Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Workout of the Day
Six sets of:
Shoulder Press x 2 reps @ 20X1
Rest 2-3 minutes between sets and use that time to work on mobility;
and then,
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 6 minutes of:
155/105 lb. Power Clean x 5 reps
Burpee Pull-Up x 10 reps

Optional Finisher – Front Leaning Rest on Rings x Max Hold

Take a Multi-Vitamin If…
Written by George Economou

Take a multi-vitamin if . . .
…you don’t get 5 servings of vegetables a day.

…you have a body composition goal – mass gain or reduction.

…you have 50 cents a day to spare.

…you want the chance for improved cognitive function, reduced fatigue, or general mood enhancement.

…you suspect you may be deficient in some sort of vitamin or mineral.

While arguments that multi-vitamins are a waste of money can be made, there are too many possible benefits associated with taking them that pushes me to continue to recommend taking a multi.

It’s very difficult to nail down exactly how much and what kind of vitamin or mineral supplement is ideal, mostly because of the number of variables to take into account: age, activity level, lifestyle factors, current diet, environmental considerations (sunny SoCal vs. dismal Duluth).  While no study can address every variable, enough studies have been conducted to conclude that the most common deficiencies are:  calcium, chromium, folate, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, and zinc.

Is everyone deficient?  Probably not to the point where their health is in jeopardy, but why risk it?

Here are some considerations when choosing a multi-vitamin:

-Whole food source.  Sure, many of these vitamins and minerals can be synthesized in a lab, but our bodies were designed to recognize these nutrients from their natural source, not to mention the host of other nutrients and phytonutrients that may come hand-in-hand with them.  If anyone knows and wants to talk chirality in vitamins, it would be really fun to sit down with you…shoot me an email.

-Dosage.  One-a-days are convenient, but your body will not use 2000% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B12 in one sitting.  Don’t be thrown off by a suggested dosage of 3-4 pills spread out throughout the day and taken with meals…it kind of makes sense.

-For special populations.  Some vitamins are marketed specifically towards the middle-aged male who wants improved sexual function and hair retention.  There’s a lot of slick marketing out there.  What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.  If your doctor tells you that you have a specific deficiency, then take something to address it.  Otherwise, a family friendly multi is good to go.

-Price.  Kirkland’s (Costco) will run you a whopping 3 cents a day.  GNC’s Mega Man, 33 cents.  The brand I like, Garden of Life Vitamin Code, about 40 cents.

One final bit.  If you’re not sure if a vitamin will benefit you, try this: take a multi-vitamin for a month (or the life of one jar).  When you run out and stop taking them, start writing down in your workout logs how you feel.  If you feel better while taking a multi, then you should probably take a multi.  If there’s no difference, then you really didn’t lose all that much.

For more reading, you can search the internets or pub-med and check these studies out:

Carroll D, Ring C, Suter M, et al. The effects of an oral multivitamin combination with calcium, magnesium, and zinc on psychological well-being in healthy young male volunteers: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2000;150:220-225.

Schlebusch L, Bosch BA, Polglase G, et al. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, double-centre study of the effects of an oral multivitamin-mineral combination on stress. S Afr Med J. 2000;90:1216-1223.

Taylor CA, Hampl JS, Johnston CS. Low intakes of vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits, lead to inadequate vitamin C intakes among adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000;54:573-578.