In collaboration with puhti.fi
I guess it’s safe to say this year has been heavy in many ways. The world is faced with a pandemic that is causing us distress, worry, fear and anxiety both health wise, economically and socially, not to mention the polarization on how we handle and view these exceptional times. Even if we might fall into the group that’s not “that affected”, or are not in the so called “risk group”, the continuous collective worry, media overload and fact that the pandemic is wreaking havoc worldwide can be devastating for the nervous system. No wonder we might feel a little tired, overwhelmed or even depressed.
To be frank, even if I give out a quite positive image of myself on my social media feed, this spring, summer and fall have been pretty heavy for me as well. As you might know, I recently launched my very own yoga clothing line made out of ocean waste, called Moonah Wear (check it out!), which has obviously been so so exciting, but simultaneously super scary. I’ve invested not just a big chunk of my savings into this new company, but also so much time and energy.
It has also felt (and still feels) scary to be starting a new venture during these very unusual times with a downward spiraling economy. If you’ve just found my blog or social, you might not know that in addition to running my yoga clothing line, I teach yoga as my profession, which obviously also has been compromised during the pandemic. Even so, I still consider myself to be very privileged, lucky and blessed to be working with what I love and quite well off compared to many many others that have lost their jobs or even worse. But what I do want to highlight instead, and what I am here to openly share about are my feels in a very real and vulnerable way. So, as much as it’s been super exciting to be working with this passion project, it’s definitely also been a lot.
Even so, sometimes feeling tired is not just a symptom from being overworked, overwhelmed or having an overstimulated nervous system. Sometimes you might actually be lacking important minerals that are crucial for your overall health. And at times, it’s the sum of all of the above. Yet, making sure your body has all it needs to function properly is key 🔑.
I first started feeling tired as the days started getting shorter and the weather started cooling off. I figured it must be the decrease of sunlight (which it actually also is), but I didn’t really think that much of it. Slowly and surely it would get worse and I had some mornings when I actually struggled to get out of bed 😞. It made me think, this can’t just be from “being tired” or “overworked”.
Luckily, I was able to team up with Puhti , which is a company that offers a variety of packages to scan your blood to give you an idea of your overall health. They offer laboratory tests (without a doctor’s referral) and help with interpreting the results.
Nature is medicine, yet sometimes nature & sleep is not all we need.
Shot by Jonna Monola. Halti sleeping bag.
The results come in super quick and I actually got most of my results already on the same day. Oh, and by the way I am scared shitless of needles, but their lab staff is super friendly and understanding and they actually offered me a juice box as I started feeling a little nauseous during the blood test 😊.
Before I share my results I’ll just drop the symptoms of both ferritin and Vit D deficiency here below, let me know if you can relate 😅:
Signs and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency might include:
Fatigue.
Bone pain.
Muscle weakness, muscle aches, or muscle cramps.
Mood changes, like depression.
Signs and symptoms of low ferritin levels might include:
unexplained fatigue.
dizziness.
chronic headaches.
unexplained weakness.
ringing in your ears.
irritability.
leg pains.
shortness of breath.
Vitamin D is important for health. Some of its roles in the body include:
helping with the absorption of calcium
maintaining healthy bones
regulating genes and cell growth
preventing osteoporosis
modulating the immune system (via Medicalnewstoday)
Ferritin isn’t the same thing as iron in your body. Instead, ferritin is a protein that stores iron, releasing it when your body needs it. (via Healthline.com)
I had never before had any similar tests taken, so for me it was super interesting to see “my health on paper” so to speak. It made me emphasize with people that have hypochondria, as it was actually super fascinating having all this new information to dwell upon now on “paper”.
And waddaya know, I was deficient in both Vit D & ferritin.
Days are getting shorter, weather is getting colder. Shot by Jonna Monola.
As you can see below on the first chart (text in Finnish) my result for D vitamin falls into the red zone, meaning I am D vitamin deficient.
I am also low on ferritin, as it falls into the “alert zone” just before the red zone. Please note: I’ve been on a vegetarian diet for 10+ years.
Luckily, both of these deficiencies can be reversed with supplements. If you live in a sunny place, you should get enough Vit D from spending at least 20 min outside, but if you reside on the Northern Hemisphere and have long, dark winters 😱🥶 you’re most likely going to be needing some extra Vit D. (PS. I highly recommend checking out Puhdas + and my discount code EVA25 for any purchases).
So, the lesson here is: if you’re suspecting you might be lacking in any vitamins or minerals or having any of the above mentioned symptoms: check yourself!! Health is the greatest wealth, fo reals! Sometimes sleeping more, or resting more, or taking “you time” is simply not enough, especially if you might be deficient in some super important minerals/irons. I truly and highly recommend getting yourself checked, especially now as we are moving towards darker times. Puhti is giving away one free blood screening, so make sure to comment on my blog post, as one of the commentators will WIN A FREE blood scan (participant must be in Finland). Winner will be announced in a week from now, on Sunday, Nov 1st. Yay!
Stay healthy,
xx
Eva