Here's a good video about "Creatine Magna Power" and why you should take it

Magna POWER is an ultra high potency and great tasting powdered formula for optimal magnesium supplementation, featuring the best forms of magnesium currently available for those with fatigue, muscle pain, spasms or cramps – magnesium glycinate and Creatine MagnaPower^©.

Purchase here:  
http://www.garymoller.com/Products/Products/N/Naturopaths-Own-Magna-Power-120g.aspx

The minerals in this formula have been sourced from Albion Minerals Laboratories (USA), the world leader and innovator in mineral amino acid chelate nutrition backed by sound science and over 100 patents in mineral nutrition. Magna POWER is very well tolerated even in the highest of doses. Compare the outstanding formula, Magna POWER contains the highest bio-available forms of nutritional co-factors currently available. This product was created for those who are serious about magnesium supplementation.

Key Supportive Benefits of Magna POWER:

• Key product for relief of muscular pain and cramps
• Key product for fibromyalgia
• Supports premenstrual tension
• Supports normal blood glucose regulation
• Supports the relief of tension and migraine headaches
• Supports efficient energy production, ideal for athletes
• Supports nervous tension, mild anxiety and stress
• Supports healthy circulation

What is Magnesium Chelate?

Magnesium chelate is a general term for all forms of magnesium where magnesium is bound to (usually) an amino acid. The absorption of chelated forms of magnesium is excellent, and it makes sense to chelate magnesium with creatine, because 95% of the body’s creatine reserves are stored in skeletal muscles.
Creatine Magna Power^© is the very latest form of magnesium creatine on the market and can be considered an advanced  version of magnesium for those with a higher muscular demand for Mg. Magnesium is a macromineral that has many synergistic effects with creatine. In fact, ATP is actually found in the muscle cells bound to magnesium for stability. Magnesium has been shown to enhance strength and energy levels taken on its own. It is intimately  involved in the energy cycle and has excellent cardio-protective effects as well. Creatine monohydrate has been shown to be very effective in many studies, however many users experience stomach discomfort due to lower absorption rate and breakdown into its by-product called creatinine, in the stomach. Research shows it is actually better  absorbed and tolerated than the traditional creatine monohydrate. Magna POWER  mixes extremely well in water. No side effects have been discovered with this magnesium. Magna POWER is a pure and highly concentrated product.

Supplements Facts Box

Pack size:

• 120 grams powder
• 9 gr per serve (per scoop)

Directions for use:

• Take one rounded scoop (9.0gr) once or twice daily in 250ml water or juice.
• Have before meals for best results.
• If symptoms persist consult your health-care professional.  
• Keep out of reach of children.
• If pregnant consult your health-care professional

Purchase here:
http://www.garymoller.com/Products/Products/N/Naturopaths-Own-Magna-Power-120g.aspx

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Advice about using creatine for managing Hunitington's Disease

"Hi Gary
We are trying to establish a training regime for my wife who suffers from Huntington’s disease for which Creatine may slow the progress of the disease. We purchase the Balance micronised Creatine powder from you. Do you have access to the tablets XXXX recommends or can you find a site from which we can order. The tablets certainly seem a better way of taking the Creatine.

Regards
Dave"

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Gary Moller comments:
(For details about what Huntington's Disease is, please double-click on the word. For further information and support, please go here: www.huntingtons.org)

The focus for nutrition is to ensure that the nervous system is richly supplied with nutrients which, if in short supply, may compromise its health and function. I will list, in no particular order, those nutrients that might be of benefit:

1. The Fat soluble vitamins: A, E, D and K. The best source of information is the Weston Price Foundation which, incidentally, has very strong New Zealand connections. One of the best sources of these vitamins is raw full cream grass-fed milk which is the only kind of milk our family consumes. The other source is free range organic egg yolk. To find your local source of raw milk and free range eggs, you might try writing to the people at DietNet.nz. The best source of vitamin D is from sensible sunbathing.
2. The B group of vitamins. One of the richest sources has to be liver. I recommend a quality natural B supplement such as Kordels Executive Stress.
3. Lecithin. Lecithin is one of the special chemicals that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. It is believed that lecithin permeability is necessary for the metabolic processes that occur in all cells but also for the constant regeneration of the phospholipid-rich membranes of the brain. The choline-containing phospholipid is an abundant form of lecithin and vitally important for the biosynthesis of the important neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The best source is Lecithin Oil.
4. MSM - Methylsulfonly-Methane.
5. Omega 3 Oils. Fish oil, lecithin, flax oil, garlic oil, evening primrose oil and many more are beneficial for general health, including brain health. Which is best? While fish oil has received the most promotion, I do favour the renewable vegetable sources such as flax and evening primrose oil. Better still: mix your sources - each has its merits.
6. Creatine and CoEnzyme Q-10. Anything that assists with health and energy in terms of nutrition would have to be of benefit for managing conditions like Huntington's. Creatine and Coenzyme Q-10 are found in the energy pathway systems of all cells and tend to diminish as we age, so taking supplementary amounts makes sense as we get older, or are unwell and lacking in energy. Coenzyme Q-10 is expensive; but the benefits may vastly outweigh the costs over the the long term. I am currently running a "Buy One - Get One Free" promotion right now (About to finish).
7. Vitamin C and Lysine. What is good for the heart and circulation is good for the brain and nerves!

Creatine powder or creatine tablets?
While your son is enthusiastic about a particular creatine tablet and feels there is a noticeable advantage as compared to the powder, I am not convinced. As any scientist will agree, an experimental sample of one is not all that reliable.

Once in the digestive system, the body makes no distinction between tablet or powder, other than that the tablet will take longer to digest and infuse its contents into the blood stream. While there may be some differences in rate of absorption between types of creatine, I do not think this is significant either once digested and within the body. I am not aware that Creatine's benefits are immediate, the benefits accruing over the days and weeks as levels build within the cells.

The one big difference between powder and the tablets is the cost. Creatine is almost tasteless so why tablet it? Tableting adds enormously to the cost. Compare the cost of a Kilogram of creatine tablets with a Kilogram of the powder and get a shock! Mix the powder with apple juice, sprinkle it on your muesli and away you go! And you do not need to take all that much daily.

Will creatine improve endurance sports performance?

I am asked now and then if creatine supplementation is beneficial for endurance sports like triathlon, kayaking and cycling, including mountain biking.

After a year or so experimentation myself, I can now say "yes!" Let me explain why:

First of all, here is a reprint of the information about Balance Creatine:

"Creatine is a naturallly occurring compound within the body and is synthesized from 3 amino acids. The muscle cells is a major store of creatine in both its basic and phosphorylated form. Comprehensive research has illustrated that increasing dietary intake of creatine can serve to boost creatine stores within the muscle cell. By loading muscular creatine stores in this way, immediate, high-intensity anaerobic work can be supported for a fraction longer. While a few seconds may not seem significant, it may be the difference between succumbing to, or out-running your opposition. While we typically receive 2-3g of creatine through our daily diet, an additional 5g of supplemental creatine daily is the recommended dosage for progressive creatine loading over the period of 28 days.

Balance Micronised Creatine provides superior grade creatine to assist your performance and help maximise high-intensity work output. Packed in New Zealand, Balance's pharmaceutical grade creatine uses smaller micronised particles. The greater surface area they provide means better mixing, absorption and results.

It is important when using creatine to follow the recommended guidelines. Creatine is unlike other compounds in that excess levels are not regularly flushed from the body. With this in mind it is important to cycle creatine supplementation. Progressive loading can be undertaken as detailed above or a rapid loading phase can be achieved on a daily dosage of 20g for 5 days. Following the loading phase, a 28 day maintenance phase of 2-3g of creatine daily serves to hold maximal levels of muscular creatine. It is then wise to stop supplementation for a period of 4-6 weeks to allow creatine levels to fall back to base values. This avoids the accumulation of creatine metabolites produced during the breakdown process.

As with all dietary changes, it is crucial that you experiment to find your best results. When creatine is held within the muscle it also causes water to be retained and can result in weight gain up to 1kg following the onset of supplementation. It is important therefore to weigh up both the benefits of creatine and the impact that carrying a little more weight will have on your performance. "

Ok, that's the science and the propaganda over with! Now let's explain why creatine might be beneficial for sports like cycling, paddling etc.

First of all, I have never noticed a weight gain when using creatine. This might be because the heaps of endurance training while taking it helps keep the muyscles lean. A bulking up might happen if the bulk of my exercise was lifting weights in a gym. Mind you - I have never been able to bulk up. Wrong genes!

Creatine improves explosive power of not more than about 10 seconds. Creatine improves recovery immediately following those explosive bursts. So, how will that assist competing in an endurance race?

If we were to put a power meter on a cyclist in, say a 100km race, what we would discover is there is barely any steady state cycling. Instead, what we would see is several hours of repeated power bursts, some as brief as a few seconds with others much longer: thousands of them as the bunch surges back and forth! In between, the cyclist gasps for air, desperately trying to recover before the next burst of intense effort. The cyclist who wins is the last one standing with sufficient reserve for a final all out sprint to the line.

Kayaking is similar: A 500m flat race always begins with a mad sprint, a middle phase of hanging in there and desperate recovery, followed by a final attempt at sprinting to the line. Down-river kayaking is seldom steady state, with constant bursts of power to correct for eddies and rocks and negotiating rapids. Slalom is all about repeated bursts of power.

Mountain bike riding is never steady state, being repeated bursts of power to negotiate a sharp climb, to get over an obstacle or to pass a flagging opponent and grunty hill climbs.

Creatine has a place in the athletes nutritional repertoire, when taken in accordance with the guidelines above and cycled in such a way that useage peaks with competition cycles. Not much is needed: there is probably no benefit taking more than the recommended amounts - less may be just as good for an endurance athlete with maybe a wee boost before the Big One.

Note: If you want to fine tune your nutrition for health and competition, I am available for one-on-one consultations.

Should an endurance athlete take creatine?

"Gary,

Do you have much experience on the use of creatine? perhaps you could make a post of that, I heard of an aquaintance who was taking it, his body bloated up as a result! I understand it only helps anaerobic performance as its used in the energy pathway for glycolytic independant energy pathway, since anaerobic is actually a misused phrase, anaerobic energy is what is used in throwing and jumping, for a maximal quick surge of power, more sustained maximal output is the glycolytic independant pathway that is commonly referred to as anaerobic"
Wayne
_____________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Good question Wayne. There are no easy answers. All the energy pathways contribute to a greater or lesser degree whether sprinting or exercising steady state. It is just a question of degree. So, even during steady state our "anaerobic" processes are still at work. And they sure are whenever there is a surge of pace

Cycling is a good case in point: during a 100km race, there may a thousand micro-surges and a hundred longer ones. Seldom is it steady state. Surge-gasp for air-surge-gasp- surge and on and on and if you are lucky you still have enough left in the tank for a final sprint! Having optimum creatine stores for such events makes good sense. Low creatine levels will reduce muscle power and slow recovery from these bursts.

I have always been reasonably good on a bike and there are few mountain bikers my age who can beat me up a long hill. This is partly because I weigh just a little over 60kg. Now, I have good lungs but it is lack of leg strength that limits me. I have no sprint and I have to work very hard to hold onto a surge. I can chug along with my partner Alofa for a good three hours or so; but she always kills me on that last sharp hill when those strong Samoan thighs get pumping. My chicken thighs are no match.

I have been experimenting with adding about 5 grams of creatine to my recovery Super Smoothies because it is strength and power that are my limitations. I might have put on a Kg of body weight but this may be attributed more to my eating more and doing less overall activity. What I can report is I am riding just about the best in memory with no problems with failure of the thighs so far this season. The test will be this coming weekend when we do the 80km bone rattling Gentle Annie through the Central Nth Island.

Although I am running hard right now I would be concerned, as a runner, about possible weight gain from creatine supplementing and would probably take less than 5 grams per day. However; I have the impression that significant weight gain may be offset by the natural leaning effect from endurance training of 2-4 hrs depending on it being running or cycling.

There is also the factor of body type. If you are a heavily muscled mesomorph, just thinking about lifting weights will see muscle growth! If you are like me - a lighlty muscled ectomorph - then no matter how heavy the weights you lift and the supplements you take, you will be lucky to put on a kilo or two. Especially if you do endurance work as well. If an athlete has any tendency to gain excess muscle in a sport that favours light weight, I would be cautious about anything more than creatine supplementation of up to 5gm per day - no more. Whereas a "skinny" might benefit from a little more - up to 10 grams.

Athletes need to identify their strengths and weaknesses. A runner like Peter Snell needed to work on his endurance because he had strength to burn. Alofa is like that - her weakness is her lungs and not her legs. My weakness is my leg muscles - or the lack of them.

If you are taking creatine, it is advisable to spell the body by having a month or so off it every three or so months. For leg strength, endurance and recovery other nutritional factors such as optimum supplies of magnesium and calcium may be of greater importance.

Oh - and despite the current creatine experiment, Alofa continues to thrash my arse on that last hill!

Creatine can be purchased from here