Should I Take Vitamins Before or After a Workout?

If your goal is to get in shape this year, and you’re researching things like “Should I take vitamins before or after a workout?”, then you’re asking the right questions! While taking a supplement for vitamins and minerals can’t do all the work of helping you reach your health goals, partnering your daily exercise and good nutrition with a workout supplement could help you achieve results much faster! Here, we will discuss the various vitamin supplements that can help you smash your health and fitness goals, as well as when you should be taking them.

What Vitamins Should I Be Taking? 

As always, it is a good idea to consult with your doctor before starting to incorporate new vitamin and mineral supplements into your diet. Not only will this help you avoid potential health complications and conflicts with medication, but you can find out what vitamins you should actually be taking to address your body’s unique deficiencies. Additionally, be sure to ingest small amounts of your chosen vitamin supplements at the beginning of your new routine; this will allow you to be more aware of how each supplement affects your body as you introduce it into your system. 

While every person’s supplementation with vitamins will look different, here are a few standard formulas that most individuals can benefit from: 

Multivitamins

Multivitamins act exactly as they are advertised: as supplements for multiple vitamins you may be lacking! In this way, multivitamins are a wonderful addition to anyone’s daily health routine because they can fill in any nutritional holes overlooked in a diet plan. This makes them a valuable tool for pursuing fitness, as fueling your body properly is essential. 

A standard multivitamin will often contain supplements for Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B Complex (including Vitamin B12), in addition to other essential vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A, C, and B Complex are essential for bone and muscle health, energy production, a healthy metabolism, building muscle post-workout, and more, making them an important part of your supplement plan.

An additional benefit of the multivitamin is that they can be specifically targeted towards the age and sex of the user to better meet individual needs. Make finding the right multivitamin the start of your health and fitness journey!

Vitamin D

In addition to contributing to our overall mood , Vitamin D can play an important role in supporting muscle mass, muscle function, and our overall strength. This vitamin can also help athletes persevere through extended gym sessions, long-distance runs, and other activities that put prolonged strain on the body. Vitamin D cuts down on the risk of inflammation, pain, bone fractures, and other similar exercise related injuries, while aiding in the absorption of other essential nutrients like Calcium and Phosphorus. 

Super Omega-3

Taking an Omega-3 supplement can help your body get the recommended daily dose of healthy fat it needs. That’s right, we said “healthy fat”. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid found in fish like salmon and tuna, as well as foods like chia seeds and walnuts. This fatty acid helps lower the risk of heart disease or stroke by lowering triglyceride levels in the blood. It can also help aid in immune support, the reduction of inflammation, and brain health. Healthy joints and a well-functioning nervous system (not to mention avoiding the common cold) are a huge part of maintaining overall health and wellness. Adding an Omega-3 supplement to your daily routine might be something to discuss with your doctor. 

Collagen

Adding a collagen supplement to your fitness routine can help you see results faster! Not only can this supplement help with a variety of things unrelated to fitness, like aiding osteoarthritis discomfort, and supporting skin, hair, and nail health, but collagen can help in the development of lean muscle! If you are looking to build strength without bulking up, adding collagen to your daily supplement routine could be a huge help! The best part? Most collagen supplements come in a powder form that can be easily added to your favorite shakes or smoothies.

Is it Better to Take Vitamins Before or After a Workout?

The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question “Should I take vitamins before or after a workout?” When you should take a specific vitamin depends on a lot of different factors, such as your fitness goals, how the vitamin in question functions, what type of vitamin it is, and what kind of workout you’re doing. 

While there is no perfect formula for everyone, you can discover the vitamin routine that works best for you by consulting the experts! A doctor, a nutritionist, or a certified personal trainer may be able to shed some light on the ins and outs of supplements. However, there are a few rules of thumb you can follow to get the most out of your vitamin routine, no matter what it looks like.  

Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol

While caffeine and alcohol are two very different substances, they can both negatively influence your vitamin routine if enjoyed in excess. As you might imagine, alcohol can drastically deplete your body of its essential nutrients and create a bit of a rebound period in which your body will need help replenishing itself. Both caffeine and alcohol can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb the various nutrients that help you function at your best! When pursuing health and fitness, and trying to stick to a supplement routine, it may be best to limit your intake of these counterproductive substances. 

Is it Water or Fat Soluble?

While when to take your vitamins may be complex, the “how” of taking your vitamins is much easier to understand, as all vitamins fall into two simple categories: water soluble and fat soluble. A water soluble vitamin, meaning that it easily dissolves in water, functions best when it is taken on an empty stomach. By contrast, a fat soluble vitamin is a vitamin that dissolves best when accompanied by some fat or oil. This means you should take this type of vitamin with a small meal or a source of healthy fat, like avocado or eggs. Knowing the difference between the two vitamins can help you take them in the proper way! 

Understand the Purpose of Your Vitamin

Understanding what your vitamin is meant to do will help you know if it should be taken pre workout or post workout. Is your vitamin meant to produce energy that will aid your muscles in lasting through a workout? Or, is your vitamin meant to help your muscles repair themselves and grow stronger after exercise? The answers to these questions make a difference and can be big clues in understanding when it’s appropriate to take individual vitamins. 

Trusted Essential Nutrients

No matter what vitamins you are thinking about introducing to your health and wellness routine, make sure you speak to your doctor before doing so, and be sure to get your vitamin supplements from a source you trust. 

Understanding what goes into your vitamin formulas, how they work, and how they can benefit you can be the beginning of a more holistic approach to your health; Uscriptives is excited to help you learn more about our vitamin supplements and get you on track to fulfilling your wellness goals!