#creatine

#creatine

There's so much to love about the transition into fall and winter: that first sip of a pumpkin spice latte, the return of cozy sweaters, and the pure joy of crunching through leaves like you did as a kid. But your cold-weather workouts? That's where the romance fades. Dragging yourself to a HIIT class before sunrise or battling icy wind on your way to the gym suddenly feels a lot harder when your brain is suggesting you hibernate until spring.

Snibbe takes creatine to help build muscle: a link backed by thousands of high-quality studies. The supplement du-jour has long been popular among gym bros, but is becoming more mainstream amid growing evidence of other benefits, such as preserving brain function. The body naturally produces creatine, a building block of the molecule ATP, which gives our cells energy. We can also get it from eating proteins, like red meat and seafood.

Creatine is a substance naturally produced in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. It's then converted into a compound called phosphocreatine, which is stored in your muscles, explains Amanda Holtzer, RD. From there, phosphocreatine helps create what's called ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the body's preferred source of energy, says Holtzer. "Every single function in the body requires ATP, from opening your eyes to walking to the bathroom to typing on your computer," she says.