Amino Vital® - The Science of Amino Acids in Sports Nutrition

ASK THE EXPERTS
This is your GO-TO resource to learn more about the vital role of key amino acids in your fitness regimen. Here we share advice on techniques, training, and how to incorporate Amino Vital® into your routine for peak results before, during, and after your workout. We have assembled a world-class team of athletes as well as sports science, nutrition, and exercise experts to bring you the latest science-based solutions to your questions, plus regular posts, interactive videos, and much more! See what you can learn from our featured expert's.... Have a question? Submit your question to our expert's through contact Amino Vital.Once per month we will post selected questions and our expert's opinion.
Training Tips - Questions you have wanted to ask With so many variances on recommended usage depending on my health history, exercise regimen, age, weight, and so on, how can I determine the usage that's right for me and my circumstances? Spano: The best way to determine the right mix of amino acids is by talking to a progressive sports dietitian or sports medicine physician who can conduct a thorough assessment of your dietary intake of amino acids and analyze how this fits into your health history, exercise regimen, age, weight and body composition changes over time (mainly your changes in lean tissue mass over the past several months or years). By taking all of these into account, your health care practitioner can determine which amino acids you may need the most to improve your overall health. In addition, you can do your own homework by looking through the information posted on this website. I'm doing well now, why should I consider changing up my routine and taking Amino Vital®? Spano: Many athletes feel as if they are coasting along, doing pretty well with their current regimen. In fact, some athletes don't even have much of a regimen when it comes to eating and supplementing. They train hard and sometimes train with elite performance coaches, but don't bother with other aspects that can improve both their training and recovery. If what you are doing works, you may wonder why change is necessary. However, if you don�t try new modalities, you'll never know if something out there works better than what you are currently using. And, when it comes to sports formulas, there are a number of differences between each product, and, it is important to choose the product that works best for you. Though beginner and recreational athletes can get away with using just about any sports drink, competitive runners, triathletes, cyclists and other endurance athletes need to take something that does more than just fuel their body with carbohydrates and help replace electrolytes. Serious athletes need a product that supplies the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) - the fuel your muscle tissue needs to promote recovery and minimize the breakdown of muscle tissue. Intense exercise, tough workouts (hill intervals for example), and exercising for long periods of time promote the breakdown of muscle tissue. BCAAs are the only thing that will help repair muscle tissue. If you want to minimize muscle soreness and damage, choose a product that is formulated for serious, competitive athletes. Choose one that contains carbohydrate to fuel your working muscles, electrolytes to replace those lost through sweat, and BCAAs to start repairing muscle tissue while you are training. Less muscle tissue damage and fatigue means you can train hard again tomorrow.
Golf - Keeping Your Head in the Game How can I enhance my mental performance on the course (circuit)? Spano: All athletes know how important it is to "keep your head in the game." One or two mental mistakes can wreck your first place standing quicker than you can blink an eye. And, for this reason, some athletes work with sport psychologists to perfect this aspect of their performance. In addition to working with an expert, there are two main steps you can take on your own to improve your mental conditioning. The first involves nutrition and supplementation and the second involves proper sleep. Nutrition? Can what you eat affect your focus and concentration? Yes indeed! What we eat can have dramatic effects on our mental performance. Here are the top ingredients that may impact the mental aspect of your game: � Carbohydrates - your brain relies on carbohydrates for fuel. Run low on carbs and you may start feeling foggy and lose your ability to focus and concentrate. � Hydration - dehydration will make you feel lethargic, dizzy and lightheaded. � Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) - BCAAs may help decrease central fatigue, that feeling of mental fatigue often associated with long bouts of activity. � Caffeine - caffeine temporarily improves alertness, logical reasoning and memory. It takes about 40 minutes for caffeine to exert its effects and 4 hours for it to leave your body completely. � L-theanine - this amino acid, found naturally in tea, stimulates areas of the brain that increase alertness and helps reduce psychological and physiological stress. Studies show it takes about 40 minutes to produce this alert yet relaxed state. � Phosphatidylserine - a phospholipid present in cell membranes that plays a roll in cell functioning. Phosphatidylserine may help decrease mental stress. Sleep If you aren't convinced that a lack of sleep affects brain functioning, hide your alarm clock for several days and see if you make fewer mental errors when working out or on the course. Sleep loss affects your ability to focus, concentrate, make decisions and impairs information processing. In addition, we need sleep for the release of growth hormone - a hormone necessary for muscle tissue growth and repair and keeping our immune system functioning at its best. In addition to the known benefits of sleep, several studies have found that getting more sleep can improve athletic performance. From swimmers at Stanford to several studies in the military, weight lifters and endurance athletes, we know that skimping on sleep can impair athletic performance. In fact, even one night of sleep deprivation may harm your performance! Improve the quality of your sleep by: � Sticking with a regular sleep and wake schedule. � Exercise early in the day (avoid exercising in the evening within a few hours of sleeping.) � Avoid alcohol and all stimulants (coffee, soda, energy drinks) within at least 4 hours prior to bedtime. � Keep your bedroom dark (even the lights on your TV should be covered) and cool in temperature. � Napping earlier in the day is okay, but avoid nighttime naps (go to sleep earlier instead).