October 19, 2012 – Your Daily Dose of Vitamin B with Genevieve Marie

Why is this a dose of vitamin b? Okay, I’ll start off being honest since one of the most important roles of a journalist is to be truthful with their readers. And I want us to have a long relationship and for you to want to come back and read often! Technically this is not going to physically give you the recommended dose of vitamin b that your body needs. However, b vitamins are known as the “happy vitamin” and can provide energy.

Therefore, through my posts I’m hoping that you will either get a good laugh, feel intrigued to try something new, or be inspired to live a healthier and active lifestyle, and most of all I simply hope that these posts bring a form of happiness and energy to your life. So you’ll still want to make sure you are eating plenty of leafy greens, legumes, eggs, dairy, beans, and poultry so your body is taking in the appropriate b vitamins. But let me be your “virtual” b vitamin!

By the way, did you know there are actually 8 vitamins that make up the b vitamins?

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)- This vitamin protects your body when it hasn’t had proper nutrition due to an imbalanced diet or decisions that harm your body such as alcoholism. It also helps convert glucose to energy that your body can use. You can find this in raisins, oranges, rye flour, whole-grains, wheat germ, kidney beans, pork, and liver.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)- Not only does this vitamin provide energy for you, but it also prevents ariboflavinosis (a deficiency that causes you to be sensitive to light and an increase in blood flow to your tissues). This can be in avocados, spinach, asparagus, red meat, almonds, broccoli and spinach, as well as dairy products.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)- This vitamin does your body a variety of wonders including reducing cholesterol levels, improving circulation, helping digestion and arthritis, maintaining memory function, and can enhance skin conditions. Look for niacin in chicken, tuna, mangoes, oatmeal, whole-grains, and liver.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)- If your body has been malnourished, this vitamin will help with food consumption and properly functioning organs. Egg yolks, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, corn, red meats, and whole grains are a great source for vitamin b5.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)- When it comes to regulating hormones, aiding in enzyme function, and helping with premenstrual syndrome, this vitamin plays an important role as well as a vital role in converting nutrients into energy for your body and fighting heart disease. Look for this vitamin in salmon, spinach, hazelnuts, potatoes (one of my favorites, I am an Idaho girl after all!), bananas, and skinless poultry.

Vitamin B7 (Biotin)- If you want glowing skin and healthy hair, this vitamin helps with both as well as keeping your metabolism going. Along with this, biotin maintains blood sugar levels and the body’s tissues. Biotin can be found in soy, egg yolks, mushrooms, peanuts, and bananas.

Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)- This vitamin fights against heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, as well as cancer in the cervix and colon. Find this vitamin in lentils, broccoli, peas, asparagus, spinach, citrus fruits, and dried beans.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)- Another vitamin that combats heart disease, vitamin b12 also helps increase energy levels as well as enhances your emotional health. A decrease in b12 can cause depression, some forms of cancer, as well as dementia. Increase your consumption however and you can get a mood booster and increase your memory! Seafood, eggs, dairy, and poultry can help supply the daily intake of cobalamin.

There you have it! Along with coming back and reading often, try to find a way to incorporate these into your daily nutrition! And remember, check with a professional or your doctor for more accurate details on the recommended intake that is appropriate for your lifestyle!

I am officially three weeks into my half-marathon training and could not be more pleased that I’ve made it this far! A nasty little bug got me about a week in which made for the runs during week 2 to be rather brief and not quite as enjoyable, but luckily I’m officially 110% better and ready to take on the cold front that’s making it’s way into the Treasure Valley.

Lately my runs have been as early as 5:30 am which means it is pitch black outside. I’ve come to the realization that even if I run a little later, it will still be staying darker longer so I am in definite need of some reflectors so that traffic can see me when it’s that early. My weekend run was a little on the slightly terrifying side because of this. I’ve also decided that I may just have to invest in a bright colored shell since I’m due for a replacement and sometimes it’s nice to have a little motivation to get out the door that early in the morning. A bright yellow or red new jacket seems like the perfect reason to get out of bed!

Remember my week of technical malfunctions?

My iPod went dead, headphones decided to stop transmitting noise (that’s their only job, how is that so difficult to continue doing!), the 4th cell phone of the same model decided to keep shutting off just like the last 3 *shocker*, my watch I used for running decided to act up, straightener died on me, and my computer decided to get a nasty virus and clear my hard drive. I considered giving up technology all together. Fortunately everything was under warranty so last week was like Christmas! My Einstein father fixed my computer, my phone company finally agreed to give me a new model phone, Sally’s decided to send me a gift card to replace the straightener, I received bright yellow headphones, and after thorough research I decided to upgrade to a Garmin watch! I’m absolutely in l-o-v-e with it and quite pleased with how well it’s been working. Unlike the previous week, this week has been pretty awesome!

Yesterday added a touch of randomness to the equation though. I was out for my run along a road that winds around up to the mountains. As you know, I love fall in Boise which makes for breathtaking scenery during my runs. There are particular areas on this road that look out upon all of Boise which adds incentive to keep trucking up the steep incline so the run down is even better. I was a few miles into my run when I noticed a car in front of me stop. I’m always cautious of my surroundings especially when I’m out in the middle of no where so I was wondering what they were doing. I then realized they had stopped because some sort of animal was in the middle of the road. My mind went straight to worst case scenarios. “What if it’s a wolf? What if it’s a mountain lion?” We have had a few sightings of them in town. Like I said, worst case scenarios. At least I didn’t go extreme as thinking it was a bear. I got a little closer and realized this creature was too big to be either of those, because it was a fat black cow.

Now I don’t have much experience around cows. The only times I’ve really been that close to one were when I was in the car or they were behind a fence, so I’ve never had a sense of fear in their presence. But this cow just kept staring at me and I was thinking to myself “Do cows attack people? Should I just turn around and run someplace else?” I had intended on doing about 10 miles that day so I didn’t want to turn around yet so instead I started rummaging around in my mind for information that I knew about cows. They produce milk, beef, and eat grass and go “mooo”. That’s all I got. So I decided I would keep running until I passed him or he chose to attack me, which in that case I would run for my life and race to my computer to blog about it immediately. What he actually did surprised me as the cow started to not just trot to the side of the road but proceeded to run along next to me and continued to do so for nearly a mile.

I had no idea cows could even run let alone run a mile. Just goes to show if anyone ever calls you a fat cow (which I hope that nobody ever gives you that name!) just tell them cows are actually distance runners and pretty fast for their size. Then tell them to rephrase that little statement. I kept laughing to myself as I would look over at this massive cow running next to me and how much it reminded me of when I run with Sunni and he starts to get tired. He would run a bit, then slow down to a walk and look over at me, realize I was still running and grudgingly start running again. After awhile, he finally pulled over to a field and I thought he was gone until a little bit later he popped up behind a cement divider and just stared at me as I ran by. Talk about a bizarre running partner! I made my 10 mile mark and even took a minute and a half off of my last mile!

The reason I missed my run this morning is because I was finishing putting together the final touches on the lay out of my blog. But I’m officially “cutting the ribbon” and releasing my new and improved blog “Your Daily Dose of Vitamin B with Genevieve Marie”! I figured after spending a month updating and switching everything over it deserved at least a little bit of a celebration. Now time to squeeze in a little hot yoga session to unwind after staring at a computer screen all day! How do you like it though? I’m hoping it’s a little easier to access posts, the layout would be easy on the eyes, and make it much more convenient for updates! Let me know if you have any feedback. It’s a work in progress still but after a month of switching everything over and completing the layout, my new blog is up and running! Hallelujah!

Can’t forget about the goals for the week!

1. Officially figure out what I’m going to be for Halloween, and while I’m at it I need to pick up my costume for the “Color Run” next weekend with my mom and sister!

2. Start getting my first draft together for both my research classes. It’s been tedious but fun to finally get my blog together, and now it’s time to refocus on my research!

3. I’ve been go, go, go for the last month with no day off from work or school. (I’m not asking for a pity party, but I am going to give myself a little treat tomorrow since it’s my first day off from everything!) I would like to get things checked off my to-do list, take Sunni for a run, and start working on my first DIY project! (My intentions are that it will be under $10-$15, I’ll let you know when I get the materials tomorrow if you want to join as well!)

I’m deciding between either making fabric wall designs, a t-shirt scarf, or a jewelry holder (FINALLY, my jewelry is a mess right now and so difficult to find a matching set of earrings!)