Essential Creatine: Why I Made It
Long before I was a nutritionist, I was an athlete, so creatine has been on my radar for over 25 years. But like many other women, I always viewed creatine as a gym-centric supplement typically used for body building. When I started working in clinical practice, most of the mainstream science on creatine was still focused on fitness, so whilst I consistently recommended it, it was usually for athletes or those in the world of body composition. But the advancement in creatine science has been fascinating; it is now one of the most researched supplements in the world, and the list of benefits specific to female physiology is getting longer each year.
From a professional standpoint I am 100% bought into creatine, but from a personal perspective, I have had a mental block that's stopped me from taking it since I stepped back from competing; my memories of being forced to down chalky creatine and protein shakes after practices were too off-putting. As a part of the product development process, however, I started taking ours, and I was nothing short of amazed with how I felt.
Before I tell you about my personal experience, it’s important to understand what creatine is, and how it works. Simply put, creatine is a compound that is vital for cellular energy production, and therefore metabolism. It’s primarily found in muscles and is used to power high energy, demanding activity like intense exercise. Creatine fuels the production and regeneration of ATP (the unit of energy that powers our cells), supports mitochondrial function, and acts as an antioxidant. It is naturally occurring and 95% is stored in our muscles (another reason why muscle is so important as a driver of longevity). It’s synthesised in our bodies from three amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine, but we also get dietary creatine from animal-based foods like red meat and in lesser amounts, fish.
There are sex-specific differences of creatine metabolism to be aware of. In general, females tend to produce less creatine, consume less dietary creatine, and hold less skeletal muscle mass than males, which is the main storage site of creatine.
So, here’s where the potential impact of creatine gets exciting: we now know that exercise isn’t the only energy-intensive process it’s important for. It’s also used in hefty amounts in organs and tissues with high energy demands - this means our brain, gut, ovaries, endometrium, and indirectly, our adrenals, all rely on creatine for power. With this list, you can start to see why it’s so compelling for longevity in general, and women specifically. Back to my personal experience...
For those of you who don’t know me, here’s a little context. I’m 42 years old, have a 3-and 5-year-old, and am someone who loves to exercise (and also, a very busy Founder). Being a nutritionist, I eat extremely well, but I eat very little red meat – at a maximum, once every few weeks – which is the primary dietary source of creatine. I don’t sleep well, compliments of my lovely daughters, and whilst I feel fit, my body feels extremely fatigued. Because I love to train, I have little patience with feeling physically tired.
Exercise is my primary tool for stress management and the only time I have to myself - so when I’m too tired to train, or my workouts feel junky because my body feels depleted, it takes a mental toll. I have also noticed that if I want to train hard it takes ages to recover, so a lot of my sessions lately have felt like movement for the sake of movement, rather than something purposeful that I really enjoy. I have chalked this up to a combination of the physical impact of stress, lack of sleep, a little bit of age (eek), and the toll that years of fertility struggles/pregnancies/c-sections/breastfeeding has had on my mind and body. Finally, I don’t train or eat to ‘lose weight’, but I would also be lying if I didn’t say that I still care about my physique.
I love each product in our suite for different reasons, but there are two that have genuinely blown my mind. The first is Enhanced NAD+ Complex, which restored my mental energy and lifted a brain fog that I found hard to shake since having my kids. The second is Essential Creatine. Since taking this product, my body feels revitalised; cognitively, physically, and emotionally, I feel stronger in every way. My training feels completely different, my recovery is better, and from a physique POV, I have seen big improvements.
I hope you love it as much as I do.
Yours in health,
Rhian
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat any medical or psychological conditions. The information is not intended as medical advice, nor should it replace the advice from a doctor or qualified healthcare professional. Please do not stop, adjust, or modify your dose of any prescribed medications without the direct supervision of your healthcare practitioner.
