Why it is Important to Take Your Vitamins?

     You see them all the time on T.V. and in the grocery, but do you really know why it is important to take your vitamins? I'm sure that most of you all out there really do not believe or understand the importance. I was just the same. I believed like everyone else that vitamins were just some ploy to get me to waste my money. However, this is none of the sort. Vitamins are very important for the daily tasks your body completes everyday, growth, and maintenance ! If your diet is not healthy then you are not getting enough or any vitamins that are crucial for your body to survive. Deficiency in one vitamin can cause profound health problems! 

    First, what are vitamins? They are not energy sources, but play roles in regulating chemical reactions that allow your body extract energy from nutrients. There are two types of vitamins, water-soluble and fat-soluble. Vitamins B and C are water-soluble vitamins. A, D, E,  and K are fat-soluble vitamins. Which means the way the vitamins are absorbed. Below is a list of what each vitamin does to help your body function and repair itself. I will start off with Fat-Soluble Vitamins.

• Fat-soluble vitamins
• vitamin A
• Crucial for growth and reproduction
• Aids in vision and cell differentiation 
• Maintains high immunity level, healthy bones, skin, and mucous membranes
• Deficiencies
• Destroys vision and disrupts several normal body functions
• Can lead to night blindness, xerophthalmia, hyper-keratosis, infection and DEATH
• Sources
• Liver, fish liver oil, cod oil
• Milk fat, butter, and other dairy products
• Margarine, fortified breakfast cereals, and reduced fat-milks
• Spinach, carrots, broccoli, squash and sweet potatoes
• Cantaloupes, peaches, apricots, mangoes and tomatoes
• Toxicity
• Can cause DEATH, liver damage, bone fractures, skin disorders, and birth defects in newborns
• vitamin D
• Essential for bone health, may reduce cancer and heart disease risks
• Promotes healthy bone development and growth in children
• Necessary for bone maintenance in adults
• Prevents osteoporosis and fractures in older adults
• Helps reduces risk of fall with proper muscle reaction
• Sources
• Sun ( 9 - 15 minutes a day)
• Fortified foods: milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice, margarine, yogurt, grains, and breads
• Oily Fish: Herring, salmon and sardines
• Cod liver oil and other fish oils
• Egg yolk, butter and liver
• Plants are poor sources
• Deficiency
• Profound effect on skeleton, leads to rickets in children, osteoporosis and osteomalacia in adults
• Toxicity
• Sunlight does not cause toxicity but too much sun can cause sunburn and skin cancer
• Hypercalcemia: excess calcium can cause bone loss and kidney stones
• Excess calcium can leave deposits in bloodstream and other organs 
• Can affect the nervous system causing depressive illness, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite 
• vitamin E
• It is an important protector against age related chronic diseases
• Sources
• Plant and animal sources
• Wheat germ oil contains the highest concentration
• Vegetable and seed oils:
• Safflower, cotton seed and sunflower seeds are rich sources
• Corn and soybean oil
• Foods made from vegetable oils:
• Margarine, salad dressings, nuts and seeds
• Strawberries and dark leafy greens
• Animals sources are poor because of what the animal eats
• Deficiency
• Rare in the U.S. because of widespread use of vegetable oils
• Can cause cystic fibrosis 
• Premature hemolysis and anemia 
• Toxicity
• Relatively safe but over consumption can cause some problems
• vitamin K
• Crucial vitamin for blood clotting = coagulation
• Assists in bone formation
• Sources
• Plants and bacteria living in your colon
• Green leafy vegetables:
• Spinach, broccoli, green turnips and brussel sprouts 
• Vegetable oils:
• Soybean oil, cottonseed, canola and olives
• Deficiency
• Without vitamin K for blood clotting a single cut can lead to death by blood loss
• Can cause low bone density which can lead to fractures
• Can cause hemorrhages in women during menstrual cycle
• Toxicity
• Rare but can cause hemolytic anemia
• Can interfere with anticoagulant medications

Glutes, Hips and Inner Thigh Circuit Workout

Keep Unwanted Pounds Off All The Way To Christmas

Tis the Season to not become a weight gain statistic. What do I mean by this? Well according to the "experts", the average person only gains a pound during the holiday season. On the other hand, overweight and obese individuals gain about 5. However, I find this information to be totally false because of the years I have spent taking meticulous records of my clients progress during training. 

I used to weigh my clients every 4 weeks, but I found that this wouldn't really help them. Most of them didn't get serious until I gave them a heads up that their weigh in was in a week. So, I decided to weigh them every Monday. I have found that in my studio the average weight gain for a client during the holidays that are average and active is about 10 lbs. Overweight and obese clients usually gain about 15 - 20 pounds. I have had both fit, overweight and obese clients gain 5 - 7 lbs. in one week. So now imagine when we multiply that by 8 weeks (4 weeks of November and 4 from December). This equals to about 40 - 56 lbs of potential weight gain if you are not careful with your level of activity and food intake. 

I assume that when people read the "experts" statistics it gives them to "go ahead" to eat like pigs, drink like fishes and quit working out because they believe they will only gain 1 - 5 pounds. However, this behavior will only help you gain a whole bunch of fat that will take 10 times as hard to loose. Just because it is the holidays should not be a reason to throw away all the effort you have put into working out. If you have not even started a workout regime this year then you are only making it harder for yourself once you get into the "New Year New Me" season. Gaining fat is easy but, losing fat is not as easy as the commercials state. Especially, if you are a woman. So why put yourself through this? It will only get you depressed after the parties, socials, and festivals end. 

After you read this post make the right decision for your health. You can save the bad food for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Keep on working out and do not late excuses get in the way. Yes, there are holiday parties, but do you really have to pig out on those foods? Learn how to eat healthy meal before you go to a holiday party. This will help you stay full and only be able to try out some of the hor d'oeurvres.

Think smart, eat smart and train smart!

Candace