What's up all? Without making too long of a post, I wanted to share something that occurred the other day. I work at a fitness store and therefore I meet a lot of different people: The young meathead who's in every week in search of the new miracle supp, the oldschool veteran who's making his bi-monthly trip for some whey and a multi, the HOT bod chick looking for the latest fat burner and low carb bars, or the old timer who's been eating oatmeal of 45 years and claims that's the secret to living forever! It's fun to say the least, but I'm also exposed to the complete lack of research by a lot of these people, and for the sake of this thread I'm reffering mostly to bodybuilders.
So , this guy comes in and he's about 6'2'', 260lbs solid. Definetely a juicer as he's still pretty young (I'd guess mid twenties -26 or so).
He's been in a few times to get the BSN Mass Stack cause he's a firefighter and I suppose he's done with the juice......for now! Anyway, we start talking and I ask him what he's taking to protect his heart and coronary system, and he replies with "Oh, I just take a multi every morning, that keeps me in check." I asked him if he takes any essential fatty acids, methyl donors, or lecethin.....He didn't know what any of them were! So I went into the whole routine and told him about c-reactive protein (homocysteine) and how certain "supps" lower HDL cholesterol and raise liver enzymes and so forth. (we had an unspoken connection about the "supps" I was reffering to) . So in the end he bought a couple of mandatory (in my eyes) additions and was very thankful for my time and info.......which is gratifying to me and is why I work there w/out any commission!
The whole point of this thread to get across to anyone who reads this the importance of essential fatty acids (omega 3 -most important b/c it's not found in abundance in foods as the other two, omega-6 and omega-9). The importance of taking methyl donors like methyl B-12 and trimethylglycine as they reduce the toxic amino acid homocysteine to an essential amino acid methionine. Also, that foods like oat bran, wheat germ, and flax meal work wonders on your arteries and will keep your cholesterol in check (I guess that old timer knows what's up!). Another good thing to always be aware of, which also has benefits for aesthetic reasons, is to try and keep your potassium to sodium ratio at 3:1. So much of our food has hidden sodium in it to make it taste better, so supplementing w/ potassium is never a bad idea....the bonus is it helps bring water into the muscle for a fuller appearance, and better recovery.
I hope this post wasn't too long for some to read and that some of you less studied guys got something out of it, b/c, as always, I'm here to share what knowledge I've gained and learn as much from others as I can. Til' next time.
- J