2025, a new year, but for athletes it’s really just another 365 chances to get 1% better everyday right. So let’s go, be adventurous, make memories, live boldly and train fiercely. To start the year off right I am providing you with a dietitian's top 6 product recommendations to optimise health and performance this year.
1. For Overall Health
Pillar Performance - Ultra Omega Joint Freedom
My go to supplement for overall health and longevity would have to be Omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids are key components of the body’s cells. The health benefits are extensive and include;
- Promotes brain health
- Promotes heart health
- Assists with Inflammation
- Promotes joint health
- The potential to assist symptoms of concussion
- May decreases symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Promotes eye health
- Helps decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease
Athletes have a greater demand for Omega-3 fatty acids as our training volume is high which leads to an inflammatory response in the body. For the general population a combined intake of 500-600mg of EPA + DHA is generally recommended per day (at a minimum). For athletes supplementing with 1000mg of Omega-3 fatty acids has been linked to reduced physiological strain, a reduction in exercise-induced inflammation, and if injured it could potentially help in reducing muscle loss during this time (1).
Pillar Performance does a great Omega-3 supplement which contains all 3 fatty acids (2400mg per tablet). It has a good dose of EPA and DHA which are readily absorbed in the body. Pillar Performance-Ultra Omega Joint Freedom is also batch tested through Informed Sport.
2. Performance Enhancers
Ketones and Creatine
My top 2 supplements for enhancing performance are Ketones and Creatine.
Ketones have become popular in sports nutrition as an alternative source of fuel to carbs. The supplementation of ketones has been studied to Improve; brain health, endurance, heart health and cognitive performance. Keep in mind these studies have been done on a small scale with male athletes.
Endogenous ketones use either ketone salts or ketone esters (Delta G). Ketone esters raise the level of ketones in the blood quickly while you would need up to 20x more ketones salts to have the same effect. For more information on Ketones and Delta G check out this article.
My second performance enhancer is creatine. Creatine has a role in the regulation of energy production and acts indirectly to help supply the body with ATP (the body’s fuel currency). Increased creatine stores can potentially enhance fatigue resistance by acting as a buffer for hydrogen ions produced during energy metabolism and thereby decrease acidosis (6). An enhanced time to fatigue is likely to lead to performance improvements during high-intensity, brief duration (<30 second) activities with short recovery periods. In summary, supplementation can keep the anaerobic system running efficiently under short bouts of intense activity. How to safely and effectively supplement with creatine read further here.
3. Recovery
Switch Nutrition - WPI Switch
For muscular recovery my go to is Whey Protein Isolate (WPI). Muscle protein anabolism is acutely elevated following a period of training. WPI is one of the most commonly used supplements as an ergogenic aid for athletes to enhance muscle recovery. WPI is the most refined type of whey supplement containing 90% protein, very little lactose and fats. WPI is absorbed and digested more quickly than Whey Protein Concentrates (4).
The AIS sports supplement framework recommends supplementation of WPI with 20-40 g protein per serve pending on the individual athlete circumstances. This should be taken within 30-45 minutes post exercise. My WPI supplement recommendation is Switch Nutrition- WPI Switch.
4. Sleep
PILLAR Performance - Triple Magnesium Tablet
To assist with sleep, something I am currently struggling with at the moment having a 9 month old son, is magnesium. Magnesium glycinate has been studied to help calm your brain and relax your muscles. In turn this may moderately assist sleep quality (daytime falling asleep, sleepiness, snoring, and sleep duration) (2). Higher doses of magnesium appear to be more effective in addressing anxiety and sleep disturbances (3).
Pillar Performance Triple magnesium combines all three types of magnesium in a high dose tablet and is my recommendation to take 1-2 hours before bedtime to assist with sleep.
5. Hydration
Hyro - Electrolyte Hydration Mix - Mixed Bag
Rehydration after exercise can only be achieved if the electrolytes lost in sweat, as well as the lost water, is replaced (5). Consumption of a volume of fluid in excess of the sweat loss and replacement of electrolyte, particularly sodium, losses are essential (6).
Since we don’t just sweat out pure water alone we need to ensure we don’t just rehydrate with pure water. We lose electrolytes too, so we need to rehydrate with a solution that contains water and electrolytes. This can be easily made by adding an electrolyte tablet to your water bottle such as Precision Fuel & Hydration - Electrolyte Tablets, Hammer Nutrition - Endurolytes Fizz, Science In Sport (SIS) - Go Hydro Tablets or Huma Gel - Hydration Drink Mix.
There are so many great hydration products however one of my favourites is Hyro- Electrolyte Hydration. I love this because it is sugar free, made from natural ingredients, HASTA certified and has 3 different flavours.
References:
- Ritz PP, Rogers MB, Zabinsky JS, et al. Dietary and biological assessment of the omega-3 status of collegiate athletes: a cross-sectional analysis. PLOS One. 2020;15(4):1-16.
- Arab A, Rafie N, Amani R, Shirani F. The Role of Magnesium in Sleep Health: a Systematic Review of Available Literature. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2023 Jan;201(1):121-128. doi: 10.1007/s12011-022-03162-1. Epub 2022 Feb 19. PMID: 35184264.
- Rawji A, Peltier MR, Mourtzanakis K, Awan S, Rana J, Pothen NJ, Afzal S. Examining the Effects of Supplemental Magnesium on Self-Reported Anxiety and Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2024 Apr 29;16(4):e59317. doi: 10.7759/cureus.59317. PMID: 38817505; PMCID: PMC11136869.
- Lam, FC., Khan, T.M., Faidah, H. et al. Effectiveness of whey protein supplements on the serum levels of amino acid, creatinine kinase and myoglobin of athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev 8, 130 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-019-1039-z
- )Baker LB. Sweating Rate and Sweat Sodium Concentration in Athletes: A Review of Methodology and Intra/Interindividual Variability. Sports Med. 2017;47(Suppl 1):111-128. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0691-5
- )Baker LB, Stofan JR, Hamilton AA, Horswill CA. Comparison of regional patch collection vs. whole body washdown for measuring sweat sodium and potassium loss during exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2009 Sep;107(3):887-95. doi: 10.1152/ japplphysiol.00197.2009. Epub 2009 Jun 18. PMID: 19541738.
