During a recent social event, a friend of mine was complaining of heartburn. One of the party-goers commented that she had the cure, taking what seemed like a hundred pills out of her handbag. Blue ones, red ones, pills for headaches, pills for heartburn - you name it, it was all the palm of her hand. This reminded me about my personal distaste of all things "tablet." It also made me reflect on my once vaunted, albeit limited and now redundant "supplement regime."
Once upon a time, in the midst of a deep and dark Cape Town winter, I decided to get with the program; more specifically, the supplement program. Everybody was "doing it" so I decided to jump on the bandwagon, in a limited capacity of course.
Now I've always eschewed pills, tablets, energy supplements and other forms of medication as much as possible. Going to the local general practitioner for a "quick fix" of antibiotics was - and still is - a form of self-failure. Failure in the sense of staying balanced and healthy. My aspirations are such that I strive to stay as healthy as possible; when I get a cold, an alarm bell rings and I begin to question myself as to how I got sick in the first place.
Thus the reasoning behind my capitulation to supplementation was simple: beat the dreaded 'flu, which was dogging me at the time. 1997 was perhaps my unhealthiest year ever. By now in my third year out of high school, I was trying to combine studying, my internship employment and an increasingly hectic nocturnal social life with my flagging dream of being a competitive triathlete. Burning the candle at both ends always ends in tears, or in my case a recurring case of the common cold as well as frequent chest infections. Something had to give and it was my health. Naturally, I put these recurring ailments down to growing pains, bad luck and my all time favourite: adjusting to life in the working world! Unsurprisingly, I spent a lot of time in the local GP's waiting room that year and would almost always leave with a course of antibiotics, cough medicine and/or throat spray.
Over the ensuing winter months, I had become aware of various immune system supplements that were becoming popular in South Africa at the time. The increased popularity in "immuno-boosters" and "anti-oxidant rich" pills certainly had a knock on effect. It reminded me of the magnesium supplementation craze of a few years prior, where cramps would be a thing of the past if you took a certain product. I know of one individual who ended up with kidney problems due his excessive magnesium intake. Nevertheless, I decided to make a monthly commitment in purchasing an immune-boosting supplement recommended to me by a friend. Just pop those pills and get on with life. No doctors, no worries.
Initial results were encouraging and I continued to take this particular supplement for over a dozen years. What I failed to grasp at the time was that a supplement is exactly that; a supplement. Taking a pill does not replace the multitude of factors that compromise individual health. Whilst the three-times-a-day antioxidant dosage did help strengthen my immune system to a degree, there is no substitute for proper nutrition and a more balanced approach to life. It is interesting to note that many folk who are physically active see their athleticism as an excuse to live and eat badly.
Although this immune-booster did have some value, I would still be beset by at least two bad colds or throat infections per year. This "bi-annual bronchitis" would recede once I hit my thirties, although I certainly wasn't as health-aware as I could have been. The ignorant resilience of youth does eventually give way to the more pragmatic middle-ages though, and I began questioning the real benefit of my monthly antioxidant pilgrimage. Was it a crutch? Did it really have any value? It was almost as though I was growing out of this "boost," so I eventually decided to cut my losses and start afresh.
Working with cycling teams and eventually pursuing a sideline career in massage therapy resulted in my dormant interest in human physiology being reignited. My reading list began to leaning towards more health-related topics, satiating my growing interest in how the human body works. By some amount of good fortune, I was fortunate to interview a Medical Doctor practicing Integrated Medicine for a wellness publication here in Cape Town. Hearing her take on optimal health and fitness through holistic methodology was inspiring, especially the accounts of her various success-stories.
Proper food and lifestyle choices also extend to optimum sporting performance. The recent rise in popularity of Paleo diets has opened many a debate of what to put into your body - legally of course - for peak athletic performance. Given this new found awareness of the dangers of excessive sugar consumption, it is perhaps ironic that the greater endurance sports community continues to rely heavily on "energy gels" and "recovery" products to enhance performance. Many athletes of all levels are definitely not as lean as the could be, underlined in this brilliant piece by Dr. Phil Maffetone.
Whilst many of these products do have some value if consumed in moderation, their excessive use is not only toxic but also counter-productive performance-wise. My staple race-fuel of Coca Cola and water, whilst highly effective, has equal limitations; start drinking this "formula" too early and you suffer the consequences of "blowing" early, not to mention an impending "puke-mania." It is perhaps no coincidence that my increasing interest and pursuit of more healthy daily food choices resulted in a somewhat lessened reliance on my beloved "Coke-and-rolls" sports nutrition. I've discovered that I can definitely go further and faster on water alone.
Fruit and vegetables every day really does keep the doctor away.
