Exercise and Vitamin C

The vessel networks of the body, which include both the venous and lymphatic systems require body movement to function at optimal levels. We call this exercise today. Growing up in Idaho, we knew it by another name -- work! During summer months the farming communities were a buzz with irrigation, the production and harvesting of crops, and so forth. No one thought of playing during daylight hours; in fact I remember friends of mine that I came to know while working on my uncles farm in Mud Lake, Idaho, who would come by the house and pick me up after the sun went down so that we could waterski together down the canal banks by the moonlight behind a pickup truck. Oh what fun we had!

Gone are the days for most people to enjoy the privileges of moving the body in such productive fashion from morning until evening and into the moonlight. Instead, today we hear a lot about exercise. This short article is not only a reminder of the importance of exercise in your life, but shares a recent study that I thought you would find of interest, especially if you want your exercise to be more sustainable and enjoyable throughout a lifetime, and if you don't want to burn out on one of the most important things you can do for your body. We should each exercise at a fat-burning pace for at least 30 to 60 minutes daily, but how do we look forward to this and not have it become drudgery and something that requires extreme willpower?

In a study conducted by Corey J. Huck at the University of Wisconsin, he and his colleagues demonstrated that vitamin C reduces fatigue that is associated with exercise. The group that received a daily supplement of 500 mg of vitamin C had significantly lower heart rates during exercise, as compared to the non-supplemented group; and exertion and fatigue (as evaluated by standardized scales) were also much reduced in the vitamin C group.

The authors of the study conclude thus: " These data provide preliminary evidence that vitamin C may influence fatigue, heart rate, and perceptions of exertion during moderate exercise in obese individuals."

Does this mean that you ought to run out and buy a bunch of vitamin C and start taking it before exercising each day? No, other studies demonstrate that this is not a good idea to extract single nutrients from food, but rather we should consume those nutrients when they are balanced by a full array of other nutrients.

Take a look at the above chart and check to see how well you are doing consuming whole foods that are high in vitamin C. This is not a complete chart, but should help you come to see how easy it is to enjoy more than adequate vitamin C.In this study they supplemented 500 mg of vitamin C daily. Eating a sound diet that includes a variety of the foods from the list above will provide many times this amount in absorbable vitamin C.

In addition these foods will provide a full spectrum of micronutrients that are essential to sustainable health. In fact, in the last decade, scientists have discovered thousands of nutrients formerly unknown to us. Eating whole foods from God's garden, that are fresh in their due seasons, is by far the best way to enjoy the full spectrum of nutrients that enable our bodies to thrive for a lifetime.

If you want to keep your vital reserves high, which will lead to a lower heart rate as you exercise, and will also keep perceived fatigue much lower as you exercise, or work, or just have some good ole fashion strenuous fun, then love vitamin C rich foods as a part of your daily diet, and enjoy the extra benefit of receiving thousands of micronutrients included in these foods. 

Our bodies thrive, grow strong, and we come to look forward to doing hard things when we are well nourished. I was fortunate to have a loving and thoughtful mother who fed our family well and a father who taught us the problems associated with the burgeoning refined and processed food industry. As a country physician in a small rural community he knew well how these foods were so quickly destroying what only a generation earlier was the standard vigorous health enjoyed by most all American.

If you want to enjoy good health then eat right, sleep right, exercise right, and live right. As you do these things, you will come to thrive as you move your body and whether you call it exercise, fun, or work you will become best aligned with the needs of your venous and lymphatic systems when it comes to the moving of your body. And your efforts will become sustainable to you and you will not awake to the dread of the fun you are about to experience as you move about.

Best,
Jim Simmons

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