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L-Carnitine, Green Tea and CLA are 3 supplements that may make you leaner & healthier.  We aim to inspire as well as inform you to consider if you need these 3 supplements. Energy Fitness clients in downtown Memphis are always asking our personal trainers what’s the easiest and fastest way to lose 20 pounds. Our answer…cut off your leg! No seriously, there can be enormous benefits when supplements are used the smart and effective way.

First, let’s discuss green tea as it’s been used for over 500,000 years for medicinal and antioxidant purposes. It creates an internal (thermogenic) effect. Green tea supplements can be consumed in capsule or tea form to decrease body fat/lean out the body. When taken in combination with other supplements mentioned in this article they have a synergistic effect (aka: they work best when taken together, especially before workouts).

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims that great tea extract is one of the most effective metabolism boosters that naturally occur in a plant or herb. Metabolic rate is increased by 4% within a 24 hour time frame.   The healthful properties of green tea are largely attributed to polyphenols, chemicals with potent antioxidant properties. In fact, the antioxidant effects of polyphenols appear to be greater than vitamin C. Be mindful that if you take an iron supplement with tea, it will prevent the iron from being absorbed.

Green tea is naturally caffeinated. If you already know that your body doesn’t do well with caffeine then try the decaf version.  How do you know if your body doesn’t “do well” with caffeine?  If you feel energized, alert, and focused when you have caffeine, chances are you have the fast enzymes in your liver to metabolize it thus giving you the antioxidant properties quickly as it passes through your body systems.  I personally do not metabolize caffeine well, which means I have slow enzymes in my liver that give me after effects.  I feel sluggish, have foggy brain, an inability to focus, as well as get headaches from what little I may have consumed in dairy-free chocolate.

Now let’s discuss L-Carnitine. It’s a non-essential amino acid that some compare to a B-vitamin. It helps transport fat to the powerhouse of the body at a cellular level. Once it’s there, it can be used as stored fuel (adenosine triphosphate or simply “ATP”). There is only enough energy/ATP stored for about 10 seconds of quick burst activity – think flight-or-fight or a sport movement such as a golf swing.

By supplementing your body with L-Carnitine, you are able to more quickly replace fat stores as they are depleted by activities and/or exercises that require lots of energy within a short time frame.  HIIT cardio (intense cardio intervals) or weight training sessions will be better and more effective with this supplement as you may recover faster between bouts and between actual sessions.

Have you ever been on a diet, lost weight, stopped the diet, and gained all the weight back and then some? When calories are reduced in a weight reduction diet, the body fears the worst and goes into starvation metabolism mode. This is because the body is preparing itself for another starvation period by storing fat. Essentially, taking L-Carnitine helps the body to burn fats as fuel and might help “fool” your body into thinking there is no starvation, thus PLENTY of calories are available to function in normal mode! In fact, recent research has shown that you can even consume 500 more calories and still lose fat.

Thinking it’s for you, it’s even more effective with combined with green tea prior to your workout. Picture more muscle and less fat. Despite what you’ve read, there’s lots of clinical proof in research studies done over the past decade.

Finally, on to CLA. This stands for the big fancy term conjugated linoleic acid which is a potent antioxidant, anti-carcinogen, and a powerful immune system enhancer. It has been proven that individuals taking an anti-depressant or anxiety medicine can benefit greatly with reducing belly fat if taken with green tea. It helps with enhancing muscle growth and it also enhances insulin sensitivity. While small amounts can be obtained from meat and dairy products, supplementation may have a substantial impact on how effectively your body chemically decomposes and deposits fat in your cells. Recent research has shown that use of CLA has proven to be highly effective in reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass.

So there you have it.  If you aren’t going the chop your leg off to lose 20 lbs fast then do a little more research about what your dosage might be for your current weight and activity level and of course as with anything else, we are obligated to tell you to check with your physician before starting any supplements.

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Energy Fitness, 552 South Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103