After Six Months of Running, I Was Still Tired—That's When I Finally Understood What Men's Vitality Supplements Are Really About

The year I turned forty, I started running. Not for a race, but because one day, after climbing three flights of stairs, my chest felt so tight it was as if someone was pressing down on it. I ran for over half a year and lost some weight, but that feeling of "I slept a full eight hours, yet by the afternoon I'm running on empty" never went away.

At first I thought I just wasn't training enough, but later I realized the problem might not be how far I ran. Around that time, I happened to see news about a supplement company preparing to go public, and another article about how "with supplements, more isn't better." Those two things together made me seriously think for the first time: what exactly am I taking, and why am I taking it?

Let me start with the conclusion. If you're also looking into men's vitality supplements, my advice is: don't rush to find a product. First, write down your routine, exercise, and diet for the past month. Not as homework, but to see clearly what you're actually lacking. I skipped this step at first and went straight to searching online. I ended up buying a bunch of capsules advertised to "boost energy." After two weeks, aside from my urine turning yellow, I felt nothing.

Later, I took those bottles to a pharmacist at a drugstore. She flipped them over, pointed to the ingredient list, and said, "Some of these overlap, and some of the doses add up to quite a lot. Go home first and list everything you eat every day, then we can discuss whether you need to supplement." She didn't tell me which bottle to buy. She just said one thing: "Supplements fill gaps, not anxiety."

I remembered that sentence for a long time. When I went back and looked at my food records, I realized I almost never ate breakfast, ate lunch carelessly, and often overate at dinner because I was starving after running. My protein intake was inconsistent, and I ate few vegetables. In other words, I probably wasn't "missing some magic ingredient"—I was just eating poorly overall.

So I did an experiment. For the next month, I didn't buy any new products. I did only three things: first, I ate two eggs and a piece of fruit for breakfast every day; second, within half an hour after running, I drank a cup of unsweetened soy milk; third, I lay down before 11 p.m. and left my phone in the living room.

Two weeks later, that afternoon crash happened less often. I can't say which one worked, but at least I knew these adjustments hadn't cost me a single cent on supplements.

A month later, I went back to that pharmacist. This time I brought a complete list: what I ate for breakfast, what I ate for lunch, what I didn't eat, what I did eat, how often I exercised, how many hours I slept. After reading it, she said, "In your current state, if you really want to supplement, start with a single ingredient at a low dose, and add only one at a time. Watch it for two weeks. Don't add three at once—if something goes wrong, you won't know which one caused it."

I asked her, what about all those products people discuss online? She said, "A lot of what you see is personal feeling. Not everyone is the same. What you need to look at is the ingredient label, the source, whether there are test reports, and your own records after taking it."

That sounds basic, but honestly, I hadn't done it. At first, I only saw the words "boost energy" and "enhance stamina" and thought that was what I needed. Looking back, those words didn't actually tell me anything specific.

Later I looked up more information and found that in recent years Taiwan has tightened labeling regulations for supplements. Some ingredients can't have their effects claimed freely, and companies can't say what will happen if you take them. That's actually a good thing, because it forces you to face a question: if a product can't say what effect it has, then what exactly are you buying it for?

My answer is: based on your understanding of your own body and your willingness to spend time checking the facts. Not based on other people's experiences, and not based on advertising slogans.

If you're also looking at information about men's vitality supplements right now, I'd suggest doing this:

First, confirm what you're currently taking, whether medicine or supplements, and list it all. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts—don't leave out a single one.

Second, take that list to a pharmacist or doctor. Don't just ask "Can I take this?" Ask "Do the things I'm taking now overlap or add up to a risk of overdose?"

Third, if they suggest you supplement a certain ingredient, ask clearly: Why this one? How long should I take it? Under what circumstances should I stop?

Fourth, look at the packaging before buying. Is the ingredient, amount, source, and expiration date clearly labeled? If even these aren't clear, don't consider it.

Fifth, after you start taking it, keep records. Not "I feel better," but specific things: what time you slept, what time you got up, how long you exercised, how your energy was that day. Look back after two weeks, and you'll have a clearer idea whether it made a difference.

I still run now, and I still get tired. But at least I know what to check first when I'm tired, instead of opening a shopping website first.

A few days ago, a friend asked me, "Do you think those men's vitality supplements actually work?" I thought for a moment and said, "First show me your routine for this month, then we'll discuss that question."

He laughed and said I sounded like a nagging old man. But I know that if someone had told me this back then, I might have taken fewer wrong turns.

Supplements aren't something you can't touch, but they shouldn't be the first answer you think of. Look for clues in your life first, then decide whether to supplement. That way, even if you end up buying nothing, you'll already understand yourself a little better.