SUPPLEMENT SPOTLIGHT

Vitamin D is both a fat-soluble nutrient we eat and a hormone our bodies make. Production in the skin is the primary natural source of vitamin D, but many people have insufficient levels because they live in places where sunlight is limited in winter, or because they have limited sun exposure due to being inside much of the time. Few foods naturally contain vitamin D, though some foods are fortified with the vitamin.

Magnesium also plays a crucial role in supporting the following aspects of our health:

• Helps strengthen your bones. Vitamin D is crucial for building and strengthening bones since it promotes the absorption of calcium.

• Supports the immune system. Vitamin D is important to your immune response. For example, there’s evidence that taking a vitamin D supplement helps reduce the risk of acute respiratory infection in participants.

• Helps prevent high blood pressure. Evidence suggests that vitamin D plays an important role in proper blood pressure, including that even a short-term deficit can directly raise blood pressure.

• Strengthens muscles. Vitamin D influences muscle development, which is important for everyone but especially older adults, as lack of muscle strength can increase the risk of falling.

• Supports weight loss. When combined with calcium, vitamin D has been shown to help with weight loss due to an appetite-suppressing effect.

• May help reduce the risk of certain cancers. There is increasing evidence that taking a vitamin D supplement can help slow cancer grow and improve cancer outcomes.

• May help with depression. Studies have shown a correlation between low vitamin D levels and depression.

• May help prevent Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Research is ongoing, but studies have found that ensuring the appropriate daily production/intake of vitamin D and calcium could effectively lower diabetes risk.

Is There a Difference Between Vitamin D3 and Vitamin D2 Supplements? Vitamin D2 is made from plants and is found in fortified foods and some supplements. Vitamin D3 is naturally produced in the human body and is found in animal foods. There is ongoing debate whether vitamin D3 “cholecalciferol” is better than vitamin D2 “ergocalciferol”. Randomized controlled trials that compared the effects of vitamin D2 and D3 supplements on blood levels found that D3 supplements tended to raise blood concentrations of the vitamin more and sustained those levels longer than D2.

Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the world. In the United States, around 35% of people have low vitamin D levels. Recommended daily supplementation doses range from 1,000-2,000 IU daily. To ensure you get Fury member pricing (35% off all retail prices) from Thorne, email jordan@crossfitfury.com to be added to the client list. When purchased through Momentous, use code CFFURY20

FITNESS OUTSIDE OF FURY

At the tip of the CrossFit theoretical hierarchy of development is the application of fitness in sport. A common mistake made by both coaches and athletes is making our training restrictive. We get so caught up in training to reach specific goals or milestones that it can negatively affect our training. In doing so, we forget that the whole purpose of fitness is to improve our physical condition and allow us the freedom to do more activities. In this series we will hear from Fury athletes that have used the foundational teachings and training of CrossFit to conquer adventures outside of the gym.

From Aly Graceffa,

"Some friends and I were able to score a Havasupai Falls permit for the end of April. We descended down in about four hours and 20 minutes (10 miles) and stayed at the campground Monday-Thursday morning. During the trip, we hiked each day to several different beautiful waterfalls through the area. Getting down the chains at Mooney Falls was definitely the most challenging part of the trip, though. At the end of the trip, we set a goal to return back to the top in less time than it took us on Monday. It was only a 2,000 feet elevation gain, but I bet 75% of that is the last 45 minutes of the hike. We were able reach our goal, getting back up in about 3 hours and 40 minutes, though!

Crossfit has helped me grow as an athlete, but it has also helped me grow mentally, too. When you are around like-minded people that are pushing themselves to be better people each and every workout, it changes you for the better. There's a mental toughness that is built as you learn how to not let yourself slow down or give up. We put ourselves through a spiritual battle if you will...You have to answer to yourself each workout. That self talk is a powerful thing! I think this is why my Havasupai hike was so enjoyable. The 10 mile hike with your heavy pack was an exciting challenge for me; I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Don't get me wrong, there were moments on the hike into the campground that I wanted to drop my pack and never look back for it. There was also a moment where I told myself it was okay if I didn't want to descend to Mooney Falls. (Those wet chains were terrifying.) But, because of my training at Fury, these were all things I accomplished due to the mental and spiritual well-being "strength." Havasupai was a trip of a lifetime, and I recommend anyone that hasn't put in for a permit should not wait!"

Aly has been at Fury and in Arizona since 2015, educating the teachers and students of the Liberty Elementary School District.

FROM THE CROSSFIT JOURNAL ARCHIVES

In October 2002, CrossFit founder Greg Glassman published an article with a deceptively simple title... "What is Fitness." In this writing, he outlines many of the fundamental principles of CrossFit training that still drive what we do today.

In attempting to develop a definition of fitness, Glassman outlines the three standards of fitness: 1) the ten general physical skills, 2) the idea that fitness requires an ability to perform well at all tasks, even unfamiliar tasks, tasks combined in infinitely varying combinations (the Hopper), and 3) the three metabolic pathways that provide the energy for human activity.

Lastly, Glassman described the "Sickness - Wellness - Fitness" continuum. Nearly every measurable value of health can be placed on a continuum that ranges from sickness to wellness to fitness. Though tougher to measure, we would even add mental health to this observation.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events! All details are available at the front desk and on our website.

Youth Basketball Camp - June 3-7

TFX Throwdown - June 8

Youth Baseball Camp - June 10-14

Youth Gymnastics Camp - June 17-21

Revive & Repeat Competition - September 7

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

Alex Lopez 6/16

Katie Snyder 6/17

Taylor Boyer 6/18

Angela Bergs 6/19

Penelope Presz 6/19

Katie Leister 6/21

Ron Barrett 6/21

Trevor Rhodes 6/22

Steven Moore 6/22

Piper Kinnie 6/22

Emilia Arroyo 6/22

Carol Moore 6/22

Micahel Arroyo 6/23

Judy Latkin 6/23

Cory Flagg 6/23

Elias Rios 6/24

Oscar Lopez 6/25

Nicole Palmer 6/26

Sarah Mammen 6/27

McKenzie Hess 6/30

Kenneth Barnes 6/30

Finn Benker 6/30

Have a supplement you would like to know more about? Is there a wellness question or topic you are wishing you knew more about? Have a topic about fitness, wellness, or health or a favorite recipe that you want to share with the community?