Before you read this post, you should know that I’m in a collaboration with Aarja Health and Maurten. This post still only contain my honest opinion and experience. I would never be working with brands and products I’m not honestly satisfied with. As my mission is to perform, I won’t sattle for something that will not help me improve. So let’s get this party started #NerdAlert
I’m all about eating healthy and varied. Real food should be your main source of nutrition and nutrients. With that being said, the food we eat today compared to the food we ate 100 years ago, generally contain a lower density of nutrients, which mean we would need to eat more food to get our recommended amount of micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals). In a world with a growing number of people who are overweight and still suffer from mineral and vitamin deficiency, food that contain a lower density of nutrients in general (both fast food and natural whole foods), it’s no wonder that supplements have become more and more popular. But maybe not without reason? Or is it only good marketing?
As a proffesional athlete there’s no doubts that I eat LOTS of food. My intake would normally be twice as much as what an average full grown man would eat. In general mostly healthy and varied food, because I need my machinery to work as optimal as possible to perform. During training it ofc will be lots of “sugar” followed up with a plant based protein shake directly after every session, to make sure my recovery is as optimal as possible. I’m lucky to have a collaboration with Maurten, who offers one of the cleanest gels and energy drinks. They doesn’t contain any extra ingredients for flavor, colour etc. and are nice to the stomach. Honestly I think it’s one of the best “during activity carbohydrates” I’ve tried, don’t really get sick of the taste during long, hard sessions and races, and my belly stays calm. Anyway, as I often have several sessions during a day I don’t always get to consume as much greens as I want (and probably need) between the sessions, due to it containing lots of fiber which is not optimal if you have less than an hour between each workout. Also, the more fiber the food contains, the harder it is to actually consume all the calories I need before getting full. I tend to make lots of smoothies to stay on track. As an athlete who’s looking to perform, getting both enough calories and nutrients can sometimes be a challenge. That’s why I love to use Aarja Health’s supplements to help me stay healthy and in balance, specially on days with a heavy training load. I was contacted by Aarja Health some years back, and was very sceptical. I am always very sceptical to what I consume, specially when it comes to supplements. It should be clean and high quality. After reading a lot about the brand, their products, vision and their ingredients, I was very curious to try. This brand was actually founded by people from my hometown, and I would say that the brand represent the wild and pure power from nature, just how I would describe my hometown, Alta. After giving their products a try, I was not disappointed. I’ve been using them ever since.
Last but not least, all Aarja Health and Maurten products are clean and safe for athletes to use. They don’t contain any substance on WADA’s Prohibited List and I warmly recommand them for everyone, athlete or not. I can clearly feel a difference from when I’m using the products and when I’m not. It’s easier for me to train hard and perform, without getting sick when I use the products. Which makes consistency in training a lot easier. Not to mention, mom started using Aarja Healths products a while back. She suffers from osteoathritis and fibromyalgia. After starting to use their products she’s having less pain and more energy on a general basis. To quote her words: “I’ve been in pain and had so low energy for so many years, but now it’s like I’m never running out of energy anymore”. It makes me so happy, and warms my heart so deeply to hear her say that. I’ll do my best to not get to emotional here!! To make a long story short, I hope these products will be able to help everyone the same way ❤️
The supplements I use and why:
MAGNESIUM
Magnesium is pretty much safe for everyone to take. In general most people actually suffer from magnesium deficiency. Amoung other processes , magnesium is imortant for muscle and nerve function, regulating blood pressure and for the immune system. Magnesium also is important in the process of absorbing calsium. That’s why I take magnesium together with calsium every evening before going to bed. It helps my muscles relax and improves my sleep, and we all now that sleep is key for health and performance, no matter what work you do.
VITAMIN D3 4000
Like magnesium, Vitamin D is important for a healthy immune system, it also help the body absorb calsium and is one of the main building blocks for strong bones. We get vitamin D from fatty fish and from the sun. As my body doesn’t see much sun during the winter, I always take a vitamin D supplement during the colder darker days of the year.
COLLAGEN
You probably already heard that collagen is good for the skin, hair and joints? Well yes, collagen is not just the main protein in our skin and connective tissue, but collagen is also one of our most important building protein, around 40% of the bodys protein are collagen. After the age of 30 the bodys own production of collagen begins to decrease. The reason I use this is because I want my joints to function smoothly and muscles to be strong, and of course the skin and hair benefits is a bonus.
OPTIMSM+C
This one is definitely a favorite. I don’t take OPTIMSM+C every day, but when I feel like my body needs a boost, feeling fatigued, sick or being exposed to viruses – Like when traveling or attending a social event with lots of people, or if I’ve been out riding in the cold rain for too long. As an athlete it’s important to avoid catching a flu, cold or just get sick in generel. But I guess most of us, athlete or not, don’t want to get sick if we can dodge it. Anyway, vitamin C protects the cells against oxidative stress, which can cause inflammation and diseases in the body, together with recucing tiredness and fatigue. You’ve maybe never heard of MSM? MSM occures naturally in our body and is important for normal cell function. If you don’t get enough through your diet this can cause muscle and joint pain. MSM will also help your cells get rid of toxins. Pretty cool right? Together vitamin C and MSM gives the perfect immune boost.
OMEGA3 BOOST
Seriously one of the best Omega3 supplements I’ve ever tried. They are so clean I can actually chew them without getting any nasty fish taste in my mouth. Everyone should take an omega 3 supplement every day. Omega 3 is important for normal function of the heart, lungs and immune system. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory, meaning it can help fight inflammation in your body. Omega 3 also helps keeping your arteries clean and healthy, as it will help lower blood fat and cholesterol. The quality of the omega 3 supplement you take is also really important, because omega 3 supplements that are low quality or older than expiration date will not give you the same good health benefits. That’s why I choose Aarja Healths Omega3 Boost.
CALSIUM D3+K2
After getting a stress fracture in 2016 I started taking a calsium supplement. Calsium together with vitamin D3 and K2 is very important for healthy bones and teeth. D3 help the body to absorb calsium. Not only is calsium, and D3 important for bone health, but also important to maintain normal muscle function. Calsium and vitamin K also is important for blood health and blood clotting. Like mentioned earlier, I normally take this together with magnesium every evening before going to bed, as calsium and magnesium are working very closely together.
SPORTY BOOST RECOVERY
This one is one of my favorites. It’s a tasty powder you mix with water, packed with lots of good nutrients to boost performance and recovery. I take this after a hard day of training. I love to mix this together with the OPTIMSM+C if I’m traveling (cause then you are more disposed to bacteria) or just feel like my body needs an extra boost. Love love love!
SPORTY BOOST ISOTONIC
I use the isotonic drink from Aarja Health daily when I’m training or if I want to maintain a healthy hydration balance. It contains many essential minerals for optimal endurance performance, to mention some: 760 mg of sodium, 1000 mg BCAA, magnesium and B2. On the long sweaty sessions I will mix it with Maurten Drink Mix, to get a good amount of sodium together with the high density of carbohydrats that Maurten offers. Perfect drink pre, during and after training and racing, to make sure your body is well hydrated.
Will you give these a try? Hope you will experience the same benefits of using these amazing products.
PS: Use discount code “MARTINE15” and get 15% off at AarjaHealth.com
Take care everyone ❤️
