In this article...
- Niacin Flush explained
- Take a Break From Supplements (i know!)
- Why I’m losing power…(Nootropics, creatine and adaptogens)
- Immune Power back in stock
- I’m mixing more Liquid Adaptogens next week
The Niacin Flush Explained
Niacin or vitamin B3 is a cool little member of the b-vitamin family. I’ve added 50mg into the R5 Aminos as it’s known to assist natural growth hormone release.
Niacin can also lower cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. Sometimes taking niacin on an empty stomach or if you are not used to taking niacin can cause a niacin flush.
The flushing effect can feel a little bit like an allergic reaction. It’s harmless though and goes away after 15-20 minutes. The non-flushing form of niacin which you can use does not have the positive effect on cholesterol.
You can increase your dose of niacin up to about 200mg – under medical supervision up to 1000mg can be taken. It’s not good to take that much unless you are having blood tests.
It’s also not safe for pregnant women to take that much. They should stick to a good pregnancy based multi-vitamin.
https://www.caasn.com/vitamin-b3-niacin-gh-enhancers.html
Taking a Break From Supplements
Every now and again I break from some supplements and pick back up on others. I keep collagen matrix pretty consistent. This one stacks really well with the focus sustain formula. Funnily enough there’s tons of B5 in the Focus Sustain, which also might potentially help with tendon healing and testosterone production.
Panthetine is a really interesting molecule. Another reason Focus Sustain makes you feel awesome.
https://www.foundationalmedicinereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/v2-5-365.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/pantetheine
When I break from Creatine I always lose a little strength and power.
It’s a fantastic way to increase resilience, energy, mental focus and muscle function and capacity. There’s actually no medical reason to break off but I think it is good general practice to cycle supplements, just don’t stop everything at once or you can crash and burn a bit.
In a 3 month intensive training phase, getting ready for competition or a film photo shoot – you can build up to use a full shebang of all the things which will help get you into the most awesome shape of your life.
I’m starting off a group – or adding to it in September, 3 months best shape of your life. I’ll be peaking ready for my 50th birthday which is closing in about a years time from now.
Creatine is a great anti-catabolic it helps stop the body breaking down muscle. We all know that as we age it’s harder to hold onto your muscle mass.
It’s not just about protein intake either. Leucine helps enormously with protein synthesis and you actually need loads of antioxidants to help hold onto muscle also. All the Amino Man product use flavour systems which contain natural levels of antioxidants, the R5 Orange, and Alpha Greens contribute to your 12 a day intake. We’re constantly improving the flavour systems batch to batch across the range.
Normally holiday is a good time to lower your intake of supplements, training Naked is a method of stripping back in gadgets and supplements and then building back up. Something I spoke about in this article here.
That being said it is (creatine) one of the supplements I take more of whilst on holiday. Plus if you are going away to a training camp, even one you are making up for yourself then using the right supplements to help is obviously going to improve the outcome from your endeavour.
Where I tend to holiday I’ll always add in handstand press ups and hill sprints. Intensive.
Cause I’ll be training less and not stressing too much about meals and loads of protein, the Creatine + Collagen Matrix helps me hold onto the valuable lean mass, heal up a few niggles and injuries, use the healing power of sunshine (without burning) and come back more flexible, healthy and strong.
Cause there’s going to be less stress you could stop the adaptogens on holiday. However, holiday is also a great time to rebuild the stress system. Vitamin C, magnesium and adaptogens are great for this.
During the working season, keeping on the adaptogens in the background is a great idea, I switch between my liquid ones, my powdered ones and also, I use single adaptogens as tablets too.
Ashwaganda is a really good adrenal restorer. A good one to take on holiday if you are sleeping more so you can regenerate adrenal function. Come back in September firing on all 8 cylinders. You can use the Amino Man powdered Adaptacat also alongside Ashwaganda.
Why I'm Losing Power
I’ve always wondered why the endocrine society doesn’t recognise adrenal fatigue or hypofunction as a medical condition. It’s weird, there’s Addison’s which is complete adrenal failure. However, there’s no acknowledgement of the sliding scale whereby this might end up happening. Not officially medically anyhow.
However now there’s generally a climb down on that at least as far as WHO (World Health Organisation) who just this year recognised ‘burn out’ as an occupational phenomenon. I guess who cares what you call it. Just give it a name.
As an aside a great film, called things to do in Denver when you are dead, Andy Garcia – epitomises the phrase “just give it a name”. An old gem with a great script.
Anyway, adaptogens are nature’s stress fighters. If suffer from stress, you stress yourself training hard, or if you are working hard or both you need these in your life.
https://www.stress.org/burnout-is-now-an-official-medical-condition
So, if you are feeling adrenally fatigued just remember it’s now an occupational phenomenon.
An apparently obvious supplement to cycle would be vitamin D. During the summer we can make this from exposure to sunlight. If you continue to work in an office though, you’ll still need to take a bit of this in the background.
A couple of years ago I went to Bali on a corporate health gig (which I still need to get paid for) all of the office workers were vitamin D deficient or insufficient – they took the beach for granted and worked long hours. It’s best to test for your levels to see where they are so you know how much you need. Same with b-vitamins, magnesium, zinc and any nutrient really.
I was talking about sustainable living last post I found a nice list of things you can consider doing here.
Immune Power Back In Stock
A lot of you have been chasing me about new stock of this Amino Man favourite and i'm pleased to tell you a new batch is back in stock at just £44.99 per tub