Hi,

Do rebounders or mini trampolines have any benefit over other exercise?

www.cbsnews.com says:

“…Rebounding also cleanses cells because the lymphatic system is activated by this type of activity; the cells are constantly being flushed of metabolic waste and saturated with oxygen, nutrients, enzymes etc. The rate of diffusion of water through cell membranes is increased because rebounding activates one way valves in the veins of the lymphatic system. When pressure is below the valves, the valves open (during acceleration, or as you are rising upward on the bounce). When pressure is above the valves, they stay closed (deceleration)…”

It would follow that this is the best recovery exercise around, but it seem a little too simplistic. Do you know of anyone who uses one for recovery?

Sincerely,
“On the Rebound”

Hi there,

Excellent question. I don’t use a rebounder myself, but I have tried one in the past because some of my older relatives bought them to stay fit and healthy in the comfort of their homes. I’m pretty sure they saw them featured on Dr. Oz, and when that happens, they’re sold!

After reading that CBS news article, it does seem like rebounding would be the best recovery exercise around! But I was cringing during the whole article. It sounds like a lot of hyperbole in my opinion.

I can certainly see how this exercise would increase circulation, but I don’t feel that it would do a better job than other exercise and recovery methods. Compression garments could be just as effective (whether your standard compression sleeves or those fancy inflatable units) and much less hassle (i.e. you don’t need to be jumping up and down for them to work.)

You’d have to do some direct comparisons, perhaps pitting 2-4 hours of wearing compression leggings against 5 minutes of rebounding.

And strengthening your skeleton? Sure, rebounding is great… compared to sitting on the couch or floating in outer space.

Improving balance and coordination? Well, here’s the thing – if you are already coordinated enough to bounce on a trampoline, I don’t see how rebounding will further improve these skills. You’d have to do some dance moves or something on it!

(Side note: Anyone that does need to improve their balance will need a spotter when they use a rebounder.)

I don’t mean to sound harsh towards rebounding, it’s just the way the news media presents it as a miracle solution that irks me!

If I can set up a somewhat controlled n=1 study on myself this winter, testing daily rebounding sessions for recovery, I will do it. Until then, if you are capable of other types of exercise (running, cycling, and/or swimming) and recovery methods (ice baths, massage, etc.,) I wouldn’t be rushing out to buy a mini trampoline!

Of course, if anyone else has tried a rebounder, please share your story in the comments section below!

What about those who just enjoy riding, are not in training and still get severe cramps? Mine seem to respond to Cytomax and Endurolytes.

Thanks,
Cramping in Cleveland

Hi Cleveland,

If you can take care of your cramps with sports drinks (Cytomax) and electrolyte supplements (Endurolytes,) great! I think the supplements are useful to an extent, because you don’t want to run low on electrolytes. Even when just riding for fun, you’ll still lose electrolytes through sweat, so it makes sense to replenish them.

The key word there is replenish. You want to have enough, but there is no point in overloading once you hit that point. I imagine the body can do a pretty good job of handling the excess electrolytes, but if you’re overdoing electrolyte supplements, there’s no point in wasting money.

So it sounds like you have a good strategy in place. That article was more for the riders that are already getting enough electrolytes to keep their bodies functioning well, perhaps even overloading on supplements, but still cramping.

I specifically titled it “The #1 Reason Behind Cramps… That Everyone Ignores!” because I believe lack of training is a huge cause of cramps, and it is generally ignored. Everyone already talks about insufficient electrolytes playing a role in cramps, so that reason is certainly not ignored!

There are other reasons you can toss around, too. Excess muscle tension, “knots” in the muscle, etc. That can happen to anyone. And recreational riders are less likely to be disciplined about doing lots of foam rolling, yoga, getting massages, etc., so they could really be susceptible to cramps caused by that.

And there could be other valid theories out there. I don’t know. So for now, I suggest doing whatever you can do to prevent your cramps. In your case, electrolyte supplements take care of it. For everyone else – if you find something that works, stick with it!

Hi Levi
I need to congratulate you on an awesome site, I really like reading through most of the articles. I started mountain biking a while back and I am really enjoying it. I recently got a cramp and now it is still bothering me, so I would just like to know if you could maybe give me advice on how to maybe prevent cramps, how to treat it, and when is it safe to start training again.

Thanks
Cramped Calvin

Hi Calvin,

Thanks for the comments, I love reader feedback!

As for cramping, that must be the biggest/worst problem to deal with. Even if I knew your specific details, it would still be hard to pinpoint the cause of the cramp. (It’s just the nature of cramps.)

There are two general ideas about the main causes of cramps:

Here’s what might be causing your cramps…

1. Dehydration and insufficient electrolyte consumption.

While there isn’t exactly scientific backing for this idea, a lot of people believe it. Fortunately, this is the easiest cause to eliminate.

You simply stay hydrated and make sure you’re consuming an electrolyte beverage or even Endurolytes if the situation calls for it (e.g. long days out in hot weather.) Some people even choose to take Tums.

For more advice, check out this article: Proper Hydration for Endurance Sports

2. Insufficient training.

This one is the most variable. Typically I only suffer from cramps when racing, and it makes sense because no matter how hard I am training, I’m probably racing a little bit harder due to the extra motivation that comes with racing.

But basically, if you are pushing your limits (whether by extending duration or increasing intensity of your rides,) the extra stimulus could cause your muscles to freak out and cramp.

If the cramp is in your leg, there’s a good chance it’s training related!

What do you do about? Make sure your training is hard enough to prepare you for the races where you cramp. Likewise, make sure you gradually increase your training stimulus or you will cramp during training.

For more advice, check out this article: The Real Reason Behind Muscle Cramps – That Everyone Ignores!

Now, to recover from painful cramps:

To deal with a bothersome cramp, what I’d do is use a combination of rest and massage (real massage, self massage, a foam roller, whatever you can manage.) The rest is so any damage can heal, and the massage is to loosen up the muscle and stimulate blood flow to the muscle tissue.

Performing self-massage on a consistent basis will help relieve chronic muscle tension, which could also be a great help in preventing future cramps.

I’d go back to training either whenever you feel like you can or whenever a doctor says you can. Just take it easy the first time out!

Granted, scientists haven’t given us a crystal clear answer of why cramping occurs. And Hammer Nutrition is great at marketing Endurolytes as the cure for cramping. But isn’t there any other explanation?

In my experience, yes, yes there is.

The Real Reason Behind Cramps

So what is the cause of cramps for people already properly hydrated and getting enough electrolytes for proper muscle function?

Brace yourself… the problem is… insufficient training!

As with most problems faced during racing, the root cause is insufficient training.

Let me explain…

Going back to my days as a general athlete before starting bicycle racing, I knew about the link between dehydration, electrolyte balance, and cramping. Everyone talked about it. So going into my serious training and racing, I made it a priority to stay on top of that with sports drinks and the like.

But, I would still cramp during races! For me it was always calf and foot cramps. I probably had a few quad and hamstring cramps, too, but they weren’t common enough for me to remember today.

And I still have athletes writing in, complaining of cramping, despite a hefty regimen of Nuun or Endurolytes. Something just doesn’t add up!

I thought about it for a while, analyzing my worst cramping experiences, and it all came together!

See, there were two main times when I would cramp up:

1. The first race of the season, or my first race after a long layoff.
2. A really important race where I was pushing myself relentlessly, going much, much harder than usual.

Once I realized this, it was clear as day. I would get cramps from pushing myself in a race harder than I was used to in training.

It could be a higher intensity than usual and/or a greater distance than usual. Or I was pushing myself at my normal race pace even though I hadn’t done enough training at that intensity beforehand.

Either way, the cramping resulted from simply making too big of a jump between training and racing conditions. My muscles weren’t ready for it, and they told me!

My theory is that cramping is a muscle’s reaction to being stressed too much. It’s for stubborn racers like us that keep pushing past the pain and burning sensation. The muscles need to send a stronger message to get us to listen, so they cramp up, so we have no choice but to stop!

Scientific Backing For My Cramping Theory

After waiting years and years for science to prove that dehydration causes cramps (and getting nowhere,) we have a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that tells us something. And that something is, dehydration and electrolyte balance are not linked to muscle cramps!

I first heard of the study thanks to Alex Hutchinson, Ph.D. on his Sweat Science website.

Here’s the abstract (if you don’t want to read the details, just skip down for my thoughts):

Background Despite the high prevalence of exercise-associated muscle cramping (EAMC) in endurance athletes, the risk factors for this condition are not fully understood.

Aim To identify risk factors associated with EAMC in endurance triathletes.

Methods 210 triathletes competing in an Ironman triathlon were recruited. Prior to the race, subjects completed a detailed validated questionnaire and blood samples were taken for serum electrolytes. Immediately before the race, pre-race body weight was obtained. Body weight and blood samples for serum electrolyte concentrations were obtained immediately after the race. Clinical data on EAMC experienced during or immediately after the race were also collected.

Results 43 triathletes reported EAMC (cramping group) and were compared with the 166 who did not report EAMC (non-cramping group). There were no significant differences between groups in any pre-race-post-race serum electrolyte concentrations and body weight changes. The development of EAMC was associated with faster predicted race times and faster actual race times, despite similarly matched preparation and performance histories in subjects from both groups. A regression analysis identified faster overall race time (and cycling time) and a history of cramping (in the last 10 races) as the only two independent risk factors for EAMC.

Conclusion The results from this study add to the evidence that dehydration and altered serum electrolyte balance are not causes for EAMC. Rather, endurance runners competing at a fast pace, which suggests that they exercise at a high intensity, are at risk for EAMC.

To sum it up in simple terms, this study shows no difference in hydration or electrolyte levels between triathletes that cramped and those that didn’t. Instead, the athletes who were attempting personal best times, were more likely to get cramps. In other words, pushing yourself to the limit (which changes relative to your current fitness level) invites cramping.

Unfortunately this study still doesn’t explain cramping, but it offers a better perspective as to when and why we get cramps, which is the important thing to understand.

Tips to Prevent Cramps

Based on my theory, here are a couple tips to prevent cramps:

1. Specificity in your training.

Your training needs to be race-specific. The more your training resembles your race conditions (intensity, duration, and weather conditions,) the less of a shock it will be to your body when you actually race.

2. Racing within your limits.

It’s not enough to have race-specific fitness, you also have to know how to use it. Basically, you have to know how to pace yourself.

Sure, you might need to push yourself a little harder than that if you want to win, but be aware of the repercussions.

The Final Word on Cramping

Despite the claims that cramps are caused by dehydration and insufficient electrolytes, I have yet to see a study that proves this.

While I wouldn’t throw away your electrolyte supplements, I urge you to spend more time training properly for your events rather than worrying about what supplements to take in order to prevent cramping.

Better training is the answer!

It’s a good book, but definitely not something in line with the typical lifestyle of an endurance athlete! However, it promised some good results, so I wanted to test it out. Specifically, the fat loss diet section.

See, I wanted to finally lose that last bit of body fat and get six pack abs. Being an endurance athlete, I’m always at a low body fat percentage, but I don’t have a lot of muscle mass to show off. And it’s hard to diet during high-volume training. So sporting a well-defined six pack always seemed to elude me.

After reading The Primal Blueprint, I thought I might be able to make it work with a few changes. So I decided to see what the book’s advice would do for me.

The Primal Fat Loss Diet

Here’s the basis of the Primal Blueprint diet for fat loss:

You want to eat between 50 and 100g carbs per day for fat loss, according to Mark. The “maintenance” plan allows between 100-150g of carbs per day, but for fat loss, you have to be more strict.

If that sounds tough, you’re correct! But after years of endurance training and racing and a diet very high in carbs, I could use a change.

My Starting Point

Luckily, this diet change wouldn’t be too drastic for me. I had already eliminated most processed foods and even most grains. I wasn’t trying to eliminate grains, but if you eliminate processed foods (bread, cereal, granola bars, etc.,) you eliminate a lot of grains from your diet!

The problem though… just having a bowl of oatmeal, a whole wheat pita, and a serving of plain yogurt each day is 80g carbs! That’s a day’s worth of carbs in one meal!

And that’s not counting my daily fruit and veggie intake! (Those are carbs, too, remember?)

I had done well on my own, cutting from the typical 350g carbs per day down to maybe 150g per day, but still, that was not enough to shed the layer of fat covering my abs.

And due to certain injuries, I was on a pretty decent Primal workout style. For the most part, my workouts consisted of intense weight lifting and short bike rides and runs, for sprints and short intervals. I went on the occasional walk as well. (Nothing like the extreme hours I used to put in for my training schedule!)

My Attempt at Primal Diet and Exercise

As good as I was doing, I had to step it up if I really wanted to see results.

So on November 1, 2010, I started going Primal for real and charting everything out to make sure my carbohydrate intake was within the limits. (You can’t guesstimate this stuff!)

Here’s a sample day of eating (from when I first started) that followed Primal guidelines:

Breakfast:
Raw almonds
Lunch:
Chicken breast with avocado
Snack:
Plain yogurt with red raspberries and ground flax seed
Dinner:
Vegetable stir-fry, cooked in coconut oil, drizzled with olive oil
Snack:
Cheddar cheese
Whey protein powder mixed in water
Walnuts
Snack:
Cheddar cheese
Snack:
Hamburger patty covered in natural peanut butter

That example day came out to be 1,964 calories, 125g fat, 116g protein, and 74g carbs.

Now, here’s another sample day of eating once I adjusted some of the foods in my diet:

Breakfast:
Whey protein powder and liquid egg whites mixed in almond milk
Snack:
Sliced turkey breast on lettuce and spinach
Lunch:
5 egg omelet (eggs, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, onions, roast beef)
Snack:
Handful of raw almonds
Dinner:
Vegetable stir fry with lentils
Snack:
Carrot sticks dipped in natural peanut butter

That’s not a specific day, just an example of a better way of doing a low carb diet. It’s all about picking the right foods that fit the Primal description, give you energy, and make you happy.

As far as training…

I lifted weights on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday following a basic 5×5 strength training plan. Wednesday was a rest day, and Saturday and Sunday were for fun hiking and biking.

The training style was no problem at all. Sure, it would have been fun to throw in more sports, but it was the off-season after all.

Lessons Learned

There were two main lessons I learned…

Lesson #1: Make sure you get enough calories.

The main issue for me wasn’t really lack of energy from low carbs. I think it was more lack of energy from way too low calorie intake! I was lucky to get up to 2000 cal per day, when I’m used to 3000+ on an average day!

The low carb intake was part of it, but I felt extra run down because I just couldn’t physically consume enough calories. Luckily, I was able to fix this by expanding the foods in my diet. (You can see the changes between my two sample days posted above.)

Lesson #2: It’s very, very hard to stay under 100g carbs per day.

It’s super hard to keep carbs under 100g per day unless you eat a diet of lean meat, cheese, eggs, and whey protein powder.

Vegetables, plain yogurt, and almonds have just as many carb grams as protein. It adds up real fast.

Add in an apple, and you’re over 100g carbs! Just one piece of fruit is too much!

The 100-150g maintenance level of carbs for normal Primal living is more realistic. If you eliminate grains, you can do it. But to go under 100g per day, you have to eliminate fruit and even keep vegetable intake in check! Sounds too much like the Atkins diet to me!

Final Results

The first two days, I felt pretty good. My body certainly felt fresh and strong on the good diet and limited endurance exercise.

On day three, I still felt good, but hungry! (I don’t think I was getting enough calories, so I started to binge that night.)

Day four, I woke up tired and hungry. After breakfast, I felt a little better, but I was craving something other than meat!!

So on day four, I finally gave up! I was beat! I gave in to my temptations and had an apple and a banana that night… and felt tons better! Then I woke up feeling amazing Friday!

So yeah, after 3.5 days of this Primal fat loss diet, just the thought of meat made me want to vomit!

I only followed the diet exactly for 3.5 days. But for the next couple weeks, I was pretty close. (I can’t believe I originally planned to follow this diet for a six week test!)

In the end, I lost a net total of 7lb from November-December 2010 on somewhat of a Primal diet. And I got stronger.

So this diet and lifestyle has its merits, but it’s not for everyone.

Future Plans

As with many of the dieting strategies that are interesting but different/difficult (intermittent fasting for instance,) I plan to keep using the Primal Blueprint fat loss plan, but only in limited quantities. Perhaps I will fit this in 1-3 days per week and eat normally the rest of the week. During the off-season, I can see myself using this diet to keep my weight in check.

Basically, I will take some principles from The Primal Blueprint, The Paleo Diet, Eat Stop Eat, and The Slow Carb Diet and incorporate them into my normal diet (which is close to Precision Nutrition, the best all-around diet I know of.)

I’m just not convinced that a low-carb diet devoid of all grains is the best diet for an endurance athlete! And if I crave a piece of fruit, I’m going to eat one!

Have you blogged about the proper kind of water bottle to use? Knowing that so many plastics leech into the water. Are there any metal insulated types available? thanks!

Plastified Pete

Hi Pete,

I’m no scientist, but I did write one article about the newer, BPA-free plastic bottles. That link will give you a good overview of your options for safer plastic bottles.

There are some metal bottles, though. The two main choices have always been Klean Kanteen and Sigg. The Klean Kanteen is a stainless steel water bottle, and the Sigg is an aluminum bottle that uses a special liner that is supposed to be safe. Both bottles are about $30. (Personally I’d stick with the full stainless steel Klean Kanteen.)

The CamelBak Better Bottle, which I mentioned in my previous article, comes in a stainless steel version now (for $24.) There is even an insulated stainless steel Better Bottle ($30.)

Those metal bottles aren’t the most convenient for on-bike use, though, so I’d also consider the plastic bottles from CamelBak.

Definitely check out the CamelBak Podium bottle. At $9, it’s expensive for a water bottle, but it’s rather nice (and BPA-free.) Even better is the Podium Ice bottle, the high-tech insulated version ($20.)

I went many years before trying this bath, which is unfortunate, because it’s not very hard to do, and it’s very soothing! You’re basically lying in a warm bath, which is very soothing, and believe it or not, you do feel surprisingly rejuvenated afterward!

Why Do a Sea Salt Bath?

Remember high school chemistry and all the talk about isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic solutions?

I remember some of that, so I’ll try my best to explain properly… The sea salt bath has a high solute content (i.e. lots of salt in the water.) While trying to become more isotonic, the bath will pulls water out of your body.

This is a good thing because with the water comes toxins! So the toxins and free radicals that cause stress, fatigue, and muscle soreness are being removed from your body! I’ve also read that Epsom salts cause you to sweat, further releasing toxins.

This is great if you are sore from a tough mountain bike race, or if you are sick.

How to Take a Sea Salt Bath

Start by drawing a bath with very warm water. Hot water is good, but don’t burn yourself!!

Next, mix in your salt formula. You can vary the mixture depending on how much water you put in the tub, but I like this mixture:

• 1 cup Sea Salt
• 1 cup Epsom Salt
• 2 cups Baking Soda

I read that some people have used an entire box of Epsom salts in the tub at once! You might not want to try that the first time, but I might be tempted to try it someday.

Now, get in the tub! You should lie in the tub and relax for 20-30 minutes. Do NOT exceed 30 minutes because you could become extremely dehydrated! If you have any big training sessions or races coming up, I’d cap the bath at 20 minutes max.

Finally, once you’re out of the tub, start hydrating! Drink a lot of water!

The first time I did this, I thought I drank quite a bit, but about half an hour afterward, I felt extremely thirsty! So it’s best to hydrate consistently, and don’t go into the tub already dehydrated!

When done properly, you should feel great after the sea salt bath!

I’m a fan of the FRS energy drink. It tastes good, it works for me, and the “all natural” variety is healthier than the majority of energy drinks out there.

But… it’s expensive. And it’s not actually healthy when compared to health food (like fruits and vegetables.) And to top things off, many users are reporting poor customer service. I don’t doubt those claims, as I have received poor service from FRS myself. (And considering the number of people who type “FRS healthy energy scam” into Google each month, I bet a lot of people are in the same boat!)

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to look for a cheaper, healthier alternative to FRS Healthy Energy. In this article, I will dissect the FRS ingredients list and see what I can come up with.

(In this article I’m focusing on the ingredients in the all natural orange concentrate, which is my personal favorite of the FRS line.)

Dissecting FRS Healthy Energy

Here are the ingredients FRS contains which look important:

• Water
• Organic cane juice
• Grape juice concentrate
• Green tea extract
• Vitamins A, C, E
• B vitamins
• Quercetin
• Caffeine

Now to examine each of these in greater detail…

Water. This one’s easy – you should already get plenty of water in your diet. As long as you’re hydrated, the extra water you get from a glass of FRS shouldn’t matter much.

Next up, the organic cane juice and white grape juice concentrates are just forms of sugar, used as sweeteners, so we can skip them. They’re used in just about every other energy drink, anyway. If you want sugar, you can add honey to your diet and it will be a better option.

Orange juice concentrate is used for flavor. I’ve had plenty of orange juice in my life and it never gave me a big energy boost, so let’s keep going.

Green tea. FRS contains important compounds called EGCG and catechins thanks to the green tea ingredient. The label shows 100mg of catechins in FRS.

I would consider this important, but green tea is not exclusive to FRS. You can get green tea extract in capsule form and as a concentrated liquid (easily getting your 100mg,) or you can drink one or two glasses of green tea each day for the same effect.

Vitamins A, C, and E do look important, too. These are important vitamins that are also considered to be antioxidants.

However, these vitamins are easily found in a healthy diet that includes fruits and veggies. Also, they are present in virtually all multivitamins. The doses in FRS range from 25-200% of the DV, which is nothing huge, so let’s move on.

Next, B vitamins. If I had to pick a secret ingredient in FRS, I’d bet it was the B vitamins that are really to thank for the energy boost. It’s a well-known fact that B vitamins are helpful in increasing energy levels, and if you look around, you’ll see B vitamins in nearly all energy drinks these days.

FRS contains 6mg of B12 and 2mg of B6, as well as 1mg Thiamin, 20mg Niacin, 2mg Riboflavin.

But you can get B vitamins in many different ways; B-complex, B6, and B12 tablets, as well as B12 injections. I found a B complex pill with huge doses of all the B vitamins for a mere 13 cents per serving!

Now for FRS’s coveted ingredient, quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant found in certain fruits and vegetables, and some recent studies have shown that it may improve sports performance (by increasing endurance, etc.) FRS contains 250mg quercetin.

While the quercetin research is far from exhaustive, it does seem to have some merit, and it’s entirely possible that quercetin supplementation could improve performance. But FRS does not have a monopoly on quercetin; it also comes in capsule form, with doses ranging from 250-1000mg.

Note: here are a couple studies that show promise for quercetin when taken in certain doses over time:

• Quercetin Increases Endurance without Regular Exercise Training
• Antioxidant may boost exercise endurance

Last but not least, caffeine. Caffeine is responsible for the kick from virtually all energy drinks. However, FRS contains a small amount (35mg) of caffeine, so I don’t believe it plays much of a role in FRS’s energy boost.

But it’s not a problem to get that much caffeine from your diet; if you drink a couple glasses of tea or a single cup of coffee, you’ll get plenty of caffeine.

Cheaper Energy Boost

In these tough economic times, we’re all looking for ways to cut costs. One thing you could do is cut out expensive energy drinks and bottled water.

To get the same effects as FRS ($1.25 per serving) without drinking it each day, here is what I have been trying:

What it boils down to is drinking green tea and then taking some Quercetin and B vitamin tablets. In theory, this would provide a long-lasting, natural energy boost.

I have been testing out the previously mentioned pills, along with this one called a Super Antioxidant – it contains lots of good stuff like A, C, E, and B vitamins, and even a bit of of quercetin and green tea – for just 34 cents per serving.

Here’s the price overview:

• B12: $0.06 per serving
• B complex: $0.12 per serving
• Quercetin: $0.25 per serving
• Green tea extract: $0.15 per serving
• Green tea (brewed): $0.20 per serving
• Antioxidant cocktail: $0.34 per serving

If any of this stuff works, even in combination, it could cut your energy drink costs in half!

Homemade Energy – It Might Just Work

Here is what I tried over the past couple months, along with my initial thoughts:

250mg Quercetin ($0.25) – I noticed no change in energy when I tried taking one quercetin pill per day. After a few days I tried two servings per day, but that produced no difference.

750mg Quercetin ($0.75) – This (three servings) produced the same lackluster result as just one serving.

Glass of green tea + 250mg quercetin ($0.45) – As with the plain quercetin days, there was no discernible energy boost.

Antioxidant cocktail ($0.34) – This was the real surprise from the bunch. One serving (two pills) was all it took, and I got a long-lasting energy boost. It was a pleasant boost and it lasted all day – nearly as good as FRS.

Glass of green tea + antioxidant cocktail ($0.54) – There was a good boost with this, but it was the same whether I had green tea or not.

500mcg B12 ($0.06) – When taking one of these tablets, I felt a good, light energy boost that lasted all day.

Glass of green tea + B complex + quercetin ($0.57) – noticeable energy boost?

Glass of green tea + 500mcg B12 ($0.26) – These days provided a good, light energy boost that lasted all day, but with the added enjoyment of the green tea flavor.

FRS concentrate ($1.25) – FRS has always worked well for me. There’s an instant kick (just a slight one, probably from caffeine,) but the real goodness is the light energy that lasts all day, even if I do a hard bike ride. It’s also easy to drink and the best tasting option here.

From my experience with my tests, it seems the common denominator in the energy-yielding supplements is some sort of B vitamin. No surprise – it’s pretty much undisputed that B vitamins give you energy. Some of my older relatives get B12 shots each month, and they swear by them for the extra energy.

The quercetin itself, which FRS claims will reduce your fatigue and bring energy, had no effect on me when taken in capsule form. No matter if I had one capsule (same amount as one serving of FRS) or three.

I’ve heard many people say “don’t overspend for FRS, just get quercetin pills.” Well, I bet anyone that followed that advice was sorely disappointed. It’s possible there are higher-quality sources of quercetin out there than the capsules I tried, but I think I would have had some sort of affect from what I tried.

The Super Antioxidant capsules fared much better. They contain B vitamins, which are probably responsible for the energy boost, but they also add CoQ10 and some other healthy goodies.

The antioxidants from drinking my own brewed green tea probably keep me healthy – and yes I plan to continue drinking tea – but don’t bring about extra energy.

My Energy Boost Recommendations

My recommendation, if you want to save money, consume less sugar, and still get an all-day energy boost, is to take a B complex or B12 vitamin each day. I also recommend drinking green tea for general health.

If you want to skip the B vitamin tablets and choose a capsule like the Super Antioxidant instead, that’s fine (and it’s what I’ll probably do most of the time.) As long as the capsule contains B vitamins in large doses, you should get the same affect.

However, sometimes when you order from FRS directly, you can get 30-50% discounts. If you order at those discounts, you get the good taste and convenience of FRS for the same price as this homemade solution.

So if FRS works for you, I’m not saying to abandon it. Really, just pick whichever option makes you happy. I feel good taking my B vitamins, and I always drink green tea, but I don’t see myself giving up FRS completely. It just seems to work too well for me.

I feel sorry for you that you think artificial sweeteners are ok. Have you ever heard of Dr. Russell Blaylock? Just put his name in any search engine. You’re blinded by the mainstream media. Wake up and go to naturalnews.com

Hi there,

Thanks for writing in with your comments, although I have to wonder if you got me confused with someone else. I absolutely hate artificial sweeteners! Like virtually all artificial ingredients, they have no place in my diet.

I’m familiar with many of the natural health type of doctors (Russell Blaylock, Joseph Mercola, Andrew Weil, etc.) and NaturalNews.com. I also read KitchenTableMedicine.com, FitnessSpotlight.com, EvolvingWellness.com, Mark’s Daily Apple, etc.

I do mention artificial sweeteners on my site, though, so let’s make sure I’m clear on this…

Sometimes I test products that contain artificial sweeteners, but I mention in the reviews that I would not normally consume nor recommend anything containing aspartame, sucralose, etc.

The only time I ingest artificial sweeteners is when doing a taste test of a certain product that happens to contain them. That’s not very often, so I highly doubt I’m going to die from some sort of aspartame poisoning, even if it does prove to be extremely dangerous in the long-term.

Here are some examples.

- I wrote a short review of Gatorade G2. Just the concept of G2 annoys me, so it got a pretty bad review.

- FRS Healthy Energy comes in all natural and low calorie versions, with the low cal containing sucralose. So for a situation like the FRS powder, where all flavors contain sucralose, I mentioned that I don’t like sucralose (twice!)

- Most recently, I wrote a review of Cytomax sports drink. I was especially disappointed in this one, because a sports drink that already contains sugar should NOT need sucralose in there, too.

Then there are drinks like Sobe Lifewater. I reviewed that years ago, when it used fructose (and had 50 calories per serving.) These days, I’m pretty sure it uses sucralose and jumped on the low calorie bandwagon. So don’t equate my review of a 2006 version of a product to a review of a 2009 product.

Heck, in a few more years, sucralose will probably be in just about everything! (Including the public water supply…)

To sum things up, I do not like nor recommend products that contain artificial sweeteners. When in doubt, follow this guideline: If something contains aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, or acesulfame k, I recommend you avoid it.

If you found something different on CoachLevi.com, where I explicitly recommend artificial sweeteners, please let me know the page so I can correct it.

Plus, can you really get enough Omega-3s from your diet, even when eating seafood?

Here is a quick comparison chart I made to compare various fish oil supplements, from your typical high-quality fish oil to the ultra pure, super expensive stuff…

(Values are “per serving.”)

As you can see, there is quite a difference in potency and price amongst these brands. All the brands listed have good reputations, but some have much higher Omega-3 content per serving, which raises the price considerably.

The brands also vary in ways not shown in the chart. The Barleans fish oil supplements mention the LNA content, which is not mentioned on the others’ labels. Biotest Flameout has a slightly different formula than the others, with its high DHA content and the inclusion of CLA. So you might want to do some more research before making your final decision.

Based on the chart, I’d probably go with Barleans fish oil. If one chose the Barleans Signature capsules and took 4 servings per day, that would be similar to the fatty acid content of Recoup|90 and Flameout, but at a substantial discount! Sure, that would require swallowing more pills, but that’s a significant amount of money!

Also, Barleans comes in a liquid, so that is worth a shot if you don’t want to swallow eight pills per day. That oil contains lots of good fatty acids for just $0.47 per serving.

However, you do have to wonder what else is in some of these pills. Recoup|90 pills are smaller than the others, yet the other brands contain much less Omega-3 content. And the liquids are a whole other story, considering their Omega-6 content. (You don’t want to add any more Omega-6 to your diet.)

For quality, Biotest Flameout and Recoup|90 do sound like the best.

Barleans seems to be the best value, though.

Whatever you do, seriously consider taking some sort of Omega-3 supplement!

Information for this chart was compiled based on the nutrition labels of these products as shown on their websites and packaging. It is correct to the best of my knowledge, but I could have made a typo or the label could have changed, so I make no guarantees to the accuracy of this chart.