In honor of Women’s Health Week: Here’s how the right supplements not only help you feel better, but can also have an impact on your outer glow. 

SUPPLEMENTS FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH FROM THE INSIDE OUT 

When it comes to looking and feeling good, what you put in your body is just as important as what you put on it. Consuming the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients in combination with a healthy diet and exercise not only makes you feel better and protects your body, but it can also have an impact on your outer glow.

Get That Glow

Keeping your skin healthy requires both protecting it from outside forces and reinforcing it from inside your body. First and foremost, keep your skin’s glow by protecting it from sun damage. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater at least 15 minutes before sun exposure and wear protective clothing if you’re going outside. Your diet also directly impacts your skin cells. You don’t want to run low on elements like vitamin A, which promotes healthy skin appearance and texture, or biotin, which helps support hair, skin and nails. Try a supplement that specifically targets hair, skin and nails to provide these and other nutrients.

Harness Good Bacteria

Good bacteria, called probiotics, are necessary to help your body function at peak productivity and are mostly known for their role in digestive health. You can find probiotics naturally in fermented foods like yogurt, but if you’re not getting enough from food sources, try supplementing with a probiotic made specifically for women. Some formulas contain cranberry extract, which can be an added benefit for urinary tract health.

The Bone Structure That Counts

Women’s bodies naturally form enough new bone cells to replace the bone that is regularly broken down by the body until about age 30. However, after your mid-thirties, your bones slowly begin to lose mass. Joint and bone concerns tend to be higher among women than men in every age group and increase with age. That makes it crucial for women to meet their daily calcium and vitamin D needs to support bone health. Adding a supplement such as a multivitamin that contains both vitamin D and calcium to a healthy and balanced diet is a great way to help keep your bones strong.

The Mega Role Of Omegas

Fish oil can be an ally in cognitive, heart, joint and skin health. It’s the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in fish oil that provide all these benefits, but they’re two elements that our bodies don’t produce naturally. Eat fish high in these healthy fats, like salmon, four to six times a week to get the recommended amount. A GNC fish oil supplement is another vehicle to get these omegas and is free of excessive levels of mercury and other toxins that are sometimes found in fish.

Protein Delivers For Your Body

Protein is the go-to for supporting muscle. Maintaining lean muscle is important for women of all ages and activity levels. The amount of protein you need is individual, but a general target for healthy people is 30 grams of protein at every meal. Eat protein throughout the day to provide your body a steady stream of fuel – don’t just overload at dinner. You can also grab an easy-to-drink protein shake in the morning or at lunch if it’s hard for you to get all that protein in a tight timeframe during a hectic day.

Here’s the lowdown on the most commonly used supplements to try if weight management is your goal.

For many people working to lose weight, reducing calorie intake is doable—it’s finding the time and motivation to exercise that can be challenging. Calorie-burning supplements called thermogenics can provide you with the energy to work out and may help you burn more calories when you do. Unfortunately, they sometimes get a bad rap, mostly due to misunderstanding and misuse. Here’s the real lowdown on these commonly used supplements to try if weight loss is your goal.

What Are Thermogenic Supplements?

When used correctly, thermogenic supplements are an easy and great solution to give yourself energy, give your metabolism a boost and help you burn more calories. Don’t let the word “thermogenic” scare you. Thermogenesis is simply the production of heat, and a thermogenic supplement simply accelerates metabolic functions. Thermogenic supplements contain active ingredients to make these metabolic functions happen. They are also often combined with secondary ingredients to help you achieve your goals.

What’s In Thermogenic Calorie-Burners?

Thermogenic supplements usually contain a combination of ingredients, but it’s caffeine that often provides the thermogenic properties. Frequently a main ingredient, that caffeine can come in a variety of forms—as synthetic caffeine, or from natural sources such as coffee bean extract or guarana. Herbal preparations, like guarana, come from seeds similar to coffee beans—but provide twice the amount of caffeine.

Most thermogenic supplements contain more than caffeine-containing ingredients, though. Many are formulated with targeted ingredients to help support other goals, such as Slimvance, Yohimbe, Rose Hips or others.

How Should They Be Used?

Because thermogenic supplements contain natural stimulants like caffeine, it’s best to take the lowest recommended dosage when you first start using them. This will allow you to assess your sensitivity and adjust accordingly. Taking one 30-60 minutes prior to exercise may help you work out harder and longer, and may also help you burn more calories. You should never take more than the recommended daily dose, nor should you take a thermogenic supplement just before going to bed. Its stimulating effects may make it difficult to fall asleep and can also disrupt the quality of your sleep.

GNC Mansfield Towne Crossing located at the Target Center at Debbie and Highway 287N carries a wide variety of products for you to choose from.

Love your Easter treats, but love your goals more? Hop over to GNC Mansfield Towne Crossing and see what’s in our basket.

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Description:

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Healthy Warrior Blend

• IMMUNITY - 100% DV Vitamin C (from Camu Camu, Acerola, Ascorbic Acid) & Vitamin D
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• ENERGY - 160mg Caffeine from Green Tea Extract & Green Coffee + Vitamins B1 & B2

With so many supplements claiming to boost your immune system, it can be hard to know what’s going to actually work for you. Don’t settle for just any supplement—make what you opt for ones that have evidence to back up the claims. Here are supplements with science to support their role in immune health.

1. VITAMIN C

Vitamin C tops the list in terms of supporting your immune health. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, working to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. (You can read more about antioxidants here.) Plus, vitamin C helps the body make collagen and helps improve the absorption of iron from plant-based foods. It also helps the immune system so it can do its job.

Fruits and vegetables like green peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, broccoli and leafy greens are all great sources of vitamin C. But if you’re worried that you’re not getting enough from your diet, a supplement can also cover the bases for you. They even come in tasty, chewable tablets, so they’re not a total chore to take.

2. ZINC

Along with immune support, zinc is involved in the majority of metabolic processes in the human body. It plays a key role in carbohydrate metabolism, glucose utilization and insulin production. It’s also involved in collagen synthesis and is an essential nutrient for the formation of bone matrix. In addition, zinc supports the body’s natural resistance.

Zinc is found in many foods, such as red meat, poultry and seafood. Some plant-based foods, such as beans, nuts, whole grains and dairy, have some zinc, too. Fortified breakfast cereals also have zinc. Plus, zinc is present in almost all multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements and is available alone as a dietary supplement.

3. VITAMIN A

Vitamin A is most often associated with vision, but its role goes way beyond eyesight. When it comes to your body, it does a little bit of everything. It does a big part in gene expression, meaning it has influence on the body through its regulation of genes. Plus, vitamin A plays a role in the maintenance of body linings and skin, immune defenses and reproduction. There is considerable research supporting the need for vitamin A in the regulation of the genes involved in immune health.

To make sure you’re getting enough vitamin A, eat plenty of vegetables like broccoli, green, leafy veggies, carrots and squash. Fortified breakfast cereals, dairy products and some types of fish—like salmon—can also help you meet your daily needs. Of course, you can also get vitamin A as a dietary supplement, usually in the form of retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate, beta-carotene, or a combination. Most multivitamin supplements are formulated to include vitamin A, too.

4. VITAMIN D

Vitamin D might be referred to as a vitamin, but it also acts as a hormone, participating in many roles in the body. Vitamin D helps to maintain strong bones, helps muscles move and—you guessed it—supports your immune system as well. Keeping your body supplied with adequate amounts of it can help boost your overall immune health.

Very few foods have vitamin D naturally. Fortified foods, such as milk, as well as some fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna, are among the best food sources. Due to the limited food sources, vitamin D supplements are pretty popular. It can be found in two different forms, D2 and D3—and both have been shown to increase vitamin D levels in the blood.

5. VITAMIN B6

Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is a critically important nutrient with a wide range of functions in the body. In fact, the body needs Vitamin B6 for more than a hundred enzyme reactions involved in metabolism. It plays a big role in protein metabolism and is involved in multiple roles related to immune function.

Vitamin B6 comes from a variety of foods in your diet, such as poultry, fish, potatoes, starchy vegetables and non-citrus fruits. Vitamin B6 is also found in most multivitamin and mineral supplements, as part of a B-complex vitamin, or alone, as pyridoxine hydrochloride.

6. VITAMIN E

Looking for yet another powerful antioxidant? You’ll want to check out Vitamin E. It works in the body to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Cells use vitamin E to interact with each other and to carry out important functions. The body also uses Vitamin E to help boost its immune system.

Vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and green, leafy vegetables are all good sources of Vitamin E. Some breakfast cereals, margarines and other foods have vitamin E added to them during manufacturing—just another reason to read your labels! Most multivitamin supplements include vitamin E as part of the formula. You can also get vitamin E alone in a dietary supplement.

7. PROBIOTICS

If you want to do even more to support your immune health—be sure to go with your gut! The digestive track serves as an immune organ by protecting the body from potentially harmful microbes that have been consumed. Probiotics are known for their positive role in supporting digestive health, but research suggests that some strains of probiotics support immune health as well. You can find probiotics in fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut or kombucha. Probiotics are also available as a dietary supplement. And for even more support, you can find probiotics that are formulated with vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. GNC probiotics have been clinically studied, are guaranteed live and active until the end of shelf life and do not require refrigeration.

8. GNC EARTH GENIUS^™ IMMUNE MUSHROOM COMPLEX

You might not think about mushrooms when you’re looking for immune health supplements, but this blend of seven mushrooms and other ingredients provides powerful immune support. Immune Mushroom Complex includes Wellmune, a beta-glucan from a proprietary strain of non-GMO baker’s yeast (Sacchromyces cerevisiae) and is clinically studied to support immune function. Beta-glucans can also be obtained from many types of mushrooms. Immune Mushroom Complex contains mushroom powders including Maitake, Reishi, Lion’s Mane and Codyceps. This formula also includes Elderberry Fruit Extract and vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps support your immune system.

9. SLEEP SUPPORT

Getting adequate sleep is so important for your overall health. Studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep are less likely to feel their best. Sleep and the circadian rhythm can influence your immune health. Adults ages 18-64 should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you need help supporting restful sleep, try a melatonin sleep supplement or GNC Preventive Nutrition^® Tri-Sleep^®, a triple-layer sleep supplement that supports relaxation, going to sleep and calm sleep.

OTHER RECOMMENDED HEALTHY HABITS

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends these everyday healthy habits:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.