Yoga originated centuries ago and has been evolving ever since. Recently, hot yoga is becoming more popular in the West. 

Besides the various health benefits of traditional yoga, like flexibility, enhanced muscular endurance, and de-stress, hot yoga offers an intense workout that helps burn calories, reduce blood sugar, improves skin, and more.   

Here’s where you’ll learn about the benefits of hot yoga. 

What is Hot Yoga?

It is essentially yoga in a heat-controlled setup. The purpose of the hot room is to mimic the hot tubs or saunas, which offers a feeling of relaxation. 

Further, the heat and humidity make it harder to practice yoga, increasing your heart rate and warming muscles.  

In hot yoga, the temperature is set between 80 to 105°F (27 and 41°C). And it can involve various posses. The duration of each session varies from studio to studio. 

Hot yoga is more fun with music and more interactive sessions.  

What are the Hot Yoga Benefits? 

Yoga involves certain poses and stretches that relaxes tightened muscles and release trigger points. The blood vessels start dilating in a heated environment, improving blood circulation in various tissues and muscles.  

It is essential to perform hot yoga in the right way to get the maximum out of it.  Here are a few benefits of hot yoga:

#1- Calories Burning

Heat can assist in burning more calories. Traditional yoga can burn around 183 calories per hour. One study found that yoga practices aid people in weight loss. 

During a hot yoga session, the calorie burn can reach upto 330 for women and 460 for men. 

A hot yoga workout will burn more calories than traditional yoga. The hot studio makes you sweat more. 

Your body’s metabolism increases so do your blood circulation. Overall, your body and muscles are more engaged in hot yoga.  

#2- Promote Flexibility

Stretching muscles in warm conditions enhance flexibility and achieve a greater range of motion. The heat makes soft tissues more relaxed and elastic. 

The increased laxity allows your body to perform various poses and deep stretching more easily. 

#3-  Good For Depression

According to American Psychological Association, yoga and meditation are good for easing depression symptoms. 

Wars can have adverse effects on a person. Veterans are more often have to fight depression after returning home. 

A study in Military Medicine has shown how yoga improved depression and mood among veterans. Each session was a 60-minute long, and participants did yoga, meditation, and breathwork.

Another investigation in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that hot yoga effectively alleviated depression symptoms in middle-aged women.  

#4- Improve Lung Capacity

Yoga focuses on various breathing techniques. With these breathing practices, your lungs can retain more air. 

Having more oxygen in your bloodstream helps keep your lungs healthy and increases your lungs capacity, especially helpful for aged people. 

One form of yoga known as Pranayama focuses on breathing. The thoracic, abdominal, and clavicular breathing in this exercise allows an increased oxygen intake.  

#5- Builds Bone Mass

Women after menopause drop around 50% of bone mass. It is normal to have decreased bone density with age. 

According to one study, women who practiced hot yoga for over five years had shown increased bone density in the neck, lower back, and hips. The heated environment reduced the effects of osteoporosis in women, which prevented bone loss. 

#6- Stress Reduction

Stress is pretty common in Americans. Yoga is known for its effective role in stress reduction. And as such, it is quite popular among many people. 

Hot yoga is becoming increasingly demanding in the USA, with most practitioners’ primary concern being stress reduction. 

Yoga mediates the inward journey and helps deal with external factors that cause stress. The combination of heat and deep breathing relaxes the body and mind.  

#7- Nourishes Skin 

You may often have experienced a post-yoga glow due to increased sweating and blood flow to skin cells. The increased circulation provides nutrient-rich blood to the skin cells that nourish the skin.   

Perspiration helps the skin produce more collagen, retain more moisture, and reduce wrinkles. 

#8-  Boosts Cardiovascular Health

The heat in hot yoga makes it a more challenging workout for your heart, lungs, and muscles. And as such, boosting your heart rate, respiration, and metabolism.   

#9- Regulates Blood Glucose Levels

Most exercises are targeted at burning calories and reducing blood glucose levels. Hot yoga can be helpful specifically for people with type 2 diabetes.    

It is a good practice to measure your sugar levels before and after the hot yoga class.  

#10-  Improve Body Strength

Yoga poses and stretches impart endurance and strength to your body. The warm environment increases the blood supply to the muscles giving them a fresh supply of nutrients and oxygen, helping build these muscles and heal them if they are injured.  

#11- Imparts Balance

Hot yoga brings stillness and balance, as per one study. Strengthening lower limbs and imparting muscle control help improve balance significantly. 

#12- Improve Sleep Quality

Sleep problems are on the rise these days. Most people are struggling to get recommended 7 hours of quality sleep.

When done several hours before bedtime, hot yoga can improve sleep at night. However, avoid hot yoga right before sleep, raising the heart rate. 

#13- Improve Concentration

The breathing techniques used in hot yoga make practitioners focus on their breath. It makes you calm and improves concentration. 

#14 Relieve Back Pain

Due to the increase in the sedentary lifestyle these days, back pain issues are pretty common. Prolonged sitting exerts stress on muscles in the lower back. The stiffness of muscles can be relieved with yoga stretches. 

Hot yoga can heal muscles by increasing the blood supply to the affected areas. 

#15 Low Impact Exercise 

Low impact exercises are recommended to help in the recovery process. Hot yoga is considered low impact and is ideal for healing. 

The poses in hot yoga don’t put much strain on the injured areas, engaging them gently and imparting flexibility to joints. 

Avoiding Risks of Hot Yoga

Though hot is generally considered safe, some safety tips are followed while performing it. Some of the dangers of hot yoga are given below:

• Excessive sweating during hot yoga can result in dehydration. It is good to drink plenty of water during and after a hot yoga session. 
• Avoid hot yoga if you have underlying health conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arterial abnormalities, fainting, and anorexia nervosa.  
• Pregnant women should go for hot yoga after talking with their healthcare providers.
• Skip the hot yoga if you have an issue with heat tolerance. 
• During the hot yoga session, you may feel dizziness with low blood sugar or low blood pressure. Talk with your doctor to check if hot yoga is safe for you.  
• If you feel nauseous, lightheaded, or dizzy, stop the yoga.    

Is Hot Yoga For You?

Hot yoga offers a lot in terms of physical and mental health. However, not everyone can do a workout in a heated room with a temperature above 100°F along with humidity. 

You can get over-exhausted because of sweating and heat, which may negatively affect your health.  

If you have no issues with a hot and humid environment, we have discussed in detail the benefits of hot yoga. It is a low-impact exercise that relaxes your body and mind. 

FAQs

What to Wear During Hot Yoga Session?

Wear clothing that can help you keep cool. It is suggested to wear moisture-wicking fabrics that are water-resistant with antimicrobial properties.  

Avoid cotton fabrics as it absorbs moisture. 

Go for lightweight clothing that can allow free movement. 

How to Get Started with Hot Yoga?

Follow these steps before going to hot yoga class:

• Make sure to drink a lot of water
• Eat light meal 
• Bring a yoga mat, water bottle, and a towel with you
• After the session, cover your body and don’t expose yourself to the cold

The Takeaway

The benefits of hot yoga are significant. It leads to flexibility, makes you feel relaxed, improves breathing, and more. 

Before going for this exercise, make sure it is good for you. Talk to your healthcare provider. If everything is all settled, don’t forget to drink plenty of water before the session, as you will sweat a lot. 

My “Food,” training began when I was diagnosed with PBC (a rare, serious, auto-immune disorder). Wanting to empower myself and make life better, and God-willing, my prognosis more desirable, I decided to change my somewhat packaged-food-heavy diet and dig in and LEARN how to live a healthier life.

Back in 2011, I passed my exam with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition to be a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. Credentials vary from state to state, and as I found home to be in the US, I kept the title of “Food Coach,” and pursued my studies more informally, but with continued vigor.

When I’m asked to lecture about food I usually ask everyone who feels they eat a clean and healthy diet to stand up. I then say “Sit down if in the last week you’ve eaten boxed cereal.” Usually, a confused and frustrated majority will sit. There are murmurs through the crowd, “Cereal isn’t good for you?”

If you’re new to holistic nutrition or eating for overall better health and nutrition, it can seem a little daunting or confusing. It’s true, there is a lot of ground to cover, so let’s break down the basics!

 

1. Whole Foods Are Key

Holistic Nutrition encourages whole foods. Meaning foods that are in their pure form, with little to no additions, subtractions, or alterations. Fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, whole grains, etc. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy cereal, but what I try to encourage is a mindset where we realize that packaged foods aren’t “foods,” and where we give the body the necessary fuel it needs through what we put in our mouths.

 

2. Stick with Organic When Possible

The “organic” conversation is controversial in some circles. It’s more expensive, and sometimes can look different, or even less visually pleasing (because it is a completely natural product that gives it a shorter shelf life). Holistic Nutrition acknowledges that agricultural practices today are in very different soil than that of our ancestors. The soil is actually a large source of the nutrients that are supplied to the fruit or vegetable that you consume. Conventionally grown produce, in addition to being sprayed with pesticides, (organic foods are too but with less toxic products), they can be grown in soil that has far less to offer. Basically, eating organic produce will nourish you more quickly and effectively. This is a reason for supplementation as well (which should always be discussed with your doctor, we will go over this one in future blogs).

When you think about organic practices for your meats and dairy products, organic food is typically produced from a more humane standpoint, in addition to the animal in question being exposed to fewer antibiotics (it has been proven that continued exposure to antibiotics can reduce their efficacy when you truly need its life-saving support), hormones (used to grow and animal more quickly), and because of the more natural lifestyle of the animal (no confined feeding operations), that the quality of taste and nutritional content will be at its highest.

 

3. Limit Prepackaged Foods

A typical diet can be 20% boxed products. If I told every client they could never have a donut, piece of cake, potato chip, or soda, I don’t think I would get a lot of retention. The key is to make small changes and start eliminating small portions of the unhealthy diet while balancing it out with healthy ones.  Ultimately the goal is 80% of the diet being from nutritious foods.

 

4. Trust Your Gut

In Holistic Nutrition, the belief is that the immune system is largely in the gut. And that imbalances in health are representative of something being out-of-whack in the microbiome, the healthy flora living inside the digestive tract. Whole foods like nature made them will start to improve this imbalance.

 

5. Fats Are Good

It is also a belief in HN that fats are good for you. Vilified for so long, healthy fats like butter, avocado, and even those found in meat (not nitrate laden bacon, but chicken skin, marbled fat in steaks, etc.) have a beneficial impact on lipids and overall health.  These recommendations are not appropriate for every person or client depending on their health issue, body type, and personal feelings and values, but serve as a general guide to the midline. In fact, a low-fat diet in the average person can lead to issues with hunger (fats make us feel full), and even with mood in some people.

 

6. Go Straight to the Source

Supplements can be great (and necessary) for some clients, but eating nutrient-rich foods is just as important. Fresh fruit and vegetables are abundant (especially if organic) in vitamins and minerals crucial for your body’s success. B vitamins play a huge role in mood and general function. Vitamin C which is not created in the human body (as it is in animals) is crucial for health and comes from fruits and veggies (avoid juice- it doesn’t digest the same, is over-processed, and hits the body similarly to pure sugar). Omega 3s are typically out of balance with the Standard American Diet (SAD), and fresh, wild-caught fish is a powerful addition to your diet at least once a week (although tuna should be consumed in moderation due to the mercury content).

 

7. Ditch the Fad Diet

There are so many different diet options out there these days. And cleanses. Should I be Vegan? Paleo? Vegetarian? Keto? The truth is that while all diets sound sexy, the best program is one that you build for a lifetime. A commitment to yourself and a powerful love of your body. The best diet for you is likely one you inherited from your genetics. What your great-great-great-grandparents ate is likely what you biologically need, and there is a theory that people are more successful when they eat true to their blood type (which follows this same logic).

 

8. Take Time to Reflect

In Holistic Nutrition, there is a strong push for inner reflection. Sometimes we can load up on a certain food because there is a strong story about it, or it is the new superfood.  Just because a food has so much value overall doesn’t mean it’s good for everyone.  There is this concept of bio-individuality. When a client says “I hate eggs,” I don’t respond with all the available literature about good fats and healthy proteins; I eliminate eggs. Eating foods that make us feel poorly won’t help, and at the same time, if it’s packaged foods that make us feel good we need to retrain the brain. Asking clients to reflect on how they feel after they eat certain foods can create a deep awareness of what is appropriate and healthy for that person.

If you find yourself in a place today where you want to eat healthier, celebrate!  This is the first step towards an empowered life, a positive mood, and a more energetic you.  Don’t change everything at once. Introduce more whole foods into your diet, ask your doctor about supplements that might support you (talk to them about healthy fats for your body, omega three, probiotics, and multi supplements that they might recommend for you based on your individual needs). Pile on more fruits and vegetables immediately, and remember that the sweeter a product is, the more sprayed with pesticides it was, and if possible choose that as an organic product.

If you stumble in your diet it’s OKAY! Don’t let one day of fall out create a lifetime.  Where we persevere in anything we create success. Dietary changes take time, and they are worth it. And so are you.

The first time I experienced depression I was 13. The cumulative effect of life’s woes took me to a place of despair that I could not understand or explain. Knowing that this wasn’t right, I hid these feelings and pretended I was fine.

Around 16 I got mono and these feelings became more pronounced. My mind began to shape the world into two realms. The one that “normal,” people existed in, and the one that I existed in that was dark and heavy. After a period of about a year where I didn’t leave my house, I once again got the strength to pretend and went about the actions of daily living.

I will tell you that my life was wild and crazy. My childhood was filled with hardships that would take me years to accept and even longer to forgive. For a long time, I would take this foundational dysfunction and unconsciously run my soul into the ground because I simply didn’t know any other way to be. That’s all a TV movie for another time.

I don’t know if I was depressed because of the conditions of my life, or because of the inherited tendencies from the people I came into the world with, but the fact remained that for decades I was on a lather, rinse, repeat cycle of destruction and difficulty, trying to drink away the hurt feelings, covering them up with anger.

I didn’t know I was depressed. I only knew that it was emotional pain. I thought I was the only one. My life followed the principles set by the Man In Black in the Princess Bride. “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”

The bottom line is that poor life decisions, plus low or imbalanced neurotransmitters are not an equation that can ever add up to happiness. It is a self-perpetuating cycle of misery until you decide to step outside of it. Although you may have made mistakes and poor choices that have contributed to your state of mind, you did so from a place of not yet understanding that these choices were available to you. Happiness doesn’t need to be an elusive concept for a chosen few- it is a birthright for everyone, and for some, it will take more work. The acceptance that I am one of those work-for-it people has brought me peace and understanding.

Part of my denial was an outright refusal to medicate. In the holistic circles that I lived my life within, there was a strong conversation about how antidepressants were bad, overprescribed, and unnecessary in most cases. Although I understand some of these conversations, I cannot express how dangerous these viewpoints are to people who genuinely need help. A walk in the fresh air and eating clean are both important pieces of health YES, but in a clinically depressed person, they will feel more like a failure when they try the advice of well-meaning folk, only to awaken with the same fog blanketing their existence each day.

A person who is experiencing hopelessness and/or worthlessness needs help. Today. Every day the stigma of depression and anxiety becomes less because of the courage and strength of those who have experienced either speaking out. Removing the secrecy and shame that has kept so many hidden will save lives and make this planet a better and happier place.

I will tell you that I lived through crippling pain and denial to realize a few decades in that I wasn’t actively doing anything to make it better. So, I cleaned up my diet, stopped drinking (don’t panic, this is what I needed for me, it’s different for all of us), took supplements, exercised, meditated, and tried to condition my thoughts positively. I got out in the sun, did liver cleanses, and colonic hydrotherapy (yep, I wanted to feel better that badly).

Did it help? Yes. Did it cure depression? No.  

As a Health Coach, I like to look at the whole picture when someone is suffering. Food, sleep, health conditions, medical support, exercise, community, therapy, and faith. I’m not trying to convert you or tell you your business, but I would encourage you to look at 12 step programs- they tell you flat out that a belief in something greater than yourself is one of the greatest support systems possible. Laying your life, your worries, and your troubles down to God, the Universe, or whatever language gets you there is powerful in connecting to your purpose.

It was this faith and trust in God that got me to go to the doctor and to be honest for the first time. To ask for help. To prioritize my happiness before the happiness of others. Food, exercise, family, faith, and medicine- it took all these things to shift a life pattern that I had essentially given up on, it had been so long. I’m so glad I never gave up. I almost did a million times.

When I was 13 and contemplating actions that were so sad, I was driving with my mom and a Beatles song came on. In the chorus, it sang “Tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.” And this piece of verse came to me through my life many times and I didn’t know why, but I was drawn to it. It partly saved my life and brought me to a place where I can dance in the rain, and always, always, follow and bask in the sun.

It’s estimated that 264 million people globally suffer from depression. If you or someone you know is suffering you’re not alone. Tell someone you trust today, and reach out to your doctor. Call a hotline. You deserve help, you deserve happiness, and you deserve joy. If you’ve suffered, share your story, help destigmatize depression and anxiety and save a life by encouraging others to come forward. Live life in the light, we want to see you shine.

Never, ever, ever give up.

If you’ve been to the studio lately, you’ve probably seen the LMNT Recharge packets at the front desk. But what is it, exactly? LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix that is formulated to help anyone with their electrolyte needs and is perfectly suited to folks following a keto, low-carb, or paleo diet.

But why electrolytes? Great question…

Functions of Electrolytes

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “electrolytes are minerals found in your blood that help regulate and control the balance of fluids in the body.”  Electrolytes can be key for optimal hydration and are essential for:

• Controlling your fluid balance.
• Regulating your blood pressure.
• Helping your muscles contract.
• Maintaining the correct acidity of your blood (pH).

There are quite a few electrolytes, but the 3 big ones are sodium, magnesium, and potassium. When you go to the bathroom, get sick, or break a serious sweat through exercise, you’re depleting your body of electrolytes. While you can replenish electrolytes through diet and certain foods (leafy greens, fruits, veggies), if you’re excessively sweating throughout the week- especially in the Body Alive hot room, you might want to consider a supplemental electrolyte drink like LMNT. 

Why LMNT?

1. The Ingredients

We love LMNT because, unlike many other sports drinks, it’s made with clean ingredients, zero sugar, and is packed with sodium, potassium, and magnesium- three of the most important electrolytes. LMNT is also Keto, vegan, and paleo-friendly!

2. The Electrolyte Mix

When we sweat (especially in large amounts), we naturally lose tons of electrolytes. The most largely impacted mineral is sodium, but our sweat also contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium- so it’s really important to replenish these electrolytes after an intense sweat sesh. LMNT Recharge contains 1,000mg of sodium, 200mg of potassium, and 60mg of magnesium- while each of these minerals has its own benefit, they are truly powerful when combined in the right doses. Together these electrolytes:

• Regulate fluid balance (blood flow)
• Regulate blood pressure
• Help conduct nerve impulses
• Promotes the release of vasopressin (or antidiuretic hormone) which helps you sleep through the night
• Aid in energy (ATP) production
• Contribute to DNA synthesis
• Regulate blood sugar levels
• Help muscles contract (including your heart)
• Increases the absorption of certain nutrients through the gut.

3. The Taste

LMNT doesn’t just make you feel recharged and hydrated, it also tastes great! It’s added sugar-free but sweetened with natural flavors (it comes in tons of flavors options and even unflavored!) and has a slightly salty taste to it. If you’re sensitive to salt, you can always add more water to reduce the salty flavor or mix and match the flavor packets to create different drink recipes!

Don’t just take our word for it- next time you’re in the studio, make sure to grab a packet or two to drink before, during, or after class! 

 

Resources:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/electrolyte-drinks-beneficial-or-not/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/electrolyte-water#what-it-is

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153188#_noHeaderPrefixedContent

https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-are-electrolytes-and-why-are-they-important

 

The holiday season is upon us! The air is crisp and cold, Christmas music seems to play on every station, festive lights sprinkle our neighborhoods, and now it takes 20 minutes instead of five to get to your favorite yoga class because the mall is filled with shoppers hustling to find the perfect gift or snag the best deal. We have travel, work parties, eating, drinking, secret Santas, The Festival of Lights, all while trying to keep up with the usual full calendar of tasks and commitments. Sound familiar? Wow, that can get exhausting. Believe me, I know, I’m guilty of repeating the same bad habits every year. Overcommitting, overindulging, spreading myself too thin- trying to appear like I have it all together.  

One way I combat the hustle and bustle of the season is with Hot Yoga. Yoga has become a huge part of my life, not only physically, but mentally. It provides a “positive discipline.” I say positive because the word discipline can seem like a punishment. I want “discipline” to feel more like practicing to keep a promise. A promise that you make yourself over and over again. One that offers guidance, restores peace, and gives you the strength to take what you need and leave what you don’t.  

As you step into this season of life, take a different perspective, one that allows you to experience freedom through practicing your “positive discipline.” If you can commit to an hour of breath and movement in a steamy hot room every day, I believe you can promise yourself freedom from the Holi “daze.”

1. Practice Breath Work

Cut through the daze, by starting each morning with clearing deep breaths. Breath that intentionally invites in energy and light and releases tension and stress. It might sound cheesy, but your breath connects your mind and body. It provides fuel and can guide you through anything. 

2. Keep Track of Your Time

Armor yourself with tools that help you stay on track! A calendar, notebook, checklist … Something to keep you organized. Notice when your calendar or checklist becomes overwhelming. Start to eliminate items that aren’t serving you and don’t be afraid to say NO. Time is precious. Notice what or who you are prioritizing and evaluate what value they add to your life.

3. Pay Attention to How You Feel

Recognize triggers, things that make you feel stress, anxiety, or frustration. Get to the root of the problem. Becoming self-aware can be challenging and even painful. Acknowledging these truths can only help you become lighter or provide new space for positive energy. Don’t bite more than you can chew.  

4. Indulge in Moderation

So many holiday celebrations revolve around festive foods and Christmas-themed cocktails, but your body is more susceptible to stress and anxiety based on what you put in the tank. Sugar and alcohol can amplify triggers. If you plan to indulge throughout the holiday season (which is absolutely okay!), balance it out with nourishing, nutritious foods and a little movement. Moderation is key. Again, apply the “positive discipline” to your eating habits, but don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself reaching for another Santa-shaped cookie!

5. Movement is the Best Medicine

I always say “move your body, change your mind.” Movement is exercise and exercise is medicine.  Exercise is proven to boost your energy, improve your mood, promote better sleep, enhance your memory, and it can be fun and social. Find a community like Body Alive. One that supports, encourages, and shares your values. Lean on these support systems for accountability.  

6. Give Yourself Grace

Last but not least, give yourself and others grace. We are all navigating this journey at different paces, by different means, with different hurdles. It can be challenging to see beyond our own story, but it is in those intimate moments of connection and relationship that the daze clears and the light of the holiday shines the brightest.  

When people come to me for “Food Coaching,” I have to let them know a couple of things, and before you read about how supplements can benefit your life and which ones can be especially beneficial, you need to know what I tell them:

• Supplements aren’t regulated and can be manufactured in ways that are harmful (fillers, poor quality, and even toxins)
• Even if a supplement is good for many people, no supplement is good for all people
• Even “good” supplements can interfere with medications or have side effects with certain conditions and ALL supplements should be discussed with your doctor. For real.
• Don’t stop taking medication without your doctor’s approval.
• Children are even more sensitive to supplements and a doctor should always be consulted.
• My previous designation was “Registered Holistic Nutritionist,” which allowed me to recommend supplements in some places and not in others depending on the state laws, and as I currently am not associated with the organization that accredited me, I do not hold this title. All my statements are from general experience with a strong emphasis on connecting with your doc!

Here we go!

 

Omega 3

In a wild world where we overeat omega-six fats (think processed foods and oils), we tend to eat very few omega-three heart health fats (think fish, certain eggs, etc.) and this balance has been proven to be critical to heart health, mood, cholesterol levels and more! To help maintain balance, eating fish that’s low in mercury is a great addition to your diet, along with an omega-three supplement. Vegan’s can rejoice too- there are plant-based versions! But if there is no dietary restriction, I recommend fish oil from a reputable source (think Thorne, Pure Encapsulations, Barlean’s, Green Pastures). Take these potential mood boosters in the morning with a little food (and the fish burps will never be a reality). Don’t take more than recommended!

 

Probiotics

In Holistic Nutrition, the health of the body (and the mind!) is largely from the health of your gut.  Did you know there are billions of bacteria working in there right now? BILLIONS! These bacteria help to process food, eliminate toxins, and even MAKE vitamins! You want to treat these guys like your best friends. Only trouble is, a diet heavy in bread, packaged products, dairy (don’t worry I love my cheese, but make sure you can tolerate it and buy it organic when possible), unhealthy oils, alcohol (I know, I know, but it’s true) can seriously throw this world of flora out of whack!  You’re obviously best to eat more fresh fruits and veggies and healthy meats but a little boost from a probiotic is a great thing! Don’t be daunted by the word “billions,” on the label and try to switch brands every few months to keep everything fresh. There are a lot of great brands out there, start slow and see how your stomach reacts. I like to take these at night, but some brands need to be taken with food.

 

B Vitamins

B vitamins are essential for energy, mood, and for cellular metabolism. They come in all different numbers (B6, B12, B3, etc.- kinda like bingo!), and are abundant in meats of all kinds, eggs, dairy, green leafy vegetables, and fruits.  If your system is chugging along a little more slowly (constipation, health, or mood issues) it can be a real boost to add B vitamins to your morning (they tend to energize so make sure you really do take them in the morning). Try Pure Encapsulations or Thorne, and Whole Foods, or a similar store brand, or look for a “yeast-free,” B vitamin complex. You may see that the daily percentage is high on your package but don’t fret, this is because B vitamins are water-soluble and what the body doesn’t use will be eliminated easily. Also, your pee will be bright!  Don’t panic, it’s just part of the process of elimination. Try to have these vitamins an hour away from coffee for better absorption.

 

Vitamin D

And who doesn’t love a little sunshine?  The ultimate sunshine vitamin is vitamin D which you can literally get from the sun! Although for some, sun exposure is not optimal or there are issues getting to the sun, or converting the sunshine into vitamin D that you can use so it’s optimal to add a little. Think 1,000 IU a day for an adult in a liquid, capsule, or chewable.  Remember that vitamin D plays a role in many functions and could potentially be linked to a lower cancer risk, and play a role in fighting depression and supporting the thyroid, and it’s also fat-soluble, which means that it accumulates in the body. If taking more than 1,000IU a day it is highly recommended to get regularly checked to make sure your body does not store vitamin D to a toxic level.

 

Vitamin C

Although controversial, vitamin C can be a great addition to your collection and help in cold and flu season. It’s water-soluble so your body easily eliminates it, but it can make you poop so be careful how much you load up on or you could be in for a surprise. For some types, it can also hurt the stomach. Add 1,000mg in times of stress or sickness and stick with 250mg for regular use.

 

Minerals & Magnesium 

In a previous blog, we talked about how our soil is now pretty deficient, and it’s one of the reasons why our food is lacking in minerals. Magnesium, zinc, calcium, and many more minerals are needed for overall health. It’s great to take a mineral supplement that contains all the critical ones (Concentrace is a good example for a brand) but also to add magnesium to promote calm, and overall health. Magnesium will also make you poop so go slow and low until you find your level.

If you get the green light to add omega-three, B vitamins, probiotics, vitamin D, vitamin C, and a mineral blend plus magnesium it is likely that your energy levels and mood will improve, but nothing replaces eating right, sleeping well, and reducing your stress. Let your approved supplements augment good lifestyle habits and you will be amazed at how much your quality of life can improve.

Here’s to your good health!