Always was against vitamins, but feel better with them

Workout4Health

I was always a person that thought vitamins don't do anything because they are isolated and won't work in conjunction with food very well. But I've been doing 2 to 3 hours of riding and sometimes I feel a little light headed or lethargic and I drink a ton of water, trust me it's enough. The only thing that seemed to make me recover a little better after my workouts are Trader Joe's multi vitamins. I do take it with any kind of food of course, but is it the minerals in them that are perhaps making me feel better and think better? When I'm not working out, I don't feel any effect, but seems like when I'm doing the extra long rides and sessions, that's when I feel them working. I don't think it's a placebo.

tbanov

Well, how effective they are should mostly be dependent on whether you're getting enough through food.

My understanding is that when you're working out, your vitamin/mineral needs tend to go beyond what they would be otherwise. I don't have any numbers or research to back me up, but I'm pretty sure it depends on what type of exercise you're doing, and your needs for each vitamin/mineral would be affected differently. If you're getting enough from food to cover your additional needs, you probably don't need any supplements, but I think a multi-vitamin is a sort of insurance policy.