Talking with the Doc™: Sports Nutrition and Weight Loss Formulas

If you’re like most red-blooded humans in the world, you met the dawn of 2019 by facing down the New Year’s Resolution you made the night before—that this year will be the year you get healthy, get into shape, and lose weight. But do you have a plan in place, and the nutrients that can help you successfully execute this plan?

Before you run off to shop for your new vegan lifestyle and join a gym to take every class they have, you might want to hear some of the insights our on-staff Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Elijah McCarthy, has to share about weight loss, fitness, and why it’s so hard for us to reach our goals in those arenas. The first issue? Impatience.

“I think the first thing people typically fall prey to is short-term thinking,” Dr. McCarthy explains. “Diets are most often pursued as a short-term solution to a long-term problem, as most people shy away from making significant lifestyle changes. Change is difficult, understandably; however, we must begin recognizing that there is no ‘magic pill.’ Sustainable change takes time and lots of effort. Understanding the what’s and why’s of weight loss physiology makes the how much easier to answer. Knowledge is power!”

According to Dr. McCarthy, people can stick with their weight loss and fitness resolutions for a couple of months without incorporating permanent lifestyle changes—but its incorporating those changes that can set you up for success. Adding targeted nutrients can not only help keep you going, but they can help you experience the changes you’re looking to make—and that’s what will motivate you to stick with your plan.

But before you make a weight loss or fitness plan for 2019, it’s good to know how to level out the playing field and create momentum.

First, it helps to look at what you might be up against in achieving your fitness goals. For example? “If you’re starting in January and you’re in the Midwest, you’ll want to look at how you’re going to incorporate a new work-out program and diet when the day is short, it’s freezing, and you’re sapped of your energy,” notes Dr. McCarthy, adding that you should also consider things about your lifestyle that might set you up for an unfavorable metabolic pattern such as stress-eating.

Once you figure out how your game plan might be affected, you can coordinate—and supplement—accordingly. And believe it or not, those supplements can go a long way to helping you be successful in your weight loss and fitness goals.

Botanicals and nutrients can help support your system as it’s making a change—especially when your body is trying to figure out its new patterns. “Let’s say you’re going to start a workout program,” Dr. McCarthy says. “It’s a good idea to have some targeted supplements on hand to give you the energy you need when you’re in the gym, and the nutrients your body needs to recover and get back to it the following day. This will help you to eliminate excuses like being too sore, too tired, or lacking energy.” The key, he says, is figuring out how to overcome our natural human inclination to come up with an excuse.

But going back to his point about energy, Dr. McCarthy recommends our formulations that feature green tea extract. “It’s fantastic for someone jumping in at the gym and wanting to see some results,” he says. Green tea is great for energy and fat burning, high in EGCG and the right amount of caffeine*. “You’ll feel the thermogenics working, and that can be the motivation you need to get you through the winter months.”*  You can find these effects in Irwin Naturals’ products such as Triple-Tea Fat Burner® and Green Tea Fat Burner RED™*.

However, if you are sensitive to caffeine and still want a green tea product to help manage your weight, you can try Triple Diet Max Accelerator^®, which takes a three-pronged approach to helping you achieve your weight loss and fitness goals*. How does it work? According to Dr. McCarthy, “ The stimulant-free green tea extract used in this product utilizes phytosome technology to improve the bioavailability of certain phytochemicals found in green tea. Consuming these powerful phytochemicals on a regular basis can lead to a reduction in body weight*.. It also contains Caralluma Fimbriata, which comes from a cactus that’s native to India, and was used to help tribe members suppress their appetite when they were on long hunting treks*. And lastly, there’s Garcinia Cambogia, which inhibits an enzyme required to build fat in the body.”*

Combine the three, and you have a powerful metabolic tool to help promote weight management along with the added bonus of appetite suppression—which can be helpful at the beginning of the year when you’re coming off a holiday of indulgence!*

But what about something that can help you get through those days where your muscles feel so sore, you don’t think you can move? First of all, congratulations—you’re working hard! Secondly, Dr. McCarthy recommends Turmeric After-Sport^®. As he puts it, “This product has wonderful post-workout recovery effects.”*

Here’s how it works. When you’re getting back into the gym after a long holiday season, your body will be in shock and you’re likely going to be very sore afterward. Why? “There’s tissue damage in the breaking down of muscles and rebuilding them, as well as the production of high amounts pro-inflammatory chemicals and  lactic acid,” Dr. McCarthy explains. “Your body is going to be inefficient at clearing the acid build-up as well as managing the inflammatory cascade, which results in significant post-workout soreness. So you want to take care of your body while you’re increasing your activity levels.” Turmeric After-Sport^® does this by addressing the body’s inflammatory response.* “It helps the body combat inflammatory chemicals that are produced during an intense workout so tissues can recover faster naturally—especially joint tissues.”*

But Turmeric isn’t the only ingredient in this formula. Dr. McCarthy points out that one of the formula’s main ingredients is Boswellia, otherwise known as Indian Frankincense. This powerful herb has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years to address physical discomforts and to support joint tissues.* It also includes a healthy amount of Magnesium to help musculature relax and reduce lactic acid build-up during strenuous activity, Coconut and Flax Seed Oil for tissue lubrication, and Tart Cherry to help promote a healthy inflammatory response.* “These are all dynamic ingredients that have a positive influence on the health and maintenance of the body, and can help keep you feeling good and motivated as you tackle your New Year’s resolution for a healthier you,” Dr. McCarthy says*.

The last supplement he recommends adding to your new regimen is Super System-Six RED™. It features a dynamic combination of targeted nutrients and botanicals that support various aspects of your physiology that are challenged in the gym, including blood flow, energy, metabolism, mental focus and hydration*. This formula includes B Vitamins and trace minerals that can get depleted during heavy exercise, along with Spirulina, Guarana Extract and Green Tea Extract for nutritional and energy support.

But there are other ingredients that can also help you along your new fitness path. “Yerba Mate Extract helps shift your metabolism and heightens your metabolic rate,” notes Dr. McCarthy*. “When you go to the gym, boosting your body’s nitric oxide production can go a long way*. Our RED products help support nitric oxide production in the body, which is what helps blood vessels dilate and allow greater blood flow through the body.”*

There’s also L-theanine, which helps with focus in the gym and mitigates the negative effects of occasional stress on the brain*. Lastly, you’ll get more cellular energy production from MCT oil, B vitamins, and electrolytes in the formula’s coconut water powder*. “It’s a great product for the combo person who is trying to lose weight, but also wants to do the right thing in the gym, be motivated, and see results,” Dr. McCarthy says*.

So are you ready to take on your New Year’s goals? We’re right here with you, with three formulations to get you started! Check back for Dr. McCarthy’s next interview, where he’ll be revealing all about weight loss and our special weight loss formulas!