Where is the week going?!  Wednesday already!!!  Hope your having a great week so far!  We’re getting ready for some CAMPING this weekend!  Getting excited! Thankfully we won’t have to rough it too much.  We have a camper and my dad has a motorhome.

It will be Sienna’s first time camping.  I haven’t been since 2001! Not sure how many pictures I’ll take since it won’t be a ‘makeup’ wearing affair! But I’ll sneak one in for ya!  Workouts for when I’m gone? There is a quiet highway nearby for jogging, plus I’ll be bringing my kettlebells!

So with it being summer, everyone gets stressed with all the events, trips, holiday weekends etc….its easy to let the diet go a bit and start feeling sluggish.  If I ever start to feel this way, I always make sure I’m taking my high potency multi with lots of B vitamins in it.

I probably don’t need to tell you that even if you have a good diet, most of us aren’t eating enough quantity of certain things to get the benefits from it.  Not to mention most of the nutrients are lost when its cooked, or even in the soil of where the veggies are grown.  Most people know that B vitamins are good for you and help with stress, but here is why….

First off, check out this cartoon….ha ha! I’m a nerd.

Why B Vitamins Are Important

Stress, aging, active lifestyles, poor digestion, alcohol consumption, PMS, menopause and cardiovascular disease are just some of the factors that increase the body’s need for B vitamins and why so many people can benefit from supplements. Inadequate intake of some B vitamins is not uncommon and deficiencies can be associated with fatigue, insomnia, depression and migraines. In the diet, B vitamins are found in yeast, green leafy vegetables and lentils. The best sources of B12 are meat and seafood, making supplements particularly advisable for vegetarians.

Why Stress is Harmful

Stress changes your body. Anything that happens (whether positive or negative), can cause a mental or physical state of strain. Your body reacts to this strain by releasing catecholamine hormones and glucocorticoid hormones. These hormones give your body instructions to do things like increase respiration, heart rate or blood pressure. These actions put physical stress on the inner organs and, over time, can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, strokes and susceptibility to other illnesses. Stress also makes some people feel unpleasantly anxious, tired, tense or overworked (this is what it does to me!)

Dealing With Stress

Today, experts advise a number of coping mechanisms including physical approaches like massage, meditation, exercise, diet, and mental approaches such as mental training, stress management or conflict resolution techniques.

The B Vitamin Family

The B vitamins play a significant role in helping our bodies manage stress. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) helps the body generate energy and is important for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Thiamine also stabilizes appetite, synthesizes carbohydrates and promotes muscle tone and growth. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin H (biotin) metabolize fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Riboflavin also regulates human growth and reproduction, and contributes to healthy skin, nails and hair. Vitamin B6 helps the immune system synthesize antibodies and helps the body maintain normal nerve function. Vitamin B12 maintains nerve cells and helps break down certain fatty acids and amino acids. Vitamins B3 and B5 facilitate the release of energy in carbohydrates, fats and proteins; and vitamin B9 aids in the formation of the building blocks of DNA.
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How much do you need?  I’d recommend 50-100mg of a B Complex type formula daily (or ensure your getting that in a high potency multi)

So are you putting it on your next shopping list? 😉

xo Kristine