Do Runners Need Multivitamins to Stay Healthy?

Today’s video is all about multivitamins! Specifically, do runners need multivitamins? We cover what they are, what they do, and how we interpret them to work for us. Spoiler alert: they aren’t necessarily the magic bullet we think they are.
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[@Glauberoliveira1409]

Nice tips: " food first" and " test! Don't guess!"

[@Glauberoliveira1409]

As you said, it is always good having a conversation with your doctor or nutricionist, but I particularly prefer to ingest specific vitamins of my own interest ( those ones I don't eat sufficiently in my diet ), instead of ingest an A-Z 100% complex. In my list I got actually: CoQ10 + l-carnitine + magnesium + citrulline + inositol ( all together in a capsule). I got also Omega 3 + whey protein post workout ( not everyday). I've been training for five years. Now, I'm preparing for a 1:22 half Marathon here in Brazil ( 3:55/km). My volume is 100 km per week, so I need to eat well and supllement correctly. Thanks for your tips. Love your channel

[@arturskatskov546]

That's pretty fast, I'm not that fast yet. Wish you the best in half-marathon. The only time I ran a half-marathon i got 1.38 (about 50 days ago) I'm a middle distance runner, so I usually don't run long races.

[@TheRunExperience]

(coach Elizabeth here) - I love it that you take your health so seriously and make nutrition a priority. Great job. The omega 3's and whey are both tops for longterm health and performance. I appreciate the comment and loyal following. Thank you for sharing. BEST OF LUCK on your race. Let us know how it goes.

[@MrJhen80]

Great video and very informative. I'm currently taking ultra man sport multivitamins which I may rethink now but my question is about probiotics. Are they necessary?

[@ronblume3071]

Thanks again Elizabeth for your wise nutritionist words. 👏👏 I’m definitely a masters athlete at 65. I run 40-60 kms most weeks....when it’s not windy (I’m a kite surfer too haha). I run intervals on the treadmill @ 20 kph x 4 & 800 metres. What I’m saying is, I push myself for an old fella. I was recently diagnosed with a melanoma (took the wind out of my sails) but it’s looking at the moment that it’s not about to shorten my life 👍. It was a weird thing, being as fit as a trout yet having some insidious little thing that could finish me off. We have a great diet & take some supplements (probiotics on your recommendation 😊). I definitely benefit from magnesium after a hard day. I always hurt, a bit, all over....but I remain injury free so I find minimal supplements could be benefiting me. I do keep them to a minimum. Love your videos. Thanks again 👏👏👏

[@TheRunExperience]

So glad you're enjoying the nutrition videos! And here's hoping your health scare will pass quickly and you'll soon be back to running and kite surfing as usual :)

[@ashlyngordon11]

love the new intro!

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for noticing and giving us the thumbs up.

[@jasper2point0]

Thank you again for another great video Elizabeth, I have been debating the multivitamins thing for a while since I am vegan. But I know I need B12 so that's why I have continued with them (Centrum) but I will be having a change around of a lot of things now I am in the off season after a terrible injury plagued year of running and a lot of your nutrition videos will be key to this. So thank you so much for posting them and keep up the good work.

[@TheRunExperience]

(Coach Elizabeth here) THANKS!! I really appreciate the feedback and am happy you like the videos. I am so sorry to hear that you've had a rough sesaon. Injuries are the absolute worst. I've had those times of injury and sitting on the sidelines sucks. Countrylife Coenzyme B-Complex is a great brand and got the highest rating on Labdoor. Try that one when your current bottle runs out. If the injuries persist, think about blood work to see if there are deficiencies.

[@jasper2point0]

Hello Elizabeth, thank you so much for replying, I really respect the fact that you take the time out to reply people and continue the help and advice. I have ordered the Countrylife B-Complex, as I am very close to finishing the Centrum (in more ways than one)The plan for winter is to have a very focussed training plan, cleaning up nutrition, building strength and stamina, so a lot of your videos and tips are key to this, so again thank you so much Elizabeth.

[@TheRunExperience]

@@jasper2point0 (Elizabeth here) Well I appreciate you watching the videos and always making the time to provide feedback and ask great questions. I'm glad you ordered the new vitamins. Your winter plan sounds pretty awesome. I'll be working on my strength too... its the one area I've struggled with for years. The ticket to my faster running is MUSCLE!! Cheers to 2019 my friend.

[@jockobo]

Me and my fiance are on the runner's multi vitamin. We started using it when she was getting light headed on a run too often and we ran into their booth at an expo. Haven't had another occurrence since so we kept using it. I like how it doesn't make your pee discolored. We are in our late 30s.

[@TheRunExperience]

(coach Elizabeth here) - first of all, congratulations on your engagement! Best wishes for the future wedding. Second, that was smart to grab the multi. Your lightheadedness could have been from low iron and your pills are helping with that.

[@aurangzaib3442]

Thanx

[@atifelahi7440]

How much time we can take multi vitamins?? Is it true we should leave multi.v after 2 months for 10 to 20 days??

[@momenmahmoud4857]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for watching and leaving a comment Momen.

[@charleyseymour957]

Any studies that compare tablets with fizzy multivitamin powders? I personally would think that the fizzy powders would be absorbed better, so that's what I use.

[@TheRunExperience]

(coach Elizabeth here) - great question Charley. The answer, unfortunately, is not cut and dry unless you’re like 40% of the US population and have difficulty swallowing pills. Then the choice is easy - get powdered versions of your favorite supplements and drink them down! (Or break open the capsules and tip them in your drink). But it is entirely possible, if not easy to pick something that works best for you. In general, capsules are better for vitamins because they need to work their way through your system for optimal absorption. Capsules are convenient, transportable, have no aftertaste and the encapsulated ones offer delayed release and better absorption. Powders are good for things like protein bc you'd never be able to fit all that powder into a pill. There's also something to be said for taste - a frothy maca matcha latte tastes better than just taking a pill and you may be more likely to consume it if its a part of your morning beverage. Same goes for cacao powder - in a pill you might not be excited to take it but in a powder mixed with hot almon milk is a nice treat at the end of the day. Does that make sense?

[@topstudy2007]

Nice information mam

[@lincolnabraham6733]

i am really missing coach nora in the intro and in the videos... :-))))) guys put her somewhere in these next folowin chapters ... :-) on the other hand... again great info in this one... love your channel really...greetingzzz from Europe :-)

[@TheRunExperience]

Great point Karl - Nora should always be front and center. I'll make sure she gets back in. Thank you for the support.

[@lincolnabraham6733]

i appreciate this a lot guys... ur doing really great job here in this channel!!!

[@granwilbenny5070]

Hey Coach.! I need a help.?

[@Mookiethedog]

This was great and timely for me. I just got my blood test results and I was told I'm low on B12. (I'm plant based as of about 10 months ago) Anyway, the doc said I should take a daily supplement for 6 months and that this will increase my B12 storage for about 5 years. So....I was told to buy the 1000mcg tablet. When I googled everything the information was kind of hit and miss. 1000mcg seems crazy high but on other websites quite normal. I was wondering what your thoughts are about this and anything else I've mentioned. (Just to add some more detail my B12 score was out of the acceptable range but not in a really low range......I was asked if I feel fatigued and have tingling in my fingers etc and I don't feel tired or have tingling) Thanks for the info on the video and I would appreciate any comments from you....or anyone else that might know a thing or two about the B12 world.

[@megansteele7615]

From what I've read your body only absorbs a very small amount of the total B12.

[@TheNenesmom]

What brand do you recommend for just a regular multi for adults and one for kids?

[@TheRunExperience]

(coach Elizabeth here) I can't recommend anything for kids (I'm not a physician) but I can tell you what I use with nieces and nephew - Amazing Grass Kids Superfood (I mix it into some low sugar juice or into their morning smoothie/yogurt) and Culturelle Kids Probiotic (especially inthe cold and flu season) and for both kids and adults the Metagenics brand. Its called PhytoMulti and they have a kids and adult version. Hope that helps.

[@lizzierunliftbreathe]

🤣 "if you eat a shit diet." I love it! So true! I use the Garden of Life Brand for my vitamins and protein made from food. I use there Iron plus B12 supplement and per your last video I started taking it at night 2 hours after dinner before I go to bed so far so good... I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to sleep from taking a B12 supplement at night but I haven't had any issues there!Great information!Thank you for the awesome content!

[@atlasmore3635]

I have a question I am 57 years old and eat well. I am in great shape. At what age do you consider a person a master athlete? I took multi vitamins for 2 years about 6 years ago and noticed no difference when I quit taking them. But here recently I have noticed a slow down in my speed and recovery. I know age is going to catch me sometime just wondering if you think the vitamins would help or do I just need to accept that I'm not 20 anymore? I respect your opinion and have used many of your videos to help me maintain my fitness. Thanks Gary.

[@TheRunExperience]

(Elizabeth here) - Hi Gary, great question. Technically doctors say 40+ is a 'Masters' athlete but I really don't think there's a way to generalize. I mean... I just turned 40 and I am NOT ready to call myself a Masters athlete. In this video, I was referring to 65+ yrs old. As you said- you're in great shape, you exercise consistently and eat well so that already puts you ahead of many people who 57. You're right, our bodies slow down with age, some faster than others. Have you had any blood work done? That's always my go-to piece of advice to determine if you need a multivitamin. There have also been a lot of studies recently confirming that as we age our protein needs go up, so if you aren't getting enough that may be the cause of your fatigue and slow down. Here is the summary of the recommendations "From what we know, we can come up with some broad guidelines for the master athlete. Master athletes nearing 50 should probably start with higher per meal protein intakes (0.4g/kg, 4-5 times daily). This certainly won’t be harmful and can only be beneficial. For individuals who find that tough to achieve and want avoid supplements, an additional 1-2 servings of dairy with each meal (i.e. glass of fat-free milk and low-fat yogurt) or nuts/grains can be the difference. Pre-sleep protein (discussed here) is likely to be beneficial for Master athletes. It seems that Master athletes should aim for 40g of casein protein to maximize overnight synthesis rates, which is superior to 20g. "

[@howardmcgrosky259]

Atlas More >

[@jillondawashington2389]

I would love to know which brands you recommend. Also, I have heard that taking vitamins at night is the best. What do you prefer?

[@TheRunExperience]

(coach Elizabeth here) - GREAT questions. Lets start with timing first, in general, night works best because its usually away from other foods and things like caffeine. That being said, its way more complicated than that. Here are some things to consider: you want to take calcium with food to boost absorption and prevent kidney stones. You also want to take it away from zinc and iron. I recommend you take iron in the morning on an empty stomach and follow it with some OJ (vitamin C helps absorption). Vitamin D should be taken in the morning because it can disrupt the production of melatonin and interfere with sleep. I split my B vitamins into 2 doses (before breakfast and after lunch) for a steady stream of energy. Some people have trouble with Omegas and get an upset tummy so taking that with food and away from bed can help. As for brands I like: Metagenics, Thorne, and Nordic Naturals. You can also check out these two websites: labdoor.com/ or www.consumerlab.com/ (but this second one is a paid membership).

[@landerbari6386]

Not me. I try to get my vitamins and minerals through food

[@TheRunExperience]

Diet first is always best! Great job making healthy eating a priority.

[@granwilbenny5070]

Why you don't say about runners..?

[@timeless_realm]

Does this advice apply to people who unknowingly don't absorb nutrients from food as well as a healthy person? Or does your advice apply only to healthy folks? Blood testing is very important for everyone, because vitamin and mineral absorption can be reduced without necessarily knowing and over-time this can be a problem. Also, make sure to have your iron levels tested as well.

[@msar946]

Les Nessman do a blood test. If you have some deficiencies your doctor will take care of that.

[@timeless_realm]

Thank you

[@TheRunExperience]

(coach Elizabeth here) - this is why blood testing is so important. Two people can eat the exact same diet and absorb completely different levels of vitamins and minerals. It can be as simple as not having good digestive enzymes or a lack of probiotics in your gut that cause it. It could also be medical and/or genetic. And to complicate matters even more... sometimes people who think they are healthy might have some underlying issues that blood testing could expose.

[@ProwlinStallion09]

sweet pretty lady said shit lol

[@juscallmeehx]

"If you eat a shit diet." lol can you be any more blunt.