Oftentimes, setting goals leads us to thinking about personal improvements which, more often than not, are health related. Thinking about these health and wellness goals often includes topics ranging from getting adequate nutrients through diet and supplementation to fitness and everything in between. Taking the right supplements for you is a part of optimizing your health and can help you achieve your health and wellness goals.
A pioneer in the health and wellness industry, Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper’s more than 50 years of research devoted to improving the quality and quantity of life of individuals has transformed the lives of many. He coined the word “aerobics” in 1968, sparking a fitness revolution. Dr. Cooper is at it again, but this time coining the phrase Get Cooperized™. It expands on the fitness movement he started by encompassing eight areas that make up a well-rounded, healthy life. Living a healthy life, the Cooper way. Let’s look at the best supplements for health to help you achieve Dr. Cooper’s 8 Steps to Get Cooperized.
Make Healthy Food Choices Most Of The Time
Making healthy food choices is about moderation—eat healthy 80 percent of the time and enjoy the foods you love the other 20 percent. Even when eating a healthy diet, it can sometimes be hard to stay on track and get all the nutrients you need.
Oftentimes, our diet falls short of providing us with the nutrients we need. A multivitamin is an excellent option for filling in any nutritional dietary gaps and typically provides most or all the B vitamins, vitamins C and D plus magnesium and zinc for immune health. Additionally, taking a multivitamin helps reduce C-reactive protein levels—a sign of inflammation. When transferring from the Army to the Air Force, Dr. Cooper says, “I spent time trying to quantify the impact of vitamins. After the first Cooper Complete study was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition showing a reduction of LDL (bad) cholesterol, homocysteine and C-reactive protein, I started taking multivitamins once again.” When Dr. Cooper created the Cooper Complete vitamin line, he started with the multivitamin which is still available today. Cooper Complete offers a variety of multivitamin supplements to help you reach your nutritional needs.
Research shows omega-3 is good for the heart and brain, supporting a healthy heart rhythm and normal brain function and lowering triglycerides. Omega-3 is most commonly found in cold water fish such as salmon, trout or tuna but most individuals do not consume enough of this per week. Cooper Complete’s Advanced Omega-3 Supplement contains 720 mg EPA, 480 mg DHA, and 200 mg of other omega-3 fatty acids in each two softgel serving to help you obtain the recommended daily amount.
Since the most natural way to get vitamin D—through exposure to sunlight—isn’t always optimal and only a few foods contain vitamin D, many individuals do not receive an adequate amount through these avenues alone. A vitamin D supplement is a great option for those who do not get enough. Cooper Complete offers two forms of vitamin D3—125 mcg and 25 mcg—to help you reach your nutritional needs.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important things you can do to prevent illness and disease. One method to determine if you’re at a healthy weight is to measure your Body Mass Index or BMI. This screening tool assesses body fat based on your weight and height which can help you determine what steps to take to achieve a healthy weight. You can determine your BMI by following this calculation:
Something to be mindful of when using the BMI calculator is that it does not factor in muscle mass so those with a lot of muscle mass may show a BMI of overweight. Skinfold thickness is another way to measure healthy weight. Performed during physical exams such as Cooper Clinic’s Preventive Exam, skinfold thickness tests are the gold standard for determining if someone is at an ideal body weight.
In addition to eating a well-balanced diet, taking a probiotic and microbiome fiber supplement can help you maintain a healthy weight. Research has shown supplementing with either soluble or insoluble fiber increases post-meal satiety and decreases subsequent hunger, thus helping to maintain a healthy weight. Men benefit from approximately 40 grams of fiber per day and women 25 grams. Guar gum—a main ingredient in some fiber supplements including Cooper Complete’s Microbiome Fiber—has been shown to reduce body weight. In a double-blind controlled study of middle-aged women, those who were supplemented with fiber containing guar gum had a significant reduction in body weight whereas the remaining two groups who did not use the supplement saw no change.
Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms, mainly comprising bacteria that aid in digestive and immune health. Probiotics are live microorganisms already found in your gut and help digest food and destroy disease-causing cells.
Preliminary research on the effects of probiotics on weight management shows taking a probiotic supplement may aid in weight and fat mass loss in overweight and obese populations. Further research is needed to support this claim but current research is promising. Learn more about the health benefits of probiotics.
To maintain a healthy weight, consider taking Cooper Complete Advanced Daily Probiotic and Microbiome Fiber.
Exercise Most Days Of The Week
Physical activity is not only beneficial for your physical health but your mental health, too. As we age, it can become harder to move the same way we used to and may even cause joint pain. Overexercising, high-impact physical activity and even aging can cause joint pain. But exercise is also helpful in reducing joint pain and stiffness due to arthritic conditions. Dr. Cooper recommends getting at least 30 minutes of collective or sustained aerobic activity most days per week in addition to at least two days of strength training per week. As we age the aerobic-strength training ratios change:
- Ages 40 and younger: 80% aerobic exercise; 20% strength training
- Ages 41-50: 70% aerobic exercise; 30% strength training
- Ages 51-60: 60% aerobic exercise; 40% strength training
- Ages 61+: 55% aerobic exercise; 45% strength training
Cooper Clinic Platinum Physician Riva Rahl, MD adds, “Strength training becomes more important as you age because of the need to reduce muscle loss and improve functional movement, including simple tasks such as getting out of a chair or walking up stairs.”
Turmeric curcumin—a substance found in turmeric root that has been used in India for thousands of years—is said to have many health benefits. In fact, reports show curcumin can be effective at slowing the amount of joint inflammation. Cooper Complete Turmeric Curcumin Supplement contains curcuminoids which fight free radicals to reduce stress, improve brain health and help boost serotonin and dopamine—your happy hormones. Cooper Complete Joint Health contains a unique blend of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, magnesium, gelatin and bromelain to aid in reducing joint pain. Glucosamine—an amino sugar—aids in building and maintaining the connective cartilage around the body’s joints.
An important component of an exercise program is recovery. Quercetin supplementation has been shown to enhance physical performance and help accelerate muscle recovery. In a controlled study on healthy triathletes, more than 11% of the athletes who took one tablet of 250 mg Quercefit® quercetin phytosome twice daily saw a reduction in their race times after 14 days of supplementation in addition to lower post-run muscular pain, cramps and post-exercise recovery time. Also, one hour after their final run, athletes demonstrated lower oxidative stress levels, which have been associated with delayed recovery from exercise fatigue. Cooper Complete Quercetin Complex combines 250 mg of Quercefit® quercetin phytosome with bromelain and vitamin C to support cardio-metabolic function.
Take The Right Supplements For You
Each of us is unique—there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to supplementation. For example, many women do not meet the recommended dietary intake of calcium. A woman who drinks three servings of milk daily likely won’t need a calcium supplement. Likewise, a woman who does not include dairy in her diet may need to supplement with calcium. Talk with your doctor about your diet and which supplements may be right for you.
Questions or concerns about which supplement to start with? Consider taking a vitamin needs assessment to help you find the right supplements in minutes, personalized just for you and contact Cooper Complete with any questions or concerns.
Do Not Use Tobacco
All tobacco products, not just cigarettes, can threaten your health. Smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer. Tobacco is associated with a number of different types of cancers, including esophageal, cervical, stomach, kidney, pancreatic and more. On top of that, tobacco is the number one treatable cause of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in America.
While supplements will never compensate for tobacco use, those working toward reducing or cutting out tobacco should be mindful of the amount of vitamin A and beta carotene consumed due to the increased risk of lung cancer.
Control Alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption can cause weight gain, damage your liver and heart and increase the risk of developing some types of cancer. Folate and vitamin B12 work in the body to break down homocysteine levels to create other chemicals your body needs to function. In a study of healthy, well-nourished, post-menopausal women, alcohol consumption was shown to lower folate and vitamin B12 while increasing homocysteine levels. High homocysteine levels have been tied to a higher risk of dementia, heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis. While these supplements can help lower homocysteine levels, Dr. Cooper recommends no more than one drink per day for men and women.
Taking vitamin B supplements can help lower homocysteine levels associated with alcohol consumption. Cooper Complete offers an Advanced Vitamin B Complex supplement containing the activated, most easily-absorbable forms of all the B vitamins, including biotin and folate, to support energy metabolism and neurological health. In research, Cooper Complete Original was found to lower homocysteine levels by 17.2%, while Basic One Daily Multivitamin lowered homocysteine levels by 17%.
Manage Your Stress
Stress can overcome our lives in an instant and according to the American Psychological Association, two-thirds of Americans experience stress which can negatively affect their health. Dr. Cooper says, “It’s not stress that kills you, it’s the way you manage it.” Dr. Rahl adds “A good night’s sleep can help us cope with stress, control our weight, solve problems and prevent serious illness and disease.”
Stress and sleep are closely connected—if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to feel stressed. A good night’s sleep is critical for memory consolidation, muscle repair and more. Melatonin, a hormone naturally produced in the pineal gland in the brain, helps control sleep cycles. Taking a melatonin supplement can help kick-start your body’s natural production of melatonin helping you get a good night of sleep, thus reducing stress. Cooper Complete offers 3 mg melatonin supplements with quick release and prolonged release to help you fall and stay asleep.
Adrenals help control heart rate and blood pressure as well as other important body functions and they are supported by magnesium. When we are stressed, our adrenals can overwork themselves as a response. Research shows more than half of Americans do not get enough daily magnesium through diet. Without sufficient magnesium, adrenal nerve cells can become over-reactive causing someone to become highly sensitive, irritable and unable to relax. Cooper Complete’s Magnesium Glycinate supplement not only helps you obtain the daily amount of magnesium needed to help reduce stress, but it also improves sleep health, increases energy production and promotes better bone and heart health.
The B vitamins consist of eight water-soluble vitamins that are important for cell metabolism. While all B vitamins are useful and play different roles in our health, vitamin B12 plays a role in supporting brain health and coping with stress. A B12 deficiency may cause mental confusion and increase stress levels. Research shows B complex vitamins are linked to improved mood and can specifically help lower stress levels in the workplace. In this small study, 60 participants completed a 90-day double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which personality, work demands, mood, anxiety and strain were assessed. After statistically controlling for personality and work demand differences, the vitamin B groups reported significantly lower personal stress and strain than the placebo group, which did not receive the B vitamins. Cooper Complete’s Advanced B Complex provides a balance of all eight B vitamins in their most active forms. Additionally, all multivitamins contain B vitamins.
Get A Regular, Comprehensive Physical Exam
Dr. Cooper says, “It’s easier to maintain good health than to regain it once it’s lost.” The only way you can improve your health is to receive a physical exam which will help you see a comprehensive, in-depth picture of the current state of your health. And that starts with a preventive physical exam. When you go in for your physical, take a list of your regular vitamins or supplements and review them with your physician. Additionally, ask that your vitamin D, vitamin B12, magnesium and C-reactive protein levels be checked.
Practicing Dr. Cooper’s eight healthy steps can help you achieve a better quality and quantity of life. As with any health-related issue, your physician understands your health profile best, so it is important to talk with them before adding or removing supplements from your routine.
Article provided by Cooper teammate Sarah Nolting.
