The power of Creatine and Glutamine

If you are doing the same workout routines and you seem to only achieve mediocre results, why not try my two recommendations to power up your workout?


Creatine Monohydrate
This is one of the least expensive supplements at roughly 10-25 cents a serving.  Creatine is one of the vital binding enzymes in the energy production of your cells.  Creatine, a molecule with a similar phosphorylation potential as ADP, is used to store high-energy phosphates.  Each of our cells is coated with signaling molecules.  Every creatine molecule has a specific "code" for turning on the cell to respond, or in this case activate the cells to produce new myofibrils found inside your muscle tissue for muscle development.  With my choice, I have found the best results from the monohydrate powder, not pill.  Either one works, but I would recommend staying away from the pill form.  Although the pill form is more concentrated, it does not release as fast due to the shell made of starch and other elements.  Remember, creatine is meant for quick use.


L-Glutamine
Like creatine, glutamine is cheap in cost compared to all of the other "name brand supplements" that "supposedly" help you gain muscle and burn fat..  Be sure your glutamine has an "L" in the name, or the supplement is junk.  Glutamine is one of the seven essential amino acids and is naturally found in muscle tissues.  They are called essential for a reason- because only they, "the essentials", have specific shapes to bind to the receptor to promote your muscle development.  Like creatine, this enzyme turns on a kinase which activates the g-protein linked receptor which directly turns on the amino acid receptor to promote a speedy recovery to the re-building of your muscles.  This is also used as a joint recovery supplement.

We know that creatine and glutamine are two of the seven essential amino acids.  The difference between them is glutamine is known as a muscle relaxer (inhibitor) which cause the muscles to loosen and heal.  Creatine is a muscle stimulator which causes your muscles to fire an action potential with the energy created through glycolosis fermentation, the same way sugar is turned into energy.  It is the fastest pathway used to create atp.  When we work out, we use up norepinephrine (stress hormone).  Our body naturally gets rid of this and does so by producing seratonin, the counter-acting enzyme.  This is why working out is great for stress relief.  The thing with creatine and glutamine is they are counter-acting amino acids.  One tells the muscles to relax, while the other tells the muscle to tighten up.  This is why, from physiology, it says take creatine before and glutamine after.  Now if you are taking creatine after to put back the energy your muscles are looking for, hold off on the glutamine.  The best example I can think of to have this make sense is if you decide to take a sleeping pill with caffiene.  They would counter-act each other and be defective.  Another example from Chemistry, which most people who clean know that HCL (hydrochloric acid) and bleach are very strong bases and can clean pretty much anything.  But when mixed together they counter-act each other and produce ammonia gas which does not clean and is very harmful to the body.

Retaining Memory

Last week I talked about how to retrieve memory.  In order to retrieve memory, we first have to have it, right? Here are some ways to first input memory into our brain.

Your brain as well as your muscles have what is called memory.  Each functions off of previous things it has done.  We remember scenarios from our past because of things we see, food we eat, or smells from an object we pass by.  All of these things draw out information-  We have to first figure out how our brain learns.

There are three basic ways of learning: listening, visual, and touch

Think about the things you remember from a previous time and how it was easy for you to remember.  Do you remember things by looking at pictures, or by taking detailed notes?  Do you learn better when you build an object or perform an experiment?

All of us learn differently, which way do YOU learn?

Retrieving Memory

Have you ever studied and studied for a test in school or a presentation you have been assigned to give for a major business, but when it comes time to do either your mind goes blank?

Stress and Cortisol
Stress and depression are the most frequent ways to increase memory loss- hence stressing too much about a the big day.  Stress releases a hormone in your body called cortisol.  Cortisol blocks our ability to retrieve memory that we have previously stored.

Mints & Music
Peppermint is a medicinal herb that helps relax the brain and give you that extra stress reliever to decrease levels of cortisol production.  In a recent study by Harvard University, instrumental music and complete silence for just ten minutes a day has been proven to decrease cortisol levels in the brain; therefore making us "happier". For quick memory enhancements, take in peppermint about a half hour to an hour before your stressful moment, and make time to relax with some silence and music.

Staying Awake and Alert Through the Entire Day

Have you ever wanted to stay awake and alert throughout your entire day?  I have one solution for you- eat right!

Waking up to a meal with high protein and carbohydrates will help aid in the energy for your mental focus.

Caffeinated drinks
Staying away from coffee and caffeinated drinks increases your body's naturally made energy.  If caffeine is consumed on a regular basis, your body will become used to the excess energy and stop making it's own- which is why you might notice- if you have coffee or a soft drink from McDonald's or the local gas station every morning and you forget to one day- you simply can't focus the way you should.  Orange juice- Vitamin C in orange juice helps aid your immune system, making you feel alert and full of energy.

Protein & Cholesterol
Did you know our body consumes 70% of the protein in found egg whites instead of only 20% from a protein shake?  The yoke found in each egg is packed with healthy cholesterol, fat soluble vitamins, and essential fatty acids.  Eating whole grain oatmeal helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol to stable ones blood pressure and toxicity while still keeping the HDL (good) cholesterol required for a a healthy brain.