Cycling Supplements

[TSCfree]

I eat relatively healthy and pretty much cook from scratch all our food, however last winter and again this winter I've suffered with regular colds and sore throats. I've looked back through my training history and it's regular as clockwork. It's always at the end of a block of training and then I lose any previous fitness gains which has been frustrating. Strangely enough during spring/summer/autumn I was very rarely Ill.

Whilst being pragmatic and having the opinion that st happens, I could probably alter the way I train. But hey there's always another way. I'm thinking of trailing some CNP products such as endurance greens, beta alanine and glutamine. I realized I'm probably going to polarize opinion for and against, but for now I'll take a subjective view.

I've never been a vitamin taker, but then again, I've never really trained hard enough that there could be a point where I can't replace everything I'm expending. Obviously elites are training harder and it's possible the average person won't get any benefit?? FWIW I'm a lowly 3rd cat!

I've put this post here as opposed to the health forum as I'm interested in cycling related supplements and wondered what fellow cyclists think.

[Daveyraveygravey]

I'm sceptical about vitamins etc and the food\sports industry manufacturing stuff - I just doubt it's better than anything natural. But, it sounds like you look after yourself and know what you're doing but it probably can't do you any damage.

[agentnomad]

I look at like this you have a balanced diet and look after yourself this will be great for a normal day to day work load, when you start training you need to top the energy levels back up to normal or you start running or slowing down on reserve energy stocks so the use of supplements would help to balance the deficit out from training which is not part of the normal days energy requirements.

From my garmin it suggests around 650 cals per hour so the difference between this and normal energy expenditure (which I don't know) is what you need to top up, and a supplement is a good way of getting this into your body.

There are other stresses you your body will be subjected to and these are explained to some extent on Science in Sports web site, and no doubt others.

[agentnomad]

I look at like this you have a balanced diet and look after yourself this will be great for a normal day to day work load, when you start training you need to top the energy levels back up to normal or you start running or slowing down on reserve energy stocks so the use of supplements would help to balance the deficit out from training which is not part of the normal days energy requirements.

From my garmin it suggests around 650 cals per hour so the difference between this and normal energy expenditure (which I don't know) is what you need to top up, and a supplement is a good way of getting this into your body.

There are other stresses you your body will be subjected to and these are explained to some extent on Science in Sports web site, and no doubt others.

[brianthemagical]

Why not start by taking vitamins?

Have you got a training block coming up that will result in illness? Otherwise it may be pointless trying new supplements now.

Do you eat enough veg and fruit? Can you eat more?

I think Nigel Mitchell advocates 10ml of good fish oil and a multi vit.

[TSCfree]

If I'm really honest I could probably eat more varieties of veg, although we tend to eat at least 2 types with the evening meal. This week I've eaten carrot, swede, cabbage, sweetcorn, peppers, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach. I probably eat too much fruit! Fish once a week and preferably tuna for butties at work. It's also a mind field when you start looking at the Omega 3 oils, fish oil , cod liver, krill.......not to mention the price variation.

Edited by TSCfree on Saturday 14th February 21:57

[Banana Boy]

What's your working environment like? I used to work in an office directly attached to a workshop and machining shop, every winter I would suffer terrible sore throats and coughs - one year I totally lost my voice for a week! I used to try and combat this with a daily Borocca etc. but nothing seemed to stop the cycle. (no pun intended)

Two and a half years ago I left that unhealthy place, spent six months on the road truck driving (largely on my own) and now work in an airy office without aircon etc. I haven't had a cough or sore throat in the last two and a bit years, winter or summer and since I've been cycling daily for the last seven months I've felt better than ever!

I know changing your workplace probably isn't easy or practical but it's something that may be affecting your health!

[TSCfree]

It's a shop floor engineering environment with limited IT, so invariably you'll end up sharing computers which isn't great for hygiene and not something I can readily change.

[BadgerBenji]

The only thing I take is Glucosamine as it makes my old knees less crunchy.

[Dowks]

I take zinc, seems to help with the colds etc when run down. That and a high strength omega 3

[brianthemagical]

Regarding fish oil, I'm now on the bottled stuff. Seven Seas high strength cod liver oil. It has a break down on the back. Basically aiming for 10g of the good stuff-EPA and DHA I think? It would be very expensive using capsules. Give it a few days and the thought of eating neat fishy oil will be bearable!
To get the benefit from fish it needs to be oily-salmon, mackerel etc, I don't think canned tuna counts?

Reading back your OP, it seems somewhat contradictory. You say you've never trained enough that you can't replace everything, but getting ill has happened for a number of years?

FWIW, I wouldn't be looking at 'proper' supplements at all (CNP greens, beta alanine etc) mainly due to cost. CNP greens can be replaced with more variety of more veg. beta alanine is a performance supplement-fat metabolism and recovery if I recall? Glucosamine is for joints.

Best bet is to look through the CNP, SIS, High 5 range's and then do your own though research.

Edited by brianthemagical on Sunday 15th February 08:47

[anonymous-user]

Try increasing the garic, ginger and chilies in your meals, more stir fries basically! :-) they are known for being good flu prevention ingredients, I prefer trying the natural solutions rather than the laboratory stuff personally.

[Banana Boy]

TSCfree said:

It's a shop floor engineering environment with limited IT, so invariably you'll end up sharing computers which isn't great for hygiene and not something I can readily change.

I bet it's quite 'dusty' at work? We used to get a film of black dust on our desks within days of wiping it clean! In the sunlight you could see the dust hanging in the air out on the shop floor - it was like those anti-smoking adverts!

The extra strain on the immune system filtering that dirty air might be more of an issue than the germs themselves, I never thought to try it while I was there but I wonder now if a cheap paper mask or something similar could have made a difference - for the sake of looking like a berk? Lols

Aldi sell some good Berocca alternatives at a much cheaper rate, Sainsburys also had them on a 3 for 2 offer last time I looked. (I can't remember if that was recently though?!)