The overall fitness is going to definitely have a positive effect on the perceived energy levels (my Vo2 max is at its highest ever). On the other hand, I have been very fit at other times in my life but have never experienced this "my head can just go on" feeling before. I used to take conscious breaks, do NSDR between meetings and other energy-replenishing tricks because I __needed__ them. It feels like now I don't
replyYou mentioned that you took up CrossFit after starting creatine. Did your previous fit phases include lifting heavy weights?
replyNo, mostly cycling (~200km+/week with one 100km+ ride) and 30 minutes of daily yoga
replygreat question. Can I take creatine and skip the workout hassle?
replyIf your body requires more creatine than your diet currently provides, then supplementing with creatine would help, even without exercising.
replyfrom https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42578920/ (CrM is creatine monohydrate)
Results: CrM supplementation without exercise training and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance while promoting favorable changes in selected blood lipids, HbA1c, and selected markers of cognitive function and memory. Creatine supplementation during an exercise and weight-loss diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, promoted a greater reduction in body fat percentage, and improved muscular strength, endurance, and selected markers of cognitive function and memory. Supplementation was well-tolerated.
Conclusion: CrM supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention may help middle-aged and older adults maintain muscle mass and strength while favourably affecting selected markers of health and cognitive function. Individual cognitive and biomarker findings should be interpreted as exploratory.Going from minimal exercise to light-moderate exercise will do as much for you as creatine would. To me it's almost a no-brainer to try doing both.
replyFor me, just creatine doesn’t seem to do a whole lot. But heavy workouts (with or without creatine), energize me enormously.
replyYou can do the workout and skip creatine and its marginal benefits pushed by gym bros and health influencers beyond reason.
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