Part II:
Supplementation
Nutrition is not just necessary for composition change and optimal performance. It is also necessary for healthy skin. If you did not read my first part of “Beauty from the Inside Out”, click here to catch up. When your body is healthy then your skin should also look and feel health.
Nutrition is not just necessary for composition change and optimal performance. It is also necessary for healthy skin. If you did not read my first part of “Beauty from the Inside Out”, click here to catch up. When your body is healthy then your skin should also look and feel health.
I encourage my clients to eat a variety of vegetables and fruit in their diet so that they can not only feel better but also look better. A diet that consists of unprocessed whole foods can help promote radiant, youthful, and acne free skin that many of us would kill to have. If you are not consuming these foods regularly then it is likely you wear tons of make up to cover up your blemishes, spend a lot of money on skin care products, and feel insecure about how your skin appears. The first step to better skin is to make improvements in your diet. Cut out processed foods and replace them with real foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains such as rice, quinoa, and oatmeal. Avoid overly processed fats like fried foods and vegetable oils and start eating more fats rich in Omega-3 fatty acids like fish oil, flaxseed oil, some nuts, and Omega-3 eggs. Likewise, a diet too low in fat (the good fats) is bad for your complexion since fats are an essential part of healthy, supple skin.
Replace your coffee, soda, (diet included) and
energy drinks with green tea and increase your water intake. Instead of those sugary pre workout drinks
take a caffeine tablet pre workout or make your own concoction by buying the ingredients
in bulk (recipe for my pre workout to follow). Aside from promoting adrenal fatigue and
dehydration, too much caffeine is bad for your skin and can cause premature
aging. I know from personal experience that when I
relayed heavily on caffeine to boost my workouts and my afternoon “pick me ups”
my skin broke out and was scaly like.
Avoid foods that have a plethora of ingredients. Enjoy more foods that come in their natural form like yams, rice, lean organic meats, fruits, and vegetables. By simply cutting processed foods out of your diet and replacing them with healthier foods you will see a change in the way your skin looks and feels.
Now, if for some reason you are not able to get these foods in your diet then you should consider supplementing them with additional supplements. Shop around and talk to a specialist prior to spending your money on a zillion supplements. It will add up fast and they are not all created equal. Some companies use lower quality ingredients, do not measure accurately, and each pill can consist of varied amounts of minerals and vitamins.
I eat whole foods daily but still take additional supplements. I am not a supplement junky but I do think there are some that do contribute to the clarity of my skin, the health of my hair, strength of my nails, and the health of my eyes. I call these supplements the “girlie vitamins”. They are taken daily to enhance my outer beauty and aid in digestion, recovery, relaxation, and organ function. Below is a list of supplements I currently use and recommend. I also provided my pre-workout concoction that does not consist of artificial ingredients and fake sugars like aspartame.
Avoid foods that have a plethora of ingredients. Enjoy more foods that come in their natural form like yams, rice, lean organic meats, fruits, and vegetables. By simply cutting processed foods out of your diet and replacing them with healthier foods you will see a change in the way your skin looks and feels.
Now, if for some reason you are not able to get these foods in your diet then you should consider supplementing them with additional supplements. Shop around and talk to a specialist prior to spending your money on a zillion supplements. It will add up fast and they are not all created equal. Some companies use lower quality ingredients, do not measure accurately, and each pill can consist of varied amounts of minerals and vitamins.
I eat whole foods daily but still take additional supplements. I am not a supplement junky but I do think there are some that do contribute to the clarity of my skin, the health of my hair, strength of my nails, and the health of my eyes. I call these supplements the “girlie vitamins”. They are taken daily to enhance my outer beauty and aid in digestion, recovery, relaxation, and organ function. Below is a list of supplements I currently use and recommend. I also provided my pre-workout concoction that does not consist of artificial ingredients and fake sugars like aspartame.
1-
1 tbsp Vitamin
Shoppe Cold Pressed Certified Organic Flax Oil- I love this in my salads,
oatmeal, and smoothies. Flax Oil is a
great vegetarian source of the Omega-3 essential fatty acid ALA (alpha
linolenic acid). 1 serving satisfies 7.7g
of ALA per serving.
2-
1
Teaspoon of Vitamin Shoppe Omega 3 Fish Oil 800 EPA/500 DHA- I take this
straight. I do not like to blend it. The
liquid form of fish oil is more economical versus the capsules and it does not
cause that fishy burp (yuck!). I tend to
alternate between the flax oil and the fish oil. Make sure you get a fish oil from small fish
like sardine and anchovy, the small fish will have lower traces of heavy metals
like mercury. Fish oil is important because
of the DHA hormone that supports our brain function and it is an anti-inflammatory
and supports eye health.
3-
1-2oz
George’s 100% Aloe Vera. I add 1-2
oz of Aloe Vera to my shake every morning.
You can also buy a cream and use it topically as a moisturizer, hair
cleanser, and even acne treatment. It
helps get rid of dead cells, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, treats blemishes,
reduces inflammation, and reduces stretch marks. Aloe Vera is considered to be a miracle plant
because of all of the health benefits.
It has all of the essential amino acids and can even help prevent
disease. When consumed it can help with
digestion, treat IBS symptoms, and it nourishes the body with vitamins E and C.
4-
NeoCell
Super Collagen+C Type 1&3 tablets.
I started taking these tablets when I was preparing for my national
bikini competition last fall. This is
the ultimate “girlie pill”. Collagen is
a protein structure in our body that helps with maintaining our strength and flexibility.
These particular tablets (Types 1&3)
help support the collagen found in our hair, nails, ligaments, tendons, bones,
and skin. With the amount of training I
was doing daily (up to three hours per day) at very low calorie deficit I
needed to take Collagen to help protect myself from the effects of
over training. I still take it daily but
not as often since I am not training as intensely and have increased my
calories. Have you ever seen or known of
girls prepping for a show that feel horrible, encounter more injuries, have
hair that looks dry and falling out of their head, and their nails break all
the time? And what about their skin?
Someone over trained and under nourished tends to have dry and irritated
skin. They are deprived of healthy
collagen (proteins). I never experienced any of that, thank God.
5-
Twin Lab Pre-Natal Care Multi Vitamins-
Okay, so not everyone will want to take a pre-natal vitamin unless of course
you are planning on having a baby. Yes,
at some point we would love to have kids and I am thinking sooner than
later. When I ran out of my multi I decided
that because my diet covered all the essentials that I should get my pre-natal
vitamin instead of a regular multi. A
pre-natal vitamin simply has more folic acid, *biotin, calcium, and iron when
compared to a regular vitamin. I have
seen good results from taking my daily pre-natal. I noticed a difference in the health of my
hair. It is longer, thicker, and shines.
My nails are stronger, and my
skin is clearer. The increase of iron is
okay for me because it is just a little and with all of my training I can use
the extra iron. Some women are sensitive to iron so be aware if that is you
when shopping for a multi. Many women’s
multi vitamins can come without iron.
*Biotin- In the pre-natal and the collagen capsules can be found in many protein food sources such as chicken, egg yolk, dairy products, whole grains, and salmon. If you do not eat these whole foods or are a vegetarian you may want to consider a supplement with Biotin in it. Biotin is a coenzyme and Vitamin B known as Vitamin H. As a supplement, Biotin is sometimes used for diabetes, brittle nails, and other conditions. It plays a very important role in the function of our bodies. Biotin supports the health of the skin, nerves, digestive tract, metabolism, and cells. Biotin may also help to treat some types of nerve pathology.
6- Life Extension Optimized Resveratrol- I
did not really know about Resveratrol until I did the Life Extension food
allergy blood test (still waiting for results). This product came with my membership. They actually have very good products but
tend to appeal to an older crowd.
However, after taking it for a few weeks now and researching it more I
like it. It is a plant antibiotic that
kills mold and is from the skin of grapes and other berries like blue
berries. It basically helps slow down
the process of aging. Sounds like a
sales pitch on an infomercial but it is the real deal. Check it out here, http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item01430/Optimized-Resveratrol-with-Synergistic-Grape-Berry-Actives.html?source=search&key=resveratrol.
7- Trader Joe’s Coconut Oil- Coconut Oil is my favorite! I cook with it all of the time. I love
scrambling my eggs in coconut oil and preparing my meats. Coconut oil is the Holy Grail for great
skin. I will talk about all the great
things you can do with coconut oil in the final portion of my “Beauty from the
Inside Out” series.
So that about wraps up the supplements I take daily that directly
influences the health and appearance of
my skin. Be careful about adding a bunch
of new supplements to your diet. We do
not all respond to them the same way.
Too much of a good thing can be ugly.
The goal is to optimize your daily intake from your food. Supplements are just that, they supplement
additional amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, that we may not have
in our diet. In addition to optimizing
our foods I think that hormone optimization is HUGE!!!! I think I will have to
save the topic of hormones for its own series.
Bonus:
Pre-Workout
Drink: The Pump!
I mix all of the ingredients in cold water and
drink about 30 minutes before my lift.
We currently use Nutra Planet bulk
products. You can order them online.
ALCAR (Acetyl L –Carnitine)- Increases endurance, enhances memory and
cognitive function and increases physical performance.
Beta Alanine- Increases muscle mass, increases endurance, and
decreases fatigue- You will feel tingles from this so if you don’t like the
feeling then go light with the beta alanine.
Taurine- Amino Acid that improves athletic performance.
None of these amino acids supply
energy or caffeine. Leg days are a must
for that extra boost of energy. When I want caffeine I take 1 capsule of
the Pro Lab Advanced Caffeine with 2 SNI Arginine Ethyl ester capsules which helps with blood flow.
My little concoction is pretty
plain tasting (kind of tastes like salt and vinegar chips) so if flavor is an
issue then add a tsp of Optimum Nutrition’s Amino Energy for a little bit of caffeine and
flavor.
*I am not a registered Dietitian or a doctor of any kind. These are merely recommendations based off of personal experience and studies I have come across for my exercise nutrition certification. I am not prescribing anything for anyone and I recommend talking to your doc before buying any of the supplements listed above. What supplements do you use to help improve your the health of your skin? Please feel free to leave questions and comments below.
XOXO,
Abby
Read more of my "Beauty From the Inside Out" series and supplementation:
"Beauty From the Inside Out Part III"
"Supplements to Help Build a Bikini Body (video)"
"Are You Taking the Correct Supplements?"
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