Hello and welcome to my first blog post!
Today everything should revolve around the topic of nutritional supplements and the optimized performance and regeneration that are aimed for.
In functional fitness in particular , but also in many other sports, there are always people who - like me - maybe go a bit "over the strands" here and there with their training intensity and volume.
"You're crazy!" or "You sports addict" are common expressions that all of us have probably heard at some point.
Work out five days a week, sometimes even twice a day, and still get fit for work every morning. But even with a lower volume or if there are other daily items on the agenda in addition to work and training, everyone gets to the point where you lose concentration or you can’t get enough sleep in the evening despite endless tiredness, right?
At that point at the latest, I started to think about how I could stay focused and productive on a daily basis and how I could support my body in the best possible way during regeneration .
In this blog post I would like to go into the support of the body through dietary supplements - even if this is only a small part of the possibilities of "giving something back" to your body.
What do I add and how did I come up with it?
I asked myself for a long time: what makes sense for me and what doesn't?
I have been taking the usual dietary supplements since I started with functional fitness - the basics, so to speak. A whey shake after training , magnesium here and there (but also more according to your mood) and at some point creatine too. With the common creatine monohydrate , you basically cannot go wrong when choosing the product/brand. However, the situation is different with magnesium and its mode of action.
At some point I became more and more involved with sport and lifestyle and came across vitamins that might need to be supplemented or terms such as " bioavailability " (especially in connection with magnesium). The supplementation of vitamin D3 became more and more important and a "senseless throwing in" of magnesium preparations, from which my body only derives the slightest benefit, was no longer an option. I didn't want to be a victim of every flu outbreak anymore...
For me it was clear: There is no point in adding anything. I need the good stuff!
Optimum performance - my rising star
In the spring of 2020, I became aware of the products from Optimum Performance and in the summer I got into conversation with its founders, Caro & Stefan, about the happy circumstances.
Stefan fully confirmed my previous research and requirements for nutritional supplements and went one better with his products. So it happened that I really wanted to test his products and started at the beginning of September.
At this point there was Vitamin D3+K2+C (now Immune System & Energy), Multi+Choline (now Focus & Performance) and Magnesium+Ashwagandha+Zinc (now Sleep & Recovery ) .
All products are capsules, which you take with a sip of water. Focus & performance in the morning on an empty stomach , immune system & energy for breakfast and sleep & regeneration (as the name suggests) in the evening before bed .
What distinguishes Optimum Performance products?
Immune System & Energy
In our latitudes, a low vitamin D synthesis is almost the standard . Even a nice, long summer is usually not enough to prepare for the flu season and the majority of the population is undersupplied.
In order to maintain a healthy vitamin D level during the winter months, it is recommended to take 2000-3000 IU (international units) daily . So how good that one capsule contains 2000 iU !
Why in combination with vitamin K2 and vitamin C?
It's simple: An increased intake of vitamin D3 leads to the production of more vitamin K2-dependent proteins , which transport calcium to sites such as bones and teeth. Vitamin K2 is responsible for ensuring that it reaches the right balance there. Vitamin C has probably come across everyone in connection with colds and the name of the product says it all. It is critical to the body's immune function with its antioxidant properties , as it stimulates white blood cells and supports the cells' normal functions. In this way, for example, pathogens can be recognized and eliminated by the body at an early stage.
Here's the product: click here
Focus & Performance
In addition to various other active ingredients , you will find Alpha GPC here, among other things, and you are probably asking yourself: What on earth is that? At least that's how it felt for me as an absolute layman.
Alpha GPC is the most efficient choline , which stimulates the cholinergic system in higher doses and thus ensures improved memory, increased learning speed, optimized physical performance and also reduced fatigue . Almost sounds like a miracle cure, doesn't it
But a miracle cure rarely comes alone.
The coenzyme Q10 that is also included ensures that our cells have the necessary energy supply , the vitamin A ensures the formation of antibodies and the development of lymph nodes, eyes and sex cells, among other things, and the vitamin B makes an essential contribution to the regulation of our metabolic processes.
Here's the product: click here
sleep & regeneration
The more active you are - or let's say the more stressful situations you expose your body to, the more magnesium is released from it to perform at its best. But just as much more magnesium is needed at the end of the day to lower the cortisol level and to be able to rest. Normal muscle function and training success can only be guaranteed with an adequate supply of magnesium.
Optimum Performance uses magnesium bisglycinate here, which is characterized by its above-average bioavailability .
Ashwagandha has a supporting effect here. In addition to blood sugar, it also lowers the cortisol level and thus ensures restful sleep and optimized regeneration - also cognitively.
The last main component should not be forgotten here: the zinc. This is involved in numerous processes such as immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis and cell division. In particular, inadequate zinc intake can affect how the body responds to bacterial and viral infections and adversely affect this.
Here's the product: click here
all in all
Optimum Performance products are all vegan, sustainably produced and packaged and have the highest possible bioavailability . For the most part, trademark raw materials are used to manufacture the products , which differ from ordinary raw materials in terms of origin, function and quality. This means that they contain the highest possible active ingredient content and are mostly natural.
Two small examples to make this clear to you:
Regular Ashwagandha has a potency of around 5%, while that used in Optimum Performance has a potency of 90% .
The vitamin K2 used by most companies consists of synthetic raw materials . Optimum Performance uses vitamin K2 fermented directly from the natto fruit , which is therefore purely natural.
Small capsule, big effect
Now to my personal conclusion.
Dietary supplements alone are of course not the yellow of the egg. We all know that or should be aware of it. It is much more a combination of a balanced diet and supplementing it, sufficient and quality sleep and sensible training .
I can say for myself that I haven't been sick since September and I've ALWAYS caught the flu with me in the fall or in March at the latest. Long working days, which either follow an intensive training session , or intensive training sessions after a long working day can rarely harm me. For my part, I can also say that I sleep like a baby despite working in shifts - and that was 1. not the case before and 2. "enviable", if I may quote my work colleagues here. :-P
Supplementation is a small part of "performance optimization," but that small part makes a big difference to me!
I hope you have now been able to get a small impression of my daily companions in nutritional supplements.
Stormy greetings from Hamburg, Sarah