When we have watched a football
or cricket match or witnessed a trapeze artist execute an impressive aerial
feat, you know that balance can be vitally important to an athlete’s
performance. When we consider the internal workings of the body—especially
concerning hormones, vitamins, and minerals—balance becomes even more vital, since
each of these is interconnected and none can be maintained at optimal levels
when another is out of balance.
In order to understand what these
substances actually do, we need to look at their definitions and how they work
chemically within the body. Many friends and family will tell you that they
take vitamins or minerals, but often they are not sure themselves what
these supplements do
within the body; they only know that they feel better taking them.
VITAMINS
By definition, a vitamin is an
organic compound that participates in a chemical reaction within the cells that
is necessary for proper nutrition and development in a living animal. Minerals are
inorganic substances that also aid normal bodily function; human bodies need
sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and many more, to give a few common
examples. Hormones are
chemical signals produced in one area of the body that take action in another
distant area of the body. These three types of substances are all
interconnected in the body, because Hormones
cannot be produced without adequate levels of specific vitamins and minerals in
our body.
The main goal of keeping
vitamins, minerals, and hormones in balance is to manage the aging process. In
fact, maintaining adequate levels of these substances can help you age more
gracefully in several ways.
The following
list will help you understand the function of a few essentials:
VITAMIN A
An antioxidant that helps protect
the cells from cancers, vitamin A is essential for eye health and can be found
in produce like carrots, sweet potatoes, and dark leafy greens.
VITAMIN B2
Better known as riboflavin,
vitamin B2 helps turn sugar, fat, and protein into energy.
VITAMIN B3
Better known as niacin, this
vitamin helps balance sugar and cholesterol levels in the blood. It also helps
with energy production and brain function.
Also known as pantothenic acid,
vitamin B5 is also involved in energy production and the metabolism of fats. It
is essential for brain and nerve function, and helps in the production of
steroid hormones. This essential vitamin is also a natural antidepressant and
diuretic.
VITAMIN B12
This well-known vitamin carries
oxygen through the body and is essential for energy production, the synthesis
of DNA, and proper nerve function. It plays a crucial role in metabolizing
folic acid, which is important for the developing brain and nervous system, as
well as for red blood cell formation.
Also called ascorbic acid,
vitamin C strengthens the immune system. You probably learned in primary school
that you can get plenty of this vital nutrient from citrus fruits like oranges
and grapefruit, but broccoli and bell peppers will also super-charge your
vitamin C levels.
VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is much more that a
vitamin. It functions more like a hormone and has hundreds of beneficial
effects, like improving cardiovascular function and nervous system function,
and it also helps maintain strong bones. It can even decrease the risk of
autoimmune disease, cancer, and dementia. Vitamin D also helps the body
optimize its use of oxygen and decreases the risk of the hardening of the
arteries.
Vitamin K
This vitamin is necessary for
effective blood clotting, and it is also involved in keeping the bones healthy.
It helps with immune function and improves response to vaccinations.
HORMONES
When looking to treat hormone deficiencies, the
goal should be to get them back to youthful levels. For example, we know that
the female hormones estrogen, progesterone, and DHEA all decline with age, as
does the male hormone, testosterone. All hormone production requires
cholesterol, and when we look at the production of estrogen, we see that there
are three main types, the levels of which change with age and can influence
health and disease. Post-menopausal women have more type 1 estrogen, and this
increases the risk for breast cancer. Progesterone helps balance estrogen and
helps improve mood and anxiety levels.
Testosterone
This primarily male hormone has
many functions in addition to the development of sexual characteristics. It has
a major benefit on the cardiovascular system and also has positive effects on
the brain and nervous system.
Thyroid Hormone
This hormone helps maintain the
metabolic rate and also influences cholesterol levels, strengthens the heart,
decreases blood pressure, and improves the function of the arteries. A thyroid
imbalance can lead to excessive weight loss or gain.
Cortisol
Cortisol is the hormone most
closely associated with acute stress. When chronically elevated, cortisol
becomes very harmful, resulting in muscle wasting, a decline in cognitive
function, an increased risk of osteoporosis, decreased immune function, and
elevated glucose levels. If these levels remain elevated, adrenal fatigue can
occur.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a tremendously
interesting hormone, as it’s produced by almost every living species on the
planet. It’s best known for helping regulate sleep, but it also has
neuroprotective properties and a multitude of beneficial effects on blood
pressure. It acts an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent, and supports
the immune system by increasing the effectiveness of other antioxidants.
Now, you’re probably wondering
why I’ve gone into such great detail about the chemistry of vitamins, minerals,
and hormones, so I’ll circle back to balance in your body and overall health:
optimal levels of [Tweet “vitamins, minerals, and hormones are necessary to
maximize your exercise potential.”] You cannot achieve success as an athlete
without healthy levels of all these components.
In addition to supplying the body
with healthy macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates), you also need
to supply the body with essential vitamins, minerals, and hormones that utilize
these macronutrients. Fats are necessary to produce hormones, but this cannot
be done unless the body has optimal levels of vitamins and minerals.
Carbohydrates are used as fuel for all cells, especially the brain. The hormone
insulin is required for this process; without adequate levels of cholesterol
and other micronutrients, the body is unable to perform these functions.
It all comes down to your
nutrition and daily intake, which is the key to maintaining balance within your
body. Balanced nutrition provides you with all the essentials needed to make
energy and motion possible. To achieve optimal health and excellent function,
you should ask yourself: What can I do today to achieve better health than the
day before? By putting healthy food in your body and getting adequate exercise
daily, you build a strong foundation for a quality life and advanced longevity.
Finally, remember this helpful
equation: “5–9 + 30.” This means eating 5–9 servings of (primarily) vegetables
with a few fruits daily, plus (at least) 30 minutes of moderately intense
exercise each day. Eat real food, minimize processed foods and unhealthy animal
products, get 7–8 hours of quality sleep, do your best to minimize the stress
in your life, practice gratitude and compassion, and make health your
number-one priority every day.
Enjoy Healthy and Positive Living
