COVID-19 situation dampening your zeal? Need more fervour and stamina for your daily fitness and health? Maybe you could do with a little help in the energy department. Nutritional supplements are an easy way to boost your daily “battery level” and aid you in keeping healthy and fit, along with a balanced diet and the proper amount of exercise. Choose from a powder, a drink, caplets or a bar (SAFRA members enjoy discounts on all these) to put a little extra zip in your step.
An important health & safety note:
While most dietary supplements are considered safe for general consumption, you might want to read through the directions of use, ingredient list and any product warnings or notices on or in the product packaging first before buying or consuming the product. It is advisable to consult a licensed, qualified healthcare professional if you are taking any medications; suffering from any medical conditions; have allergies or sensitivities to ingredients such as caffeine, soy, beta-alanine or any other item in the product’s ingredient list; are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or nursing; or have any health- or age-related concerns before eating or drinking a supplement.
Orgain Sport Recovery Post-Workout Supplement (Lemonade), $43 (240g)
Exercise will make you will feel good, but also might leave you a little whooped, especially if you’ve had a particular tough session at the gym or a longer-than-usual arduous jog. Here’s something tasty to help you recover: organic plant-based powder. Don’t judge too quickly; online reviews of this blend that’s made with plant-powered ingredients (it’s also gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO and made without dairy, soy and lactose ingredients) have painted this out to be quite yummy, with a Recovery Mocktail Watermel-Lemon Sparkler recipe available on the product’s brand site! So aside from mixing it into a refreshing drink (a canister’s good for about 24 servings), this powder is said to help with replenishing and recovering tired muscles, and offering relief with its anti-inflammatory properties, making it a great alternative to your typical electrolyte sports drink.
Available at Nutrition Asia Group, www.instagram.com/nutritionasiagroup
BONUS: SAFRA members enjoy 10% off sitewide with no minimum spend at Nutrition Asia Group. Click here for more information.
LAC Activated Zhi Cordyceps + Lingzhi Power Cocktail, $25.95 (for 60ml x 3 bottles)/$62.50 (for 60ml x 8 bottles)
Prefer something more TCM-ish (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and easy to drink, straight out of a bottle? This is your solution. While it isn’t made specially for sports and fitness, this drink can help with providing energy and extra nourishment, supporting general health and immunity, promoting blood circulation, aiding recuperation after illness or surgery, and improving physical and mental performance and alertness. Made with cordyceps (a herb known for its medicinal properties and used as a health tonic for general well-being) and lingzhi (the “Elixir of Life” herb that’s used to support the immune system, relieve fatigue and aid recovery), this power cocktail is also enhanced with vitamin C, vitamin B-complex, taurine and beta carotene for more nutritional oomph. Don’t worry, it does not taste too herbal or medicinal; it’s peach-flavoured so it should go down easy. But note: This product is not suitable for pregnant and lactating individuals, and for children, physician consultation is advised.
Available at GNC stores, multiple locations, www.gnc.com.sg; www.facebook.com/GNCsingapore; www.instagram.com/gncsg
CLICK TO PURCHASE (60ml x 3 bottles)
CLICK TO PURCHASE (60ml x 8 bottles)
BONUS: SAFRA members enjoy 35% off 1 regular-priced health supplement and free 2-year GNC VIP membership (worth $15); or 15% off regular-priced items at GNC. Click here and here, respectively, for more information.
GNC Big 50, $38.50 (100 tablets)
Here’s a factoid: vitamins B12 and also B6 help convert the food you eat into energy. So, if you are deficient in vitamin B because of an anemic or medical condition, a vegetarian diet or not eating enough in vitamin B-rich foods on the reg; or feel that you might need more of such vitamins because you are pregnant, then, you might want to augment your health and up your energy with some tablets (but, do seek your physician’s advice first before eating vitamin B pills or to check out if you have a vitamin B deficiency). This product promotes energy production by providing all the essential B vitamins in timed-release B-Complex 50 vegetarian caplets. What else these one-a-day energy assists supposedly do: maintain a healthy nervous system, replenish B-vitamins lost during stress as well as improve one’s ability to cope with stress, help with healthy red blood cells growth and division, and enable the growth of healthier hair, skin and nails. Sounds like a beneficial thing to take while dealing with COVID-19 fatigue and WFH pressure, and keeping healthy and looking good at the same time, too.
Available at GNC stores, multiple locations, www.gnc.com.sg; www.facebook.com/GNCsingapore; www.instagram.com/gncsg
BONUS: SAFRA members enjoy 35% off 1 regular-priced health supplement and free 2-year GNC VIP membership (worth $15); or 15% off regular-priced items at GNC. Click here and here, respectively, for more information.
PhD Smart Bar (Cookies & Cream), $6.90 (64g)
Let’s say you want a dessert-flavoured yet healthy snack but don’t want the extra calories (and guilt)? Here’s your wish granted in a triple-layered (one layer’s caramel), high protein, low sugar bar. Palm-oil free, each 64-gram “confection” contains 20 grams of quality protein and just 2 grams of sugar; it’s the perfect daily protein and energy hit-treat of the day for avid sportsmen, fitness enthusiasts and health- or weight-conscious folk with a sweet-tooth. The proof that these PhD Smart Bars taste delish? All the other flavours on the Holland & Barrett site – Choc Peanut Butter, Chocolate Brownie and Dark Choc Raspberry – are sold out. (The Cookies & Cream one is still available… for now.) Email, call or do whatever you need to get your flavour fix quick.
Available at Holland & Barrett stores, multiple locations, www.lazada.sg/shop/hb-holland-and-barrett; www.facebook.com/hnbsg; www.instagram.com/hollandandbarrettsg
BONUS: SAFRA members enjoy 40% off Sports Nutrition range, including brands such as PhD, MYO Plant Nutrition, PE Nutrition and Tom Oliver Nutrition; 35% off storewide on Wednesdays (exclusions apply); or an additional 5% off storewide (including items on sale) at Holland & Barrett stores only. Click here for more information.
