Episode 456: Why Half Your Supplements Are Probably Useless (And Which 4 Actually Matter)

Are you throwing money away on supplements that do nothing? In this Fitness Friday episode on the Habits and Hustle podcast, Liron Kayvan and I break down the supplement industry's biggest myths and reveal which ones are actually worth taking. We discuss why most supplements are unregulated snake oil, the importance of third-party testing, and how to cycle supplements so your body doesn't become desensitized. Plus, we share our personal supplement protocols and explain why getting blood work is non-negotiable before starting any regimen. Liron Kayvan founded BFLA in 2019. He's a NASM Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Transformative Life Coach. Liron has competed in Amateur MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Rugby and has been a Fitness Coach for over 10 years. What we discuss: Why supplements should be the smallest part of your health pyramid The lack of FDA regulation in the supplement industry Essential supplements: creatine, omega-3, vitamin D with K2, magnesium Why creatine isn't just for bodybuilders (new Alzheimer's research) The importance of third-party testing and NSF certification How to cycle supplements to prevent tolerance Why you need blood work before and after supplementation NAD and alpha-GPC for brain health Working with your natural patterns vs. fighting them The difference between giving energy vs. getting energy from exercise Thank you to our sponsor: Momentous: Shop this link https://www.livemomentous.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorDUIZz3psr1Qsq_n1yE8_6JTq_QUFabOO9lH65HDEXCIoJOPLj and use code Jen for 20% off Therasage: Head over to therasage.com http://therasage.com/ and use code Be Bold for 15% off TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com http://truniagen.com/ and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www http://www/.magicmind.com http://magicmind.com//jen and use code Jen at checkout. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here https://bio.me/?utm_source=Jennifer, code Jennifer20 for 20% off. David: Buy 4, get the 5th free at davidprotein.com/habitsandhustle http://davidprotein.com/habitsandhustle. Find more about Liron Kayvan: Website: https://www.beyondfitnessla.com/ Instagram: @beyondfitnessla https://www.instagram.com/beyondfitnessla/ Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  Hi guys, this is Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.

• 0:08Jen Cohen?

  Hey friends, you're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits and Hustle Podcast, where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you leveled up.

• 0:30Jen Cohen?

  Before we dive into today's episode, I want to thank our sponsor Momentous. When your goal is health span, living better and longer, there are very few non-negotiables. One of them, quality. And when it comes to supplements designed for high performers, nobody does it better than Momentous. Momentus goes all in on NSF certification, which means every single batch is tested for heavy metals, harmful additives, and label accuracy. And that's why they're trusted by all 32 NFL teams and top collegiate sports dietitians across the country. Here's the thing, they don't sell every supplement

• 1:11Jen Cohen?

  under the sun, because they believe in nailing the basics with rock solid consistency, and those basics are protein and creatine. Momentus sources Creapure, the purest form of creatine monohydrate available, an absolute must for both men and women who want peak physical and cognitive performance. So if you're serious about leveling up, go to livemomentous.com and use code GEN for 20% off. Just act now. Start today. GEN for 20% off. livemomentous.com.

• 1:54Jen Cohen?

  All right, you guys, we're here for another Fitness Friday program. That program.

• 2:00Speaker 02

  You've got another F in there.

• 2:01Jen Cohen?

  I know, I know. Fitness Friday fun, I know. And Lirun's joining me yet again. And we pick a topic and we just like blab for a few minutes. And then we cut it. So remember, guys, very important, we love feedback on habits and hustle. The more feedback, the better. Please let us know what you think. If there's something you want us to talk about, all the things. And don't forget to subscribe. With that being said, what do you think about the topic that I just chose, which is supplements?

• 2:31Speaker 02

  Supplements. I mean, the basic thing, and I think people know this, most people know this. But if you don't, just good to remind yourself is like, you kind of want a pyramid. Think of like maybe a three tiered pyramid. And you want, you know, the foundation, the fundamentals to be like training and nutrition. And then as you go up, you know, sleep, or maybe sleep is the foundation. You can play around with the bottom, but either way, the top is supplements. Meaning the smallest part of the pyramid, the last thing you focus on after you've got everything else together, should be supplements. They're kind of icing on the cake.

• 3:06Jen Cohen?

  Yes.

• 3:06Speaker 02

  It should be done in moderation.

• 3:08Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, well, I don't even think done in moderation. I think it's supplemental. I think the word supplements.

• 3:13Speaker 02

  Literally by definition.

• 3:14Jen Cohen?

  By definition of what supplements are is supplemental. It doesn't take the place of eating properly and eating well. And like with like a lot of different nutrients that our bodies crave and need. Doesn't take the place of exercise. It doesn't take the place of sleep. It helps with overall, you know, your overall. And by the way, a lot of these supplements don't do anything. I think we're living in a time when we are all chasing youth. And longevity has become such a huge, huge brand in itself that people keep on creating these products that actually have zero, there's no FDA regulation on any of these things. There's zero efficacy on these things.

• 3:59Jen Cohen?

  And so like, I believe that people need to be super, super careful of where and who they're getting their information and like do their research. Because a ton of supplements that come my way, I'm like, are you kidding me? Like it's snake oil.

• 4:12Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 4:13Jen Cohen?

  You know, like there's certain things I think are really good. But I know the source and I think that there are certain supplements that are essential because we can't get it in our foods necessarily, or that, like I said, like I think they're doing a very specific thing. But overall, I mean, you can't just be like taking everything willy nilly. So these are, this is, this is the stuff that I think is really important. Are you ready? And then I want to hear your list. Okay? I think that omega three is really important. I think vitamin D with K two has to be taken together, or it's not going to do what you need it to do. Well, it won't digest, absorb. I think that creatine is very important. It's not just for bodybuilders anymore.

• 4:58Jen Cohen?

  And I believe, well, protein, I like, that's not really a supplement. And I also do take NAD. I take trinogent. And the reason why I've been taking that is because it's a molecule that our bodies actually make, that we actually stop making, as I think after the age of thirty, as we age. But what this does, it's a precursor. So it basically make, it tells your body, basically you take the supplement, but it gets your body to make it on its own.

• 5:26Speaker 02

  That's always a better show.

• 5:27Jen Cohen?

  Way better thing.

• 5:28Speaker 02

  Way better thing to do.

• 5:29Jen Cohen?

  Than just like taking something that's a supplement on like, that's it.

• 5:33Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 5:34Jen Cohen?

  And so a lot of these other things are complete, I hate to say it, completely unnecessary.

• 5:39Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 5:40Jen Cohen?

  And it's just like, it's your, you're throwing your money down the drain.

• 5:43Speaker 02

  Yeah. Yeah.

• 5:45Jen Cohen?

  What do you think?

• 5:45Speaker 02

  Should I riff on those specifically or talk about what I?

• 5:48Jen Cohen?

  No, I want, first I want to hear what you take.

• 5:49Speaker 02

  So right now I am actually taking creatine.

• 5:51Jen Cohen?

  You don't always take it?

• 5:52Speaker 02

  No.

• 5:53Jen Cohen?

  Why?

• 5:54Speaker 02

  So creatine is a great supplement. I think it's the most, we've spoken about this.

• 5:59Jen Cohen?

  Most researched.

• 6:00Speaker 02

  The most researched supplement ever.

• 6:02Jen Cohen?

  Ever, ever. And a new.

• 6:04Speaker 02

  And not just for bodybuilders at all. I think bodybuilding and sports is like a small fraction of that.

• 6:09Jen Cohen?

  I want to say one thing about creatine because I just read this study yesterday. They did a huge thing for how, like a big research has just came out, I think a couple of days ago, the how, how creatine actually improves Alzheimer's.

• 6:24Speaker 02

  Alzheimer's, yeah, I just saw that one.

• 6:26Jen Cohen?

  You saw that?

• 6:26Speaker 02

  I sent that to my brother in law, who's a neurologist. I have to hear back from him, but yeah.

• 6:30Jen Cohen?

  My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

• 6:33Speaker 02

  So many.

• 6:34Jen Cohen?

  Three months ago.

• 6:35Speaker 02

  So many elderly people.

• 6:37Jen Cohen?

  It's really sad. And so I I'm really always on the lookout for anything that can like just like give her like a point.

• 6:44Speaker 02

  That study was super.

• 6:46Jen Cohen?

  Advantage.

• 6:47Speaker 02

  Promising. Yeah, it was really promising. The creatine Alzheimer's studies, people are into studies, check that one out. That was really, I looked that up. That was really promising.

• 6:55Jen Cohen?

  No. So let me just say that again for people because I think this is really important. If you know of somebody or if you have any type of, I think for, I shouldn't even say that. What I should say is just forget about the muscle work for for lean muscle mass. Forget about performance. Let's put that aside. If you're somebody who just wants to have overall better brain health, it helps with your memory and overall cognitive skills, you should start taking creatine.

• 7:21Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 7:21Jen Cohen?

  You should start taking it.

• 7:22Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 7:22Jen Cohen?

  Because I think it's very, very helpful.

• 7:24Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 7:25Jen Cohen?

  But I would say also, and that's not me, that's the that's the the study that we saw. But I do think also knowing where you're getting it from. Very important.

• 7:33Speaker 02

  Yeah, some of them have like heavy metals and stuff in them.

• 7:35Jen Cohen?

  Well, you have to make sure. This is another thing. If you're gonna take any supplements, make sure they're third party tested. Make sure that they have a really high regulation. So I take Momentus because they have an NSF regulation and they're third party tested, which means I think NSF is like the highest you can you can have. And so it's a trusted source. So if you don't want to, I don't care what what brand you take, but make sure you're not just taking some like, you know, brand that you saw on Instagram. That your favorite influencer is taking because who knows, they can be getting paid for it. You never know. And I also think that if you're going for creatine, have you heard of whitewash versus acid wash?

• 8:15Speaker 02

  No.

• 8:16Jen Cohen?

  I think that's what it's called. I'm not sure, but the one I the Momentus one, it has it's Creapure, I think it is. It's whitewash. I don't even know what that means exactly, but I I listened to Dr. Stacy Sims and she said that's very important.

• 8:28Speaker 02

  Okay, well, I'll take Dr. Stacy Sims word for it.

• 8:32Jen Cohen?

  Yeah. So I also interrupted you. I'm sorry. Tell me what you you take.

• 8:35Speaker 02

  Not sure exactly where I was, but creatine I take. And I think with things like creatine, what's awesome about creatine is because it's such a foundational building block of like everything in our body because it's it's part of the energy system, the ATP system. Anyway, don't want to go too far into the science and I also don't know it that well.

• 8:54Jen Cohen?

  Right.

• 8:54Speaker 02

  But it's, I know it's a foundational kind of building block for, for a lot of your, you know, processes in the body. So it has multiple benefits, like all boats rise with the tide. It's not just for muscles. It's not just for your brain. It's not just for your.

• 9:10Jen Cohen?

  Right, right, right.

• 9:10Speaker 02

  Energy, it's not just for, you know, they give it to women to increase their baby's birth weight.

• 9:15Jen Cohen?

  Are you talking about creatine still?

• 9:16Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 9:17Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, okay.

• 9:17Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when you have a supplement, my point is that when you have a supplement that does just these really wide ranging, has these really wide ranging benefits, chances are it's because your body is supposed to have it naturally. And creat, if you were, if you were eating as nature intended, you probably wouldn't need to supplement so much because.

• 9:40Jen Cohen?

  Well, you can find creatine, I believe, like you get it in meat, right? Red meat.

• 9:44Speaker 02

  That's, that's what I'm saying.

• 9:45Jen Cohen?

  Right, like you can get a lot of these things, I mean.

• 9:47Speaker 02

  People don't eat enough red.

• 9:48Jen Cohen?

  People don't eat enough protein, but the other thing, oh, I find this also, I should, I, I kind of like made, I was remiss. I also forgot, I also take at night, not in the morning, I take magnesium.

• 10:00Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 10:00Jen Cohen?

  Because our bodies are needed that.

• 10:02Speaker 02

  Same thing, it does like everything, you know, it does. I don't think there's anything that you could mention that magnesium doesn't enhance if you're low in it and you supplement with it, that it doesn't improve, you know, digestive health, energy, skin, hair and nails, sleep, obviously is the big one that most people take magnesium for. So.

• 10:20Jen Cohen?

  But I, I want to say something also, so what, what, you take magnesium?

• 10:23Speaker 02

  I take magnesium too, yes.

• 10:24Jen Cohen?

  Okay, so you take magnesium, you take creatine?

• 10:26Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 10:27Jen Cohen?

  Anything else?

• 10:28Speaker 02

  I think that's about, actually Alpha GPC is a form of choline, which is naturally present in eggs. So it helps with brain performance. If you were to eat a diet rich in choline, which I think eggs is the main, eggs and liver are like some of the main source, you probably wouldn't.

• 10:45Jen Cohen?

  Need it?

• 10:45Speaker 02

  Need it as, as much, but I'm just not eating as much as I usually do. So I'm supplementing with Alpha GPC, it's for brain health essentially.

• 10:52Jen Cohen?

  See, this is the thing, like you couldn't talk to-

• 10:54Speaker 02

  Great performance.

• 10:56Jen Cohen?

  There's so many different things out there that say that they're for brain health, but do they really help brain health? Like, I have a reason for taking everything. I take like the True Niagen for recovery and for energy and cellular health. I take my vitamin D for, I mean, I think everyone takes vitamin D at this point.

• 11:14Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 11:15Jen Cohen?

  I take omega, I mean, I for, I take-

• 11:17Speaker 02

  I didn't take vitamin D, by the way.

• 11:18Jen Cohen?

  You don't?

• 11:18Speaker 02

  No.

• 11:19Jen Cohen?

  Why?

• 11:19Speaker 02

  Cause I get a lot of sunlight.

• 11:21Jen Cohen?

  So that's interesting. So they say even with sunlight, cause we live in California-

• 11:25Speaker 02

  Like, my wife is low and she's much lighter than me, so it should be easy for her to get it.

• 11:29Jen Cohen?

  You know what I will say-

• 11:30Speaker 02

  But she's low, yeah, I'm not.

• 11:31Jen Cohen?

  I want to say something else, that I think it's important for people to make sure before they even supplement, to get it blood panel-

• 11:38Speaker 02

  Yeah, she just got her blood done.

• 11:40Jen Cohen?

  To see where you're deficient.

• 11:41Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 11:41Jen Cohen?

  Don't just like, just like randomly, oh, okay, you know, willy nilly, just start taking something. Cause you may think that you need vitamin D, like, but not need it. Or you may think you don't need something and then need it.

• 11:52Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 11:53Jen Cohen?

  And then also get retested again in six months.

• 11:56Speaker 02

  To see if it's working or your supplement is actually being absorbed, yeah.

• 11:59Jen Cohen?

  To see, to see if your supplements are even being absorbed. Or if now you're over, if you're, you might be over the limit that you should be. That's what happened with me and vitamin D. I was taking like, you know, the 5,000 ICUs, like they, everyone, everyone says to take. And then I was taking it for so long that when I got my blood back, I was like, they were like, actually, you're taking too much of it. You gotta back off of that.

• 12:19Speaker 02

  Yeah, it can be toxic in, in high enough doses. Most people are just low because, again, it goes back to nature. Like, we are not meant to be indoors all the time. Like, in nature, you're very rarely indoors. And we've evolved for a natural living. So in our society, in modern Western world, we're indoors.

• 12:37Jen Cohen?

  Yep.

• 12:38Speaker 02

  And that's why we need to supplement with D. And darker skinned people are gonna need a lot more. If you're darker skinned and you're living in a colder place, you know? If you're dark and you're living in Europe, you know, Western Europe, or you're living in New York, you're gonna need a lot more vitamin D than, than other people. So there's a, there's a, you know, you're working with nature, is my point. You should be working with nature and you should learn a little bit about how nature works and use that as a springboard for your supplementation.

• 13:05Jen Cohen?

  I think that's too, honestly, no offense, but I think that's a little complicated, to work with nature and know how nature works. That's not really how most people would-

• 13:13Speaker 02

  No, they don't, but I think it would fix a lot of-

• 13:16Jen Cohen?

  Or like, why don't you just like be, like, kind of be, kind of like- In tune with where where you have symptoms. If you feel tired all the time or lethargic, maybe, you know, maybe then you should, well, then you should get a test to see like what you're really low in. Maybe it's because you you're, you know, maybe I'm not, I'm not a doctor.

• 13:34Speaker 02

  But you intuitively already do this, like I know you walk everywhere.

• 13:38Jen Cohen?

  I walk everywhere.

• 13:39Speaker 02

  That's being in tune with your nature.

• 13:40Jen Cohen?

  I am, no, that's because I don't like to sit still. And I think better when I move. And so I walk and do my phone calls.

• 13:51Speaker 02

  You're listening to your body.

• 13:52Jen Cohen?

  True.

• 13:52Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 13:53Jen Cohen?

  And so I think better when I walk. And that's the other thing. And what's the other reason why I like to walk? I like, oh, my mood.

• 14:02Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 14:02Jen Cohen?

  My mood, most important thing, because if I don't move for an extended period of time, my mood dips, my energy dips. Energy begets energy, like the more I move, the more energy I have. The less I move, the less energy I have. That's why when people say they don't like that they're they're too tired to exercise, I never understand that because if you actually exercise, you will feel way more energetic afterwards.

• 14:28Speaker 02

  That's a big problem people have is they think they need to give energy to work out. And it's fundamental, the difference, fundamental difference in how fit people see working out and how non-fit, meaning people who don't have the habit of working out, see fitness is that they think they need to go to the gym to to give energy. And we know that you go to the gym to get energy. There's energy in you, it's there. Nobody doesn't have any energy in them.

• 14:55Jen Cohen?

  Most of the time I work out, most of the time I work out, I'm not in the mood. I'm very rarely interested in like working out. I'm exhausted, I'm tired, I've got a ton of shit to do. But every single time I've done it, I feel way better and I get more done and I have way more energy. And that workout actually wasn't as bad as I thought. It's the first five, 10, 15 minutes that suck. But then you get into like, you know, you get into the groove.

• 15:21Speaker 02

  Hundred percent.

• 15:27Jen Cohen?

  Let's quickly talk about a health issue that affects almost all of us. Fiber deficiency. Did you know that 95% of people don't get enough fiber in their daily diet? I was shocked when I learned this because fiber is truly the foundation of overall wellness. It's not just about keeping our digestion smooth and regular, although of course that's super important. But fiber also nourishes the good bacteria in our gut. It supports a balanced microbiome, helps us feel fuller for longer, which makes managing our weight even easier. And it even improves our energy by optimizing nutrient absorption and stabilizing our blood sugar.

• 16:07Jen Cohen?

  That's why I am really excited to share Biome's Daily Prebiotic Fiber with you. This product makes meeting your daily fiber needs simple, enjoyable, and super effective. With eight grams of fiber per serving plus gut-friendly prebiotics, it's designed to close that fiber gap in your diet and support your digestion and gut health every single day. And it fits effortlessly into your routine. Just mix it in the morning smoothie, or tea, or coffee, or afternoon snack, and you're good to go. I love that it's so easy to prepare and you can incorporate it with literally every busy lifestyle.

• 16:46Jen Cohen?

  So if you want to make getting fiber easy, visit Biome, that's B-I-O-M-E dot com, and enter code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your first order of Daily Prebiotic Fiber. That's Biome.com code JENNIFER20 for 20% off. Grab it today.

• 17:14Jen Cohen?

  Okay, so let me just finish what I was saying about supplements and I want to like stay on target here. So number one, know the source that you're getting them from, very important. Get your blood tested before you take it so you know what you're actually deficient in, and get it retested six months later. You should be getting your blood tested every six months just to know that you're on point. And don't over supplement. And the other thing I wanted to say was cycle your supplements, because I think your bodies can also become very, this is how I, this is how I see it. Like if I take my, I've got really bad allergies. And if I take my allergy medication every single day, my body becomes immune to the effects of it. So it doesn't even work. I become

• 17:56Jen Cohen?

  desensitized. So I have to cycle everything. I cycle my supplements too. So I'll do like with my allergy medication, I'll do two weeks on, four days off, two weeks on, because I, because if I don't take my allergy medication, it's like I'm a mess.

• 18:10Speaker 02

  People have been talking about allergies a lot recently.

• 18:12Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, well, the allergies, it's really bad right now. But you need to cycle everything. So if you're taking, whatever you're taking, whatever you're supplementing with, you need to like, give it a break, like three weeks on, one week off, one month on, one month off, just so your body doesn't get acclimated to anything. And I find that to be super helpful.

• 18:30Speaker 02

  Yeah, there's no supplement I take 24/7, 365. I'll always take breaks from supplements, if I take them.

• 18:37Jen Cohen?

  There's also like, I should say also, there's other things that I kind of like weave in, in my routine, but I don't take it as often as I do the omega three, the creatine, and like the, what was the other one? NAD, what was the other one I said? Magnesium at night. I take sometimes, I take liposomal vitamin C once in a while, and I take NAC. Do you know what NAC is?

• 18:59Speaker 02

  It's like your liver, isn't it?

• 19:00Jen Cohen?

  It's like, it's like the precursor to glutathione, which is like a massively strong, best antioxidant. So I take that sometimes, too.

• 19:08Speaker 02

  Do you feel a difference?

• 19:10Jen Cohen?

  No, I don't feel a difference at all with anything. But I will say, that's to be true, that if I was being honest. But that to me is because I think it's like, I was told if you take it all the time, again, like, doesn't have the same effect.

• 19:22Speaker 02

  Hmm. Yeah. My supplement protocol and philosophy on supplements is always constantly evolving. It's always changing. And so is the science on a lot of supplements.

• 19:32Jen Cohen?

  Yeah, there's a lot of supplements I might have been understanding, like, I'm just like, why, why? But, okay, well, hopefully that was a little bit informative for you guys. This is supposed to be very short, to the point episode. So hopefully you gleaned at least a couple of things, right? Get your blood checked, cycle your supplements so your body doesn't get acclimated to it. Don't over supplement. Don't replace it with your diet and or exercise and or sleep. It's a supplement. For a reason called supplementing yourself. And yeah, check out Le Ron. What's your Instagram?

• 20:04Speaker 02

  At BeyondFitnessLA. B E Y O N D F I T N E S S L A.

• 20:09Jen Cohen?

  Thank you.

• 20:10Speaker 02

  You're welcome.

• 20:11Jen Cohen?

  Bye.