St. Pete Personal Trainer Talks Vitamin D and Weight Loss

As St Pete’s top personal trainer for men and women over 50, one of the things I hear most often is ” I’m doing everything I used to do and the scale just won’t move”.  So, as I was doing research for my 5 Reasons The Scale Won’t Budge livestream, I read a shocking statistic.

Almost 1 billion people across the world have a vitamin D deficiency!

That is a LOT of people – and it’s a very big deal because vitamin D does a LOT of things to keep us feeling healthy.

Do you know how your vitamin D level is doing?

Several symptoms of being low in vitamin D are:  feeling rundown and tired, along with catching every cold/bug that comes around.

Feeling depressed and losing hair also are two common signs you might be low in the “sunshine” vitamin.

All of these things usually contribute to weight gain which, in turn, contributes to vitamin D deficiency.

Today I want to outline a few things you can do to help boost your vitamin D (and why it’s important!) … including making a few different food choices!

You probably already know your body needs vitamin D to build and maintain strong bones over the course of your life. But is does so much more than that!

Vitamin D works like a hormone in your system, helping your body’s immune, digestive, circulatory, and nervous systems do their jobs.

Scientists also are looking into how vitamin D might help prevent diseases such as depression, diabetes, cancer, and even heart problems.

The thing is, getting enough vitamin D can be kind of tricky because not many foods are naturally high in vitamin D. You can get vitamin D from the sun, but, health experts have been warning us to slather ourselves in sunscreen for decades in order to avoid damage from the sun’s rays.

Sunscreen not only blocks the sun, but also the vitamin D!

There is also a lot of debate about how much vitamin D you need, with different health/medicine groups recommending anywhere from 600 to 2,000 IUs per day.

Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency:

● Getting older
● Being overweight
● Having dark skin
● Living far from the equator
● Using sunscreen every time you go out
● Staying inside
● A diet low in fish or dairy

Here are some practical tips for naturally raising your vitamin D level:

● Get some sunshine –  Yes, even though we are told to avoid sun exposure, it doesn’t take much to raise your vitamin D level.

Research shows that as little as 8 to 15 minutes of exposure is all you need (people who live farther from the equator or who have darker skin might need more time).

● Eat your eggs (especially the yolks) –  Studies show that free-range chickens that eat a diet of grain fortified with vitamin D have more than the daily requirement of the vitamin. Be sure to check your labels.

● Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna, and mackerel (including canned varieties) contain vitamin D. Whenever possible, choose wild-caught fish (according to Healthline, farmed salmon contains only 25 percent of the vitamin D of wild-caught salmon).

BONUS: these foods are high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health and have been linked to improved weight loss.

● Try a vitamin D supplement. Getting your vitamin D can be tough, especially in the winter when it’s hard to get outside or if you’re not eating fish and eggs that often. That’s where supplementation comes in! I personally use and recommend  Biometics Cal Mag w/Vitamin D to make sure I’m getting in daily dose along with the calcium to make my bones stronger and stimulate fat burning and magnesium to keep me relaxed and my muscles hydrated! Email me to find out more about Cal Mag

If you have a deficiency, raising them back to normal levels can make a huge difference in your energy level and your mood!

MORE FROM FAT LOSS U: Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

If you found this helpful and want more tips like this,  Come Join Us in Our FREE, Private Facebook Community St Pete & Tierra Verde’s Fit Over 50 where you will be surrounded by some of our most successful clients and we get real, bust through myths and talk about what REALLY works when it comes to losing weight, reshaping your body and having a body you LOVE ! This is Community for St Pete and Tierra Verde residents who want to get tips, recipes and strategies for living a healthy lifestyle and learning how to eat more, train less and achieve a body they love.

Committed To Your Success and Awesomeness,

Dianne Villano – Your Personal Fitness & Transformation Expert
Fitness St Pete I Tierra Verde Fitness
727-742-0816