Rebekah: Who is EXTRA-MILER designed for?
Dr Martins: We are proudly female first as a community. But EXTRA-MILER can be taken by all adults (18+). It can be particularly helpful for females in midlife because it targets loss of muscle mass, loss of bone density, a slower metabolism, as well as poor memory and brain fog which accompany our midlife transition. But males will benefit from this enhanced blend too.
I’d encourage you to try it for at least 60 days if you are looking to:
- Improve exercise performance and increase muscle mass
- Optimise weight loss through exercise
- Reduce the potential side effects of weight loss protocols or medication, such as fatigue, brain fog, skin changes and digestive discomfort.
- Support mental performance
- Support long term healthy ageing alongside a healthy diet and lifestyle
Q. Rebekah. The safety of our community is always our number 1 priority. Who should seek medical advice prior to trying or not introduce this formula?
A. Dr Martins: You should always talk to your medical practitioner before introducing anything new to your daily routine, particularly if you’re on medication or have an underlying health condition. In addition, we seek additional caution and professional advice if any of the following apply to you:
- A history of renal disease
- If suffering from an autoimmune condition
- If on blood thinning or blood sugar regulation medication, as may have additive effects
- If on immunosuppressant medication
- You are currently trying to conceive, are pregnant or are breastfeeding
Q. Rebekah: MPOWDER is built to help people simplify their supplements, with our blends designed to be cleverly stacked with each other too. What products do you recommend taking alongside EXTRA-MILER?
A. Dr Martins: Although Extra Miler can be taken as a “stand-alone” supplement, many will benefit from taking EXTRA-MILER alongside MOOD-FOOD and GUT-INSTINCT:
MOOD-FOOD: for those looking for additional support to mood, anxiety, cognitive function and sleep.
GUT-INSTINCT: for those looking for additional support to gut health particularly if symptoms such as bloating, reflux and constipation are present or persistent.
EXTRA MILER can also be taken alongside our powdered formulations, PERI-BOOST and MENO-BOOST. However, due to the overlap of certain vitamins and minerals, we recommend first checking with your health practitioner if you suffer from a medical condition or are taking medication.
Q. Rebekah: What other supplements, outside of MPOWDER's portfolio, could people look to retire if they introduce EXTRA-MILER?
A. Dr Martins: In addition to their current Creatine powder - alot! Unless you’ve been prescribed a vitamin or mineral by your medical practitioner, it’s likely you can stop buying your multivitamin as this blend has the key ones we’d supplement because they’re harder to achieve at the required quantities from the food on your plate. But, if you’re taking individual supplements, we’d also recommend you retiring Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B3, Folate, Vitamin B12 and Zinc. Note - that the one mineral you may want to monitor for impact is Magnesium - we have included it in EXTRA MILER but always leave a little ‘space’ in our foundational powders for people to add a discreet magnesium supplement to take prior to bed if sleep is an issue.
Q. Rebekah: I know with the other formulations in our range, we see results from around 15 days. But EXTRA MILER is different. Can you explain what we should expect to see and when?
A. Dr Martins: Clinical trials on creatine as well the botanicals in EXTRA-MILER show that stronger and more consistent results are achieved after 4 weeks of taking a dose every day. So my recommendation is that you should look to try EXTRA-MILER for at least 60 days..
Keep in mind that people who respond best tend to do resistance training consistently and eat adequate amounts of protein too.
Q. Rebekah: I want to also address some of the side-effects that people can experience when introducing creatine to their routine. Can you talk to me first about bloating and unintentional weight gain.
A. Dr Martins: Bloating and temporary weight gain can occur if you undertake a ‘loading phase’ for your creatine protocol.
This is when people start with a high dose, usually around 20g/day, for the first 5-7 days. In these instances, you may temporarily feel bloated or get a sense that muscles look fuller and bigger. This is mostly due to intramuscular water retention and not fat gain.
We advise against a loading phase for this reason and instead recommend a 3-5g/day from start. Hydration is key too - aim for at least 2 litres a day. And of course, with EXTRA-MILER, we’ve anticipated the side effects that can occur. Ginger Root and Marshmallow Root will all help to soothe and calm the gut and support healthy bowel movements too, which in turn can help avoid that uncomfortable bloating feeling.
Q. Rebekah: What time of day should I take Extra Miler if I'm looking to optimise my gym routine?
A. Dr Martins: All the research points to post-workout, aiming for 1-2 hours after training and alongside a meal or smoothie containing protein and carbs - e.g. smoothie with pea protein + oats + EXTRA-MILER + berries (optional).
We recommend scheduling gym in the morning too, so you can fully benefit from the health properties of EXTRA-MILER throughout the day as this formula is more than a creatine powder. The additional vitamins, minerals and botanicals will give your body a boost in other areas of health.
Q. Rebekah: What time of day should I take it if I’m looking to focus on brain health? Does it differ?
A. Dr Martins: In the morning with breakfast is the most sensible recommendation, particularly since Extra Miler includes several botanicals, vitamins and minerals that can give the body a morning boost. In regards to creatine, timing is not as critical since creatine works by gradually increasing brain phosphocreatine stores and cellular energy availability so it does not produce a rapid acute cognitive effect after one dose, it’s a cumulative effect.
Q. Rebekah: I’m sure a few of us will have read that creatine can cause hair loss. Is this true?
A. Dr Martins: There is no significant evidence in the literature suggesting that creatine causes hair loss. The link is likely to be to do with when and why people introduce creatine in the first place. Because of its legacy use in the professional weight-training field, users historically may have been following a strict diet or exercise routine. If this is the case for you - or you’re looking to lose weight and this is part of a weight loss supplement stack, be aware of potential nutritional deficiencies and excess stress this can place on the body and support yourself well.
Q. Rebekah: Will it upset my stomach or digestion?
A. Dr Martins: Creatine can cause digestive issues in some people although the effects are usually mild and dose-related. Symptoms may include bloating, nausea, digestive discomfort and loose stools.
It’s more likely to happen if you’re:
- Taking large doses of creatine at once (e.g. 10 to 20g/day)
- Taking creatine on an empty stomach; we advise having it with food
- It’s not properly mixed and diluted
Again, we’ve designed EXTRA-MILER to mitigate against this risk both with the botanicals we’ve selected to support your whole body and mind balance and the recommended serving size too.
Q. Rebekah: Finally, how much should I take? Is more always better?
A. Dr Martins: The short answer to that last question is ‘no’! The evidence-based recommended daily dose is 3–5 g/day taken consistently. There is no evidence that higher doses will result in additional benefits and they are more likely to cause issues such as water retention and digestive issues.
EXTRA-MILER contains 3 g of creatine per serving, in line with the dose range shown to be beneficial in clinical studies. And whilst you can titrate up if you want more creatine to support a specific end goal, our recommendation is that you focus on consistency and work gently with your body. It’s already doing alot. This is foundational support for the long term not a quick fix.
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