Energy Boosters

If you're an ordinary person with nine-to-five job and trying to live a healthy lifestyle by exercising you might find it hard. Since most of the time after an exhausting day at work you no longer have any motivation to work out since you're already tired, fatigued, worn out, and
you just have no juice left. Most of the time tiredness are the caused by stress, poor sleeping habits, and poor diet. Good thing there's a way to fight back and kick start your body by taking energy boosters.

Energy boosters are supplements that helps boost the energy level of your body. Here are supplements and vitamins that may boost your energy.




Zinc - this mineral is responsible for testosterone production. If you have zinc deficiency the first sign is energy loss since it plays a significant role in the metabolic process by helping to convert macronutrients into the components needed for energy creation.

According to this study giving zinc supplementation to patients with colorectal cancer prevented fatigue and maintained quality of life of patients.


Magnesium - magnesium deficiency may cause fatigue and muscle weakness since this mineral is important for the biochemical reactions in the body that includes converting glucose into energy. So when you magnesium deficiency energy level will drop. Magnesium is also well-known for increasing sleep quality.   

According to this study posted on Magnes Research, taking Magnesium supplements will have beneficial effects on exercise performance in magnesium-deficient individuals.

The recommended daily intake of magnesium is around 300 milligrams for women and 350 milligrams for men.



Vitamin B6 - this vitamin helps the body to absorb Zinc and Magnesium efficiently. Vitamin B6 is also important in creation of hemoglobin which is the protein in the red blood cells that helps transport oxygen throughout your body. If your body is not getting enough oxygen because of not enough hemoglobin it will make you feel tired and sluggish.


Vitamin B12 - it is essential for our nerve and blood cells. It also needed to prevent Pernicious anemia which causes a person to easily get tired and weak. Our body is not able to store vitamin B-12 so it's very important to eat food that contain Vitamin B12 regularly or take vitamin B-12 supplements. Adults need around 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B-12 daily.


Ashwagandha - it is also known as Withania somnifera or Indian ginseng. This evergreen shrub is used in India as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Proponents of Ashwagandha believe that it is very helpful in reducing levels of fat and sugar in the blood.

In this study, in which 100 patients with breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy were given 2 g of ashwagandha extract every 8 hours and it concluded that Ashwagandha might reduce feelings of tiredness. Another study in which elite Indian cyclists were given Ashwagandha to find out the effect on their cardiorespiratory endurance capacity. The result was a significant improvement compared to those who were given placebo. Ashwagandha improved the cardiorespiratory endurance of the elite athletes.

Rhodiola Rosea - (Arctic Root, Golden Root) a flowering herb which grows in the mountainous region of Europe and Asia has been long used as a medicinal plant. It is said that Rhodiola Rosea can prevent fatigue in stressful situations. It has been used by students to reduce mental fatigue in stressful exams. One study posted by Phytomedicine concludes that Rhodiola Rosea may have beneficial effects on physical performance, mental performance, and certain mental health conditions.


 
CoQ10 - it is an antioxidant that is naturally produced by your body. CoQ10 is needed for growth and maintenance. It is also important for metabolism. It is popular in the United States as a dietary supplement. As you grow older the levels of CoQ10 in your body decrease.  And when you have a low levels of CoQ10 your body’s cells won't be able to produce the energy they need to grow and stay healthy, which may result to fatigue.

It can be found in the food we eat like meat, fish and whole grains. However, the quantity that is in these foods is too small to increase CoQ10 levels in the body significantly.

CoQ10 is found in meat, spinach, soybeans, fish and whole grains according to this study. The amount of CoQ10 found in these dietary sources, however, isn't enough to significantly increase CoQ10 levels in your body. One study show that Ubiquinol appeared to be a better supplemental to enhance the CoQ10 status in older men.




Iron - is an important mineral for our body. It is needed to produce hemoglobin, which is a protein that carries oxygen from our lungs to different parts of the body. It also important for our muscles in storing and using oxygen. If your body lacks iron it won't be able to produce enough healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells and you will suffer iron deficiency anemia that will cause fatigue and exhaustion. Iron has a role in creating energy from nutrients.

According to this report, iron supplements can bring down tiredness by 50% even if you’re not anaemic. It concluded that iron supplementation for 12 weeks decreased fatigue scores by an average of 3.5 points compared with those who took placebo.

Foods that are rich in iron includes shellfish, spinach, meats, other organ meats, legumes, red meat, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, and turkey. You can only take the right amount of iron since there are health risks from excessive iron intake.

Creatine - it is an amino acid that is naturally found in muscles and in the brain. Foods that contains creatine includes red meat, fish and poultry. It serves as a source of energy in your body. This chemical is popularly used to improve athletic performance and increase muscle mass in athletes. According to this study creatine is most effective for activities that involve repeated short bouts of high-intensity physical activity like jumping, sprinting, and cycling. Another study concluded that ingesting creatine is effective in lower limb strength performance. One research in which 14 athletic men aged 19–29 years old were given 25,000 mg creatine monohydrate with the others got a placebo for 6–7 days. Subjects who received creatine saw significant improvements in peak power output during repeated sets of bench press and jump squat exercise.   

Citrulline - it is a non-essential amino acid which the body converts into L-arginine which is another type of amino acid. L-arginine improves blood flow. Citrulline can also be found in watermelons. It is commonly used by athletes to improve physical performance, like lifting weights longer or running faster. According to this study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine citrulline supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in the sensation of fatigue and may promote aerobic energy production.

Another study published by The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research concludes that citrulline also relieves muscle soreness.



Beetroot - it is taken from a beet plant, which can be eaten boiled, roasted, or raw. Some research claims that beets can improve athletic performance, lower blood pressure, and increase blood flow. A study posted by the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism shows that beetroot juice improves athletes endurance during exercise. Another study published in Nutrition Journal concluded that beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in men when consumed as part of a normal diet.

Melatonin - it is a hormone that is naturally occurring in the body. It plays a role in sleep and its production depends to time of day, more in the evening and less in the morning. Darkness causes the body to produce more melatonin. Light at night blocks its production. Melatonin used as medicine or supplement is usually made synthetically in a laboratory. It has been researched for sleep disorders, like insomia, jet lag, or people who work at night. There are some who take melatonin supplements to adjust the body's internal clock. 

Melatonin supplements also shows some positive effects for people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Some research shows that taking it at night improve some symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome like concentration and motivation while reducing fatigue. According to a study published by the European Journal of Neurology melatonin supplements can be an effective treatment for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and dim light melatonin onset. One research posted by Psychopharmacology shows that treating children with chronic idiopathic childhood sleep onset insomnia with 0.05 mg/kg dosage of melatonin before desired bedtime is very effective. Another study concluded that melatonin supplements is effective in advancing sleep-wake rhythm and endogenous melatonin rhythm in delayed sleep phase disorder.

Tyrosine - is an amino acids that is found naturally in the body and they synthesize proteins. They are also found in foods that are high in protein like dairy products, eggs, meat, fish, wheat, oats, and beans.

Tyrosine supplements is used to improve alertness, memory, and concentration especially during stressful situations. Tyrosine plays a significant role for producing neurotransmitters that send messages to the brain. A study posted by the Journal of Psychiatric Research tyrosine supplements have been found to effectively enhance cognitive performance in short-term stressful or demanding situations. Another study using rats as subjects shows that giving them tyrosine supplementation improves their working memory despite being exposed to cold environment which degrades cognitive performance.

A research published by the Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance concludes that tyrosine supplements improves cognitive performance during extended wakefulness.

 

Caffeine - it is a stimulant that is ussually found in coffee, tea, guarana, sodas, energy drinks and others. Most people consume caffeine from drinks to keep them awake, fight fatigue, improve mental alertness, improve focus and concentration.

A study published by the Current Neuropharmacology said that caffeine provide energy and improve cognitive skills which are direct result of chemical activation of different neuronal pathways. Another research from the European Journal of Applied Physiology, studies the effects of caffeine on neuromuscular fatigue and performance during high-intensity cycling exercise. It concludes that it has positive effect on high-intensity cycling exercise performance and significant decrease in subjective fatigue.


L-Theanine - it is an amino acid that occurs naturally in green tea and black tea. It is also found in some mushrooms. People take L-Theanine supplements to improve attention, the ability to multitasks, improved mental focus and better sleep quality. According to a study published by the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition L-theanine supplements has a significant effect on the general state of mental alertness or arousal. Another research shows that the combination of caffeine and theanine improves sustained attention and mental focus.