As I live and learn along the pathway I have chosen of being a professional Triathlete, I understand more and more the importance of looking after my body on a cellular level. After all your body is made up solely of cells. How well your cells function is what determines your overall health. Over the years I have been working with the team at Global Health Clinics in Auckland to help me have a more holistic approach to life and monitor my bodies cellular health more closely. It is amazing to see how manipulating your diet and taking the correct supplements will help your body function on a more efficient level. I have been fortunate to have been introduced to Tru Niagen a couple months ago and have been taking 2 capsules daily. I have really noticed the difference in my muscular recovery and energy levels, especially now that my training ramps up leading into the Ironman World Championships.
Over the years I have suffered bouts of Adrenal fatigue which leave me under performing and tired beyond words, where even the thought of going out the door training makes me want to curl up in a ball and hide from the world. This usually forces me into an unplanned off season break which takes me between 4-6 weeks of very short and light training to bounce back to feeling normal. This year has been a prime example of one of those patches. My training through to the end of March would be some of the best and most consistent I have ever accomplished. At the end of March I was 2 weeks into a training block in Kona and unfortunately the kids had a virus before leaving NZ that I picked up but managed to keep relatively at bay (at least I thought) during those first 2 weeks in Kona. The training was going great and then it wasn’t, there was no middle ground, I woke up at the beginning of the 3rd week and could barely bring myself to get out of the house to do any training. This was a result of having an underlying virus and pushing my body daily to extremes. I had a couple easy weeks and told myself I was okay and back to normal (while deep down I knew I was lying to myself) then got on the road for the ITU World Champs in Spain in early May. I managed to get through 2km swim, 120km bike and 20km of the 30km run. I was in 3rd place, I had a big lead over 4th and was ready to push home and make my way up the podium when all of a sudden the tank was completely empty, there was no middle ground, I went from running 3:30-3:35 / km to dropping well over 4minutes / km and having to walk a lot those last 10km. Finally when I got home after this trip and was trying to continue my preparation for Ironman Cairns I faced the fact that I was wasting my time and risking digging myself into a deeper hole for the final build up into Kona. I knew I had to shut it down for 4 weeks. This would be a prime example of not giving my cellular health the care and attention needed in order to function at an optimal level.
Since then I have being paying a lot more attention to Mitochondrial health. One of the integral supplements I have been taking these past few months is Tru Niagen, which supports nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is a coenzyme found in every cell in our body and is crucial for the production of cellular energy and repair. NAD levels decrease as we age and come under stress (whether it be from lack of sleep, over training, jetlag, eating too much or drinking too much) and with less of it in our body it is harder for our cells to stay healthy. Nicotinamide riboside (NR), the active ingredient in Tru Niagen increases the body’s levels of NAD. Tru Niagen is a great supplement that does this and is showing promising benefits for slowing down the aging process of cells and looking after mitochondrial health.
My training over the past few months has been progressing perfectly. In the past I would always have a bad patch every 3 weeks where my energy levels were lower and my muscles felt terrible. I would be forced into an easy few days to bounce back and recharge before continuing on. Now I have managed to progress without setback this whole build up. My sleep has been better than ever, I feel my muscle recovery is at an all time high which is important as it allows me to hit more key sessions during the week without having to beg the coach for an extra easy day here and there and my energy levels have been good. This is huge for me, as the training load has increased drastically over the past 2 months.
The importance of cellular health for me is at an all time high, I am 34 years old and I have been racing at an elite level for over 20 years, I still have unfinished business in Triathlon and I can’t afford for the young bucks to have any upper hand on me as I approach the pinnacle of my career. That’s why I choose Tru Niagen
Check it out www.truniagen.co.nz.
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