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Best Place To Get Nutritional Info

KT Tape

I am a strong advocate for KT tape (there are many different brands but this is my favorite).  I've use a variety of patellar tendon straps and knee support sleeves but KT tape in my opinion provides good support while allowing maximum range of motion and comfort.  It really feels like my knees are 3 years younger when I put on the tape, and since they've updated their applications I've found that the tape adheres better and can be worn for several days at a time, which is a big plus to assist the lymphatic system in draining any build up a particular area.




Here is KT tape's YouTube page where you can find any application that you need to aid your aching body. If the application you need is anything above your waist you'll likely need someone else to apply the tape for you.  And if you are new to KT tape if you try to do it yourself the first few times I guarantee that you will mess up several times and waste several strips before you get the hang of it.  It isn't as simple as it may seem so I would recommend having a physical therapist or anyone who has physiological certification that knows how to apply the tape.

Supplements

Before I say anything, your number one priority when it comes to nutrition is your diet.  Supplements are meant to help fill in any holes or help better complete deficiencies.  If you don't get any nutritional value out of your daily diet, you can't expect to pop a few pills and magically turn into a super health freak.  With that in mind here are the supplements that I take most consistently throughout the year.  Check the blog posts below for more info why I take each of the supplements and what you can expect from each.

Vitamin D  
This is the #1 vitamin deficiency in the US, and many studies have been conducted about the health benefits of taking vitamin D.  For someone like me who lives in the Midwest, for about half of the year the Sun doesn't exist to me, and the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of 400IU is laughable.

The general rule for vitamin D is that you can take 1000IU for every 25lbs you weigh, so since I weigh about 150lbs I can take about 6000IU a day, which is not uncommon.

Magnesium 
This is also one of the largest vitamin deficiencies in the US, and possibly one of the most important ones.  Magnesium helps fuel over 300 various processes throughout your body and also helps with the absorption of Vitamin D, so being out in the sun for long periods of time could result in you losing precious Magnesium.  Magnesium is also an essential electrolyte along with Calcium, Potassium, Chloride, and Sodium, but keep in mind that there is an intricate balance between these that you need to maintain and having too much of one can affect another.  Click here for more information on electrolyte imbalance

Fish oil/Krill oil - This one depends on my level of brokeness.  Both provide essential fatty acids, like Omega-3, which the body itself cannot produce and must be obtained from diet.  Krill oil is much more expensive than fish oil but it contains astaxanthin, more on this later.  Also, there have been studies that suggest, although no consensus has been made, that krill oil has a greater bio-availability which basically means that more of it can be absorbed and used by our body, and it has a greater ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbancy Capacity) value which measures how strong of an anti-oxidant it is.  In all fairness to krill oil's benefits, blueberries have a ORAC value that is 12.5x that of krill oil (4700 for blueberries and 378 for krill oil).

 I usually take either Carlson's fish oil supplement at 1000mg or neptune krill oil at 500mg.  A three month supply of fish oil will cost around $25, where as that will only get you about a 2 month supply at best in krill oil, but keep in mind here that the purpose of this supplement is the fatty acids and not the anti-oxidant propoerties.

Astaxanthin - Let's say you eat plenty of vegetables, limit your sugar intake, exercise regularly and drink plenty of water.  Well you are already on the fast track to being a top class athlete, but even living a near perfect lifestyle in terms of health may not get you to the tippy top.  This is where this helpful little carotenoid comes in.

I often refer to it as "The most beneficial supplement you've never heard of".  It is a SUPER-potent anti-oxidant and also has anti-inflammitory properties as well.  It is found in algae and those that eat it like krill and salmon, and it is astaxanthin that gives salmon it's red/pinkish color.  I could go on and one how awesome this supplement is but summarize, it kicks more ass than Mike Ditka fighting a hurricane.  More info here and here

You still may be wondering why I and you should take this. 3 main reasons:
1) Increased endurance
2) It works as an internal sunscreen
3) Joint pain relief

Again refer to the article I linked above for the specifics, but this is one that you don't want to miss out on, and the reason why I mentioned it in the krill oil/fish oil section is that it is fat soluble, so taking astaxanthin with either would be wise to get the most bang for your buck.  I recommend 8 or 10 mg/day, and they are usually sold in 1, 4, or 10 mg capsules.

Spirulina/Chlorella

I'm not sure you can really call this a supplement since it is really a food, but considering that it is basically algae I don't know of many places that sell it in its natural form.  You may have heard of these two, and their popularity has been increasing as of late and you may have even seen them on a fruit smoothie bottle or two like Bolthouse farms or Odwalla.

As a newly transformed vegetarian it took some time to learn how to get adequate protein in my diet, and as I discovered it isn't hard at all, and it's even easier when you don't eat a lot of processed junk food.  Both spirulina and chlorella are complete proteins, making up about 60-75% of its mass, compared to about 25% to that of red meat.  But don't think of it as just a weird protein supplement, they are both so nutritionally dense that the label of "superfood" has followed there two where ever they go, and it has been suggested that you could solely live of these and water.

If you are a vegetarian or considering becoming one, then fear not.  Because where healthy foods that contain incomplete proteins, these two algaes will help supplement the amino acids you need to fulfill the protein making process.

I also quickly discovered another benefit to these two.  No DOMA.  That is no delayed onset muscle atrophy better known as muscles soreness.  Whenever I've taken these after workout, I've NEVER been sore the day after.  I'm still looking into why this is, but I've found that both have a strong ability to increase the amount of nitric oxide in your body, which allows for your cells to take in more oxygen.

Chlorella is commonly found in capsule form while spirulina can be found in either pill or powder form.  The powder form allows for quick absorption and hence faster results, but buyer be warned that spirulina is a more than acquired taste, but as someone who hates the taste, I still take it in powder form because I feel amazing afterward.  Blend it with a fruit smoothie and it will go down fine.  Both are reasonably priced so you can stay on your Ramen budget and still get the nutrients your body needs, heck you can probably add spirulina to your Ramen if you want.