Impact of supplements vary depending on when you take them

Exercising can help a person in many ways from maintaining physical and mental health to controlling weight. 

Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that aerobic exercise, which increases the heart rate, tends to increase the size of an individual’s hippocampus. This part of the brain is responsible for learning and verbal memories, a form of short-term memory.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, exercising assists a person’s thinking and memory both directly and indirectly. The more extensive the physical activity, the more significant the effects on a person’s health. Benefits of exercising include:

Lower resistance to insulin

Physical activity can reduce the amount of sugar in your blood and help insulin work more efficiently. Resistance to insulin may cause blood sugar levels rise to potentially dangerous levels.

Research indicates resistance workouts decrease the incidence of Type 2 diabetes by improving the expression of a protein that controls the absorption of glucose or blood sugar in the body.

When muscles and other tissues are unable to absorb glucose in the body, nerves and blood vessels are harmed, increasing the incidence of heart disease, stroke, and infections. 

Assist the building of stronger bones

Bones are living tissue. Weightlifting and physical activity can help bones maintain their size by replenishing bone mass with strong, dense bone. In this way, exercising can strengthen the muscles as well as the bones.

When forced to work harder and bear more weight, bones, similar to muscles, become stronger. Working out can also slow the deterioration of bone density that increases with age. Thus, it can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis, as mentioned in the article published by Scientific American.

Can make you happier

Exercising modifies the parts of the brain that control stress and anxiety. It may also improve brain sensitivity to serotonin and norepinephrine, hormones that alleviate depression. Moreover, exercise has been demonstrated to improve mood and reduce feelings of anxiety, depression and stress. It boosts endorphin output, which contributes to pleasant emotions and decreases pain perception.

The intensity of the workout doesn’t matter: A person’s mood seems to benefit regardless. Indeed, a study of 24 women diagnosed with depression showed exercising at any intensity considerably reduced depressive emotions.

Though broad, these benefits are only some of the effects that come from exercising -- advantages that can enhance almost every aspect of a person’s health. 

In pursuit of such benefits, people also take supplements that add certain nutrients needed by the body.

Pre-workout supplements offer the promise of burning more fat, recovering from workouts quicker or maximizing physical efficiency during workouts. Depending on the supplement, it can also modify the pre-workout body, enhancing stamina, strength or muscle development, by assisting pre-exercise nutrient consumption and minimizing muscle damage.   

Advantages Of Using Pre-Workout

Caffeine taken pre-workout enables to burn more fat

Caffeine boosts the metabolic rate of individuals, enhances endurance and decreases fatigue, regardless of the level of exercise. It also activates the central nervous system, improving the function of the brain for a more productive and efficient workout. 

A study conducted in 1995 demonstrated caffeine improves metabolic rate by up to 11%, helping individuals burn additional calories and encouraging weight loss.

 Caffeine also improves the amount of adrenaline present in the body, which helps break down fat cells more quickly.

Branched-chain amino acid ingredients increase muscle mass

Pre-workout supplements are usually enriched with branched-chain amino acids, which enhance muscle growth.

Research published in the Nutrition Journal in 2016 showed BCAA stimulates the body’s production of enzymes essential for protein synthesis after a regular exercise.

Moreover, BCAA can also reduce soreness in the muscles after working out.

Pre-workout creatine increases energy capacity

Creatine is among the most common supplements for building the body. Creatine is an amino acid stored in muscles that allows for rapid energy bursts, such as those used in powerlifting and sprinting. The body uses creatine to provide energy.

Using creatine in high doses for bodybuilding can cause the body to retain water, which could damage the liver, kidneys or heart.

A study done in 2008 showed creatine increases muscle development by indicating critical biological pathways straight to the muscle tissue.

Disadvantages Of Using Pre-Workout

Can ramp-up overstimulation

While caffeine can produce many benefits, too much caffeine can lead to health problems, especially when coupled with exercise and other stimulants. Excessive caffeine intake can trigger dangerously high heart rates and even disability. Caffeine is the world’s most commonly consumed stimulant, and has long been known to have both positive and negative effects on headaches. 

At the same time, headaches are costly to society in work hours lost and to individuals themselves. The World Health Organization ranks migraine 19th in all causes of disability based on a measure called “years lived with disability,” as one example.

Diarrhea

Some might experience diarrhea upon taking pre-workout supplements because of specific ingredients that have a laxative effect in people with sensitive stomachs.

May lead to headaches

Specific ingredients in pre-workout supplements, such as L-citrulline, can increase the blood flow in muscles during physical activity. Since this increase, affects the brain as well as the muscles, it can lead to migraines or other types of headaches due to changes in the blood pressure within the tiny vessels of the brain.

Exercising can help people achieve and maintain a healthy well-being. As with any pre-workout supplement, it is best to consult professionals and make certain the advantages outweigh the hazards.

Peggy Elliott is a full-time writer and a fitness enthusiast based in the Philippines. She focuses on health and fitness regime benefits that help readers learn and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

 Editor’s note: For the coming 2019-2020 academic year, the Global Sport Institute’s research theme will be “Sport and the body.” The Institute will conduct and fund research and host events that will explore a myriad of topics related to the body.