Feeling drained after a long workout? Are those aches and pains from
muscle soreness, injury, a sprained ligament or tendon preventing your best
performance? Injuries are common with sports and exercise, especially if you
are not supporting your body nutritionally with the right fitness
supplements. But,
what if there was a way to replenish your energy while supporting your body’s
natural repair process at the same time?

Benefits of Dietary Supplements

Even though exercise is
incredibly healthy for your heart, body and mood, there are a few negative side
effects. Intense exercise can suppress the immune system, leaving you at risk
for respiratory or viral illnesses.

Another issue
that many athletes face is an increase in GI upset due to the added stress of
intense exercise. A study from the Journal of American Physiology looked at the
effect of heavy exercise (running) and gut permeability in athletes.
What they found was that exercise increased gut permeability by 2.5 times. This
puts athletes at risk for digestive problems long-term as well as autoimmune
disease, which is linked to gut permeability.

Although it
is impossible to counter all the effects of exercise-induced immunosuppression,
it has been shown to be possible to minimize many factors by using nutrition.
Athletes can help themselves by eating a well-balanced diet with adequate
amounts of high quality protein, such as whey protein, as well as plenty of whole-food
carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Not giving
your body nutritional support during long bouts of exercise can be detrimental
to your health and well-being. A recent
study found that athletes exercising in a carbohydrate-depleted
state experienced an increase in circulating stress hormones and immune
deficiencies. It can also put you at risk for injuries.

In addition to good nutrition, the right supplements can also help some
of these negative aspects of exercise. There are many benefits of
dietary supplements
for athletes that can help fill the gaps in the diet. Taking the right fitness supplements can help you reach your physical goals with less
pain, improved immunity and fewer injuries. Including a glutamine and a
colostrum supplement can also help support the immune system and ease GI issues
that are common with many athletes. 

Glutamine Supplement Benefits

Glutamine is one of the most common amino acids in
the muscles. Amino acids are building blocks of muscle tissue or protein. More
than 61% of the skeletal muscles in your body is composed of glutamine. It is a
nitrogen-rich amino acid, meaning it helps infuse your muscle cells with
nitrogen, an extremely important building block for strength.

What’s
interesting about glutamine is that it is depleted with physical activity. The
more intense the training, the more glutamine is used up. It can take nearly a
week for the levels of glutamine in your muscles to restore themselves. This
means you may struggle with soreness or pain for longer than you would like.

To help replenish this important amino acid faster, you can
take a glutamine
supplement. Here are just a few glutamine
supplement benefits:

• Promotes muscle synthesis.
• Speeds up healing and cellular repair.
• Used to manage symptoms of cancer treatment.
• Helps maintain a healthy weight.
• Supports immune system function.
• Protects against and heals intestinal
  permeability.

Glutamine is found in high protein foods, like meat, eggs and cottage cheese. However, if your goal is to build muscle mass, you may want to add a bit more to your diet via a supplement — but try not to exceed 40 grams a day. Glutamine powders are recommended for bodybuilders and athletes looking for the best fitness supplements, as they can be mixed into any number of drinks. They make it that much easier to get all of the amino acids your body needs!

Colostrum Supplement Benefits

Colostrum is the first milk that mammals
produce after giving birth. It is a nutritionally-rich liquid full of immune
boosting antibodies called immunoglobulins. It is also a great source of
protein, fat and vitamin A.

It is nature’s first nutritional support for the immune system, but
it can also be used to help athletes. A few colostrum
supplement benefits include:

• Helps reduce intestinal permeability
• Supports normal immune function
• Aids in healing and repair of body tissues
• Supports a healthy body weight.
• Boosts muscle growth and repair.
• May enhance athletic performance.

Bovine colostrum is another beneficial fitness supplement option for athletes struggling with gut problems or immune suppression.

Choosing the Best Fitness
Supplements

Before choosing any fitness supplement, you want to be sure to
identify your goals and struggles. Glutamine and colostrum are for athletes who
tend to get sick or injured often. That’s
not to say a perfectly healthy athlete can’t
benefit from them, as they can also be used for prevention.

Other factors to consider include how you want to use the
supplement — do you want to mix it into a shake or would you prefer capsules? Also, always ask your doctor
before starting any dietary supplements to make sure it is right for you,
especially if you have medical conditions or are taking any medication.

Taking glutamine and colostrum are both great ways to support your immune system, digestive health and reduce your risk of exercise-induced soreness and injury.