Episode 97- Creatine for Mental Clarity & Resilience
Episode 97 Show Notes
In this episode, Tiffany Wickes explores the benefits of creatine beyond muscle building, particularly its impact on brain health and cognitive performance for women over 35. She discusses the science behind creatine, its safety, and who might benefit from supplementation, emphasizing the importance of mental clarity and resilience in daily life.
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Takeaways
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in muscles and the brain.
Creatine supplementation can improve cognitive performance, especially for women over 35.
Studies show creatine can enhance memory recall and reduce mental fatigue.
Women generally have lower creatine stores than men, making supplementation beneficial.
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Tiffany Wickes (00:01.228)
Hey, hey, strong mamas, welcome back where we focus on real strength, sustainable fat loss, and powerful habits that help you feel amazing in your body and your mind. So today we're gonna dive into something that's been part of the fitness world for years, but is now making big waves in the brain health conversation too, creatine. So you've probably heard of creatine as a muscle building supplement, and maybe you're like teenage son or your husband takes it, but here's the deal.
New research is showing major benefits for brain health, memory, and mental energy, especially for women over 35. So this isn't just about the gym anymore. This is about cognition, clarity, and resilience. In every season of life, when your hormones are shifting, stress is real, and mental fatigue can feel like a total norm, let's unpack what the research says
what it means for us, and then you can decide if creatine belongs in your daily routine. So here's creatine 101. It's not just for Jimbrose, okay? So let's clear this up first. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in your muscles and in your brain. It's made from three amino acids, arginine, glycine, and methionine. Your body makes some of it on its own, and you get it from small amounts from food, mostly from red meat and fish. So for years, creatine's been known to
improve muscle strength, power, support recovery, increase energy production during workouts. But what scientists are now discovering is that creatine also plays a vital role in brain energy metabolism because like your muscles, your brain needs fuel and creatine helps create ATP, which is your body's primary energy currency. So more creatine generally equals more brain energy. And for me, I have 100 % found that that was true. I started off
with a five gram dose because that's typically what's recommended. And then I started hearing a little bit more about cognition and its benefits on, you know, under slept moms. And although I have dialed in my sleep hygiene significantly in the last six months, I mean, typically I'm still a little bit under slept. So I was like, well, let me just increase this to 10 grams. I'm reading tons of, you know, lots of safety on it. So I did, and I can tell you 100%.
Tiffany Wickes (02:21.678)
There is a benefit to this and I can feel the difference in my mental clarity when I take my creatine versus days when I might forget it, which is not very often anymore because I feel such an incredible improvement. All right, so here's where things are getting even more exciting, especially since I have the Alzheimer's genes. So recent studies, like I'm talking 23 and 2024 published research has shown that creatine supplementation can improve cognitive performance
especially for women that are understressed, sleep-deprived individuals, I told you about that, and older adults with mild memory issues. And that's what I'm trying to avoid. Vegetarians and vegans who don't typically get creatine from food. So some of the most compelling benefits are faster processing speed, like just mental acuity, improved memory recall, reduced mental fatigue, like you can just think longer and better.
better task switching and focus, and then potential protection against age-related cognitive decline. Hello, Alzheimer's. So one randomized study, controlled trial, found that women supplementing with five grams of creatine daily for just six weeks showed improvements in working memory and mental endurance, especially during multitasking. So for me, I have doubled that and I have felt even more positive effects.
So if you're juggling kids, business, laundry, hormones, to-do lists, life that will not quit, mental endurance is no joke and it's something that you actually need. And I hear about brain fog from women all the time. So why does this matter? All creatine's a big deal for us because as estrogen starts to drop, your brain energy and metabolism shifts, which can lead to brain fog, forgetfulness, fatigue. Creatine can help buffer that. It's not going to eliminate it if you don't have a good...
sleep schedule, if you are way too stressed, like way, way, way, way too stressed out to where the fact is like you can't even eat right, you can't exercise right, your libido is totally trashed. It's not going to eliminate all that, but it can create a buffer for it. So women naturally have lower creatine stores than men, especially if you eat less red meat or fish. So it can help supplement for that. If you've ever skipped sleep,
Tiffany Wickes (04:41.634)
to take care of sick kids, babies you stayed up too late worrying about what tomorrow brings or just taking care of giving your husband some attention or just felt like mentally foggy for no reason, you could probably benefit from a creatine boost. And listen, this isn't just about avoiding decline. It's about thriving with mental clarity, drive, focus. I think we all deserve that. All right, is creatine safe?
So here's what you need to do. Let's talk about safety. So creatine monohydrate is one of the most researched supplements in the world. It is absolutely safe for long-term use. It's not a hormone, it's not a stimulant, it's naturally present in your body. It's inexpensive and it is wildly available, like pretty much from everyone. I've used Fasterways creatine, great pro mix, great thorn, awesome company.
So here's what it's not, okay? It doesn't bulk you up overnight. It doesn't cause bloating in most women, especially if you stay hydrated, and it's not gonna mess with your hormones. So most of the research, when it comes to dosage, most of the research supports three to five grams daily. I take 10 grams. You don't need a loading dose. Just take it consistently. It's best taken just consistent. You don't have to take it with or without food. I put it in my water in the morning, okay? I think I'm gonna do an episode on what my
My supplement stack looks like right now because a lot of stuff goes in my water first thing in the morning and I'm absolutely loving it. All right, so you can take it post-workout with your protein or your breakfast. Just get it in and go. All right. So here is I've already told you what I've seen, but here's what I'm hearing around the Internet. People are saying that they don't crash as hard mentally in the afternoon. I can attest to that. They feel like they're mentally sharper, like they can actually finish a thought.
Same workouts feel more productive, but their brain just feels like it's on. Like, yes ma'am, that's me. So personally, that's what I've noticed. Way less brain fog, especially around like the luteal phase of my cycle when things can feel a little slower. Like I just feel like I'm on every day, but not stimulated on, just healthily on. You know what I'm saying? All right, so should you try it? So here's a quick checklist for you.
Tiffany Wickes (07:05.198)
Should you give creatine a try? Are you over 35? Yes. Even if you're younger than 35, okay, I have given it to my kids. My teenager takes it. I would definitely put it in my kids' water bottles. Maybe not at five grams, probably half a dose, but yeah, I would absolutely give it to them. If you're experiencing brain fog, fatigue, memory slips, perimenopausal women, postmenopausal women, if you're eating little to no red meat or no fish.
If you want more strength, muscle and better brain power, like if you're nodding yes to any of these creatine could definitely be a powerful addition to your daily habits. So there you go. If you've been feeling like your brain's stuck in low gear or you want to stay sharp, focused, resilient throughout the beautiful chaos, which is midlife, creatine really could be your secret weapon. So remember strength isn't just about what your body can lift. It's about your energy, your clarity, your ability to show up like
fully in your life. And that's kind of the heart of what we're doing here with this podcast. So as always, check with your healthcare provider if you have any medical concerns, but creatine is generally considered safe and healthy for most adults. I am still breastfeeding and I take it no problem. So the baby's fine. So in this episode, if this episode at all opened your eyes, will you please do me a quick favor and share it with another woman who could benefit?
And if you want help customizing your own workouts, nutrition and support, your brain, hormones, energy, parenting, life, love, happiness, check the link in the show notes, join one of my coaching programs or just rate and review this podcast, share it with a friend that goes a long way in helping to grow this podcast. And until next time, let's keep your body strong and your brain sharper than ever. Stay strong. Ciao mamas.