As you likely know, proper and balanced nutrition is vital to athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This is true regardless of the type of training you engage in, whether it be strength training, sports performance-oriented training, or endurance training. You probably put a lot of effort into ensuring that your macros are on point daily, but how much do you pay attention to your micronutrient intake?
Individual vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K and are stored by the body in the liver and fatty tissues. Since the body stores fat-soluble vitamins for extended periods, toxic levels of these vitamins can build up in the body if consumed excessively. TAPOUT Performance Drinks contain fat-soluble vitamins that benefit fitness performance, but no need to worry as they are nowhere near toxic levels! On the other hand, water-soluble vitamins are stored in the body for a short time as your body basically pees and sweats them away continuously. The nine water-soluble vitamins include the B vitamins: Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B7 (biotin), Vitamin B9 (folate), Vitamin B12 (cobalamin). Vitamin C is the ninth water-soluble vitamin.
Consuming water-soluble vitamins regularly throughout the day is important since they are only stored in the body for a short time. All of the B Vitamins, in particular, directly impact cell metabolism, energy levels, and brain function. Many individual vitamins like Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C also have antioxidant benefits. For example, Vitamin B12 has been found to decrease oxidative stress that leads to disease progression and early aging. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that contributes to muscle recovery, wound healing, collagen growth, bone formation, and immune system function. Without a doubt, B Vitamins are the best vitamins for energy and depression and are beneficial in many other ways, such as improving mental focus. A Vitamin B12 deficiency and other Vitamin B deficiencies in the body are associated with mood disorders like depression, inflammation, decreased cardiovascular health, and other health-related issues.
Active individuals, such as those who regularly engage in endurance training and resistance training, place high demands on their bodies. Therefore, ensuring that you are consuming adequate amounts of water-soluble vitamins throughout the day is especially important the more active you are. Some significant consequences of not consuming enough water-soluble vitamins include reduced energy and performance levels. In addition, since active individuals are placing more stress on their bodies, the antioxidant benefits of many water-soluble vitamins help with workout recovery because they help repair muscle tissue damage associated with heavy training and improve immune system health.
Active individuals following vegetarian diets and vegan diets may have difficulty consuming enough water-soluble vitamins throughout the day. The reason behind this is that some water-soluble vitamins, like Vitamin B12, for example, are mainly found in meat and dairy products. Also, active individuals trying to reduce their body fat by restricting their diet may not be consuming enough water-soluble vitamins throughout the day due to their restricted diet.
How can you ensure you consume enough water-soluble vitamins throughout the day to achieve your performance goals? This is where TAPOUT Performance Drink comes in. All TAPOUT Performance Drinks contain abundant essential water-soluble vitamins to conveniently fuel your athletic performance throughout the day. This includes 2892% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6, helping to give you a healthy and natural jolt of energy to conquer your performance goals and seize every day.
Lykstad, J., & Sharma, S. (2022, March 9). Biochemistry, Water Soluble Vitamins. national library of medicine. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538510/#:~:text=There%20are%20nine%20water%2Dsoluble,B12%20%2D%2D%20and%20vitamin%20C
Szczuko, M., Migrała, R., Drozd, A., Banaszczak, M., Maciejewska, D., Chlubek, D., & Stachowska, E. (2018, May 18). Role of water soluble vitamins in the reduction diet of an amateur sportsman. Open life sciences. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874678/
van de Lagemaat, E. E., de Groot, L. C. P. G. M., & van den Heuvel, E. G. H. M. (2019, February 25). Vitamin B12 in relation to oxidative stress: A systematic review. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412369/
Remember, that physical activity is not the only activity that saps your body's hydration levels. Periods of increased mental activity or stress can also cause dehydration. Be aware that your body needs more fluids during highly stressful times.