How I Choose Supplements (and recommend you do too)

If you struggle with the amount of supplements recommended, the amount of supplements you see, and the amount of supplements that you take, I am going to, I hope, give you some clarity today. And what you're about to hear, not intended to be a persuasive argument, but it is a question one of our members inside Flipping 50 the Stronger Way asked, and I feel like it really warrants sharing with everyone. So buckle your seatbelt. Here we go. You're in perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause, and you're not slowing down. You're just getting started. But the old rules don't apply anymore. The workouts that worked before, they're working against you now. The advice you've been given, incomplete at best. I'm Debra Atkinson, and I'm the founder of Flipping 50, the pioneer in fitness for women in midlife. For more than 40 years, I've been in the trenches with women just like you, and for the last 12, right here on this podcast. And, and the founder of Flipping 50: The Stronger Way app and membership. Welcome to Flipping 50: The Stronger Way, where science meets strength, where you'll find the tools, research, and real talk to build the body and the life you want in your second half. Each week you'll get evidence-based exercise and nutrition strategies, conversations with leading experts, and honest answers to the questions your doctor didn't get answers to in medical school and doesn't have time to answer in an appointment. This is your show. Let's get stronger. Okay. First of all, I want to point out the obvious to you. So bear with me for a minute, but I think you Potentially, and I, if we grew up in the same era and, you know, Stairway to Heaven was prom, you know, or something very similar, then we grew up in this era where— remember when we were probably taking orange juice and a vitamin first thing in the morning for a while? And then we were told, you know, all those vitamins you're taking, the multivitamin, you're just flushing it down the toilet. You're not really absorbing any of it. And there's probably some truth to that as well. And then we've circled back and now look at us, we're having more supplements than ever. And if I open my inbox and actually read the emails in that, I would probably have no less than 5 on the first page, at least the first 2 pages of people saying, hey, we'd love you to We love to send you some of our supplements. We'll give you a commission on any that you share and people purchase from your link. And I am like, thank you, but no, I just know. I mean, number one, I can't, and I can't put another supplement in front of my audience. It's, it's just too much. Even if it's a great supplement, it's just, you know, I, I don't want to distract you from The work at hand that I want you to do, which is the basics. Number one, I want you to lift weights. I want you to walk daily. Then maybe if you're feeling really good doing that, I want you to do a little HIIT and get breathless a couple times a week at least. I want you to sleep really well, eat protein at most meals, get a lot of colored vegetables in every meal. And if we do those basics and then you're saying, I'm experiencing X, Y, and Z, then maybe we want to supplement. And that Is what this episode is all about. There are a few supplements that I have consistently shared over the last few years, and I'm going to dive into them. There is one that is missing from this conversation. It wasn't asked about, so I'm I'm not going to insert it in the conversation. But some of you may, if you've been around for a minute, you've heard me talk about C60 purple power. And I started using that in April of 2022. And I know that because distinctly I was using it kind of in the beginning stages of using it when I moved. My college roommate, who we are now living in the same town in the Midwest, which is fun, um, came down to help me move, to help me pack. And by the way, she was some of the best packing help Ever, and yet she said I didn't feed her frequently enough because I was cracking the whip. But I remember asking her if she wanted to take it, if she wanted to try it while she was there for you know four or five days, and you know I don't think that she ever did it. I gave her some samples. I don't think she she did. I proceeded to take that regularly for the next four years, so I've never taken anything as consistently. But within three weeks. Of taking that, I noticed hair growth. That wasn't why I started taking it. Started taking it for the mitochondrial, the cellular support, the recovery from exercise. I believe I got those too, but those were not as immediate or as shocking. You know, something— you see new hair growth and you're like 58, and your stylist says, what have you been doing? Look at this. I'm like, seriously? Wow. Okay. So that is not a part of this conversation. I just wanted to throw that in. So if you want to know more about that, ask me behind the scenes. One of our members asked this question because she's heard me talk about several things, and she asked a slew of questions. There's a follow-up question I won't even throw in at first. Here is the question. If I'm eating three eggs a day, do I still need fortitropin? And how do fortitropin, mitopure, creatine, and essential amino acids all fit together? So I'm going to break this apart a little bit. So there's several questions wrapped into that one. So unpacking them one at a time, I would first ask this: Back, back, back. What problem are you trying to solve? So there's a lot of assumptions made by saying three eggs. Then do I need fortitropin? So for those of you who are not familiar, fortitropin is the key component used to create a product called yolkt. And if I'm not. It's a hard word to pronounce and make sure that you get. So the yolk of an egg with an -ed on the end, yolked, made into a verb. Okay? So that product has been useful and proven, and clinically in studies proven, to help preserve lean muscle mass and increase the rate of building muscle. I have proven it for myself. I've now used it 3 different times. I am just—I'm scraping the bottom of a bucket, probably tomorrow in the last serving of the third kind of pass that I've gone through. I did one right away when they—they asked. I took a look at it, tried it. Actually had great results, and then said, "Okay, I want to see if I can keep this two and a half pounds of lean muscle mass, and you know I want to go off of it and see if I can maintain it on my own." And I did. And then I was going through a move and trying to maintain a business and going through a move. There's a lot less working out going on. There's a lot of movement that happens during the day, and it doesn't all look like steps that count, but you're you're moving. You're packing, you're walking from room to room, sometimes blankly staring at boxes and walls of things you know you need to pack and just don't know which one yet. But I was working out less and I was like, okay, I, I'm under a great deal of stress here as we get to the end. And so I got 3 months' supply again. To make sure that I maintained my muscle. And, you know, if I gained, wonderful, but I didn't wanna lose during that period of kind of slipping back in terms of frequency and effort. So I was on my tail end of that. And it's just easy to remember some of these things when you anchor in life events. And I remember I was driving back And I had 3 of the traveling cases with me driving Moses cross-country, or at least from one side to the middle, um, over a period of 3 days. And, you know, that was the tail end. And then noticed that not only did I not lose it, but I gained a little lean muscle tissue. In fact, I felt fabulous. Not working out quite as much, But yet maintaining my lean muscle mass, and I look at images and I'm like, I need to get back there. So maybe I need to back off a little bit of of working out and decrease inflammation again. And from time to time, I find that works wonders. So I highly suggest you think about that. But that is fortitropin. So fortitropin is the key ingredient in a product called Yoked. It's also in by the same company. Something called MyosMD that is a clinically proven grade of the same kind of product. It's actually double the amount of it. So for those who might be older, um, suffering because, and they're in bed rest, so literally not moving at all, not even maybe up and about, that might be kind of in desperate situations. This is what you do. But for those of us who are buying it for ourselves, yolked is probably exactly what you want. So now knowing it is derived, Fortetropin is derived from powdered egg yolks. So she's asking a logical question. If I'm eating 3 eggs a day, do I still need Fortetropin? Let's just start with that one. But what is the problem that you're trying to solve would be the first thing, right? So before you ever go shopping for a supplement, you know, ask yourself why you're looking for one. You know, if somebody says, oh, you should try this, you need to say, well, what problem does it solve, and do I even have that problem? So we often want features, but then if we don't actually need it Why would we do that? So, number one, it's an investment of money, but it's also an investment of energy. You've got to remember to take it, right, and not let it sit on the shelf or the counter or the fridge. You've got to take it regularly. So ask, you know, are you struggling to build lean muscle tissue? Is that the reason you're asking about it? Are you recovering from exercise poorly, like you're really tired or you're achy? And maybe later in the week workouts, you're not able to lift as much, which is frequent, by the way, if you're kind of run down. Because over the weekend, most people, not all, will take that weekend off. They're not exercising as much. For some, I know it is the opposite. Maybe you're very active on the weekends. But then you eat a little bit more, a little more recreational eating, and then you come back and— Monday and Tuesday workouts generally are pretty strong because potentially you needed those extra calories. You're not giving them to yourself and/or stress was a little bit lower for a while. You got a little better rest and then you're back at work and maybe by the middle of the week and end, it's run down again. So ask yourself, do I want to build lean muscle and I'm struggling to do it? Do I need better recovery? Am I feeling low in energy? Am I about to have surgery or expecting a period of inactivity that I can't do anything about? Am I already doing the right things, but I'm not getting results? And so then now, you know, a supplement should solve a problem, not just number one, replace good habits. You gotta have good habits cuz then the efficacy of anything else you do, hormone therapy, Adding some kind of a hack, you know, whether it's sauna or cold plunge, and and we're not going to validate the pros and cons of either of those right now. But those extra things don't work as well if you don't have the foundation. So you you are the foundation. Create that. So the short answer to is are three eggs the same as taking fortetropin? I could probably launch into an episode about. 3 eggs. Number one, a little red flag went off in my head when you said, I eat 3 eggs every day. I wouldn't probably eat the same 3 eggs every day, personally, even if you tolerate them well. Eggs are a food more likely to become a food sensitivity if it's eaten every single day. That's just unfortunately how it works. The foods we eat over and over and over and over again, we are more likely to be sensitive to, but there are about 7 foods that can Yeah. It can be that way. Eggs is one, dairy products is another, soy, gluten, wheat. I know I'm a buzzkill and I'm so sorry, but corn— and yes, I am saying that from the middle of Iowa. Yeah, it's a hard one to present to a group of farmers, let me tell you. They don't love you. But I can't tell you how I know that. But those foods, you know, on a daily basis may not work, even if If you're not all that sensitive and you can tolerate them occasionally, giving your gut a break day to day can be better. Just going to put that out there. I'm a believer, don't fix it if it's not broken. If you are in love with your body composition, your energy levels, the results you're getting, I wouldn't fix it. But if that's not where you are, then I would consider that might be something to look at. So just planting that seed. Okay, so the short answer about the 3 eggs and, and if we weren't going to change your diet at all, is it the same as taking Fortetropin? It's not. This episode of Flipping 50 with Debra Atkinson is brought to you by Alloy Health. Here's something nobody told you about. The skin changes that start in your 40s aren't just aging. They're hormonal, specifically estrogen loss. In the Flipping 50 TV episodes, episode 18 is the most popular because so many women asked about skin. We filmed those series almost a decade ago, but it is still such a common question that I refer people to that episode almost Weekly. So if this is you too, you are not alone. Here's something I've been doing that's made a big difference. I've been using Alloy Health. 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Plus, You get $0 unlimited messaging with your doctor. Head to myallowy.com and use code FLIPPING50 to get 20% off your first order. This code is valid on products only. There are compounded products not subject to FDA approval. There are 2, and I would say completely different things, but at least Very different things. So eggs are excellent foods. They are high-quality protein along with fat. By the way, they're a higher in fat food than they are a protein food. So in case you're really wondering about that, I want you to consider that if if you tolerate eggs, they're great food. But the forditropin and what it is, it's made from Fertilized egg yolk, so it's understandable why you would ask the question. But it doesn't accomplish the same thing. Fortitropin comes from eggs, but the manufacturing process preserves bioactive compounds that are not present after you cook an egg. And I'm guessing you're not just raw adding a raw egg to your smoothie. And I know they did it in movies, but I don't know that I would recommend that. I think I've even done it. I think of my brother, older brother. I think my brother might've fed it to me as a child, but not alone, but in a smoothie. But I think those days are over and I'm sure he's sorry about that. So we're just gonna forgive him. It's minimally processed, very low temperature, and those compounds then remain intact. So eating eggs doesn't replace Fortetropin. So it's, it's much more concentrated than that. And likewise, Fortetropin, taking that does not replace eating protein-rich foods. So you You don't get a hall pass for either if you're doing one. So I hope that makes some sense. They serve different purposes. So when would I consider Fordytropin? I wouldn't recommend it simply because it's available. I'd recommend it if you're already doing the fundamental things really well and you're like, I am not gaining lean muscle and I really want to. Maintaining is not giving me the body composition I want, or I'm struggling with strength and I don't have the body composition I want. So both of those things. But again, I, I would say be sure you've talked to a coach. If you're in our membership, you have access to me every day in our Community. You've got access to me live weekly on coaching calls. I would make sure You'd say, here's what I'm doing and I'm not gaining any muscle, but I really want to gain 1 or 2 pounds to help boost my metabolism, drive down the percent body fat that I have. Then here's what I'm doing. What would you say I do? I would look at potentially the grams of protein that you're having every meal. I would look at overall caloric intake. Sometimes it's too low. I can't— I don't know that without looking. Sometimes it is too high. But that's been a rarer instance for me in working with clients over 42 years. Most women are undereating and putting the brake on metabolism, and that's been a part of stalling, especially this. And I— this is not— it's counterintuitive. The more fit you get, the more you've turned up your metabolism. But if you continue to eat the caloric deficit that you needed, maybe, to start with, and yet now you're turning up your metabolism because you're fitter, if you keep eating down here, all you're going to do is pull this guy, this crab, back down in the bucket. And if you can't see what I'm doing, but I'm doing hand gestures, like, right? So the metabolism is at the top of the bucket. But your low caloric deficit is at the bottom, and that crab down there is going to pull the metabolism back down to the bottom of the bucket. And so it is counterintuitive that, well, if I want to continue to get more fit, I'm going to keep eating less and less. No, you just created an athletic body that is like a furnace burning calories, expending Energy. And if you feed it, it will keep doing that. But if you don't feed it, it will stop doing that. This right there, everybody, was the mic drop. If I were interviewing me right now, I would say, get this quote. And I'm hoping my podcast team does. That was it right there. This is the biggest point that I've got to make, but that is the biggest mistake. So you wanna really understand that's where you've got to be. So I would recommend Fortitropin if you truly are, you've looked at everything, you've made the tweaks, and then it's still not working. Okay, let's take the Fortitropin, make a concerted effort to lift consistently. But I will describe consistently for myself. Last week I had really great energy and I lifted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And it's true, I recommend most often to my Community, 2 times weekly, until you're absolutely sure, I do that and I am working super hard and I feel amazing after the workout, between the workouts, my energy is great, libido is good, digestion, elimination, they're all great. I think I'm ready for more and I want to do more. But by the way, all the things I just said might just say, I feel great and everything is great. Then maybe you don't need more. Two is optimum for you. So realize you don't have to keep going. But I really love exercise, and I've been taking Fortitropin in yoked, and I'm on my last of this last thirty days. And so I did three workouts, and sometimes when you're taking it and you're recovering really well and you're building muscle, you will feel better. And yet this week I did not feel as good. I'm going to do 2 high-quality workouts. In fact, I have one right after we're done. I need to go and do it and I don't want to because all those high school kids are going to be in there, but I have to go do it to stay on schedule. So I've only gotten 2 this week. That's not a problem. And sometimes that is consistent. So my minimum is 2 weekly. On the weeks I feel really great, sometimes I can hit 3 and rotate in. And I— my schedule flexes, so it's not always Monday and Thursday. Sometimes I do try to get one in on Monday, by the way, 'Cause it reduces my stress level from a Monday. And, and otherwise I have a lot of meetings. So it's really helpful for me to both get a good walk with Moses in, in the morning and get a good lift in either late morning or early afternoon, right before or right after a lot of meetings, before a lot more. And, you know, think about yourself. So that's when I would try it. When you really want to make a concerted effort to build muscle. Now, I've also on top of that been eating very consciously a little more protein and just a little more. Very often you will find that being in a caloric surplus is helpful. A caloric surplus with higher protein. And I know that people will say if you're in a caloric deficit, you'll lose weight. And if you have higher protein with that caloric deficit. We've seen in studies that you can gain lean muscle— at the very least, you can maintain it— and you can lose fat simultaneously. But I would tell you, if you've tried that repeatedly and it doesn't work for you, potentially you want to go through cycles of caloric surplus, working really hard with your weight training, maybe taking a little extra essential amino acids or supplements to help you boost that protein and muscle building And then once you've done that, then you can back off, hold on to the muscle by continuing to eat high protein and sleep well. But maybe then you focus a little more on high-intensity interval training so you don't lose the muscle doing long-distance, long-endurance cardio, but you also, you know, sustain that effort that you want. And you rotate with metabolic flexibility— higher caloric content sometimes, lower others. Your body can go back and forth without shutting down the metabolism. And that's really what we want. We want the ability to have the chocolate cake. And in my case, you can have the cake. I just am all about the frosting, girlfriend. So cake is just a vehicle for delivery. That's all. And there I've said it out loud. Okay. So if you are checking all the boxes, you're doing all the things, but you're struggling to gain weight, I would say Fortitropin may provide you with some additional support. So truly, you have to know I've I've unpacked all the boxes. I've looked at, do I need a little extra protein? And that might be a first step before a supplement. And yes, taking essential amino acids is also a supplement, but it's a little different. It is directly the building blocks of protein. If you, for instance, say to me, look, I'd love to eat more protein. I just can't. Like literally at every meal, I'm full. I'm trying to get in the vegetables. Deeply colored foods as well as the protein, and I am just full. And if I ate more, I'd be uncomfortable. Perfect. I don't want to force-feed you either, right? But then maybe taking a serving of essential amino acids before you go to bed so that you're— they're working for you overnight. And that's, that's a perfect time to do it. Or middle of the afternoon between your meals. We have a Big spread there. So other times to do it. Okay. In the situation where I would do it, if you were facing knee replacement, hip replacement, if I were going to do this bunion surgery, stay tuned on that one. I'd love to hear from you if you've done it, whether it went well or not, I suppose. I would love that. And if you're having another procedure that will reduce your activity for several weeks, Preserving muscle becomes incredibly important. So in that situation, I would personally use, in this order, a high-protein diet. That's foundational. Add to it essential amino acids if you find, I'm just really not able to get where I know I need to be. And then I would add Fortitropin. That would be like the next layer. And do all of them for optimal results. So the goal isn't necessarily building muscle during recovery from a surgery, But it is hanging on to the muscle that you've already earned and you do not want to let go of. And holding on to that muscle also means you're going to stay more stable so that when you are back on your feet, you're less likely to be vulnerable for a fall. Okay. So let's talk about Mitopure. What is that versus Fortitropin? So first of all, they solve Different problems. So the answer is, do I need both? Not necessarily, because again, we go back to why do you need it? Why do you want it? But they don't do the same thing. So it's not that you don't need them both because, oh, they do the same thing, so just choose one. No, I mean, it's— they're very different. It's like a left shoe and a right shoe. Do you need them both? Well, sometimes you can just go barefoot. Maybe you don't need shoes, but other times, yeah, you might need them both. Rarely would you need only the right shoe, but there's that. Okay, so again, what problem are you trying to solve? I wouldn't recommend either supplement simply because you've heard about it, simply because you've heard it works really well, unless you have the same problem that somebody was taking it for. So again, Am I consistently low on energy? Am I recovering from exercise poorly? Am I unable to gain lean muscle in spite of doing everything right? Am I sleeping well? Am I eating enough protein? Because those 2 things would be precursors to— let's not jump to a supplement if those things aren't working. We need those foundational pieces first. So example, you're sleeping poorly. I would never, ever, ever recommend another supplement to you unless it was directly going to help you with sleep. So the first thing might be I'd recommend a sweet potato at dinner. Okay. I would recommend turning off your screens 1.5 to 2 hours before you go to bed. I would recommend shutting the kitchen, no food, at least 3 hours between dinner and bedtime. You know, those things first. Then, potentially, the first supplement I might recommend would be magnesium if you're not taking it. And I would recommend we go through a process of testing whether you're taking the right amount of magnesium for you. There's a process I'm not going to get into for the purpose of this episode. Feel free to write in and I'll share more about it if you'd like it. But sleep, in that case, would be the bigger priority, not jumping to something else. So let me talk a little bit about Your Mitopure and Fortetropin. So Mitopure actually is like the building block for energy to build muscle so you can do the muscular contractions and the strength training and the exercise that gets you the muscle and/or supports energy expenditure and improvements in your cardiovascular fitness for VO2 scores that are better. The Mitopure is about supporting you at the cellular level in repair and recovery. And then when you have that, what you probably will find is that you recover from exercise faster, and then you begin to actually have more to pour into the exercise, so it doesn't. Do the lifting for you, and it doesn't necessarily help you build and preserve the muscle directly, but it allows you to do the exercises. And those are never going away, by the way. Those are the foundation. But if you are struggling with recovery and you're very aware that, gosh, my energy level isn't what it was, I'm breathless for no good reason— you know, there are a lot of reasons why you might get breathless. If you're dehydrated, If you are not really well-rested, all of those are reasons why. But Fortetropin and Mitopure solve 2 different challenges. So Mitopure would be— we're wanting to target your mitochondria that helps you generate ATP. That is what's required by every cell in your body, not just your muscles, for every function that they do. And obviously that becomes very convenient and handy to have, right? So everything would be operating on a lower functioning system if you didn't have ATP generated by mitochondria. Those are your, your energy powerhouses, and they live in every cell throughout your body. So we know that energy production declines. With age. So a 70-year-old has the mitochondria that is maybe 10% that of a 20-year-old if we just let age run its course. Well, you and I are not going to do that, girlfriend. We are not. We are running kicking and screaming toward better longevity, right? And screaming in a good way. But we are doing high-intensity interval training, getting breathless on purpose. We are lifting weights. Both of those things actually improve mitochondrial production. A 70-year-old exercising properly— now, if you are just doing gentle chair aerobics with bands and shuffling from your living residence to the cafeteria and not doing much activity, you're probably not helping your mitochondria any. But a 70-year-old who actively is lifting weights and getting breathless and doing movement on a regular basis can have the mitochondria of a 20-year-old. We've seen it. We didn't think that. So I first, I think, spoke about that in speeches and presentations back in 2012 and '13 to retirement communities. And it doesn't take much to get There. You have the power, the ability at the end of your fingertips if they are sitting on a dumbbell. We can do this. So there is no reason to feel like we slow down just because we age. We would if we just let aging have its way with us. I'm not gonna do that. Are you? So we have control. So it's very important. That you look at what it is that you want to do, what is the challenge that you're facing, why would you want to supplement? So let's talk about this. If your need is actually for more protein, this is where your essential amino acids fit in. If you're not able to reach that 30-gram minimum per meal, 30-gram minimum per meal. And by the way, keep hearing me say minimum, minimum. You can do 40, you can do 45, 50 if you can stomach it. A lot of us are going to get full on that. But I find, you know, it's like a kid. Oh, I'm full. There's cake. Oh, okay. Can I have a piece? Right? I mean, do we change all that much as we age? If I really like the meal, I find I can eat a lot more protein. Don't know about you, but You know, it just depends what it is, how it's going in. And for some reason, anything cooked outdoors is better. So if it's a grilled meal, I probably will have more protein than if it's cooked inside. But I enjoy protein. And, you know, if you don't or you're finding it's hard to digest and so you have this apprehension about it, first of all, let's figure out your digestion and get that taken care of. But if you are not getting that 30-gram minimum per meal, I'd rather help you be consistent with that first and then look at, okay, let's start supplementing with essential amino acids if you're not able to get a minimum of 100 grams of protein a day. That really is, according to Dr. Donald Layman, the minimum for metabolic health for all of us. If you're a teeny tiny 5-foot-1 individual or you are 6-foot-2, 100 grams a day is the minimum just for metabolic health because every cell in your body is using protein. It's not just for muscle and bone. By now you also know your bones need protein, but we need it for so much that goes on in our body, much of that related to metabolic function. So the basics come first, but essential amino acids would be the next thing if you're unable to eat it. And if you are plant-based or almost all plant-based, you know, if you just let a little animal protein slip in there, often vegetarians will also— maybe they're having eggs or cheese or maybe some fish, but not necessarily having it on a daily basis. It makes it a little bit harder to get in, you know, a minimum of 100 grams of protein a day. So I would take essential amino acids, and for vegans, certainly it's game changer. It really helps them feel better overall, more energetic, and still eat the way that they want to and are committed to. So completely respect your needs. I just want for you that you're also strong and thriving and have a great deal of muscular strength. So as you age, we are. Ready for it. We're ready for what's coming. So there's essential amino acids, but I think the other thing is really looking at the last question, which is creatine. And creatine, what does it do? So where does it fit in? Creatine helps with muscle gain, but not in the way that many people think. Creatine doesn't directly build the muscle, but it helps support the work that allows you to build the muscle. And think of creatine as improving your ability to train really well, but more importantly, to recover really well. If you recover really well, and this is like which comes first, the chicken or the egg? And I'm in this case, they're all good things, so I don't really care, right? But probably it's going to first help you when you start taking it recover better because you can't feel stronger if you don't have anything to compare it to, but it's going to help you recover better from workouts that you're doing. And if you do that, you generally go into a workout feeling stronger. You're going to be able to lift more weight, or maybe you lift the same weight with a couple more repetitions and feel like, oh gosh, okay, I am getting stronger. Pretty soon I'll be ready to increase my weight. That's where you want to be. And I want to make sure that you understand that Creatine is improving your ability to train well and recover really well as well. Women who take it consistently—that word is important: consistently. It's not a sometimes; it's not an occasional. Once you begin, you want that in your bloodstream on a regular basis—not just the days you work out, but every day. In fact, talking about this now is so good for me because thank you. It reminds me I'm due and I'm going to lift, so I'll probably take it, drink it before I go today. But women who do take it report feeling stronger during their workouts, completing more quality repetitions or beginning to lift heavier sooner, and feeling more prepared for their next training system or a session. And those improvements add up over time, even if they feel small at first, or it's subliminal. And I would say to all of you who already— I feel pretty good already. I did too. And yet when I began taking creatine on a regular basis again— and so yes, previously in my life I've taken it, and you know, there are a lot of supplements out there, and so some stick for a while and don't— but since I've been taking it again regularly, and I take more than a single dose on the label, by the way. I'll let you in on that secret. But I feel stronger, I recover better, I think I see better results. And so don't settle for how you feel being good enough until you test something that is proven. Creatine is one of those things that I don't know that you would wait until you had a problem, but I would try it to give you an edge. It might not be the first thing that I would take if you were struggling or you were going to be at bed rest. I would say fortetropin in that case, after protein and essential amino acids. Okay. All right. So creatine is one of those things Will help you get better workouts, better recovery, more consistently feeling stable effort at those workouts, and that ultimately is going to increase your results. Those two will be more stable. All of these things—the fortitropin, potentially the additional protein, the essential amino acids, and the creatine—give people reasons for concern. And some of you who are red flag wavers, I see you out there. Put them down. Okay. I want to call your attention to this. What about kidney health? This question comes up frequently. It has. I've addressed it for 20 years. Since 2013, I've written books about it, ebooks and guides that dove into the research, and I updated it again and again. Still true today. People will often hear and people will often say, But this is how rumors get started that creatine damages kidneys or high protein damages kidneys. It's not what the research shows. If you are otherwise a healthy individual, you have no preexisting kidney disease, no renal issues, you don't have diabetes, creatine has not been shown to cause kidney damage. However, I will say this. I think there are a lot of people walking around on this earth who may take at the suggestion of someone else a supplement and who doesn't really know their own good personal health history and doesn't test regularly, they may not know they do have an existing issue. So in the, you know, I, I have a pretty abundant YouTube channel with about 225 subscribers. I've got, you know, over 6 million views. I, I think even more than that. Um, but one, maybe two people have ever said, I started taking that and I got kidney problems. You know, that's out of a lot of people. And it's someone random that I don't know. I don't know their health history. And I wouldn't take that away from anybody, but I would caution you when you hear that. And so you're, you're already wondering about that. And then alarms go off because somebody kind of feeds into that, you know, subconscious concern you already had, but make sure that you don't jump in until there's Just reason to do it. So doing the research, and I do because anything I take or recommend, but take personally, I'm not going to take something personally that I know would damage long-term health. So I would never recommend something, number one, that I'm not taking myself, or know that is needed by certain people and maybe I don't need it and don't take it. Really important that you realize that. So There is the other concern that somebody will come back and say, "My lab work showed my creatinine levels were really high, so my physician said, you know, go off of it." If your physician understands the reaction of taking creatine, that's a normal reaction. So if you let them know in advance. I am taking creatine, so this number, my creatinine levels, are going to be high. Explaining why should help them if they understand the mechanism of why that's happening. It's a normal response. So if you want to see where is your creatinine level when you're not taking it, you could, you know, skip it for a week before a lab, but I don't know that I would recommend doing that. If you're working with an educated physician, they're going to say, oh, you— are you taking creatine? They're probably going to just ask you. And because they know that so many of us are, especially if you're a female in midlife, we need it because we have less creatine than males do. And it's an important part of maintaining our lean muscle mass. So it is important if you're doing lab work, you know, to— before you have lab work done or before you review it, at least let them know this is why that number is going to come back elevated. And if you want to learn a little bit more about it, that is something that I would Google. I would look for a PubMed study at least that is a peer-reviewed journal that tells you a little bit more about what happens, why does that happen, so that it makes sense to you and you can get comfortable with it. So bottom line here is don't let supplements be your starting point is the problem that most Would, I think, agree. You know, we would be just flushing a lot of things down the toilet and/or putting some taxation on our liver and kidneys because we're putting in so many supplements. So choose wisely, do the ones that are really foundational first, and then add to that if the need is warranted. I think that is the most important piece. Think about what you need first. So simple decision, you know, to give you a guide, here's what I would say. If your primary goal is building or maintaining muscle, start here. Strength train consistently. Eat enough high-quality protein. That's hitting a minimum of 30 grams at least 3 times a day, but that's not the ceiling and you want to get at least 100 grams of protein Yeah. That's minimum. That's probably not helping you gain anything. And prioritize quality sleep because that recovery is when all the good stuff happens. So if you've done those things consistently, still want and need additional support for muscle building, Fortetropin may be worth considering. If you are trying to cover all those bases and your energy is low, Between workouts, you are dragging. Mitopure may be a better fit for you. And if you are already eating all the protein that you comfortably can and you still really can't get it in despite of effort, essential amino acids may help you fill the gap. For creatine, if you're committed to strength training consistently, you're doing all of the other things, adding creatine, whether you're doing Fortitropin or you're doing Mitopure or not, creatine could be a good next step for you to help you achieve just a little better result. And if you are starting out, skip the extras. Let's just ride the bike before we add the bells and whistles. Okay, so the bottom line is I don't recommend supplements because they're trendy. I recommend them because they solve a specific And the goal is not to build the biggest supplement cabinet. The goal is to build the healthiest, strongest, most energetic version of yourself. Sometimes that means focusing on better sleep. Sometimes it means eating more protein. Sometimes it means lifting heavier. Sometimes a carefully chosen supplement can provide the support that you need. So you wanna start with building your foundation: sleep, protein, strength training, recovery. Identify a limiting factor. Is it muscle? Is it energy, recovery, your protein intake? And then match the right tool for that problem. So that was just a 1, 2, 3. Build your foundation, identify any limiting factor, and then match the right tool to the right problem. I will tell you this, that in spite of taking supplements, I have really taken a moment to recognize the fact that, you know, the whole issue of are they working could be related to the quality of your cells and whether what you're taking is getting where it needs to go and it's getting delivered and received by healthy cells. So if you have damaged cells, They may need some repair and cleanup before any supplement is going to work. And hearing that for the first time a few months ago, it took a minute to settle in. But I've heard Dr. Yvonne Carney talk on this podcast about your hormone receptors. So all of us go, I want to take hormone therapy, or we are, or we're thinking about it. Or think it's not working, you know? And sometimes Dr. Carney pointed out the receptors have to be dusted off like musical chairs. There's got to be a clean place to sit down for those hormones to latch onto in order to deliver the goods. And I— that clicked with me so well and I understood what needs to happen. But now at the cellular level, I think about that as well. We have to have supplements Number one, that are delivered and get all the way where they need to go so that you can absorb them. And so delivery process is important. And I've talked a little bit about that in some of the supplements I've been taking lately. But I'm also working with a supplement, believe this or not, that is called PC that helps the cell itself so that it can— I do that foundational work. It's like fertilizer for your garden before you put the seeds in. It's going to work better. Things will grow better if you have the right building blocks. So that is actually what I'm looking at right now. I'm taking PC. I'm not adding any supplements. I haven't taken any away, but I'm taking PC on a daily basis for 100 days. And I am going to retest some levels after taking supplements to see, is there a difference in the first 3 months I was taking them versus these months where I've actually been taking PC to clean up my cells? So I'll keep you posted, but I will also put a note in the show for a previous episode that I did on May 1st, 2026, with Jess Cain. Berman. She's got 2 last names. I think I gave that in the right order. Berman Kane, Kane Berman. I don't know. But she works for a family-owned company, and it's been that way for generations, called BodyBio. And she talked in such a wise way about supplements that no matter what supplement you're taking, that's not a persuasive argument, but it talks about the fundamental way Supplements will or won't work for us. So we've talked about a lot of things today, but again, if you're taking things and you're not actually set up for the cells to be ready for those things to work, potentially they will not. So that's just food for thought. I'm going to leave you with that. And in the show notes for today, We'll drop that episode with Jess Cain Berman. If you listen to it once, there's a lot in there. She's very intelligent, and we talked about kind of nitty-gritty things. So get to that one, listen, learn a little bit about PC and taking care of your cells at the cellular level. We're hearing so much about that in different ways. Senescent cells that are in our body, we need to kind of clean up and get rid of those zombie cells to make room for the good ones to, to actually get the due just attention that they need. So I hope this has been helpful just in your decision-making. And if you've heard me talk about Yoked with Fortetropin or Mitopure, creatine, or essential amino acids, and you're— you've been wondering, do I need Why do I need them? When do I need them? Who needs them? What damage might they do? I hope that I've answered all of your questions, and if this has been helpful, please share it and let me know if you heard it and it was helpful, because every time you leave a comment, I listen. I'll see you on the flip side. All information shared on Flipping 50: The Stronger Way is for educational and informational purposes only and not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program, making changes to your diet, or adjusting any medications or supplements. Individual results may vary. Debra Atkinson and Flipping 50 are not responsible for any injury or adverse outcomes resulting from information presented on this podcast.