by Matt Weik
Now that I have your attention, this article actually has nothing to do with your poor judgment and what you did the previous night between the sheets that you’d like to prevent, and everything to do with how physically active you were the day before as well as the hangover you may have from partying a little too hard. What exactly am I referring to? Multivitamins.
I know what you’re thinking… “What an intro to such a boring topic.” Yeah, you’re telling me – I’m writing the topic. There’s nothing sexy or fun when talking about multivitamins. But here’s the deal, you need to consider using multivitamins on a daily basis.
When you wake up each morning, think about your body as a vehicle, and that vehicle is starting the day on empty. With nothing in the tank, it will be challenging to keep your mental and physical performance optimized throughout the day. You may feel lethargic, a little bit of brain fog… you get the point. Look at multivitamins as a means to help recharge your battery and add some gas to your engine.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the topic to help you further understand why you should consider using multivitamins in the morning upon waking.
Your Body Uses Up Resources When You Exercise
After you hit the gym and work out, your body can become depleted in many different nutrients. Additionally, one of your main focuses following intense workouts should be on recovery and minimizing muscle soreness and DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). Vitamins from a quality multivitamin can help replenish what was lost during your training session and fill in any nutritional gaps you didn’t fulfill during your post-workout nutrition plan.
Let’s look at some essential nutrients that are found in multivitamins and why they are important.
Vitamin A
Those who exercise regularly require adequate amounts of vitamin A to help support protein synthesis. Without it, you can hinder your recovery and muscle growth potential. Vitamin A can also play a role in adding structural strength to muscles by helping increase bone development.
B Vitamins
In order to effectively metabolize protein and amino acids, you need B vitamins. Through its help with breaking down and utilizing amino acids, B vitamins play a role in helping repair and rebuild muscle fibers. A B-complex through the use of multivitamins can also help fuel your muscle cells with an energy source that was tapped out during training.
Vitamin C
When you think of vitamin C, you may be thinking to yourself that it’s commonly used to improve the immune system. While that is true, vitamin C has many other roles, such as strengthening collagen and promoting joint health. Vitamin C also comes into play with hormone production, such as testosterone – something you need to pay close attention to if you want to add quality lean muscle mass. In alignment with immunity, vitamin C possesses strong antioxidant properties that can help protect muscle cells from free radical damage.
CoQ10
Another vital nutrient to take in through quality multivitamins is CoQ10. This is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties that can help your body better manage the inflammation that can occur from grueling workouts and the stress put on the body. CoQ10 can also help reduce muscle fatigue during your training sessions.
We can literally spend the next hour going over even more key nutrients that you can get through multivitamins that can help you move closer to your health and physique goals. But I think you get the point and the stance on why multivitamins are of great importance when you spend time under the bar and in the gym.
Speaking of the “bar,” let’s switch gears.
A Meathead and Vegan Walk into a Bar…
I’m sure there’s some joke out there that this can play off of, but multivitamins play a vital role for those who close down the bar. While I’m not condoning such behavior, I’m not naïve to think some of you reading this enjoy going out and having a good time. That said, you’re going to want to look into quality multivitamins.
A night out on the town will cause your body to use up nutrients to help metabolize the alcohol you consume. As those nutrients are used up, you may become deficient. B vitamins are such a nutrient that you may be in need of, especially if you’re looking to prevent a head-splitting hangover.
Quality multivitamins also contain nutrients like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which can help improve hydration levels as you may be slightly dehydrated from a night full of alcoholic beverages.
Again, I’m not giving you a free pass to head out there and start poppin’ bottles because you’re using multivitamins to help counterbalance the negative aspects of drinking, but should you find yourself a few drinks deep, multivitamins can help you replenish lost nutrients, so you aren’t entirely worthless the next day.