Getting your body in shape takes more than just exercise alone. Your intake is also an essential factor that will decide on how your bodybuilding activities would turn out. When your cells are well nourished, it will lead them to respond more positively to exercises and some toning up.

As mentioned before diet is a critical factor in attaining a well sculpted body. A balanced diet can help you get the required nutrients to keep your body fit. Bodybuilders expectedly follow certain diets, but no matter how stringent these practices could be, you could still fall short on some nutrients. Bodybuilders in particular would need more than the average consumer because of the strenuous activity you are subjecting your body to.

A good multivitamin and mineral supplement will significantly help fill the nutrient gaps that your diet might miss. Very good brands out in the market already offer more than just your typical vitamins and minerals. They now include co-factors, antioxidants, trace elements, enzymes, flavonoids, amino-acids and even herbal extracts. All these ingredients will provide you with an extensive action which is very beneficial for keeping a healthy and trimmed body.

Vitamins

You might be well aware of the list of vitamins often enumerated in a multivitamin supplement. Each and every one of them acts on certain cells and collectively they help keep your body, especially your muscle cells, to function and develop optimally.

Vitamin A is very important for your body because it helps maintain strong teeth and bones. It also helps keep your immunity up. Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, helps keep you healthy both inside and out. It keeps your skin healthy and supple. The family of B vitamins work collectively to maintain a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B12 in particular helps boost energy level and your metabolism. Vitamin C also has this benefit, and it also aids in the production of collagen. This is the protein that is found in connective tissues such as your skin, cartilage and connective tissues. Vitamin D, aids in the absorption of Calcium which keeps your bones strong. And vitamin K helps keep the bones, teeth and cartilage healthy. Zinc helps in maintaining a strong immune system.

Minerals

Minerals have a relatively simpler form than vitamins. Within their therapeutic levels, minerals can help develop your entire system to adapt and develop better through exercise.

Potassium for example, is important for nerve function and muscle control. Bodybuilders would need this because you are losing amounts of it during exercise and in your sweat. Low amounts of potassium in your system causes muscle cramping and cardiovascular irregularities. Calcium as we all know is beneficial for healthy and strong bones. Iron, another mineral, helps deliver oxygen to the cells. This is important because cells that lack in oxygen would be frail and unable to function well.

These are just a few of the number of minerals. But all in all they contribute in keeping your body ready for bodybuilding exercises.

Co- Factors

They may sound unfamiliar to you but co-factors are very important because they help in nutrient absorption to your cells. Healthy cells are perfect foundations to a strong and fit body.

Antioxidants

Why are antioxidants beneficial for your bodybuilding regimen? Exercise can cause your body to produce free radicals. Antioxidants protect your body against free radicals. It prevents muscle, joint and tendon damage. Free radicals also prevent further damage and generate faster healing to injured tissues when you exercise. Examples of these would be glutathione, selenium and vitamins C and E.

Trace Elements

These are the nutrients that we require in minute amounts (less than 100 mg/day). They are important for health maintenance and recovery. Examples of these would be copper, which promotes the formation of connective cells and tissue. Chromium aids in burning sugar in your body to provide energy. Manganese on the other plays a hand in chemical reactions which affect energy production, muscle contraction, and bone growth.

Enzymes

Enzymes ensure that you get the maximum amount of protein from your diet. It also aids in tissue repair and helps relive joint discomfort. Examples of enzymes that you can get in supplements are amylase, lipase, isolase and bromelain.

Flavonoids

Like antioxidants, flavonoids also protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals that are produced more when you exercise. Studies have shown that flavonoids also promote muscle growth, post-workout recovery and better endurance. Examples of these that you might see in some supplements are Soy isoflavones, Quercetin, and Myrtle.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are important for bodybuilders because they are the building blocks of protein and muscle tissues. They also hold a role in energy formation, recovery, fat loss, strength gains and in preventing muscle atrophy. Examples of amino acids in supplements are Acetyl L-Carnitine, L-Carnosine, L-Methionine, L-Tyrosine and L-Glutathione.

Herbal Extracts

Herbal supplements are gaining more acceptances when it comes to health promotion. But they do have to be taken with proper precaution because adverse effects can be dangerous. Minute amounts of these herbal extracts are incorporated in some products in the market. Xtend Life Total Balance for Men for example includes herbal extracts in their list of ingredients. One such ingredient is Gingko Biloba, which was found to have benefits for exercise. Studies have shown that extracts of this plant helps in preventing the production of cortisol (a stress hormone) due to heavy exercise. Cortisol offsets muscle building to breakdown because the body interprets strenuous exercise as stress. Nutrients that are released in the body as we exercise are from the muscles, that is why they are vulnerable to the cut.

These are the list of nutrients that you would like to nourish you body as you tone it up. You have to start the process to the minute beginnings in your cells, which can be initiated by a good multivitamin and mineral supplement. Multivitamins cannot buff your arms or tone that abs, but it can keep the quality of your entire system in its optimum condition.

Remember a great physique is good but a healthy body is even better!

Author Bio: Cynthia Wang-Tan is a nurse journalist who has seen the need to get people well informed on the daily multivitamins that they are taking. She believes that when people are given with the right information through factual multivitamin reviews concerning its importance, risks and benefits, they are placed at a position to make right decisions about their health.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: multvitamin reviews,vitamins for men,best daily multivitamin,mens health,good multivitamin brands,