The benefits, why you should test yourself and how to supplement.
WHAT IS VITAMIN D?
Vitamin D is actually a hormone and it is involved in critical several proccesses in your body. We usually produce it when our skin gets hit with sun light however due to the lifestyle of most people these days, especially handball (get up in the dark, train, school/work inside, train, go home in the dark) the sunlight we get is not sufficient.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Having sufficient Vitamin D helps with recovery (also after injury), bone health, cardiovascular health and your immune system.
Being deficient (not enough) in Vitamin D can lead to performance loss and even health problems.
WHY SHOULD YOU TEST YOURSELF?
The impact of Vitamin D on your health and performance is very big and it's very simple to test. As mentioned above a lot of people might be at risk of not producing enough Vitamin D.
HOW CAN YOU TEST YOURSELF?
There are two simple options. Ask your doctor to draw some blood and get it analysed in a lab - in some countries this is even covered by your health insurance.
The other option is to get an at home test kit. We've partnered up with cerascreen who provide, high quality test kits for athletes world wide. Check out our partner site for a discount.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU NEED TO SUPPLEMENT?
Once you get the results back you might find you need to supplement. This should be based on your age, weight and size of deficit. Your doctor will be able to help you (if not - please contact us and we'll be able to connect you with someone). If you did the at home test kit cerascreen will calculate the recommendations for you.
Make sure to buy high quality supplements that are tested for banned substances. We have selected a few on our partner site where handball players also get a discount.