The Cost of Daily Supplements and the Cost of not taking them.
“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.” -Thich Nhat Hanh. I’ve not been sick in nearly 4 years. It was New Years Eve, 2015 and I got hit with a nasty flu/cold that had me down and out for about 3 days! I felt like shit and never wanted to get sick like that again. On average I used to get sick about once a year which in reality is not bad at all. After that NYE sickness, I’ve never been sick again. So what is it that I have to contribute to that? One, is that I do not have kids…I’m joking but in reality kids bring in a lot of germs to the house. I have several friends who are parents that just can’t help but getting sick every-time their child comes home from school feeling ill. People who know me say I’m a germaphobe. I like to say that I just don’t like to share cups, utensils, straws or kisses with strangers or even close friends or really anyone for that matter. I was my hands frequently and keep my fingers out of my orifices. So, yeah, maybe this is one of the main reasons however I travel on planes monthly, live in NYC and ride the subway almost daily and workout at the gym and use sauna daily all of these things are just invested with germs and nasty things looking for a new home to occupy and destroy. In addition to all that I’m surrounded by millions of sick and filthy people constantly…I mean constantly!!! But thats all ok…kinda.
Have you have thought of what it can cost you annually to take off work because you are sick? Especially for those who don’t have sick pay. In a recent article I read it stated nearly “one in three private sector workers and seven out of ten low wage workers do not have paid sick leave to take care of their personal health” . In another article from the Economic Policy Institute it stated that “If the worker needs to take off even a half day due to illness, the lost wages are equivalent to the household’s monthly spending for fruits and vegetables; lost wages from taking off nearly three days equal their entire grocery budget for the month.” Now on the other hand, if you’re fortunate enough to have a job that offers benefits such as sick pay or PTO, that is time off you can used for vacation or something much funner than staying home in bed feeling like shit! So in short I’m about show you what I take and spend monthly on my supplements. I believe my investment in this more than makes up for having to call in sick and miss work, activities, outings, gatherings, vacations…life.
My Monthly Supplement intake
Total Human: This is my daily multi-vitamin supplement but this is much, much more advanced than your parents Centrum Silver. Total Human consist of a “Day Pack” to support your day time functions such as focus, energy and cognition in addition to general wellness that my body needs. It also includes a “Night Pack” that helps support your end of the day requirements such as recovery and sleep. Total Human includes ingredients that you wont typically find in your average daily multi-vitamin such as a variety of mushrooms, spirulina, chlorella, valarian root and strontium to name only a few. Produced by Onnit (one of my favorite supplements company). To get the full list of ingredients and more details click here, Total Human.
When: I fast 12-16hrs a day and take my Day Pack with my first meal around noon. I take my Night Pack with dinner.
Cost: $128.40 (with subscription)
Glutamine: L-Glutamine is essential in minimizing muscle breakdown, supporting endurance, smoothing digestion, and enhancing nutrient absorption. I use this daily as part of my post or pre workout shake to help with recovery. Being that L-Glutamine is essential in minimizing muscle breakdown, supporting endurance, smoothing digestion, and enhancing nutrient absorption; we have to ensure our L-Glutamine reservoirs are nice and topped off. That is difficult to do by simply eating amino-rich foods, which is why supplementing with L-Glutamine can be so essential. Onnit Glutamine
When: I take mine with my daily protein shake usually after my my morning cardio session.
Cost: $21.99
Creatine: Creatine is one the most popular sport supplements. I remember being in high school and hearing guys talking about in the weight room as “a must” in order to get real gains. Creatine works by aiding in the regeneration of ATP, the fuel source for muscle contractions. As a result, it can help you get more reps on weight training exercises, and sustain short burst anaerobic activities — such as sprinting, jumping, and martial arts training — with greater power for longer durations. Onnit Creatine
When: Tho’ this is typically a pre-workout supplement, I take mine in my daily protein shake usually after my my morning cardio session.
Cost: $14.99
Kion Essential Amino Acids (EAA): After listening to Ben Greenfield about how to utilize EAA during my Ironman Triathlon competitions I was amazed at all the benefits of these super supplements. You can use them for pre/post workouts, when you’re feeling a slight cold coming on, extra recovery and so much more. Essential amino acids are just that: essential. Your body can’t produce them on its own and yet they are crucial for supporting and maintaining the muscular, skeletal, enzymatic, nervous and hormonal systems of the body.* All of these systems need to be running optimally if you're hoping to get to sleep faster, promote muscle synthesis, enhance recovery from exercise, support optimal cognition, support your immune system, digest properly, and much, much more. Kion Aminos
When: I’ll take 5 pills about 30 min prior to my morning workout. Then more as needed.
Cost: $35.96 (with subscription)
Kion Flex: This is my newest addition to my daily regimen and I must admit it has helped my post workout recovery significantly. Kion Flex is a special blend of collagen, minerals, enzymes and anti-inflammatory ingredients to help aide in muscle soreness, fatigue, joint pain, flexibility and bone health to name a few. With 16 different ingredients chosen based upon scientific data and traditional medicine.* A bioavailable blend of naturally occurring compounds such as glucosamine and chondroitin from type II chicken collagen, whole foods, herbs, minerals and enzymes assist in recovery from exercise-induced wear and tear and assist your body's healthy inflammatory response to exercise, stress, and other lifestyle factors.* Kion Flex
When: I’ll take 2-4 pills after my morning workout and or 2-4 pills after my second/strength training session.
Cost: $39.60 (with subscription)
Beta Alanine: This is amino acid is fun but I don’t use this everyday. I usually reserve this for my harder strength workout days in the gym. Beta Alanine is an excellent pre-work out supplement that you can actually feel working, no joke! It’s an amino acid shown to support training, power production and high intensity exercise. It’s know to give your body a unique tingle that can radiate through your muscle when the blood starts flowing. I recently turned a buddy of mine on to this and he said he felt like he was on ecstasy (he took a different brand and too much). Individual results my vary however Onnit’s version is unique in that it has a special time release formula.
As a supplement with an impressive list of performance benefits that’s gaining popularity quickly, beta alanine is an amino acid that has been shown to help boost work capacity at high intensities and short durations. By increasing carnosine, a naturally occurring compound found in muscle tissue, beta alanine supports buffering of lactic acid, the cause of the “burn” you feel during exercise, delay fatigue, and boost work capacity by up to 15%. Onnit’s Beta Alanine
When: I take 4 pills 30 min before a long run, bike or hard gym session.
Cost: $33.11 (with subscription)
Digestive Enzymes: I follow a mostly high fat, low carb, ketogenic style diet. I’m also very active and can consume a lot calories at a single setting, along with the extra fat intake these enzymes aide in digestions. Taking 2 digestive enzymes prior any meal helps my body to digest the food better and get those nutrients into my body more efficiently. Essential Enzyme is a Bio-Aligned Formula that contains a wide array of enzymes that break down proteins, fats, milk sugar, fiber, and carbohydrates in a wide pH range. It aids the body’s natural digestive process, helping to maximize the body’s utilization of the nutrients in the diet while supporting digestive comfort. Source Naturals
When: I take 2 capsules prior to every meal.
Cost $34.99 (360 capsules appx 2 month supply)
Colostrum: Yes, the same stuff we get from our mothers as baby’s. I started taking colostrum about 1 month ago and my gut feels a whole lot better. I’ve always had some digestion issues and a sensitive gut. Over time and still to this day I am still figuring out exactly what I can and should not eat. For example, I know that I don’t digest legumes that well and I feel like shit if I eat too many simple carbohydrates, like bread. Colostrum has even been shown to improve athletic performance by reducing gut permeability caused by heavy exercise, improving measures of performance, and supporting lean mass maintenance. I take 2 after a hard work out then another 2 typically after my second workout of the day. There are several brands out there that I have tried, NOW makes a good one that is very affordable and works well. I’m waiting to try the KION Colostrum because this particular version is made with goat milk which closely resembles human milk, goat colostrum is effective in humans and less allergenic than cow milk.
When: I take 2 after my morning workout and another 2 after my evening session.
Cost: “NOW” $12.55 (120 capsules)/KION $49.95 (120 capsules)
Now I know this may seem like a lot of things to take daily and maybe even more to spend. My total monthly cost for me is appx $321.59. This doesn’t even include all my meal and food supplements which I will detail in my next blog. But consider that some people take Vitamin IV’s to maintain their energy levels and to fight off colds, are spending upwards to $200-$300 for each treatment….and there is a needle going into your arm! I feel great nearly everyday. Yeah I’ll have the occasional off day where I’m tired but that’s usually because of poor recovery due to poor sleep. I still have high energy levels and easily stave off any colds that try to take me down. To me the cost is worth it and I see it as an investment in my health. Yes, you can get many of these vitamins and minerals from food but who eats that balanced of a diet everyday? After all it was Buddha who said “Health is the greatest gift”…and without good health it will be hard to live a happy and fulfilled life. To me the cost is a drop in the bucket for how great I feel everyday! To be healthy and happy should be everyones main focus. With good health comes good feelings and allows you to enjoy life to it’s fullest. It grants you the ability to travel and experience more places and people. It allows you to challenge yourself physically and mentally in order to grow as a human. Most of all it will enable you to live longer and spend more time with the ones you love, is that not worth a few dollars a day?