Vitamin D: The Secret Weapon for Health, Longevity, and Athletic Performance

Did you know that vitamin D is more than just a vitamin? It’s a game-changing hormone that can boost your immune system, strengthen your muscles, and even improve your athletic performance. In this episode, healthspan coach Aaron Shaw dives deep into why vitamin D is essential for your healthspan and fitness. 

Learn how to optimize your levels through sunlight, food, and supplements, and discover the surprising ways vitamin D impacts your body—from bone health to endurance and recovery. 

Whether you’re an athlete or just looking to live a longer, healthier life, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Don’t miss it!

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Transcript

Aaron Shaw (00:00)
Nearly 1 billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient. And I was one of those people. That means everything from my physical performance to my mood, my energy level, and even my immune system was compromised. I was tested about for the first time about 15 or so years ago, and I felt like I was healthy. I was racing my bike full time, but my numbers were really low. My vitamin D was low. And this was during a routine annual exam.

I happened to be living in the Pacific Northwest, not a very sunny place to be, but I was racing my bike full time. And the last thing that I needed was anything that would inhibit my performance. vitamin, having low vitamin D can do exactly that, really zap your performance. So my levels are good now, but I had to find out ways to boost my levels and to sustain the appropriate level of vitamin D in my body.

Today we're gonna explore vitamin D's critical role both as a vitamin and a hormone in supporting health, longevity, and physical performance, and athletic performance.

I want us to think of vitamin D as a supercharger to our body's engine. It has a broad impact on our overall health. And if we want to reap the rewards of all of these benefits of vitamin D, we need to make sure that we have the right levels in our system.

My name is Aaron Shaw. am from HealthSpan Physio Coaching and this is your go -to podcast for information to extend your healthspan. HealthSpan is the length of time within our lifespan that we are healthy, active, vibrant, and free of disease, and specifically trying to be free of diseases that are conditions that we have control over.

When talking about HealthSpan, I talk about the five pillars of HealthSpan, which are exercise, nutrition, sleep, emotional wellbeing, and preventative care.

In my nearly 30 years experience in the health and fitness industry, I can assure you that healthspan, the concept of healthspan is valuable to every single person on the planet, all walks of life. And today we're going to talk about how vitamin D specifically affects our healthspan.

The four main points we're going to talk about in this episode include what exactly is vitamin D? What kind of dosing should we be thinking about? How vitamin D affects our general health? How it impacts our physical performance? And this is whether you have a physical job or you're an athlete. And we're to make sure that we learn how to optimize the level of vitamin D that we have in our system.

Let's start talking about one of the unique features of vitamin D and that it is both a vitamin and a hormone. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, but it is also a hormone as it really regulates some key body functions. And one way to think about this is the vitamin D is really like a light switch that can turn on, really activate some important processes in the body. What's really cool as well, which we'll talk about a little bit more in depth is that you can get vitamin D

through your skin from the sun. So we all have access to the sun to various degrees, but it is readily available if you have access to sunlight. So one of the big questions we get or we should be thinking about with vitamin D is how much vitamin D should I have? I'm sure if you walk through any drug store, any supplement store, you'll see rows and rows of vitamin D as a supplement you can take in pill form. And the numbers may be all over the place.

How much is ideal for you? Well, I can tell you that per the Mayo Clinic, the recommended vitamin D dosage for adults ages up to 70 years old is around 600 IUs. IUs, what they call international units. So around 600 IUs per day. And for people over 70, it's recommended 800 IUs per day. So 600 to 800 international units per day.

is the recommended daily amount of vitamin D that we need.

So with keeping those numbers in mind, in a minute I'll tell you what I take for my dose of vitamin D, which is a little bit outside those ranges. There are two types of vitamin D, vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. So vitamin D2 comes from plants and it's really, it's good, but it's also just less effective in raising our blood levels of vitamin D. Now, vitamin D3 on the other hand is sourced from animals and is produced by the skin through the sunlight, which we just talked about.

And ultimately, it's just more effective and potent than vitamin D2.

So we know there are two types of vitamin D, D2 and D3. We know you can get it through sunlight. We know you can get it through diet. And we know you can get it through supplementation. Now, full disclosure, I do supplement and I supplement with 1 ,000 international units, 1 ,000 IUs. I like to say daily, but basically it's up around five days a week. Now, why five days a week as opposed to seven? Well, I tend to forget a couple of days a week.

There's no real magic to that. would take it. would normally, if I didn't get sidetracked or whatnot, I would take a thousand I use per day. And that is in supplement form. So that's in addition to me going outside and getting some sunlight and what I, what I consume in my diet normally. So there are multiple ways to get it. I should make the big disclaimer here that I am not a doctor. I'm not going to prescribe you. wouldn't suggest you take the same dose that I do personally necessarily, but that is what I take a thousand I use per day.

Let's move on to what vitamin D can actually do for our health. one of the big benefits of vitamin D is bone health. It really helps in calcium absorption, which maintains bone health. we know when we think of calcium, we think of strong bones. think those are commercials back from, back when I was a kid, I can think of that correlation being put into my mind that calcium, strong bones, I think of milk even, but also,

But besides building strong bones, your heart, muscles, and nerves also need calcium to function properly. The significance being that vitamin D aids in calcium absorption, so having that vitamin D really helps calcium do its job better so we get all the benefits of calcium through making sure that our vitamin D levels are where they should be.

There are even some studies that suggest that calcium along with vitamin D may have benefits beyond bone health that could include protecting against cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. All good things, all things we really want to keep in mind. Now with bone health, I want to the extra point that bone health is great whether you are in your 70s, 80s, and beyond where we want to have, try to maintain as much bone density as we possibly can, decrease the risk of fractures.

And also for athletes where stress fractures would be a concern. Vitamin D is also great for immune function. So this is maybe a little bit of myth busting because I think when vitamin D and maybe you make this correlation with bone health, but it's also plays a critical role in how our immune system functions. It really enhances our body's ability to fight off infections. I can think back again to back when I was racing a lot, riding my bike a lot, get tired a lot.

kind of worn down and if I was tired and worn out from training, being on the kind of crappy weather sometimes for long rides, being cold, et cetera, et cetera, that my, you know, I'd get, my body was getting worn down and to have a compromised level of vitamin D really just kind of shooting myself in the foot because my immune system was probably compromised and therefore I was, I was getting sick on occasion more often than I should.

And looking back now, can say chances are a good reason for that was because my vitamin D levels were so low. So I don't have a time machine, so I can't change that. the point being vitamin D is great for bone health. It's great for immune function. There's research that again, that shows that it's good for preventing some chronic diseases, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental health. So there's a connection between vitamin D levels and mental health as vitamin D has been shown to

really help with mood regulation and can maybe even reduce the risk of depression. So back when I was riding my bike full time, was living in the Pacific Northwest in Seattle and it is dark a lot of the time and there's, know, nearly impossible for sometimes months and months out of time to really get a true proper, you know, fresh dose of sunlight. And I was also training on my bike indoors often and

I was tired from training all the time. so of all these factors, the last thing I needed was low vitamin D, which would further impact or risk the impact of my mood. So vitamin D, great for your mood, mental health, chronic disease prevention, immune function, bone health. So there's that vitamin D is great. We can clearly establish that. Let's talk a little bit more about.

physical performance in vitamin D and really the risk of having low vitamin D, you're risking physical performance both for anyone who has a physical job, but especially if you are really pursuing athletic endeavors, trying to exercise consistently, vitamin D plays a crucial role in muscle contraction.

And this is where the relationship between vitamin D and calcium also comes into play because vitamin D helps regulate the flow of calcium in and out of muscle cells. And this is what's really essential for the contraction of our muscles and for muscle function. Vitamin D influences the production of proteins, which are really important for muscle growth and repair.

So if you want muscle strength, if you want muscle mass, you have to have proper levels of vitamin D.

And here is a point for my endurance friends. whether you're a cyclist or a runner or a rower, whatever you're, if you're an endurance enthusiast, you're to want to make sure your vitamin D is on point because it has an enhanced effect on mitochondria. So mitochondria, the function of mitochondria is really like the energy source, the fuel source for cells, for muscle cells, for prolonged exercise. And you've probably heard me talk in other episodes about

Zone two training or base training. And that is a level of exercise level of intensity that we would exercise at to improve the density and function of mitochondria. again, I always think of these as like these energy sources for prolonged exercise. So if you want to be able to run for longer distances or more duration or ride for longer duration, hike for longer durations, whatever, whatever physical activity, takes

an extended amount of time, you absolutely, the name of the game of your training should be trying to make sure that you have enough mitochondria to produce enough energy to keep fueling you, keep fueling your cells for performance over many minutes or many, many hours. And in order for that to succeed, you have to have the appropriate level of vitamin D. Vitamin D is also essential in recovery. So you do your activity, you do your hard work.

You have the wear and tear of activity, you have the wear and tear of exercise and performance. Vitamin D is going to play a role in the anti -inflammatory properties or the anti -inflammatory effects that we need after the wear and tear that we put our bodies through as we try to improve performance and improve our ability to function. Vitamin D is essential for that. Of course, hydrate. Make sure you have a thoughtful exercise program.

Make sure you recover wisely. So definitely train hard and do challenging things, but also have a thoughtful recovery days or phases or workouts that are both based on recovery. Eat whole foods, no garbage, focus on sleeping well, and make sure your vitamin D levels are on point so you can recover faster. That is key.

I will not continue to beat this dead horse, but let's just be clear. Vitamin D is essential for bone health, immune function, chronic disease prevention, mental health, physical performance, athletic performance. And it is probably one of the easiest things that you can do to make sure that all of those things are taken care of, at least in part, because your vitamin D levels are where they should be. So let's talk about how to optimize your vitamin D levels so you can reap all those benefits. Make sure.

you're achieving your healthspan goals. You can optimize your vitamin D from sunlight exposure. Get out in that midday sun. Don't be afraid of the sun. It's powerful. It's great. It's good for you. This does not mean strip down and lay out for hours and hours and hours every day and cook yourself out in the sun. But midday sun, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes or so.

is great. are literally, your body is going to start producing that vitamin D from all that energy from the sun, which is awesome. Also, the benefit of the sun is that it really helps with circadian rhythms when you're on the sun and your body identifies that the sun is midday and you're out doing things. That's great. That's going to actually help you sleep better. So you're going to have the boost of sun during the day in the lights, you know, make sure you're sleeping in a dark room and that can actually help you sleep better.

Midday sun is great. And we know that, you know, the researcher shows that being on the sun can boost your mood, generally speaking, and lower depression. So bottom line, don't be afraid of the sun. Get outside in the middle of the day when you're busy at work. If you can just take 10 or 15 minutes midday during your lunch, if you can get outside, get your sun in your face. It's great.

Another way to optimize vitamin D is through your diet. Foods that are rich in vitamin D include fatty fish, egg yolk, and a lot of food is actually fortified with it. And I think I probably have orange juice in the refrigerator right now that is fortified with vitamin D. So it is readily available and it's a good way to make sure that you're getting your sun and then make sure you're getting it internally through your diet.

But if you're like me and sunlight and diet, don't cut it and your vitamin D levels are still too low. Consider supplementing. Now, before taking a supplement, I would say run this by your physician. You're to want to make sure that you're dosing it correctly. And that's very specific to you and what your needs are, what your levels are. Again, I supplement with a thousand IU's per day, most days of the week when I remember and

With supplementing, there's some research that shows that really the best time to take that would be during your largest meal of the day, or maybe that's dinner time. And that will help enhance the absorption of vitamin D because it is fat soluble.

It's worth noting that there are some gender differences and really specifically postmenopausal women may have a higher need for vitamin D. Again, check with your physician, but you may need more vitamin D as the relationship between postmenopausal women and osteoporosis. so vitamin D levels may need to be unique to you again.

The last point I want to make about optimizing your vitamin D levels is monitoring. Before going to the drug store and just shoving a handful of vitamin D in your mouth every single day, find out what your levels are now. So it is important to get a blood test. Again, talk to your doctor, get a blood test, find out what your range is currently before, you know, even maybe you don't even need to supplement it at all. So just get tested, find out what that is and

And you can kind of mark this as one of the pillars of healthspan is preventative care. so seeing your primary care doctor, getting a blood test annually, at least what are the levels?

Vitamin D we know is essential, it's magical, it's easy. And if there's one thing you can do today to extend your healthspan, it is this. Make an appointment with your primary care doctor, ask for a blood test, get your vitamin D levels and see where in the range of normal it is. Super easy to do, we should be doing it. It should be part of a regular blood panel anyhow, but I know a lot of us can...

You know, our annual exams sometimes lapse into two years or three years. And if you're struggling with, you know, either energy, low energy, low physical performance, if you have concerns about bone density and bone health, the simplest thing may be, a simplest, you know, a simple way to aid in those challenges could be making sure that your vitamin D level is where it needs to be. And I've, I've, you know, I kind of mixed feelings about

doing episodes like this where it's, you know, take a vitamin and everything's good. But, you know, you have to exercise, you have to hydrate, you have to eat well, you have to sleep well. mean, taking vitamin D supplement isn't going to cure you of all things. But at the same time, if as you're trying to control, at the very least, the simple things in your life, the things that are, you know, don't take a lot of time, don't take a lot of money, certainly doesn't take any energy to supplement with a couple of pills, a couple of vitamins in the morning or at dinner or wherever you take it.

It's valuable and it's easy. So the one thing you can do today is get tested, see what your levels are, see if you're on point, then awesome. Continue whatever sunlight exposure or whatever nutrition you have, continue on with it. Make sure your level stays sustained. Good. If it's low, it's an easy fix. So you would supplement with it for a period of time and then get retested another blood test to make sure that the levels have

gone up into the normal range of whatever's appropriate for you. After you get tested, message me if you want to consult on learning other ways, other personalized tips to extend your healthspan. It's what I do. It's what I love doing. When I talk to some of my clients and we talk about their overall picture of their health, of their goals, it is making sure that people get regular blood work done. if something is low, certainly if something

you and your blood work is low and it's easy to fix, fix it. Take care of the low hanging fruit. That should be easy stuff to take care of. It just takes a little initiative and the annoyance of making an appointment, getting in to see the doc, you know, getting jabbed with a needle, getting some blood work done, but it can give you a ton of information, give you a very real action item after that. And if you still want to know what to do, as I said, send me a message, healthspan, physio coaching. I'm happy to help you out.

If you would do me a favor and subscribe to this podcast, that would be totally awesome. If you have any questions about vitamin D or other supplements, or if there are other supplements you want me to dig into a little bit more to do an episode on, send me a message. You can send me a message through the podcast platform, or if you watch us on YouTube, drop me a line, say, hey, do some research on vitamin XYZ, and I'll do it. So until next time, take care of yourself.