Power Energy and Strength: The Triple Treat of Creatine

So, when it comes to supplements for women, there are just a handful I really swear by, and let me tell you, one of them is seriously a game-changer.

This stuff doesn't just do one thing; It's been shown to boost strength, power, and all-around performance.

It also has this amazing knack for giving our brains a bit of a boost and even lifting our moods, especially as we hit that lovely stage called midlife 🌟.

And get this, it's not some random potion either; it's been poked and prodded in studies more times than I can count. So, we're talking legit stuff here, backed by heaps of solid data!

Okay, drumroll, please... So, what's this magical potion, you ask? Well, here's a hint: it starts with a "C."

Any guesses?

Yeah, you got it! It's none other than Creatine! Boom! 💥

What is creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in your muscle cells that helps them produce energy during activity, such as high-intensity exercise and heavy lifting.  

Your body keeps creatine in your muscles in a form called creatine phosphate. 

When you need to generate that extra boost of energy during intense activity your body separates the phosphate molecule from the rest of the compound, which it uses to create a muscle-powering energy molecule known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). 

Having creatine stored in your muscles ready for action, means you can train more intensely and enjoy greater strength, power, and speed gains from your workouts.

For women, supplementing is the best way to ensure those creatine stores are well stocked up. 

Ninety-five percent of all creatine is stored in your skeletal muscles, and you can bump up those creatine reserves by about 20 percent with supplementation.

Together, your liver, pancreas, and kidneys naturally produce about 1 gram of creatine per day, but we need more than this.

You have to make up the difference by either eating more animal protein like red meat and seafood or getting it through supplementation with creatine, specifically creatine monohydrate, which is the most effective.

The only research paper you need to read about creatine

A recent 2021 review of the literature published in Nutrients reported that: 

“creatine supplementation may be of particular importance during menses, pregnancy, post-partum, during and post-menopause” 

This review states women need creatinine throughout their whole lifespan.

“females with varying levels of training and fitness may experience improvements in both anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance from both short-term and long-term creatine supplementation.” 

Menopause and creatine

Creatine supplementation has been shown to act as a possible countermeasure to the menopausal related decrease in muscle, bone, and strength by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and serum markers of bone resorption, and resulting in a boost of bone formation when combined with resistance training.

The 2021 study published in Nutrients also reported that creatine might have positive effects on mood and cognition and maybe even more effective for females by supporting brain health and is especially useful for menopausal women who are more susceptible to increased inflammation.

Your brain and creatine

So, when it comes to brain health, creatine seems to have some cool benefits.

First off, it helps produce energy in our brain cells. Our brains need a lot of energy to work well, so having enough creatine can give them a good boost.

Also, creatine helps protect our brains from things like oxidative stress and inflammation. These are bad guys that can damage our brain cells over time, but creatine swoops in and helps shield our brains from their harmful effects.

Research suggests that creatine could also help with memory and cognitive function, which are super important for thinking, learning, and remembering stuff as we age.

So, in easy terms, creatine supplementation can give our brains more energy, protect them from damage, and even improve our thinking abilities.

How to take creatine

Creatine is white powder and is chalky like in texture.

It does mix very easily into a smoothie, oatmeal or a recovery drink, and you really don’t taste it.

Take 5g daily.

Simple.

Your brain, muscles and bones will thank you.

Make sure it is in the form of creatine monohydrate.

Here is an example of a product on Amazon. It is inexpensive and lasts a long time.

Ready to Change the Things You Can Change?

Throughout our lifespan there are hormonal changes that effect our health, mood and cognition.

The first transition being the onset of menses and the 2nd female transformation is menopause, and for some sprinkled in between is the fluctuating hormones of pregnancy.

While there are a million supplements on the market promising all great things, as you know, some are evidenced based and others are like wishing on a star🌟

Creatine is one of the most evidenced based supplements that women should be taking daily.

It will help your energy levels, power and performance during activity and brain function and mood.

Reflection

I encourage you this week to take a look into creatine, read some of the research and consider supplementing your diet to boost power, energy and strength💥

The Team at Bolder Women 💪