Update Time: Health Problems, Vitamins, Rest & Recovery
Hello wonderful people!! I have lots to update you all on so I figured I would write a fun post about everything. I have learnt a lot of lessons over just the past few weeks that pertain to what has been going on in my life.
If you guys have been keeping up with my Instagram you probably know that I had a few health issues. As the past weeks progressed I felt more and more tired until one day I couldn’t leave the couch. The last weekend of August included sleeping in, going to bed early, and taking 3 hour naps both days. This was extremely abnormal for me so I became worried and anxious. It seemed that I had overworked my body; I wasn’t resting enough and I wasn’t eating enough. So I paused my workouts and I worked on eating way more. I needed more carbs and more protein because of the amount of activity I was getting each day. This helped, but I still was feeling exhausted so I went to the doctor and got blood work done. We tested a few things and found out that my B12 levels were extremely low. B12 mainly comes from meat, fish, and dairy. It makes sense that I was deficient because I was vegan for a month in Bali and I eat very plant-based most of the time. Knowing this, I started eating more animal products and bought a B12 supplement that I now take everyday. I wanted to share this on here for a few reasons.
To begin, take care of you!!! Even when you don’t think you need rest or you don’t want to rest, do it. Rest is pivotal because it gives your body time to recover from the stress it has been under while working out. When you rest, your energy stores are replenished. Remember that the goal of working out and eating healthy is to feel good, but if we over do it, we will no longer feel good. Practice ahimsa and satya, non-violence and honesty. Be kind and truthful to yourself, for yourself. What is your life goal? Visualize it. What is the best version of yourself? Visualize it. Now do the things you need to do to get you there. Find balance. Enjoy your life. Stop taking things so seriously and have fun. Live your life the way you want to live your life. Stop feeling guilty for meaningless things, but if it is meaningful to you, do something about it.
Advocate for yourself and get help. I knew I wasn’t just “tired” and my parents knew it too. This can apply to so many things though. Asking for help is not a bad thing, in fact it shows how strong you are. There may not be people in your life who will help you advocate, so take that role on for yourself. Be your own supporter.
Not all diets or workouts will work for everyone. Every body is different and needs different things. Although I love vegan food, it clearly isn’t the right choice for me 100% of the time. I personally believe that, for the most part, a balanced diet shouldn’t need a supplement. I also learned that I was most likely doing too many HIIT workouts and it was keeping my body in a constant state of stress. Research online shows that HIIT should only be done 2-3 times per week and should include rest days in between. Overdoing HIIT can cause disruption in metabolism, burnout, demotivation, and excess stress.
Learn, absorb, and move on. Don’t beat yourself up for something that has already passed and that you can’t control. Whatever happened should be viewed as a lesson learned and a blessing to have experienced. However, use it to help form the person you want to become. Don’t ignore it, but don’t fixate.
My goal for myself through 18 is to find more of a balance without feeling internal guilt. I am constantly reminding myself that my body and soul know the most, I just have to listen and not ignore.
I want to go a bit more in depth on the different types of vitamins, what they do, and what it may feel like if you are deficient. It is said that “vitamins are needed for normal cell function, growth, and development.”There are 13 essential vitamins. Vitamins A,D,E, and K are fat-soluble and stored in fat tissues whereas vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12 are water soluble and must be replenished often because it is removed via urine. A balanced diet is the best way to obtain all the vitamins, but you can also take supplements if you wish. I will list a few foods that have each vitamin, but you can also look up more!
Vitamin A aids in growth and development of the cell, promoting healthy hair, skin, nails, bones, etc. Leafy greens, orange/yellow veggies, liver, fish, eggs, dairy, and more have vitamin A. Without vitamin A, one may experience night blindness, impaired immunity, and problems with the skin.
Vitamin D helps build strong teeth and bones and regulates calcium and phosphate in the body. Lack of this vitamin can lead to loss of bone density and bone fractures. If you are lacking vitamin D, you may have aching muscles, painful bones, low mood, problems sleeping. The best way to get vitamin D is go outside in the sun!! Food sources such as fatty fish, seafood, mushrooms, egg yolks, dairy, orange juice have vitamin D.
Vitamin E has antioxidant properties, is important for vision, reproduction, keeps the blood from clotting, and keeps the immune system going. It helps with the health of your blood, brain, and skin. Low vitamin E levels cause nerve and muscle damage, muscle weakness, and weakened immune system. Plant-based oils, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables contain vitamin E.
Vitamin K makes proteins needed for proper blood clotting and building bones. Deficiency in vitamin K causes poor bone development, increased risk of cardiac disease, and excess bleeding. Kale, Swiss chard, spinach, pork chops, chicken, bacon, beef, duck, avocado, cheese, etc.
Vitamin B1, Thiamine, maintains healthy metabolism, digestion, appetite, and nerve function. If you are lacking this vitamin you may be fatigued, irritable, lose your appetite, unable to sleep well, lose weight. Fortified breakfast cereals, pork, fish, beans, lentils, yogurt, noodles, rice, breads have Thiamin.
Vitamin B2, Riboflavin, helps the body convert carbs into fuel therefore producing energy. It helps with adrenal function. Dairy milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, beef, pork, chicken, salmon, almonds, fortified cereal and bread, spinach have this vitamin. Deficiency is rare in the US and typically coincides with other deficiencies especially being malnourished or thyroid disorder. Symptoms of being deficient include cracked lips, sore throat, swelling in the mouth, etc. Fun fact: milk is now stored in opaque containers instead of glass bottles because riboflavin is deactivated with too much light exposure.
B3, Niacin, is also used to turn food into energy and it keeps the digestive system, nervous system, and skin healthy. Every part of your body needs B3. A deficiency in this is also extremely rare as it is well-absorbed and added to foods. Limited variety and quantity of food can cause deficiency and signs of this are pellagra (scaly rash), constipation or diarrhea, depression, headache, fatigue. Foods such as red meat, poultry, fish, brown rice, fortified cereals and breads, nuts, seeds, legumes, and bananas have this vitamin.
B5, Pantothenic Acid, is easy to come by as most food contains it. It helps with energy metabolism and normalizing blood sugar.
B6, Pyridoxine, is essential for healthy nerve function and synthesis of red blood cells as well as helping with better circulation, stronger immune system, etc. Deficiency in B12 creates a greater likely hood of B6 deficiency. Skin rashes, cracked lips, sore tongue are symptoms that you need more B6. Tuna, salmon, chickpeas, dark leafy greens, oranges, cantaloup, banana, etc. have this vitamin.
B7, biotin, is the coenzyme in metabolism, transferring CO2 and breaks down food into energy. It strengthens hair and nails and creates important enzymes. Once again deficiency is rare, but can be seen from thinning hair, body hair loss, rashes. Cooked eggs, salmon, avocado, pork, sweet potato, nuts, and seed have B7.
B9, folate or folic acid, synthesizes amino acids, makes DNA, RNA, and red blood cells. This is important for pregnant women as it aids in preventing birth defects. This deficiency is rare because it is found in many foods such as dark green leafy veggies, whole grains, fresh fruits and juices, eggs, beans, peanuts, seafood, etc.
B12, is key in the function and development of brain and nerve cells, needed to form red blood cells and DNA. It is said that around 15% of people have this deficiency as it is common in vegans and vegetarians. Anemia, fatigue/ weakness, exhaustion nerve damage are due to a lack of B12. I experienced this deficiency and it caused extreme exhaustion and brain fog. This is found in most animal products, but also fortified nutritional yeast, fortified cereal, and enriched soy/rice milk.
Research on these vitamins taught me so much and I hope it taught you guys tons as well. I realized that so many vitamins come from animal products, so many vegans/vegetarians will be deficient in a number of vitamins.