Is your lack of iron responsible for your lack of energy? While you may experience a surge of energy mid-morning (especially after your second cup of coffee), chances are slim that you’re able to sustain a high level of energy through the afternoon. That is, it’s slim when your iron levels aren’t where they are supposed to be. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 percent of women are iron deficient. Are you?
Learn how to leverage your physical health to a whole new level just be getting in your daily recommended iron—then, watch yourself become unstoppable…inside and outside of the weight room.
How Much Iron Do I Really Need?
Do you need a boost of energy just to get through your last set of push-ups, or to have the energy to make it through your Saturday morning spin class? Or, perhaps you feel light headed after climbing a flight or two of stairs. Instead of assuming you’re just “not in the shape you were years ago,” consider your iron levels. Take in enough iron daily—specifically 18 mg if you’re female, and 8 mg if you’re male—for a healthy body that will support your busy life.
What’s the Big Deal About Iron, Anyways?
How well can your body possibly function if it’s not getting enough iron? Since this important mineral is responsible for passing oxygen through the body (and thereby giving you the opportunity to meet your deadlines with gusto!) iron is essential and vital for your mental and physical wellbeing.
Do you complain that you don’t have the energy to run ten miles a week like you used to? Or, perhaps you feel winded during the last half of Zumba every week ? It’s not the endurance it requires to make it through a tough workout that’s the struggle—it’s the iron your body isn’t equipped with to take you from start to finish successfully.
Eating More Iron (It’s Easier Than You Think!)
Push, lunge, squat and lift harder than ever with an iron supplement (or natural source of iron such as red meat, egg yolks and artichokes) and you’ll get that pep back in your step! Here are some easy ways to ‘up the iron’ in your diet, so you can ‘kill it’ during your next cardio session, or press it harder than ever in the weight room:
- Cook in a cast iron skillet if possible—you’ll get an extra boost of this energy enhancing mineral.
- C rich foods, your body can absorb the iron better than just consuming iron alone.
- Snack on a homemade trail mix at work for a mid-afternoon snack. Chomp on an assortment of nuts and dried fruit. You’ll have at your disposal a natural energy booster!
Your body is the greatest tool you have, and your physical strength is a gift—so use it wisely. Take your fitness to a whole new level just by upping your iron intake and you’ll have the ability to ‘pump iron’ like never before!
