Energy suppliments

Energy  

Energy supplements, whether drinks, bars, or powders, are designed to help you stay awake, focused and attain your goals.

Energy: Carbohydrates  

Carbohydrates are one of the most victimized macro nutrients these days. With the low-carb/no-carb diets getting a lot of press in recent years, many are afraid of them and avoid them at all costs in fear that it will make them fat. However, this could be further from the truth. They are the body's primary source of energy, and not consuming enough of them can lead to negative aspects such as lethargy, decreased performance, muscle loss and other undesirable side effects.

Carbohydrates are one of the most important weapons in your arsenal. They replenish muscle glycogen after your workouts and provide energy to your brain and working muscles. While there have traditionally been 'good' and 'bad' carbohydrates, this isn't necessarily true. What's more important than having 'good' carbs or 'bad' carbs is what type of carbohydrates and when they are consumed.

Complex (slow digesting) carbohydrates that are low in the glycemic index are the best choice for the majority of the day as they won't cause a rapid spike in the hormone insulin. They provide slow and steadily burned fuel and will be the most beneficial for their proposed benefits. However, post workout and during your workout, simple (fast digesting) carbohydrates are the best choice as they are rapidly absorbed and will provide fast fuel and replenish muscle glycogen.

While your best sources of complex carbohydrates are whole food sources, carbohydrate supplements that fall into the complex category are oat powder, bran flour, and brown rice powder. Carbohydrates supplements that fall into the rapidly digested category are more common in the supplement industry and include waxy maize, dextrose, maltodextrin and glucose.

Energy: Energy Bars  

Energy bars help supply you with the carbohydrates and calories you need for continued athletic output.

Energy: Energy Drinks  

  Energy drinks are a carbonated beverage with added ingredients for energy. They are a relatively new supplement as they have only been around since the mid 1990's, but have had an explosion in the number of individuals that use them. They primarily work with the use of stimulants which stimulate the central nervous system. Common ingredients include caffeine, taurine, b vitamins and in some cases antioxidants.

One of the ingredients used in many energy drinks to provide quick energy is sugar. This is good in the fact that it will provide a quick energy source, but it is a negative drawback as it will spike insulin and you'll crash when it wears off. One option is to consider the sugar free version of energy drinks as you'll be able to avoid the crash.

There are many popular energy drinks of the market including Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, Venom, Full Throttle, Amp and countless others are available with new ones being developed and released all the time. Users must exhibit caution when utilizing these drinks as they can be high in stimulants. Other products on the market such as pre-workouts and even coffee have additional stimulants in them and too many can have negative side effects such as insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, heart palpations and elevated blood pressure.

Energy: Energy Supplements  

Energy supplements are designed to bring you to that next level of endurance, and keep you going when you wouldn't normally be able to push on.