Getting Enough Vitamin E₁₀?

By Terry Dunkle, DietPower Editor-in-Chief

Most Americans have never heard of vitamin E10 (at least not under that name), although it’s one of the most important promoters of health, happiness, and longevity. Decades of scientific study have proven that vitamin E10 wards off heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, depression, impotence, arthritis, immune disorders, and dozens of other serious maladies. It helps weight loss, too. Yet most of us get far too little of it.

Our forefathers got plenty of vitamin E10 without even trying. Ninety percent of them lived, worked, and ate their meals on farms, where they found it nearly impossible to escape getting a healthy dose seven days a week. Unfortunately, today’s urban dwellers can’t get their E10 without determined effort—and they’re often too busy for that.

Doubles Your Burn Rate

In some ways, vitamin E10 resembles regular vitamin E. Both protect against prostate cancer. Both help to maintain physical dexterity and muscle tone. Nevertheless, getting too much of either may cause fatigue, muscle cramps, or (in women) reproductive problems. Overdosing is rare, however. A healthy adult may get several times the recommended daily amount without serious side effects.

In other respects, the two E’s differ widely. Millions of men take daily supplements of ordinary E to protect against heart disease, for example, yet the latest research indicates that popping these pills may be useless for that purpose. By contrast, even a minimal supplement of E10 cuts the risk of heart attack dramatically.

Unlike regular E, the sub-10 variety is a powerful aid to weight loss. Depending on how long you’ve been taking it, E10 can double the rate at which your body burns calories—something no other drug has accomplished. (The doubling wears off soon after each dose is administered, but your burn rate remains mildly elevated for hours afterward.)

Although some people spend $100 to $200 a month on vitamin E10, it needn’t be costly. High-priced artificial varieties have been pitched in late-night TV infomercials, but the Federal Trade Commission has declared some of these false advertising. The best vitamin E10 is completely natural and virtually free.

A Welcome Addiction

Vitamin E10 is the only mainstream supplement that produces a drug-like “high.” For reasons still poorly understood, it releases neurotransmitters in the brain that bring a pleasurable feeling of well-being and confidence. It is mildly habit-forming. Heavy users who give it up for a few days report feeling cranky and nervous. Nevertheless, withdrawal is far less severe than in nicotine or even caffeine addiction.

Most people still take their vitamin E10 at home, but a growing number make a habit of dropping in at institutions where E10 is administered under professional supervision. Part of the attraction is social. Like heroin dens, E10 clubs are crowded with pleasure-seekers hoping to take the edge off a stressful day at the office—only in this case, they come home with a healthy glow and a positive outlook that makes them better parents and citizens.

Thanks to such positive societal effects, many E10 clubs are subsidized by local and state governments. The feds have gotten into the act, too: The Department of Health and Human Services is now actively promoting use of E10, and recently the National Academies of Science urged a doubling of the recommended daily allowance.

Unfortunately, few Americans are heeding the message. Only 25 percent of us get enough E10, and the shortfall is now a major contributor to five of the ten leading causes of death in the United States. Encouraging Americans to get more E10, says a recent report by the Surgeon General, “is of great importance to the nation’s health.”

Have you guessed this vitamin’s real name?

It’s exercise.

I’m logging every bite that goes into my mouth — from the birthday cake and shots to the taco bell regular tacos I got instead of the fresco style I ordered. Every bit of milk that goes into my coffee. Everything except plain water and unsweetened tea, which I’m chugging by the gallon it seems.

Also, I’m working out every day, except Sunday so far. I have a Sunday class option, but it hasn’t worked out timewise, and I’m not letting myself stress over that one day off. Most days it’s a Jazzercise hour plus something else like climbing or jogging with Kit. I’m logging all of this, too — and I even updated my daily energy expenditures to be more honest figuring 9 hours of sleep instead of 8 and all sitting desk work, so I have to edit things if I stand for any time, and add my daily workouts if any.

My diet restriction was shooting for 1780 calories a day, but I’ve been hitting in the 1800-2100 range pretty consistently, and this is still me feeling hunger often, especially at bed time.

However, according to the logs, I should still be running a big calorie deficit for this week, 6492 from Tuesday to Monday, which should be almost 2lbs down. Yet, I’m still hovering on the home scale at the same weight. I would like to think this means my weights and strength portions of the Jazzercise workouts has me putting on a little muscle, which might be offsetting my progress to begin with, and that this will all even out.

Of course, last night James made the offhand remark that he thinks I should be sure to do extra leg strengthening exercises with Kit on Tuesdays, because I have no power in my legs. Nevermind I just went to a legs-heavy jazzercise workout, then 45 minutes later went to climb with him as he made this comment and I might just be a little too tired to be using my legs much more that night. No, the implication was clear — those classes aren’t a real workout, and if you’re not using the weight machines nothing you do really counts as a strength workout. Aren’t those classes cute you’re doing, but since you don’t have any results right now, you suck.

So, not only did my scale insult me this week, but my husband seems to be joining in. How is anybody supposed to stay motivated to keep doing anything when the early “rewards” are all abuse and comments about how I should be trying harder and doing better. And, you know, decisions to have taco bell for late night dinner because that is so conducive to my diet.

I think today we decided on 20lbs by the end of April as our first mini-goal challenge. Something probably ambitious to get us really moving down this path, and inspire us to keep going. The works out to 3lbs a week, which is a generally pretty steep weight-loss goal. That is going to require a combination of both smart eating and extra calorie burning to achieve. I think we also decided to track our loss on Thursday’s using the scale in the locker room at the gym.

I found a calorie intake calculator here which proposes, if I am moderately active and cut my usual calorie intake down to 1589 a day, that I should lose 2.1 lbs a week. Moderately active is defined as exercise 3-5 days a week.  If I up my training to very active, 6-7 days a week, I can go up to 1769 and lose 2.4 lbs a week. Those are sobering numbers trying to reach 3lbs a week. Exercise has to go way up and food intake has to go way down.

That means we’ll need to think about some smart ways to curb cravings and get our appetites under control. Here are some links with suggestions in that area:

• Five appetite control foods
• Negative Calorie Foods
• Filling Low Calorie Foods

Near daily exercise is going to be an important component, too. Cardio and strength. Occasional two a days won’t hurt, either. Need to find that increased calorie burn!

AND avoiding those pitfalls that slow down our metabolism will be important, too. Consider this:

• Five Food Groups that Can Slow Your Metabolism.
• Five Factors that Contribute to Slow Metabolism

We definately need to reduce calories, but avoid getting our body into starvation mode — so we want to stay over 1200 calories a day, and we want to not go more than 4-5 hours without eating in the daytime. Water is so great at curbing hunger, that it might benefit us to make a schedule throughout the day of when we can just stop and have a glass of water — regardless of what else we might be eating or drinking. I’m thinking of a goal of 6 oz of water every 3 hours from waking up until bed. There’s a timer on my phone I can set to go off every 3 hours, so I’m going to try that and see how it goes.

We can do this!

• Thin is better than anything tastes!
  
• There’s no mood that can’t be improved by a little exercise!
  
• You can’t find 30 minutes to move more?
  
• Pain is just weakness leaving the body!
  
• Willpower! Motivation! Consistency! Habit! Results!
• Go ahead and picture that tater-tot stuck on your thigh, because that’s where it’s going!

Monday — do I get up for morning Jazzercise at 9:30-10:30? No, because I’m expecting a phone call regarding the copyright issue, which I’ve been expecting since Thursday actually, but today is the day the boss is supposed to call the guy on the issue — only after he’s talked to me.

Do I get it? No. I should have gone. By shortly after lunch I was fuming over the emails flying back and forth over the issue, and the ridiculous notice that the guy wants to take us to small claims court over the issue — not the people scamming him with a 3 ridiculous bills for sites he doesn’t own. Instead he’s going to settle with them, since they threaten his credit, and sue us for the money he had to pay in the settlement. He’s sent us a letter telling us his lawyer says we have no defense.

I truly hate this job enough to just kill myself rather than sit here. I don’t want to have anything to do with this entire industry anymore. As is, if we really get sued? We’ll just close and the paychecks will just stop.

It’s far beyond time to find a new job — but I think it’s the mental block of hating this industry so much that is my bigger problem. I don’t want to look for a new job, because I don’t want to sit in front of a computer or talk to stupid customers for anybody. I need to figure out what I DO want to do and fast.

Anywho, so I could be going to the 4:45 evening class — and I’m dressed and ready for it. I’ll get back in time to turn around and go climbing, but I’m just not feeling climbing at all anyway. It just depresses me to go, as I don’t really want to try climbing anything these days. I may be ready for some time off that endeavor. Yet, here I sit, typing instead of driving. I can’t sit around here all the time waiting for a ridiculous phone call about a stupid work issue where I don’t have any more insight to offer beyond the 50 millions email explanations I’ve already sent.

Another instance of me allowing work stress to interfere with my healthy life plans, I guess. But the paycheck to pay for the life plans is pretty important, and thus can’t be ignored.

Okay, maybe I’m just flashing back to the 80s and this is reminding me of aerobics classes I used to take at the YMCA, where a truly uncoordinated girl could learn some silly exercise routine played to some popular music and feel like she was dancing, but I am in love with Jazzercise.

I’m pretty sure I could do this every day and be very happy — except that I seem to have developed quite a blister in the non-arch area of my flat left foot from bouncing around in regular tennis shoes again. I guess I haven’t done anything in tennis shoes in long enough that I forgot how to prep my foot for it. Thus, I’m taking today — which would have been day 3, off in order to choose the best pair of tennis shoes for this endeavor and dig up all that sports tape I know is laying around here somewhere.

Did I mention *heart* this so much? First, it’s all to music, which just makes me feel like I’m having fun and just dancing. Second, I find I’m actually laughing and smiling while I’m doing this, and that seems INSANE to me considering how much exercise this is. Third, it just doesn’t seem like you’re working out THAT hard, I mean it shouldn’t be as challenging as something called “bootcamp” right? But when we’re done, I’m a sweaty mess. I can tell I’ve worked my whole body. I’m not in any pain specifically, like those times I could barely crawl into my car after bootcamp. Rather, I feel pleasantly exhausted and almost buzzed with endorphins.

Sure, it’s been around since 1969, and I’m a little amazed at their entire line of workout wear — “jazzertogs” — that they try to hock, which reminds me so much of the 80s and Flashdance, but I’m not ready to dig out my vintage leg warmers just yet. The ACTUAL classes, as opposed to what you see on the website, are a wide assortment of people, working out easily at their own level, wearing their comfortable clothes, and flinging just as much sweat, laughing and smiling just like me. It’s such a comfortable group to fall into!

The location I’m going to in Decatur has classes seven days a week, but so far only offers regular and express — which are fine by me. I tried an express last night thinking it would a lighter, shorter workout — rude awakening, no it was short and intense and seriously kicked my ass. I know because my autopilot failed on the way home and I turned down the wrong street before I realized it! So tired!

I’m just kicking myself that I never looked for such a thing before now! Bless that coupon site for featuring them!

ARTICLE: The Fitness Benefits of Jazzercise

*heart* Jazzercise!

Unlimited Jazzercise class visits to any location, today through March 15th! I went to the Decatur location, and it’s right down from Kit’s old place on N. Arcadia in a neat little shopping center with the usual cramped Decatur parking areas. They were super nice, and the place is really new looking. I went in time to see the morning class getting out, just to get an idea of what kind of people are in there — and it wasn’t a very intimidating group, which I like!

If I had a place to go tonight, I would be there. Togetherness ala apathy and financial…

I woke up this morning at 6:20AM, reached for the alarm, and just felt like crap. Not “sick”, just sore. My neck hurt, my shoulder hurt reaching over… my mind had raced all night with dread about it being Monday again, and I woke up a bundle of nerves. I would like to say this is workout timeslot fail, where it’s just too damned early and I can’t get into the schedule without feeling off, but I think there’s a mental aspect to it as well. I’m just not having any fun anymore with bootcamp. All we do is group exercise, which sure seems like a healthy thing to do, but I miss the fun and games of the other camp, other instructor, or whatever the difference is. How about a fun obstacle course? How about suicides actually done right? How about it doesn’t matter, because it’s just too damned early.

I want to do a group exercise, but I want it to be something I enjoy and look forward to instead of something I have to talk myself into every day and only want to lie down and die after. That’s too much stress every day.

Thus, I’m ready to go check out the Decatur Jazzercise! 30 days, unlimited classes to try it out, and they have classes 7 days a week. I’m so psyched to do this! Now I can go back to my running trainer with Kit, and actually gradually improve instead of just trying to do something else on top of bootcamp running and ending up feeling terrible.

I sat down this morning and sent Dez a message about me dropping out, and then to Shannon letting him know why, and that I just wasn’t interested in a bootcamp type workout anymore apparently. Doing something healthy for yourself is supposed to make you feel good. Sure, working out hard and trying for fast results will leave you sore, but I’ve done that — and we see how well I can stick with it after the classes end. I need to find that healthy thing to do that I’m going to miss when it’s gone instead of enjoying my newfound sleep and non-injury status when it’s over.

Anywho, I’m still logging food and calories. Updated my RDI to account for less exercise immediately, so I”m down to 1800 recomended. Now I’ll just have to see when I can go by Jazzercise and sign up! I called, but they told me I would need to come by in person to officially get into a class with the groupon.

Found old journal from 5 years past, and I could have written it yesterday. When do you give up on a…