new year upon us, I wanted to take some time to outline what REALLY works when trying to reach a fitness goal, and what is just a waste of time and money.
One of the first things new fitness enthusiasts often do is go out and purchase a whole stack of supplements that they are convinced they "NEED" to reach their goals. I'm here to tell you that you don't need a single supplement to lose weight, build muscle, "tone", lose fat, get strong, or any other goal you may set for the new year. In fact, most supplements aren't regulated, and many are not backed by research proving their effectiveness or long term safety. Likewise, many popular supplement companies (Advocare, Shakeology, Herbalife, etc) are nothing more than pyramid schemes: products sold by unqualified, brainwashed people trying to earn a commission by selling you things you don't need. Supplements are often marketed as the end all-be all solution to your fitness needs, when in reality, drinking a cup of coffee would get you closer to your goals.
Now, hear me out--I'm not saying supplements are necessarily BAD for you, or even that all supplements are completely worthless, but take a look at these graphics detailing the important nutrition components of fitness:
As you can see, supplements only make up a VERY SMALL piece of the fitness puzzle to begin with, though the supplement industry is huge and would have you believe otherwise. Consistency, calorie balance, and macronutrients are the first and most important things you need to master to reach your fitness goals (from a nutritional standpoint-more on that later). These things have by far the biggest impact on you reaching the goals you set for yourself this year.
In the next few posts, I'll talk about which supplements are worth the money, and which aren't, as well as what you really need to do to make progress with your fitness program. As always, feel free to contact me with questions or for fitness help! Stay tuned!