Ok, dinner it is, then! Unless I forget, in which case before bed, because I never forget my magnesium and l-theanine.
Thanks, QQ!
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Thanks! I did want to see that!
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This wasn’t the question, and the answer seems clear given the fact that you take Fish Oil. But I am going to ask anyway, is Fish Oil worth the money, and what are the benefits?
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I know it wasn’t to me, but I can see a quantifiable improvement in my lipid panel when taking fish oil (HDL goes up). Anecdotally, I feel like my joints feel a little better
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depends on your budget.
I was recommended to take it bc I have a family history of ischemic stroke and heart attack and did see improvements in blood lipids;
however, I’m on a tight budget as a grad student and $15-18/month for a decent fish oil costs the same as 6-7lbs of greek yoghurt AKA 6-7 meals worth of protein → not worth it.
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On a similar note, has curcumin been worth the money? Any better effect from a joint standpoint than alternatives?
I got nothing noticeable out of MSM, glucosamine, chondroitin, fish oil, collagen (though, I know that needs more time than I’ve given it).
I’ve wondered, too, because research seems increasingly mixed. I’m on my first bottle (and forgot about it last night come to think of it).
I took it years ago and didn’t notice a difference, but I was in exceptional condition and with no more than the very occasional funky neck/shoulder. Now I deal with a couple of additional hot spots and achiness in general. I also come from a long like of drop-deaders - I had only one grandparent growing up and my mom died when I was 21 of a sudden heart attack, my father wasn’t as young but dropped dead one day also - so it has my attention for that reason as well.
I figure at this point I’m my own best n=1, for the achiness at least.
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Maybe we’ve discussed this before, but at one point I got sick of my injuries and tendinoses preventing me from chasing my goals, so I went absolutely nuts on over-the-counter joint supplements. All the ones you listed above, and bromelian. Possibly others.
I honestly can’t say if anything made a difference. I think when it cleared up I was having collagen and curcumin regularly but it’s been a few years and I don’t recall… it’s likely in my old log somewhere if you just search the names of those supplements!
It would be great to know what actually works. I walked into a GNC recently and the latest joint pills have some kind of shark material in them?
Edit to add: At the time my injuries cleared up, I remember feeling pretty stoked and gave some credibility to certain supps I was taking at that time. In the haze of a bad memory it seems like it may have been luck of the draw - which ones I was taking when things got better - or maybe those particular supps had merit.
So this post has been useless, or worse. Sorry lol.
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@TrainForPain
Joint health is definitely great, and my family does have a history of heart disease, so that has to be considered.
@anna_5588 I guess when you put it that way… I can’t complain about $15/ a month for possible health benefits when I spend that on Netflix!
@EmilyQ I may have the same result at this point in my life, I don’t have many aches, but maybe it would be preventative?
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No, that’s how I feel about a lot of stuff, too. Was it that weird stretch I tried like 7 times after seeing a “physical therapist” do it on youtube (not to say she isn’t a PT, but who knows) or the [insert variable].
Maybe, haha. I’ll post along as I go, but as always I’ve changed other things, too. I did a stretch I saw on youtube, lol, and completely changed the way I eat. And I take magnesium.
Speaking of “who knows,” I came home from my vacation feeling poisoned by all the crazy eating and drinking, but I also didn’t take any supplements with me, so subtracted those when I added booze and sugar and other yummy things. Now I wonder how much the supplements matter. After I get my feet back under me, program-wise, I may try a few days off them again to get a baseline, with eating and workouts nicely dialed in.
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I have recently been playing basketball a couple times a week. For the first couple months, I did not take curcumin, and it took my knees literally 3 days just to be able to walk again. So basically I’d play, recover just enough to play again, and repeat. The last six weeks or so, I’ve been taking curcumin, and the recovery has greatly improved. I can play on Sunday and actually train legs on Tuesday.
Now, to be fair, I could simply have become acclimated to the basketball. I haven’t tried removing the curcumin to see if I go backwards. And I will say my elbows have been hurting lately when I lift (not abnormal for me), so it’s not like there’s magically no pain at all. I do really think it has had some benefit for my knees, though.
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Stop taking it and report back on your knees, lol.
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I’ll drop this here rather than on my log, because I know I’m not alone here.
I turned 35 last year. As you all know I have 4 kids.
I just can’t seem to do the things I could do a few years ago.
Last night I dreamed that I was lying on a surfboard trying to catch a wave. I needed to basically “burpee” my way up to my feet - the trick, it seems, is to go from lying down to standing very, very quickly, and stably.
In the dream I just couldn’t do it. In real life… I think it’s pretty similar.
Jumping out of the truck, jumping out of bed, all the quick, squirrelly movements I used to be able to do, keeping up with the kids…
It’s getting harder.
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My opinion is no. And I know nobody will agree with me but that’s fine. I haven’t taken fish oil in years. I eat an animal based diet mostly of eggs, beef, honey, fruit and dairy and then I take some organ supplements. I’ve read that much of fish oil is rancid by the time it hits the user. I think if someone can pay for it and has peace of mind taking it then go for it. I’ve never experienced any positive effects personally.
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Wait another 15 years and then see how you feel 
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Dead, at the rate I’m going! haha. But seriously. Strength is better, endurance (such as time under a heavy load) is probably better, mental toughness is likely better, but sprightliness is down, way down.
Along with tolerance for loud sudden noises, btw - curious if any other parents experience this.
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Yup, definitely one of the things that makes me react in an uncharacteristically snappy way.
100% this, tweaked my back on my last session doing fairly light RDLs, my hip is constantly painful and I’ve tendonitis in my right elbow, other than that great at 37.
Actually said to them Mrs today that I might take up yoga, force me to do the stuff that might actually make a difference to most of my common injuries.
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I had little before, now i have even less tolerance for such things.
Actually, it’s everything - come to think of it. I tolerate less of everything. People, bullshit, loud noises, stupidity, taxes.
I think it’s an age thing, not so much a ‘parent’ thing. I’m 30.
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def not a parent thing- probably a stress/aging thing
my tolerance goes down exponentially over the course of the semester/quarter
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I’m actually a lot more patient/ mellow now than I was before. Maybe there’s a U-shaped curve to that.
For the “sprightliness” (I like that term), I think some of it is just how we spend our time. We tend to just play less as we get older. If we only do slow, controlled stuff, like barbell movements, I think it makes sense we’ll feel less confident with the springy stuff. There’s definitely a physical reality, where a 60-year-old just won’t move like a 15-year-old, but I think just finding more unstructured opportunities can help extend our years, so to speak.
In terms of the barbell movements starting to beat us up, I totally agree. That’s probably at least as much wear and tear from having done them repetitively as it is just age (training age vs biological age). Switching up movements seems to help a lot, but I’m pretty quick to just go to the “cheater” stuff anyway - like SSB, belt squats, DB and machine presses, etc., so it’s fair to say I’m biased and justifying what I want to do!
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