Have you ever wondered how a simple supplement could transform your strength, energy, and even longevity? In this enlightening episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I dive deep into the world of creatine for women and its often-overlooked benefits. While many perceive creatine as a supplement reserved solely for bodybuilders, I’m here to reveal why it’s crucial for enhancing physical performance and mental focus, especially for women over 40.
Have you ever wondered how a simple supplement could transform your strength, energy, and even longevity? In this enlightening episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I dive deep into the world of creatine for women and its often-overlooked benefits. While many perceive creatine as a supplement reserved solely for bodybuilders, I’m here to reveal why it’s crucial for enhancing physical performance and mental focus, especially for women over 40.
As I share my personal journey with energy and health challenges, I reflect on my fears of dementia and sarcopenia, which have driven my commitment to maintaining optimal physical health. I explain the physiological role of creatine, detailing how it supports energy production not just in our muscles, but also in our brains. It’s time to debunk the myths surrounding creatine for women, including the misconceptions about weight gain and its supposed exclusivity to men. This episode is a call to action for all women, particularly those navigating the complexities of midlife health.
Are you ready to elevate your wellness journey? I encourage you to consider incorporating creatine for women into your daily routine. By doing so, you can improve your strength, mental clarity, and overall well-being, which is vital for women over 35 who are looking to enhance their fitness and energy levels. I also provide practical advice on dosing and timing for creatine supplementation, ensuring you maximize its benefits for energy and longevity.
Join me as we explore how creatine for women can be a game-changer in your health and fitness regimen. Whether you’re focused on weight loss, toning workouts, or simply seeking motivation during menopause, this episode is packed with valuable insights. Let’s break the stigma surrounding women’s health and embrace the powerful role that nutrition plays in our lives. Tune in and discover how to harness the benefits of creatine for a healthier, more vibrant you!
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Did you know that your brain accounts for 20% of your energy expenditure each day? And that your muscles, which hold you up all day long, use the same exact type of fuel as your brain. ATP, the body's primary energy-providing molecule, is dependent on creatine to maintain energy homeostasis in organs with high energy demands, like your brain and your muscles. You get creatine from some of the foods that you eat each day, and supplementing with it might just be the longevity hack that you've been missing. So if you're interested in improving strength, energy, and longevity, keep listening. Hello, and thank you. Thank you for being here. This podcast has been growing. by leaps and bounds recently, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for listening and sharing my show with your friends. It's been such a joy. If you are new, welcome. I'm Holly Perkins, and I help women mostly over 40 to improve body composition so that you are at least 70% lean mass so that you can reduce your risk of disease, stay in the game of life, and out of the rocking chair and look fabulous along the way. So I spend a lot of time thinking about my why, why I am so passionate about what I talk about here on the podcast, in my platform in general, to my clients. And the truth is, I've got a lot of stories. But ultimately what it comes down to is we aren't much without our physical body. Life is hard enough as it is, right? And when you've got issues with your physical body, like I have the majority of my life, it just makes things a lot harder. And yet, when you feel amazing, life is amazing. I really believe that in this physical 3D world that we live in, our physical 3D body influences our mental, emotional, spiritual relationship and experience that we have. And for me, dementia and sarcopenia are my personal top fears as I start to look towards my future health. Now, if you're new here. Dementia is just cognitive decline. It could be Alzheimer's. It could be any of the neurodegenerative diseases. And sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass as we get older. And to me, those are terrifying. And I'm motivated to do anything I can to mitigate it, reduce it, or avoid those diseases altogether. I guess the way I see it is life would be really hard without a healthy brain. and strong muscles, right? And every day I use my brain and my muscles a lot. And I'm particularly motivated to adopt habits now that will allow me to live a vibrant and active life for all the years ahead. I often say, what good is living a long time if the time is long, right? If you're struggling to become stronger or lack the energy to get through the day or feel like your brain just can't keep up with you, it's time to take a cold hard look at your habits because the future is scary and it's probably short if you don't have the physical resilience and the brain power that you need to enjoy the decades ahead. And if you've heard the buzz about creatine, but wondered. Isn't that for gym bros? Isn't that sort of fringe culture or doesn't it make you retain water and get bulky? Or even isn't it bad for your kidneys? You may have missed a memo or two if that is where your brain goes when you hear the word creatine. And the research has consistently shown that Creatine for women is likely the wave of the future. and a powerful supplement that every woman should consider, in my opinion. And what if, for you, one of the most researched, safest, and effective supplements for women was something that you've been avoiding the whole time simply because you don't understand it? And what if skipping it is actually slowing down your strength, your energy, and even how well you age. So today... We're talking about creatine and why everything that you've heard might be incomplete. In this episode, you'll learn the biggest misconceptions surrounding creatine for women, why creatine for women may support strength, energy, and even brain health, and how to think about using it without overcomplicating anything. If you're struggling with energy, brain power, mental focus, progressing in your strength workouts, or even just finding the energy to get through the day, I promise you that there is both a reason for those symptoms and a solution. Personally, I struggled big time with all of these things for the majority of my adult life. Then in my 40s, I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, and an autoimmune disorder. And it all made sense why I also struggled with symptoms of depression the majority of my adult life, as these things are all related to, or I believe causes of, depression. Now, I'm a hard gainer in the gym. And most days I struggle with energy fallout. So I say all of this to say, if anyone knows the hacks to remedying these symptoms and these complaints, it is me. And once I poured through hours and hours and hours, if not weeks worth of research, it was clear as day to me. Creatine is a powerful supplement for women that goes far beyond your workouts. And that is a big surprise for a lot of people. I have become almost superstitious about taking creatine, both for just improving my brain intensive work days and for boosting my power and my strength in the gym. I am obsessed to say the least, and I believe that you should be too. I'm going to cover the benefits of creatine for women, looking at three areas, strength, energy, and longevity, keeping in mind that these are actually three very different applications. The biggest mistake women are making these days is thinking, number one, that creatine is for men, or that it will make you bulky, or retain water, or gain weight, or that it's solely for a fitness application. These days, it's really not. So first, let me give you the quick physiology of creatine so that you understand the basics and understand why creatine is so helpful in all of these applications, but... very specifically for building strength and muscle mass. So creatine isn't a protein. It's actually a small molecule made up from three different amino acids, and it's considered a non-protein amino acid. It's a little confusing. Think of it as a molecule. And your body creates it from the three amino acids that you get from food, arginine, glycine, and methionine. Your body already makes a little bit of creatine from those amino acids that you get when you eat meat or fish or seafood. So it's a naturally occurring compound that your body also produces and stores mostly in your muscles. About 95% of the creatine that your body stores and needs lives in your muscles. So first, it's important to understand that... Your body is already making it because it's important, because it needs it, because it's a critical compound or molecule. And it's helpful to know that some of it also lives in your brain and some of your other vital organs. So in short, creatine helps your muscles recharge their energy super quickly. as its main job is to support your body's immediate energy system, which is called the phosphocreatine system. And so basically, when your muscles are contracting, even if you're sitting there listening to me still, your muscles are contracting to hold you up in space. Even when you're laying down, your muscles have tension, keeping your bones connected, keeping you together. and your muscles. Run on a molecule called adenosine triphosphate. Normally you'll hear this referred to as ATP, adenosine triphosphate. ATP is your body's instant energy currency. So think of it like the fuel, but you only store enough of it for a few seconds of high intensity effort. And so here's where creatine comes in. Creatine is stored as phosphocreatine in muscle, And then phosphocreatine donates a phosphate to quickly regenerate ATP. And this allows you to sustain high power output for a few seconds longer. Creatine helps you recycle energy faster during intense effort. So like during the last few reps of a heavy set of squats during your workout. This is why historically it was a... fitness application because it improves performance when your muscles have to work hard for a short period of time. When you supplement with creatine, you're giving your muscles more of the fuel that they need to fully function. But it's not a stimulant because a lot of times people think, oh, well, you're just stimulating your muscles and amping them up, correct? No, not at all. In some ways, it's like putting fuel into a vehicle. In some ways, it's the direct fuel that your engine needs to perform and to run. The first thing that I think is really important to understand is that creatine inherently doesn't make you bulky. It supports your ability to produce energy during strength training, which means when you lift weights, you may be able to lift a little bit heavier. or get more reps in and just perform better and feel stronger. And that is actually what builds lean muscle. It helps you in your workout so that you get better results from your workout, but it's your workout and to some degree your nutrition that actually builds muscle. You might find it interesting that creatine isn't building the muscle for you. It's helping you get more out of the work that you're already doing in your workouts. And as you start to connect those dots, you'll realize that it's really just enhancing your results. And I would argue it enhances your experience because it gives you more strength. It helps you gain muscle more easily and improve your body composition better and faster. And for me, I just feel better during my workouts. when I'm taking creatine consistently. And to me, that's everything. Because if you feel good in your workout, you'll get a better workout, right? And a better workout leads to better results. The best way to think about creatine is that it gives your muscles the juice they need for peak performance. And this means your muscles will be stronger and better able to generate power on your Bulgarian split squats. or your chest press, or your lat pull down. And this helps you to feel stronger so that you can actually lift more weight. This also means that you can do more total work over time and therefore handle more training volume, which is one of the biggest drivers of muscle growth. Your weekly volume in the gym is a very important consideration. And it also means that you'll build muscle more easily over time. Each year after the age of 35, it gets harder and harder and harder to build muscle. So if you're in your 40s, you may want or need some help. I know I did. And if you're in your 50s, you'll most likely need some help like I do. And if you're in your 60s and beyond... Support for maintaining muscle mass is absolutely essential. I work with women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, and I definitely see with each decade, it gets exponentially harder to build muscle. As always, I have included a bunch of links to a ton of really relevant research in the show notes, and you'll see that creatine has been studied in earnest. Since the 1970s, and there are thousands of studies looking at a variety of applications and protocols and timing methods in young people, old people, young women, old women, a variety of populations. And I think what's really interesting to note, after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, creatine gained massive attention because athletes started using it. And this is what kicked off a surge of controlled studies in the 90s. And so since the 90s, creatine is constantly being studied every which way, up, down, and backwards. If you want to be stronger, get better workouts, recover faster, have less muscle soreness, and actually see muscular development, creatine is without a doubt the best supplement to turn to. Now, dietary protein is also important, of course, and it plays very nicely with creatine. So it's right up there for this application, but you one little note is that dietary protein is an essential part of nutrition. And therefore, I don't consider protein powder a supplement. Some people do, I don't. Therefore, when we're talking about supplements, creatine really is the one that comes to the top of the list when we talk about muscle and performance. If you're ready to incorporate creatine for strength, here's some tips. The research is mixed, but after 20 years of personally experimenting with creatine. I firmly believe it works best for women when you take creatine before your training sessions, because I believe that's when you need it most. You want it to be at peak saturation when you're going into your training sessions, and it ensures that your muscles are saturated if you're taking it before your workouts. I personally experience huge benefits when I take my creatine before my workouts. And I noticed that I feel much stronger and therefore am able to increase my weight loads more frequently, more comfortably, and more easily. Most of the research links muscle growth with creatine ingestion post-workout. But I think once I looked at all of the research, I kind of think it's simply because we don't have much research on the timing of creatine ingestion. and And a lot of meta-analysis and research citations are literally just regurgitating what they looked at from the 90s. And so we definitely need more research around the timing of it. And when you do find those articles, you will see that there is a mixed response. And some studies are saying that taking it before, during, after midnight, morning, it doesn't really matter as long as you you're getting your muscles to saturation of creatine. So if you want my opinion and what I teach my most successful clients, I will always say, take it before training. It helps to take your creatine with carbohydrate one to two hours prior to training. And this can be with a meal or straight with carbohydrate. Depending on my personal meal timing, I will often just dry scoop creatine with some fruit. or some pomegranate juice just to get the carbohydrate in and just to get the creatine in me super fast. The jury is also mixed about first doing what's called a loading phase of higher doses of creatine. And so the research says you'll take somewhere around 20 grams of creatine per day in mixed doses throughout the day for about two weeks so that you can get your muscles up to full saturation. Or you can simply take three to five grams of creatine daily, where then full muscle saturation may take a bit longer. But personally, I kind of vote with the latter and just start with three to five grams every single day religiously and just let it take its course. Especially for women, I feel for a number of reasons, this is the best path. Now, some women do notice some water retention in the first two weeks of creatine. And this is kind of an argument for what I said a moment ago, not doing a loading phase. But the truth is creatine is so valuable that if you are part of the 1% of women that do experience some water retention, just know that all you have to do is stay the course and it will eventually release. It's just a transition phase. Personally, I have only had positive effects from creatine. I've never experienced any kind of water retention, and I find it very rarely causes temporary water retention in some of my clients, like so few, honestly, one in a hundred. So up next, we're going to shift gears and we're going to talk about creatine for women for energy and longevity, but first. In my 20s, I had a motto, I will get all the sleep that I need when I'm dead. And that would fuel me through late nights and early mornings. And I remember I could just push through. I would grab another latte and be mostly fine the next day. Now, I'm not saying that was healthy, but I could do it. I could get away with it until I couldn't. So somewhere in your 30s, It all changes and you realize that it's really important to prioritize quality sleep. The truth is you must have good quality sleep in order to keep your brain and your body performing optimally. And that is why I started using Beams Dream Powder. When I was looking for a sleep aid, I wasn't looking to be knocked out. I didn't want that like drugged, groggy feeling the next morning. I really just wanted deep, delicious, real sleep. The kind where you wake up feeling restored. Beam's Dream Powder is made with a powerful blend of all natural ingredients. Reishi, magnesium, L-theanine, apigenin, and melatonin. And I am not the only one who loves it. Beam has already improved over 28 million nights of sleep, helping people across the country wake up and feel their best. If you're in that stage of life where you can't just push through bad sleep anymore, this is exactly what you need to be trying. Go to shopbeam.com forward slash Holly P and use code Holly P and take advantage of my exclusive offer. for up to 40% off Beam's Dream Powder. This is the best discount that Beam gives out. So tell your friends too, even if they don't listen to my show, if they want to fix their sleep, they've got to try Beam. So remember, go to shopbeam.com forward slash Holly P, use code Holly P. With my code Holly P, you can grab Dream for up to 40% off. Try it today. Did you know that the brain is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body due to its complex functions, including learning? It's constantly active, even when you're at rest, accounting for around 20% of all energy expenditure through the day. That is crazy. That means 20% of the calories that you eat each day are used up just by... your brain. Thus, the brain has a constant demand for energy. And just like your muscles, your brain uses creatine too, making creatine an important nutrient for both your brain health and your just general energy. See, your brain must maintain higher level functioning, and that takes a ton of energy. Your brain literally Thank you. never stops. When you sleep, it goes into low power mode, but it's still functioning. Once I started using creatine for my work day, not just my workouts, I noticed that I could think more powerfully. For longer, I could maintain my focus so much better. And in this capacity, creatine is an incredible supplement for energy, stamina, and mental focus. And this goes far beyond its application in the gym. So a little science, remember earlier when I said that creatine is stored in the muscle and your brain as phosphocreatine? Well, creatine supplementation increases, phosphocreatine stores in the brain tissues as well. Increases in brain creatine levels enhance energy availability to Thank you. neurons, which is theorized to support cognitive function. Creatine enters the brain through different mechanisms. And as I said before, the body endogenously produces creatine from amino acids. That means your body will produce it on its own from the foods that you eat. And get this, the liver and kidneys account for most of the endogenously produced creatine. But the brain can also synthesize creatine. Creatine crosses the blood-brain barrier, further increasing the creatine levels in the brain. Therefore, higher doses of creatine are likely needed to produce cognitive benefits, especially if your muscles are using up a lot of the creatine during a workout. Makes sense, right? So in many ways, your brain is a muscle just like your biceps. And so it makes sense that if your brain is working all the time, even when you're sleeping, it could use some help too. And this is why I've found supplementing with creatine regularly has helped me to think better, but also just have better energy in general all day long, because your brain must have the resources it needs, your muscles need to have the creatine they need, and therefore in many ways. It will prioritize the endogenous creatine that your body's making from the foods that you eat, leaving your muscles with less and less. And oh, by the way, women have less stored creatine as compared to men. And this complex system of metabolism ultimately impacts energy, stamina, and fatigue levels in women. So beyond my brain power, I notice that I just have more energy throughout my day for all of life's activities. It's like I have more natural energy that's very different than the energy I get from a good night's sleep or a good meal or even a cup of green tea. So when it comes to dosing and timing of creatine specifically for brain health and energy, the notes aren't a lot different except that Some research is pointing to... even higher doses of creatine throughout the day. Some early research on creatine to address dementia is noting up to 20 grams of creatine per day. And one of the studies that's linked, published in Alzheimer's Association, showed that creatine monohydrate was associated with improvements in cognition. So in terms of dosing, my suggestion is take it regularly. and most probably in the morning so that you have the benefits of it all day long. I think there's a real argument for taking the creatine during the hours when your brain really needs it. Then, take the most studied 3 to 5 grams of creatine per day with carbohydrates or with food. Now, you can take it on an empty stomach. A lot of the research... basically does look at all of the different ways of taking it. And there's mixed benefits for sure. Most of the time it says take it with carbohydrates or with carbohydrates and protein, i.e. taking it with a meal. Here's my suggestion. Take it before you need the energy instead of waiting until you feel tired. I think a lot of people are in a bit of a reactive mode where If you feel good in the morning, why would you take your creatine? And if you're tired in the afternoon, you probably reach for caffeine or a cup of tea or a cup of coffee. And then maybe it's not the time to reach for the creatine, although you could. It does take a while to get to the brain and the muscles. And so I just think it's smart to take it religiously, consistently before you need the energy at the start of your day. Keep a journal for a few weeks before you start taking creatine and note the days when you feel mental fatigue or general fatigue and just kind of make a note of the circumstances, the time of day, the day of the week, what's going on in your life, and just kind of start a log before you start creatine. Then compare notes after taking creatine regularly. so that you can see if it really is as powerful for you as it is for my clients and myself. And I think it's really helpful to have that patterning journal, as I like to call it, to see the correlation.The next area where creatine is very interesting is in regards to longevity. A brand spanking new narrative review published literally just last month in the journal Longevity states, emerging evidence suggests that creatine supplementation may support healthy aging by preserving muscle mass, supporting bone health, and enhancing cognitive function. Those are three really... powerful aspects of aging. These properties position creatine as a potential intervention to counteract age-related cellular and molecular dysfunction. Creatine has been linked with positive outcomes in bone health, sarcopenia, osteoporosis, joint health, brain health, energy, and stamina. So in many ways, these alone Look. point to an overall better quality of life as we age. And to me, that's longevity. Even if we only look at the proven results that creatine helps maintain muscle mass, that influences your longevity, your aging, your decline, and how active and independent you are when you're 82. Now, there are indications that creatine can help improve lifespan. A perfect example of this is by improving muscle mass and strength, you influence bone strength and density, which then reduces your risk of falls, which according to the National Center for Health Statistics, falls are the number one cause of injury-related death in adults over 65. And so if we only look at that application alone, creatine is a very powerful part of aging, longevity, and lifespan. And beyond lifespan, I would argue that creatine can help improve the overall quality of your life. And isn't that what really matters anyway? That is health span. In terms of dosing and timing for creatine to support longevity. I'd say the general recommendations without too much overthinking stand. Three to five grams taken every day. So take it when you'll take it consistently and just make it a daily habit like brushing your teeth. And if you're into habit stacking, that's a perfect way to be successful. Put your creatine in your bathroom and take it right before you brush your teeth every single day. Okay, so now that you know the truth about strength, energy and longevity and how creatine for women is a powerful supplement, the next step is to get crystal clear on how to eat for muscle. Make sure that you go listen to my podcast episode, How to Eat for Muscle and Strength for Women, now. Just search How to Eat for Muscle wherever you like to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or come to my website blog. I'll also link it in the show notes. I hope you enjoyed this episode. If so, please take a moment right now to rate and review my podcast wherever you're listening. It really helps to promote the show and support other women just like you who are wanting to be strong for life. Stay tuned for another brand new episode on Tuesday of next week. Stay strong, my friend.