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May 18 2020

Vitamin D – could it help in the fight against COVID-19?

While painting at The Stables this weekend I was listening to my go to podcast – Joe Rogan. This episode with Dr Rhonda Patrick went into details of the research between COVID-19 and vitamin D.

Fascinating and compelling arguments have sent me down a rabbit hole of research. Could something as simple as supplements really help prevent the severity that this invisible enemy takes hold?

What is vitamin D?

It’s primary role is to aid the absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphate. Keeping your bones, teeth and muscles strong and healthy. It also plays a vital part in modulating cell growth, immune function and reduction of inflammation.

UV rays from the sun should provide us with the majority. A few food sources such as oily fish, fortified cereals, egg yolks and red meat also contain some dietary Vitamin D.

Are you getting enough sunlight?

If you live in the UK and don’t have the luxury of spending much of your summer months outside there’s is a strong chance you could deficient in vitamin D.

During the winter months between 30-40% of the UK population is though to be deficient. Even by the end of the summer months around 8% of adults and 13% of children are still thought to be deficient.

Considering anything under 25 nmol/L (nanomes per litre) is deficient, between 25-50 nmol/L is insufficient and 50-125 nmol/L is a sufficient level we can assume that a large percentage of the population also fall into the the “insufficient” category.

What are the links between COVID-19 and vitamin D?

Studies are being carried out to determine links between COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiencies.

With the at risk populations of severe cases and deaths from COVID-19 being the elderly, obese, diabetics and those with current underlying autoimmune diseases, scientist around the globe are coming to the conclusion that vitamin D deficiencies could be the link.

Research into why BAME (black and ethnic minorities) in the UK are being worst effected is also being carried out. Could this be also partly down to vitamin D deficiencies due to darker skin tones absorbing less UV rays than lighter skin tones?

While studies are so far small and in their early stages there is definitely a large number of academics all singing from the same hymn sheet on this one.

A small study from Louisiana State University in America found that out of 20 COVID-19 in-patients with vitamin D deficiencies, 65% ended up in ICU. 84.6% of ICU patients had vitamin D deficiencies compared to 57.1% of non-ICU COVID-19 admissions. Strikingly, 100% of the ICU patients under 75 years of age had vitamin D deficiencies.

How can vitamin D help fight against COVID-19?

Sufficient levels help the immune system work optimally. It’s job in the immune system is to help with the production of the little army of proteins. These proteins are sent out to seek and destroy bacteria, viruses and dead tissues in the body. It helps provide the strong armour to make it harder for the enemy to get in. It trains your immune system army into recognising and kick out the bad eggs while support the team players. Lowering inflammation and setting you up to fight the battle.

A lack of vitamin D – especially when linked with obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other already inflammatory diseases makes it much easier for COVID-19 to take hold and cause mass destruction.

The School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin are working on getting their government guidelines changed to increase the daily recommend intake from 400 IU. Although some studies suggest that a higher daily intake of 1000–4000 IU (25–100 micrograms) is needed to maintain optimal blood levels. Public health bodies in the UK have recommended supplementation since the lockdown.

This is becoming a common theory for scientists and medical studies around the world. It definitely isn’t going to do any harm adding some D3 supplements to your diet.

It should also be noted that Vitamin D (along with vitamin A, E & K) is fat soluble, meaning it will only be absorbed into the system in the presence of dietary fats. Ensuring you’re eating healthy fats will make sure you are able to increase your vitamin D levels. These include things like, olive oils, coconut oil, avocados, full fat dairy, nuts, nut butters and milks, seed and legumes.

I recommend MyProtein when sourcing your vitamin D3 supplements. In no way affiliated with them – just love their products! They have a massive 2500IU/62.5mcg per serving and a years supply with set you back less than £12. Especially as they have a 30% off May sale on currently too!

I’ll certainly be nagging my loved ones to supplement with vitamin D from now on!

 



 

Read my blog on the The Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum to see how else you can tip the balance of your health into avoiding chronic disease.



 

References:
“Vitamin D Insufficiency is Prevalent in Severe COVID-19”
View ORCID Profile Frank H. Lau, Rinku Majumder, Radbeh Torabi, Fouad Saeg, Ryan Hoffman, Jeffrey D. Cirillo, Patrick Greiffenstein
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.24.20075838v1
“Is ethnicity linked to incidence or outcomes of covid-19?”
BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1548 (Published 20 April 2020)Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1548
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1548/rr-6
“The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging”
https://tilda.tcd.ie/
“Study: Vitamin D supplementation a key factor in COVID-19 severity” Nikki Hancocks – 15/5/2020
https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2020/05/15/Study-Vitamin-D-supplementation-a-key-factor-in-COVID-19-severityutm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyright

Written by nimbaz · Categorized: Uncategorized · Tagged: coronavirus, covid-19, vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin deficiencies

Jun 04 2019

Exercising after 40 – 8 Reasons To Start

It’s never too late to start exercising. Whether you had a sporty background but have been inactive for a while, or have never done a day’s exercise in your life, there are still many benefits to starting exercising after 40 years of age. Below are 8 reasons to start exercising later in life, although there are many more that could be added!
exercising after 40
 

1 – Exercising helps to increase bone density.

Bone density decreases as we age, especially in women after menopause. Bones lose calcium and other minerals with age but training and correct diet can help to keep bones strong and health and reduce the risk of breaks later in life.
 

2 – Decreased risk of heart attacks.

Our hearts are muscles, and like any muscle, the less it is used the weaker it will become. Exercising means the heart has to work hard to pump higher volumes of blood to the muscles around the body. The stronger the heart, the lower the blood pressure and the less chance of getting into trouble with your ticker in the future.
 

3 – Avoiding hip/knee replacements.

Carrying a healthy body weight puts less strain on our joints. Over working your knees and hip joints over years and years of carrying excess weight. Similarly, not strengthening the supporting muscles around them can lead to living with constant pain in later life or having to go through major surgery to have knees and hips replaced.
 

4 – Improve and develop mobility and agility.

Working on strengthening weak muscles and stretching tight muscles to realign your body and keep joints mobile will help to prevent bad posture later in life. Avoid the stereotypical old age hunch back by starting work on prevention today.
 

5 – Exercise helps to lower your cholesterol.

Exercising help to stimulate enzymes which help to move low density lipoproteins (LDL, the bad type of cholesterol) from the blood to the liver. From here it is converted into waste products and excreted from the body. It also helps to increase the size of the protein particles which carry cholesterol around the body. The larger the particles the harder it is for the cholesterol to squeeze into blood vessels and the heart where they set up camp and cause problems including heart disease.
 

6 – Improve balance.

One in three adults over the age of 65 take a serious tumble each year. Falls can have devastating effects on the older population and lead to losing confidence in getting out and about. The less we move the weaker we become and the high the chances of needing supported living in later years. Start work on your balance and coordination now and keep your independence later in life.
 

7 – It could help to prevent osteoarthritis.

Doctors are still unsure what exactly causes arthritis and there are many types which can effect any age. However the most common form, osteoarthritis, can be prevented. Staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, strengthening the supporting muscles and ligaments around the joints, avoiding injury and repetitive movements.
 

8 – Prevent menopausal weight gain (women)

Maintaining your weight can be hard during and post menopause. The increase in estrogen hormone can slow metabolism and increase insulin resistance. This leads to weight gain even if you are eating exactly the same as before. Not everyone wants to lower your calories to combat this. Therefore upping the activity levels can be an alternative to keep the menopausal weight gain at bay.
 
Drop me a message via Facebook or my website today to find out how I can help you ease your way into exercising after 40 safely and comfortably and keep you active and independent in your 80’s!

Written by nimbaz · Categorized: Uncategorized

May 22 2019

The Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum

If you could plot your health on a graph, where would you sit?

CrossFit founder Greg Glassman formulated a measurable scale to determine ones health; The Sickness – Wellness – Fitness Continuum. Based on Dr John Travis‘ 1972 Illness-Wellness continuum.

The theory being that the way we live our lives determines where we sit on the graph. We can adjust our lives to move us further into the “fitness” zones and away from the “sickness” zones.

We should all strive to live our lives in between “wellness” and “fitness”. The further into the “fitness” zone we are, the less likely we are to develop life altering, life limiting illnesses. Of course, there are some unexpected, unavoidable and completely unforeseen events which can set us back; some cancers, type 1 diabetes, a car accident etc. but if we can do all we can to avoid the avoidable, shouldn’t we do just that?

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertrophy (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, heart failure, dementia and depression can all be avoided, managed or reversed by taking care of our health through exercise and nutrition.

If we drink alcohol in excess, we tick the dial closer towards the sickness, raising our risk of kidney failure. Carrying excess weight? We move the dial closer to sickness and therefore raise our risk of heart disease, hypertrophy and type 2 diabetes. Smoke, eat a poor diet and have poor cardiovascular health? We are increasing our risk of developing dementia and other age related illnesses.

Not only are we increasing our chances of developing health problems in the long run if we sit further into the sickness end of the spectrum, it also effects our ability to recover from short term set backs. A common cold, a strained muscle, a broken bone are all easier for our body to recover from if we are striving to sit on the fitness end.

sickness wellness fitness

 

So what can we do to move us closer to fitness and keep us from sickness?

  • Take regular exercise; walk, run, lift. Push, pull, squat. Swim, stretch, throw. It doesn’t matter what. Just move. Do anything you enjoy that raises your heart rate for a period of time.
  • Work on flexibility and mobility. Keep joints moving in the range of motion they are designed for and keep muscles balanced and supple.
  • Eat a healthy balanced diet full of protein, healthy fats, complex carbs and fiber. Fill your plate with a variety of colours (natural, from fruit and veg.. not skittles!)
  • Avoid processed food, excess sugar and alcohol.
  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • Get outside, breathe fresh air and soak up as much vitamin D as available to you.
  • Supplement omega 3 and vitamin D if you can’t get enough from your diet and lifestyle.
  • Above all, give your mental health the time it deserves. Meditate, take time to yourself to de-stress, recognise when life is getting too much and find a way to take a step back and breathe.

We can take gradual steps in the right direction and turn them into lifelong habits. As a result, we give ourselves the best chance to live long and healthy lives.

If you are worried you are slipping too far into sickness but are unsure how to pull it back drop me a message now. Together we can work on putting steps into place to move you in the right direction. A complete overhaul of your current lifestyle will most likely be unsustainable and overwhelming. However, taking each week at a time we will slowly build habits that will last you a lifetime.

 

 

 

 

Written by nimbaz · Categorized: Uncategorized

May 02 2019

Why sleep is so important and how we can get better quality zzz’s

Sleep quality and the amount of sleep we get a night is important for so many factors in our lives.

We all know we should be aiming for about 8 hours of good quality sleep a night.

As little as a couple of nights of sleep deprivation (averaging 5.5 hours of sleep) can cause damage to our body and mind.

Sleep Deprivation and Weight Loss

When we don’t get adequate amounts of sleep appetite increases and we crave higher calorie, quick energy releasing foods like sugar and processed food. If you are already in a calorie deficit in an attempt to shift some weight then a not getting enough sleep can spell disaster for your will power. Studies show that, in otherwise healthy women, just 4 days of sleep deprivation can lead to a 20% increase in calorie intake. Sleep deprivation can also effect your nutrient partitioning – whether calories are used/stored as fat or muscle. It’s a vicious cycle, sleep less, eat more and store more as fat rather than muscle. It also work the other way around. If you do manage to maintain a calorie deficit while sleep deprived, your weight loss is more likely to be from muscle mass than stored fat.

Metabolic Syndromes

The occurrence of insulin resistance, hypertrophy (high blood pressure) and obesity are all increased by lack of sleep. With insulin resistance comes a greater risk of diabetes. Although there are studies which show a greater risk of insulin resistance of continued prolonged sleep of 9+ hours. (Oh how lovely would that be!)

Cognitive Function and Memory

Impaired sleep goes hand in hand with impaired cognitive function. We know driving tired is dangerous. Not only because we might fall asleep at the wheel, but we are slower to react and make more mistakes; missing turnings, unintentional speeding, not spotting a cyclist when turning out from a junction etc. REM sleep is also the time our brain converts short term memories into long term memories. The term baby brain is there for a reason!

Cortisol – the stress hormone

Cortisol is the stress hormone. It runs on a fairly consistent cycle of peaking in the morning to help us wake up and dropping off in the evenings to help us sleep, leveling out throughout the day. The stress hormone, it is an important hormone to have, as long as it is kept in balance. Regular occurrences of sleep deprivation can cause all-day cortisol levels to rise. This adds to the metabolic syndromes noted above as well as lowering mood and reducing energy levels.

So what if we CAN’T get enough sleep?

This all sounds pretty bad right? If you’re a mum (or dad) of a newborn or shift worker are you doomed to a life of crashing your car, over eating and forgetfulness?

Unless you’re very strict on your sleep, and have no work or small people to mess with your sleep cycle, we will all have some degree of sleep deprivation over our lives.

What can we do to aid our sleep even with factors out of our control messing with the program?

Here are some do’s and don’t’s to help you get off to sleep easier and have better quality sleep overall.

DON’T – use devices with blue light before bed. The blue light of an iphone, tablet and TV disrupts your melatonin levels (the sleepy hormone). However this isn’t always an option. We work take, we check social media, we watch a film or series before bed as our way to unwind for the evening. If you don’t want to switch off all devices and actually talk to your partner in the evenings, have a look at the settings on your devices and see if you can turn the brightness down or onto a night mode to minimise the blue light disturbance.

DO exercise! Exercise not only burns more energy throughout the day leading to better sleep quality, but it also help to regulate hormones, so if you do work shifts or have a little person keeping you up at night, exercise can help to balance your cortisol, melatonin and insulin levels. Even if the only time you can fit exercise in is late at night, studies show it’s better than nothing. As long as you take some time after your workout to stretch off and shower it shouldn’t disrupt your sleep.

DON’T leave the TV or radio on to fall asleep. If you need to sleep while other family members are up and about try using ear plugs. If you struggle falling asleep in silence with the random noises of the outside world try using white noise to drift off. The consistent steady sound of a white noise machine is easier to drift off to and often quite soothing compared to the sound of people talking which we can’t help but tune in to.

DO have a bedtime routine. Ideally we would all go to bed at the same time every night and get a full 7-8 hours uninterrupted sleep. If this isn’t possible, you can help your body prepare for sleep by having a consistent bedtime routine.  This can be as simple as brushing your teeth and putting on pyjamas. If you need a little longer to settle down try 10 minutes of meditation once you’re ready for bed, or read 10 minutes of a book once in bed to help you relax.

DON’T drink too much coffee or alcohol before bed. Both are stimulants, as well as sugar and nicotine, so are best avoided before bed. Depending on your caffeine sensitivity will depend on when you could have your last coffee without it effecting your sleep.

DO ensure you are getting enough magnesium in your diet. Athletes and the elderly are more likely to have lower levels of magnesium. If you find you are struggling to get enough in through diet alone then supplementing some magnesium before bed can help you drift off into a good nights sleep. Don’t go above the upper limit of 350mg of magnesium supplementation. If you are already getting enough through your diet then supplementing with more won’t help your sleep.

 

So if you are a parent of a little person who steals your precious sleep, remember this won’t last forever! One day they will be teenagers you struggle to get out of bed. In the mean time, stock the fridge with healthy snack to grab when the low energy cravings hit. Try to get a workout in. Even if its a quick 10 minutes in the garden it’s better than nothing at all. Try to avoid picking up your phone during the night feeds. I know it can be boring and make the nights feel never ending, but staring into the darkness will help you get back off to sleep easier than flicking through facebook to pass away the time.

Night shift workers; get a good bedtime routine, try to block out as much background noise and light as possible and make sure you are getting enough magnesium in your diet to help you get to sleep when your sleep schedule has to adapt to your shift pattern.

I’d love to hear any other tips for sleep from you. If you work shifts, how do you combat the irregular sleep? What are your top tips for getting to sleep while the rest of the world is wide awake?

Here’s my little sleep thief catching up on some zzz’s

Written by nimbaz · Categorized: Uncategorized

Apr 30 2019

Don’t write me off! I’m just a fungi!

Don’t write me off! I’m just a fungi!

How often do you try new foods? Or try foods you may not have enjoyed in the past?

I am not a fussy eater. There isn’t much I won’t eat, or at least try. I don’t get put off my food easily and enjoy a wide range of vegetables.

Mushrooms, however, are the one thing I have tried multiple times and never been able to enjoy. Until my first pregnancy! At the age of 26, pregnant with my first child I lost my love of veg, it all made me feel very nauseous. My cravings for fruit went through the roof and the only veg I could stomach was peas and spinach. That was until I was served the wrong burger in a bar which contained mushrooms. Instead of sending it back or picking them out I ate them and loved every bite! Since then, and especially most recently since the birth of my second baby, I can’t get enough of them. I add them to every meal possible. Mushrooms are packed full of  fiber and protein as well as being a great source of B vitamins, selenium, potassium, copper, and vitamin D.

What are taste buds?

We are born with approximately 10, 000 taste buds. Like all living cells taste buds die and reproduce. Surprisingly the life cycle of a taste bud is only two weeks! They are designed to signal the digestive system to prepare to digest and absorb nutrients. The five recognised tastes are; sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.

Image result for taste buds

Our sense of smell also plays a part in how we taste foods. By breathing and chewing at the same time our brain helps us to detect flavours we recognise. (We have all tried holding our nose to try to eat something we are not keen on at some point in our lives.

Taste is also effected by a number of factors.

Age

The process of taste buds dying and reproducing slows with age. After about 40 years of age fewer taste buds return (remember we have around 10, 000 to work with!) Our sense of smell also decreases which effects how we taste foods.

Illness

Have you noticed how your perception of foods change when you have a cold? This is due to blocked noses effecting our ability to smell foods.

Hormones

Hormonal changes due to pregnancy, stress and sleep deprivation can also effect how we taste foods and which foods we lean towards.

Processed foods

The highly processed foods are made to be as tasty as possible so we keep coming back to them. They are packed with additives which tickle our taste buds and make your tongue do the tango! The more processed foods we eat the less we are able to appreciate the natural flavours in fruit and veg. Try cutting down on/cutting out processed foods and added sugar for a week or so and notice how suddenly fruit is all the more delicious and how veg suddenly has a whole world of extra flavour.

Try, try and try again

As with children, it sometimes take a few tries of the same foods for us to realise we actually like them. Don’t try something once and decide you don’t like it. Give it a chance and you may find it grows on you.

 

The point I am trying to make is that even if you think you don’t like certain foods you know you should be adding to your diet, don’t write them off completely. Keep trying them at different points in your life. Try them in a variety of forms; raw, sauteed, boiled or baked. Combine them with different flavors. You never know, you may just find a new favourite food!

 

Contact me for help with finding nutritional balance that works for you.

Written by nimbaz · Categorized: Uncategorized

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Naomi Bazeley

Naomi is a Level 3 Personal Trainer, CrossFit Level 2 Trainer and Level 1 British Weightlifting Instructor. If you are looking for one on one coaching, nutritional advice or you are interested in getting in to CrossFit or Olympic Weightlifting, Naomi can work with you to help you to achieve your goals. I take huge pride in taking people from complete beginner, terrified to step foot into a gym, to athletic warrior who can't wait to beat their next challenge. Every journey has to begin somewhere.

Contact

07950 471 010
[email protected]
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