T.J.'s News - Bob's Corner

Ignoring the vital vitamins needed to maintain a healthy body is surely asking for problems if weight training is expected to yield extended periods of improved conditioning, whether it be Bodybuilding, Power Lifting, or just overall body toning. Just popping a multi vitamin every day will not even come close to providing the needs of the body once weight training introduces it's own brand of stress.

Understanding a few basics on how we store specific vitamins in different ways, will help us keep the body fully engulfed in a complete supply of each and every vitamin. Water soluble vitamins must be replenished more often due to their inherent ability to exit the system each time we urinate. Perspiration also depletes specific vitamins at a faster rate than others.

A E D and K are called “Fat Soluble Vitamins”.B and C are known as the “Water Solubles”.Fat Solubles will not need to be replenished as often and not in the same quantity. In fact, over supplementation of any fat storing vitamin can lead to a myriad of ill side effects. Headaches, skin rash, nervousness, etc. Water solubles, on the other hand, need to be taken in greater quantity (MG) and more often. B vitamins carry oxygen, restore energy and also have an effect on our mood, so it's imperative that we maintain a daily regime of all the B complex elements. Vitamin C is critical in tissue repair, tissue flexibility and also as a powerful anti oxidant. Trying to provide the body with ample amounts of vitamins from just our meals, would surely have us ingesting far too many calories so, supplementation becomes the alternative.

Amounts of each will vary depending on the individual, daily activity, environment (Climate) and age, to name a few. Recommended daily allowances are almost always aimed at the dormant life style of the average American. Thus, we can safely assume that we will need more of almost every vitamin.

A general guide would be at least 1000 milligrams of vitamin C per day and even more if excessive perspiration is involved in daily activity. Many knowledgeable Dietitians recommend dosages of 3 to 4 times as much. Being an acidic element, it becomes the individual 's responsibility to make final decisions as to the upper limits.

B vitamins are needed in a multitude of varying amounts according to an individual's specific physiological predisposition. Some can tolerate more than others. It becomes a matter of trial and error so to speak. For instance Niacin. Too much will cause the skin to turn red in certain areas on some but not others. Once again, we must always remember, assimilation is different in all of us.

In fact some vitamins will be produced in the system if the proper mineral balance is maintained. But that's a story for another article and one that will be addressed in the future. Nonetheless, these basic guidelines above, will allow us to get started supplementing the proper way, without blindly popping a handful of pills and hoping for the best. Start with small dosages of any vitamin until you see your body's reaction.

- Bob Shaefer