This month's newsletter highlights:

• Homemade electrolyte drink
• Natural Vitamin D from the sun
• June supplement spotlight: Magnesium

Homemade Electrolyte Drink

So with this beautiful, sunny weather it's extremely easy to become dehydrated. Add in any level of activity and I'm sure you've noticed that you're sweating more than you did a few weeks ago (remember our lovely May snow storm?). Through our sweat we are losing water as well as other minerals that we need to keep everything working in tip-top shape. 

Instead of paying hand over fist for commercial electrolyte drinks, here is a simple and tasty recipe to make at home that you can use during activity to prevent dehydration and keep you on your 'A' game. 

And that's it! The salt and baking soda replete the simple minerals you lose. Maple syrup and lemon not only mask the taste of salt and baking soda but also provide a few vitamins themselves while being delicious. Lastly, the base of this being water is without a doubt an important fact - it would be tempting to just drink juice or store-bought lemonade but these are filled with sugar making it an extra task for your body to balance that out with water that it might not be getting. 

Natural Vitamin D

You may have heard that in Canada, it is literally impossible  to absorb enough vitamin D between the months of October to March just due to where we are located on the planet in relation to the sun. It's a fact that always blows my mind to be honest. 

Now that the sun IS here how much do we need to get the good stuff? Here is where it depends on your skin colour. In general, though, you can get between 10,000IU and 25,000IU in less time than it takes to change your skin colour (ie. burn) so don't feel like you have to become a lobster. The Vitamin D Council has a cool chart that categorizes natural skin pigment. Pale skinned folk will make vitamin D more quickly, let's say in 10-15 min, vs a dark skinned person who may take up to 2 hrs to make the same amount. 

And the elephant in the room with getting out vitamin D naturally is of course UV rays and skin damage. UV exposure also makes skin look older and can cause skin cancers. 

What do we do? Get some sun exposure while keeping in mind your skin type and health history. Some = less than the time it takes you to burn! Other than this you should be lathering up with some biodegradable SPF 30 and applying it frequently. If you want to cover your bases and stay looking younger for longer, consider a vitamin D supplement. Most supplements are pretty good, I always recommend a liquid vitamin D in some sort of MCT oil because it will be best absorbed in this format (don't waste your money on something you won't get the full benefit of!). 

JUNE SUPPLEMENT SPOTLIGHT: MAGNESIUM

Although I have covered Magnesium in a blog post, I'm going to tailor this to the summer specifically. Magnesium is an important mineral and we use up with muscle use and sweating (ie: SUMMER TIME). This means that magnesium levels can get low after activities, simply hanging outside, or after a night of alcoholic beverages. 

Top yourself up with the highly absorbably magnesium (bis)glycinate or citrate on days when you know you're going to be more active or a little harder on your system. This will reduce muscle aches and pains, as well as headaches and hangovers for the next day. 

Luckily magnesium comes in capsules, liquid forms, or even effervescent powders so you really can switch it up to your preferences.