Top 5 Supplements

Top 5 supplements you need in your life include Zinc, Caffeine, Vitamin D, Creatine and Whey Protein. Find out all the benefits right here!

CARLIE: (00:16) So the latest Runnin Bout, my name is Carlie Pipe and of course I'm joined with Cory McClean Revolution Running Certified Trainer as well as Tennyson Harrigan strength and conditioning coach. He's also the owner of Base Fitness online distributors of My Protein products. Today we're going to be talking about the top five supplements you need in your life and we've got a great list for you. But first, Tennyson, I want to get a little bit into your personal story all up in your business. Literally. How did you get started with Base Fitness?

TENNYSON: (00:52) Uh, well, Base Fitness as the My Protein distributor because I think we spoke on Base Fitness as the, the company before, but we got into distributing My Protien because I like to research stuff online and I was looking for a Whey Protein supplement to use because I wanted to start the gym and um, what the best that was available down here at the time was muscle farm, I think it is. And I looked up that the price was really expensive. I just moved from Trinidad and I wasn't accustomed paying that amount of money for that amount of protein. So that was the first thing. Then secondly, I wanted to know if what I was putting in my body was the best. So I researched and I stumbled upon My Protein. Um, at the time they had the highest rated isolate powder, um, in comparison to all the other top brands including muscle farm.

TENNYSON: (02:01) And I was like, but I never heard about this brand before. So I went researching and then I realized that they were a UK based company. I realized that a lot of their products were very highly rated. Um, I use a site called labdoor.com to check that and they are like an independence, um, independently rated lab they check supplements for purity, label accuracy, value for money, that kind of thing. So my protein was really up there, um, in all of that. So I was like, okay, cool, well maybe I should actually bring these things down to sell So I sent an email and to the rest was history. So that's how I started with the my protein thing. I was really impressed with them personally. So I decided to sell them here. Yeah.

CARLIE: (02:45) So when was that? What year was that? When are we talking here?

TENNYSON: (02:47) That would've been two years ago. Maybe a little more than two years ago. Um, that we brought our first shipments down and we've been doing that since then. Yeah.

CARLIE: (02:58) And um, so what was base fitness doing before you added My protein?

TENNYSON: (03:03) Base Fitness was running free fitness camps. The jumpstart program at that particular point in time where we would have people come train at banks field and um, anybody that wanted to just get into any kind of physical exercise, we would invite them to come. And we were doing that for a while and I think I had just run the first paid version of it. I knew it was still going well, but then I realized that I, well I had already known this, but a re realized that it really is draining to me as an introvert to deliver large groups of people. I would dread it every day before class, during the class is fine. I mean I love helping people. So that was enjoyable. After the class I would be like, oh my gosh, this is, yeah. So that wasn't sustainable for me as an individual. If I could have gotten somebody else to do without would been, um, an option. But personally I, I, I do best with one on one type training. So now that couldn't have kept up, kept that kept on going.

CARLIE: (04:19) So you, so you've got the my protein brand, um, and you have a sports science background, don't you? Which or, or not necessarily that specific name, but you have a background in sports and that you seem to know quite a bit. So in terms of you being able to research the brand, you probably, knew what you're looking for, right?

TENNYSON: (04:40) Yeah, I had a fairly good idea because I would have used all sorts of different protein brands and supplement brands before when I was in Trinidad I'd sell them as well on campus. So I had a background and also a set in supplements so it wasn't entirely new for me. Um, I guess with here, what I wanted to do is do it properly. So instead of selling a bunch of different brands and I wanted to stick to one really good brand and then try to grow that brand as our brand in the island and try to get it to as many people as possible.

CARLIE: (05:17) Yeah. Yeah. And what I like about what you sell too personally is you've got stuff like the, like the maple syrup as a sweet tooth person. That's kind of cool. That's fun. It's crazy. The health, everything under the sun. You could think of this. Yeah. Nice. Well I'm gonna, I'm gonna, you're going to have to show me the dessert menu options under the brand. Okay. But okay, back to the topic, top five, um, supplements that you need. So let's start out with zinc. What are the benefits of taking zinc?

TENNYSON: (05:49) Alright. Zinc is primarily an immune system booster, so it will do that for you. But for men in particular, zinc is really good in helping to regulate your testosterone production. So as a man, I would recommend that's your supplementand zinc because for that purpose, even with regards to a sex life, um, is think is, is really good and increase in sperm production. Um,

CARLIE: (06:19) so enough with the red dragon stuff that I see in the newspaper, just sell them, take some zinc

TENNYSON: (06:25) up your zinc. Um, I mean naturally you could get zinc from clams. Oysters, people generally have an idea that if you eat a lot of seafood, then you, you [inaudible] that's the zinc in the seafood. So yeah, and you also get zinc a little, a red meat. So if he eats beef, um, you're gonna get a decent amount of zinc. But if you're not going to eat a lot of seafood or red meat, then you can simply supplement. Not much like 15 milligrams a day. Um, and you tend to need to take it with vitamin c because it gets absorbed better that way. So most zinc supplements also have vitamin C along with it to be absorbed into the body. Yeah. But saying really good, especially as a man. That's number one.

CARLIE: (07:11) Is there a best time of day to take it? Like in the morning? Does it not matter?

TENNYSON: (07:14) No. Take it with the meals, with meals you help absorb.

Speaker 2: (07:18) Now, um, some people may find this disgusting, but I'll say it anyway. I had, I used to get these like plantar warts on the bottom of my feet. Um, what's the real name for the ver? Uh, for, there's like a proper name for them. Um, I can't remember it, but I used to get them all on the bottom of my feet for years and years and years and I was having them cut out because it's actually like a virus or something, isn't it? And I was getting cut out constantly and the pharmacist told me take zinc. that is the only thing. I took zinc, not even for very long. And they went away immediately. And I've never had a problem with them again. And this is over 10 years ago. Verrucas. That's the nicer sounding name. It's from going around barefoot everywhere. Um, so I definitely see the immune system benefits.

TENNYSON: (08:15) I mean there are many more benefits, but as, I mean the main Immune system benefits. Um, and well for men is that testosterone either I wouldn't see a booster, but it is, it's testosterone production. Yeah.

CARLIE: (08:28) But is it going to help you? Like if you pop to zinc before you go on a date, is that okay?

TENNYSON: (08:33) No, that will help you. It does not work like that

CARLIE: (08:38) too bad. Um, so caffeine, we have our number two caffeine, something that I think he should be number one. I need caffeine every single day, which I get from coffee specifically. Um, so the caffeine that you have, is this a tablet?

TENNYSON: (09:05) It's a tablet.

CARLIE: (09:06) Um, so what's the benefit of taking caffeine in a tablet form as opposed to in a cup.

TENNYSON: (09:13) Some people hate coffee unfortunately. I don't understand very sorry for them but I know but this is true. I have met people who don't drink coffee. So for those hopeless souls, we have caffeine in a pill form and you will get all of the benefits from caffeine. I mean people tend to get skeptical about caffeine because it's a stimulant, but really and Truly if you don't abuse it, that as if anything is perfectly fine, it actually is very beneficial for lots of different things. I use caffeine as a pre workout is kind of actually the best preworkout that's that you could use because most of them are filled with caffeine anyway and other stuff. But yeah, caffeine as a preworkout is one. and to help absorption the nutrients is another way I use it. So if I want to like fuel up really quickly before workouts, I would take the caffeine and take my whey protein. And I know that it would get absorbed an uptick really to the bloodstream.

CARLIE: (10:18) How does that work? Do you know how that works? I've never heard that.

COREY: (10:27) I think I can plug in on that. Yes. Caffeine bonds with your adenasine receptors. So then that would help with the ATP Production.

TENNYSON: (11:40) Just to stay alert people would use caffeine for that reason as well. It works. Helps memory, I think it fights off dementia, awareness and I generally needed a cup of coffee to just wake up one morning. Yes. It's kind of mandatory for me. I get less grumpy, not completely human but less, less grumpy.

CARLIE: (12:11) And I guess a caffeine is also mean beneficial to people who aren't working out, but people like students who want to focus and you want to stay away from like prescription type. Yeah.

TENNYSON: (12:25) That's, that is a be addictive. Correct. Yeah. Um, I used to use caffeine for track as well. Um, it's improves the reaction time.

COREY: (13:00) It helps in oxygen absorption too. Yeah. In the blood.

CARLIE: (13:22) So, okay, next up we've got vitamin D, right, which I know we have just from sunlight

TENNYSON: (13:47) and that's the thing, you could only get it that way. Um, but taking vitamin D is useful for calcium absorption. So if you have a vitamin D deficiency as an adult, you will have soft bones that did break easily, especially as you get older. Um, in younger children, who are now growing and forming the bones that will cause growth stunting or also prevent them from just developing properly, um, in terms of their bone development. So vitamin D is actually pretty important. It's very hard to get. Um, so it's typically wise to supplement on it because nowadays we don't go outside that sorta way most people are inside all the time, so it's a pretty important.

CARLIE: (14:45) Am I right in saying that it's also linked to like happiness and mental state because I like, there's a whole study on people who live in northern climates who don't have sunshine every single day, all year round. Like how we do that, are sad, to oversimplify it. And I think that's a link to not enough vitamin D.

TENNYSON: (15:08) It's possible. I haven't read into it that far, but it makes sense that that's would be a blessable dizzy because yeah, you're right. Especially the English who is have rain all the time. Yeah. That they'd be a little gloomy But there's a link between sunlight not getting enough of it and depression that I do for sure. So it could be the vitamin D that they don't get enough of us. That's true.

CARLIE: (15:34) So is it more important also as you were talking about bones for children to be taking vitamin D supplements as opposed to adults? Or is it beneficial to both no matter how old you are?

TENNYSON: (15:44) I wouldn't say that because you need to absorb calcium at any age. I mean I even, even as an adult,, you know, there's so many other things I could come as a result of a calcium deficiency, which vitamin D helps you fight off sweat I think is more important. Lighter I think is especially as you get older because our boards naturally lose density as we get older. So you exposing yourself to osteoporosis if you, if you're not getting enough calcium. So that's okay.

CARLIE: (16:14) Especially if we're inactive. Because I remember we spoke about that in one of our episodes that remaining active offsets osteoporosis. See, I remembered that Cory, did you remember? Now Is it true that women, um, have more of an issue with bone loss than men and therefore probably, Women should be taking vitamin D more so than men. Yeah,

TENNYSON: (16:44) I think women are a little bit more prone to, to osteoporosis and man, um, I think having kids is a, is a function and that because like children take a lot of calcium out of a woman. I know that when you're pregnant you have to really up your calcium intake. There's probably a link somewhere there. Um, but yeah, women, are more exposed to losing bone density than men. So that's a consideration as well.

CARLIE: (17:10) Okay. Next up we've got weird protein. My question on whey protein. Is it for everyone?

TENNYSON: (17:17) Yeah. Protein. Everybody needs protein. Your body doesn't store it. Um, and you need it. Most people don't get enough of it. Whey Protein is a very economic and easy way to maintain or to up your protein intake. Um, a lot of people don't know that the formula that we feed babies is actually whey protein. So people are like, why would I want to drink whey protein? Like is yeah. You've, you, you've already drunk it. settle down. Yeah.

TENNYSON: (17:50) Yes. It's, it's like a staple. Anybody who's into physical activity, sports, fitness, um, we know all of the benefits of reason of why we need it. The whey is a convenient source of getting it and some people are lactose intolerant. So there's, whey isolates. And you could also look at alternative sources like soy or Pea, but it pound for pound value for many whey protein is the best alternative or supplementary protein source.

CARLIE: (18:20) Okay. Um, is it also very high in fat?

TENNYSON: (18:24) No, it's not. Um, well I can speak for my brand that I sell. So, um, you're gonna get like out of every hundred grams of powder, uh, in the regular whey. I think about three grams of fat or two grams of fat one. Yup. And the isolate is even lower. The isolate you're going to get like no carbs whatsoever. Or like one gram of carbon, two grams of fat per every hundred grams.

CARLIE: (18:52) And how much protein is in that?

TENNYSON: (18:54) 90 something the rest of it is protein. So that's how that works. A lot of brands try to get close to that. Something already get this, some of cholesterol in them. I don't know how you ended up with that. I was looking at a brand this week, doesn't have cholesterol in it. I don't know why, but um, most of the good brands you're going to get where you're going to get the very little amount of fat in a very little amount of carbs and some of them infuse the protein. It's like Aminos and other different things and vitamins and stuff. So there's also that as well.

CARLIE: (19:26) Okay. I'm now no debunk this myth for me like does taking whey protein make you get fat slash big.

TENNYSON: (19:42) It's very silly. Whey is more protein. You're going to be taking in some extra calories and as if anything, if you're taking in more calories than you're going to need to boot it off. If you're dont, you'll put on weight. The simple as that. It's not just whey its any other source of extra calories. So there's nothing special about whey protein. I didn't make any big or fats or anything like that. The only thing is if your lactose intolerant, then you're going to probably have a little set that digestion issues. Um, but then you'd have to know if you are lactose intolerance avoided that. That's it. That's it really

CARLIE: (20:25) as you would any other, any lactose related product really. Um, so can the average person who, let's say they're not like a big, big gym goer, should the average person be taking whey protein to supplement their normal diet if they're not getting enough protein? Or is it really for people who are hitting the gym?

TENNYSON: (20:43) Anybody who was trying to say, for example, eat a certain number of calories day, you don't have time to prepare the food or you just dont care to, you could have a shake or two a day and it would fill in the gaps in your diet that you wouldn't otherwise fill. Um, and another thing about protein for people who are dieting, when you intake protein, it kind of keeps off the hunger so you would feel full for longer. So people use it for that as well. When that's in the only take in protein. So that is a little amount of calories as opposed to a full meal and then it would keep them feel filled for along the period of time. So you eat less overall. So that's another use of as well.

CARLIE: (21:24) Is there a specific time that we should take our shake? Like should we be taking it before we go to the gym while we're at the gym? After our workout?

TENNYSON: (21:35) It depends on your goals. For somebody to put on muscle, it's is advisable to just have a steady supply of protein throughout the day. So if you take a shake in between meals, make sure you take one off to the gym, that kind of thing. But to keep the [inaudible] synthesis going all day, generally try to have something with protein in its, um, with each meal there's little before, after workouts, special time for you to take it is just really ensuring you have a constant supply of protein throughout the day. Yeah.

CARLIE: (22:13) Now I want to know how you take your whey protein. Did you drink it with just plain water? Do you do a little almond milk? Okay. I need a little flavor in my life and I know it comes flavored in different flavors. Are we thinking? Yes, yes it does. So, alright. The purest way is water, right?

TENNYSON: (22:54) It's really up to you. I put a little bit of Greek yogurt in mine a little bit honey brilliant and you shake it. I use a blender, almond milk and two scoops in about 400 milliliters of water. And that makes a really nice shake for me. Before that's, I just used to just mix it with water and drink it that way. I kind of got a little tired of that. Um, so now I do the whole add an extra stuff and it varies. Sometimes the time, it depends on I guess way of what I want to do at that particular point in time. Sometimes I add in peanut butter and a banana with the other stuff I mentioned that makes a really good shape and it's very high in calories. Um, well yeah, if I'm, if I'm in a hurry is two scoops in water ice at the shaker Ball, that actually works quite fine and it's like five minutes and I drink it and I'm going.

CARLIE: (23:52) Okay, so we've covered the first four of the top five supplements you need to have. Zinc, caffeine, vitamin D, whey protein. The last one, I feel like I am the most ignorant of completely, which is creatine. All right. First of all, it almost confuses me. Is there a difference between creatine and whey protein as someone who does not know? Yeah, they sort of almost have blended together. In my mind what's the difference?

TENNYSON: (24:33) Creatine is very, very different than whey protein. Um, well, okay, your body produces, creatine and you could get creatine in food. Right? But in very small amounts, I know what do it, don't quote me on how exactly All right, let me, let me skip over the science of creatine. I'll tell you what it does creatine helps you become more explosive, so if you're a power athlete. It will help that. It also helps if endurance, if you're an endurance athlete, it will also aid in you run for longer and creating helps you with Lean muscle mass. So if you take creatine, you will actually puts on the muscle faster than you would if you weren't on creatine. The reason being is because it, it helps you work out harder and longer and it's is scientifically proven. Creatine is literally the most and the longest studied supplements in existence. So like the science to support it is very, very solid and everybody should s I believe everybody really should supplement on creatine, um, is like literally four grams a day. So a little spoon, a little scoop in water, whatever you want, coffee, however you want it, five grams at the everyday perpetually. And that comes with an Improvement in production, in performance, in all areas of physical exercise.

CARLIE: (26:10) It sounds, the way you've described it, it sounds like it's almost for everyone.

TENNYSON: (26:17) There is a small, there's a small segment of humanity, I think about 20% of the people who are called creatine non responders. So they will take it and they will do nothing for them. And that's unfortunately, that's what it is. But to everybody else, it, it will work. Yeah.

CARLIE: (26:34) And so you don't take it in a shake. You can take it and just put it in your coffee. Yeah. Like Bene fiber, you know, when you hit a certain age

TENNYSON: (26:44) Most times I just just put a spoon in my mouth. [inaudible] cause it's kind of grainy. Um, it doesn't dissolve is necessarily, I think it is wasn't what in very hot liquids it kinda dissolves. But like in cool stuff it wouldn't dissolve. Um, so I just chuck it in my mouth drink the water and move on from that. Is it flavorless? I mean if I were to start taking creatine, oh, there's a, there's a period of time you have to take it before it actually gets in your system, you start to see results after a week about thereabout. You need to take it for week and it in that time saturated in muscles. And then after that you start to see all of the benefits and stuff. It often, um, like 10 years ago, couple years ago, people used to see that you had to load it and use it and wash it out and that's not true. So people might have that misconception still, but that's actually been debunked years ago. There's no load in time. There's no washout period. You could take it and keep taking it for as long as you like.

COREY: (27:55) There are a lot of, a lot of misconceptions about creatine and when you start their research about it into the actual science of it, it seems almost harmless. It really is. [inaudible] is that very, very simple, simple explanation. Literally from what I just pulled up to refresh memory. Taking a creatine supplement will refresh your body stores of phospho creatine. because you're literally adding that extra phosphate to turn your adenisine diphosphate into your adenasine triphosphate. And that is literally the, the fuel that your muscles use to produce power, right?

TENNYSON: (28:50) all of that fancy stuff query saying is that the energy currency of your body is what creates and helps to Im provable increase what as more there's more available for you to use to do any kind of physical activity. Um, ETP is, is basically what creating helps in producing more of and making readily more readily available. And yeah, you cant already get better than that before using p e thought that any better than that.

CARLIE: (29:29) what is it made of? I don't know if that's a stupid question. Is it just made of crazy, it's crazy. You take every day is basically a recreation of what your body is producing.

TENNYSON: (29:42) Correct? Yes. And he does given it more of it to do what it needs to do with it essentially.

CARLIE: (29:48) Is this something that anybody should take or only people who plan on exercising?

TENNYSON: (29:54) No. Anybody? Anybody would benefit from it. Um, it's will be more beneficial if you're actually exercising, but it's, you will basically have more energy, um, more to do any kind of physical activity. Even if you just want to move around a little bit better and there's no age specific, um, arrange for you to ticket on a ticket. Anybody can take it at any age. Um, and then there's no drawbacks as far as science has shown so far, when you stop taking it, the benefits go away. Um, it doesn't affect you there. No side effects or withdrawal symptoms. When you start by taking it, they get the benefits. Again, it's as simple as that.

CARLIE: (30:34) Um, is this one that makes you fat?

TENNYSON: (30:38) Long ago people, um, werent refining creatine properly. And what would happen is that you muscles would would retain also water. Yeah, that's what I mean. Not Anymore. Um, your cells do retain more water when you are taking creatine. So you will look a little fuller, but the whole water retention thing is not a, no, that doesn't factor in anymore. Another note, there are all different kinds of creatine products. So you're gonna see like, um, creatine plus description plus that or a special category . Avoid all of those and stick, the creatine monohydrate. That's all you need. Everything else is a gimmick. Okay. Basically teaspoon everyday. Yeah. Yep. Simple as that.

CARLIE: (31:55) so we've got our top five supplements in no particular order. Zinc, vitamin D caffeine. How can I forget? Caffeine, creatine and whey protein top five. You should have these in your house right now. And if you don't get in touch with base fitness, you can follow them on Instagram at base fitness online. Check out their website base.fitness. Everything's up there.