Surprisingly, nearly 10% of those that live in the United States are actually deficient in their nutrient and vitamin intake. It may not seem like a lot, but of the 329 million people that live in the United States, that means that around 33 million people are deficient in any given vitamin or mineral.
Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
What’s the culprit of our deficiencies? The standard Americanized diet is to blame. Why? Because as we look for more and more ways to cook faster and have quick meals, more and more processed food is being introduced to our bodies. These processed foods end up being high in sugar and saturated fats and low in things like fruits and vegetables. This means that our bodies are not getting what they really need causing them to perform at a less optimal level.
Why a Healthy Diet Isn’t the End All, Be All
The irony is that even if you’re reducing the amount of processed foods in your diet and eating a quote, unquote “healthy diet” you still could have deficiencies. No matter what you eat, quite a bit of it is still highly processed, even if you think it’s not.
Identifying Essential Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
The best way to determine whether you’re deficient in essential vitamins and minerals is to have your doctor perform labs to check various levels. However, that isn’t always the most affordable option. That’s where essentially self-assessing your current state comes in handy. The one thing to remember is that in most cases, different vitamin and mineral deficiencies have their own individual symptoms.
The good thing is that, if you know what symptoms are generally caused from essential vitamin and mineral deficiencies, you’ll at least have a slight heads up. So what are some symptoms that are common throughout?
A lot of the time things like lethargy, aches, and pains can be attributed to various deficiencies. Not only that, have you experienced more anxiety than usual? Yes, that’s a symptom. Your hair and nails can also tell you a lot about your health as well. Are they brittle and break easily? How about depression or brain fog? All of these can occur at any given point when you’re lacking different essential vitamins and minerals. But what are the most common vitamins and minerals that are needed as a weightlifting bodybuilder? Let’s take a quick look.
Top 3 Vitamins and Minerals
When it comes to vitamins and minerals for the average weightlifting bodybuilder, there are three that are essential to your success. All of which do their own thing and make it easier for you to do your thing. What are they? Magnesium, vitamin D, and Calcium. But why are they essential vitamins and minerals? Well, let’s look into each one a little more in depth to understand why you need them.
Magnesium
First up, we have our essential mineral, magnesium. Fifty percent of those living in the United States don’t reach their requirement for magnesium. That means that close to 165 million Americans are deficient. But why is it so important? Because it plays a role in several areas of life including sleep, digestion and more.
But the biggest kicker when it comes to an essential magnesium deficiency is that it can actually increase your risk of things like cardiovascular disease.
So, how can you identify a magnesium deficiency? The most common symptom is chronic migraine and restless leg syndrome. However, other symptoms include kidney or liver damage as well as osteoporosis and impotence.
Vitamin D
Believe it or not, vitamin D is a top contender when it comes to being deficient or insufficient. In a study of over 12,000 people, around 8,600 of the participants had a vitamin D deficiency. What does it mean for your body when you’re deficient in vitamin D?
In most cases, this can cause things like higher blood pressure, higher BMI, and higher cholesterol. But don’t freak out, there are ways to tell if you’re deficient in vitamin D. Symptoms that are more commonly seen in a vitamin D deficiency include hormonal imbalances, low bone mineral density, and high blood pressure. But the one way you may best be able to determine if your essential vitamin D is at a loss is if you get sick often. This is because a reduction in vitamin D often leads to a lower performing immune system.
How does it relate to weightlifting and bodybuilders hitting gains? Vitamin D has the ability to boost testosterone. That therein results in more muscle growth and bigger lifts in general.
Calcium
Last but not least is calcium, a vital mineral when it comes to our health. If you’re not familiar with what calcium handles in the body, it’s the mineral in charge of bone health and is the most abundant in the human body. But again, much like vitamin D and magnesium we don’t really get enough of this mineral. In a study, a whopping 39% of 16,000 participants were getting less than what they should have when it came to calcium.
Something that may not be as well known is that calcium is also in charge of muscle and nerve control. Not to mention it helps to regulate hormones. So what does that mean if you’re not getting the right amount of this essential mineral from external sources? It means that your body will start to steal it from the only source it has, your bones.
A calcium deficiency commonly shows itself through muscle cramping, dental problems, a feeling of pins and needles, as well as brittle nails and even osteoporosis. I’m pretty sure I don’t need to tell you why it’s important for you to get the correct amount of calcium if you’re a weight lifter. But even still, a calcium deficiency for a lifter can easily result in broken bones and injuries.
SARMs for Bone Strength and Heart Health
SARMs are becoming more and more incorporated into the world of bodybuilding and weight lifting. Why? Because of their ability to strengthen bones and in some cases even provide your heart and lungs with extra support. Since they’re becoming more popular, it is important to know what they are. The phrase SARM is actually an acronym for selective androgen receptor modulators. They are not to be confused with their cousin androgenic anabolic steroids. But what makes them different? The fact that SARMs are less harmful to you internally because of their selective nature.
Want to learn more about different SARMs and get some of your own today? Head to our SARMs product page to buy SARMs and learn all you can from the product snippets. Even better, head to our blog and read up on the specific SARM you’re looking for. You can also order peptides online from us.