The Health Benefits of Vitamin D 65/84

We hear often about the potential benefits of different vitamins and minerals. The vitamin industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that moves an incredible amount of product each year. In spite of this, to be honest, most of the products they're moving are absolute crap. Yes, there are definitely good multi-vitamins out there but they are hard to come by. You need to find a GMP certified company and do diligent research to find a good one. With that being said, Vitamin D is one supplement that almost everyone can agree is very beneficial. Actually, Vitamin D isn't even a vitamin, it's a pro-hormone because it can be synthesized in the body from sunlight on the skin. Actual vitamins can't be produced in the body and need to be taken in from food. Although sunlight can be a great source of Vitamin D, there are benefits to supplementing as well, which most people can benefit from. Here is a quick list of some of the benefits

• Live longer
• Lower risk of Multiple Sclerosis  
• Lower risk of fractures 
• Lower risk of muscle issues 
• Good for immune system
• Regulate insulin level
• Aid diabetes management
• Support lung function and cardiovascular health
• Improved strength and power output

These are all hugely amazing benefits that I think everyone can agree would be good for you. One of the best things, like I said, is that Vitamin D is one of the more agreed upon vitamins out there. The other thing people agree on is that there is a huge Vitamin D deficiency in the world. In the Northern Hemisphere, about 50% of the population is deficient, even people who think they get enough sunshine. So how do you know if you're Vitamin D deficient? Honestly, it can be really hard to tell. The easiest way is to get a blood test, which is something I recommend everyone do. Other than that, keep a lookout for decreases in athletic performance or energy. If you realize that your golf game kinda sucks a little worse now, you might be deficient. 

So you find out you are indeed deficient, what do you do? Obviously, try to get out in the sun, you only need about 10 minutes of sun (with no sunscreen) each day to help. You should also start supplementing as well. If you're vitamin level D is low, take 50,000 units once a week for 3 months to get your levels back up. After that, supplement with 2-4,000 units a day to keep levels high enough. Seems like kind of a lot but it's really not. And even so, there are no real reports of  Vitamin D toxicity. This means you can't really take too much unless you get to an extreme.

Personally, I take about 10,000 units a day right now which is just two tiny pills. I get mine from Xperience Fitness where we sell Supplement RX. 200 pills only cost $7.99 so there's definitely no excuse not to start.