The Secret to Promoting Health with the Powerhouse Vitamin D
It’s often referred to as the Sunshine Vitamin and what better way to get it than being outside, right?
Before I get into HOW too ensure you’re getting enough vitamin D, let’s chat about WHY it’s vital to your health.
Vitamin D is a phenomenon… if there ever was one. Truly the number of functions vitamin D is responsible for in the body is up there and there’s nothing simple about it. Here are a few ways it supports the body:
- promotes strong bones
- promotes optimal immune function… this is key and a high priority today
- helps to combat muscle fatigue and weakness… you can read more about that here
- raises its armor against auto-immune diseases, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and others
If you take nothing else away today, this is it: vitamin D activates our army (the T-cells) to help seek out and destroy the bad guys (viruses and foreign enemies). THIS is why we want to be well-stocked on vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is truly a powerhouse ready to knock it out of the park if you give it a chance. BUT many are actually deficient. In fact, it’s considered a “Nutrient of Public Health Concern”.
Did you know that vitamin D isn’t actually a vitamin at all? It’s a hormone! That’s pretty cool because it makes getting too much a bit difficult. It’s also a little crazy because 1 BILLION people around the world don’t get enough! 😳 Breaking it down a bit – 42% of adults and if you’re Hispanic or African-American it goes up to 69% and 82% respectively are deficient.
From a personal perspective, the last time I had my bloodwork done, the standard range was 19.9 – 79.3 pg/mL. While that’s a pretty big range, I was right in the middle at 41.2 pg/mL… not too bad, could be better.
As a sand volleyball player, I spend a decent amount of time outside. I’m also taking up tennis lessons, so another checkmark in the outside category. Running outside? Yep, at least once a week.
So, aren’t my levels higher? 🤷♀️
While vitamin D plays a significant role in our health when was the last time you went outside without a shirt on and no sunscreen? Exposing the right amount of skin and being out during the right time of day PLUS the right latitude/longitude… seriously, there are far too many variables (including skin type and color) to ensure you’re getting the right amount of sunshine for your body to produce vitamin D. It’s OK though, there are other ways.
I’m a firm believer in supplements. Honestly, my diet isn’t near anything I could call perfect and supplements are one heck of an easy button to ensure my body gets what it needs to operate optimally. Vitamin D is no different. Relying on the sun and our food supply is important but what if… what if that’s not enough? Is it worth the risk? This is where the easy button comes in…
My favorite product guarantees you get 2,000 IU in a day and it’s tiny! You can check it out here.
Furthermore, my mom has been taking it for a while… here’s what she said:
I personally started taking vitamin D, alongside my current supplement program, about a year ago. Stay tuned for updated bloodwork…
At the end of the day, why gamble? Quite simply one of the easiest easy buttons to push. Think of it as an inexpensive, yet important insurance policy.
Wishing you all the best in health,
Jenn | Your Lifestylestyle Broker
