Thursday, September 15, 2011

Life Is Not In Our Complete Control...So I Take Vitamins

 
There are things in life we don't have direct and immediate control of. Particularly when it comes to our own personal wellness. For instance, the air pollution we breathe and the water that comes out of our tap. However, life is full of many choices that can keep us healthy and strong. From taking a daily multivitamin to choosing organic produce, to getting plenty of exercise each day, we have choices to make that influence our optimal performance abilities as moms and care takers of our children. 

You see, I am a stay-at-home mom to this super busy, super precious toddler. He is my life, my joy, and my everything. After his birth, I learned that I developed an umbilical hernia during my pregnancy. This completely unavoidable, out-of-my-control occurrence is suddenly effecting my overall wellness and my ability to be the best I can. I'm unable to be as active as I would like to be until I go in to have it surgically repaired very soon. It's not fun knowing that I can't be everything I should be for my son because of this one thing. A part of me is "missing" because I'm not 100% well.

Sometimes life is complicated and trying to stay healthy is not always as easy as it seems. Having a hernia injury is something I have no control over, however taking my multivitamin is something I DO have control over...and I do it each day. I have complete control of providing my body with that extra boost of nutrients from a simple multivitamin. I don't have to question whether I'm getting enough Calcium, Vitamin D, Folic Acid, or other important vitamins. My multivitamin fills the "holes" in my diet and really enhances my well-being by providing my body with all the essential vitamins and minerals.


Did you know that Nature Made is the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand for Letter Vitamins and Fish Oil? 
(as determined by the 2011 Pharmacy Times survey)

Nature Made has an excellent selection of vitamins and minerals for your nutritional needs. They also have a wealth of information related to vitamins and health to help you on your way to healthier living. Here are a few articles I really enjoyed and that you may want to check out too.

Wellness Tips
Vitamin D: The Vitamin of Life
Heart Health Vitamins
Answer the call to exercise
Which Nature Made fish oil is right for you?
Why you may need more magnesium?

Not sure what vitamins are right for you? I know, there's so much information out there and it can be a bit overwhelming. Nature Made has some recommendations to help you along the way.

  • Talk to your doctor or pharmacist! Health care professionals know a lot about vitamins and other supplements. Be sure to ask lots of questions to get recommendations that will help you meet your individual nutritional needs.
  • Educate yourself! The Vitamin Assessment Tool helps get you in the right direction by answering 18 questions related to your lifestyle. Based on your answers, Nature Made provides vitamin and supplement suggestions. You can also visit FamilyDoctor.org for credible, physician-reviewed information on health and wellness topics, including the role vitamins and supplements can play in a healthy, active and balanced lifestyle.

  • Look for the qualified third-party organization approvals! When searching for vitamins and supplements, look for verification from qualified third-party organizations, such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Finding these endorsements on dietary supplement labels helps to assure you that the supplements you're buying meet the quality standards you should expect.

Taking a multivitamin each day helps me reach my goals of personal wellness so that I can be the energetic mom I need to be. I'm looking forward to feeling my complete best in a couple months, but until then, I'm thankful my multivitamins can get me through the tough days and keep me going strong.



Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Nature Made and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate. Vote for my entry at www.facebook.com/naturemade between 9/20/11 and noon (PT) 9/26/11.

49 comments:

Brittney Minor said...

I NEED to take my vitamins everyday! Thanks for posting this. Guess we need to take out vitamins together!

Unknown said...

I never take vitamins. I'm not used to it. The only vitamins I ever took were my prenatal vitamins. After I stopped breastfeeding, I haven't taken them. I'm going to look into different kinds of vitamins and see which best suits me.

Great post! Thanks for sharing your personal journey :)

Ellen said...

I take my vitamins every day! I'm not sure I'd make it through my hectic schedule without them!

Marci said...

I need to get in a better habit of taking vitamins. They help me so much with energy. Cute picture above :-)

laurie said...

Agree! Multivitamins can do so much for you! I recently ran out and haven't been able to get more. While without, I have felt sluggish, depressed, cranky and have had lots of headaches.
Laurie Adams
adamsfamily@peak.org

Anonymous said...

DH takes a multi-vitamin every day. They upset my stomach even when I take them with food. I do take melatonin at night, though, to help me sleep.

I saw the link asking us to vote for you but I couldn't see where once I got to Facebook.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree. I need to start taking vitamins reguarly! Sometimes life just gets in the way.

Anne said...

Yes, I agree. I've started leaving my vitamins on the kitchen counter so I don't forget to take them.

Mama Chocolate said...

I am so bad about remembering to take my vitamins! :-P
Thanks for the reminder. :-)

Unknown said...

I take vitamins semi regularly. Good for you for taking care of yourself.

Belly Charms said...

It is almost impossible to get all of the nutrition our bodies need on a daily basis. There are too many processed foods out there. I leave mine on the counter, I am a health nut, and I still forget:) Oh well, I try.

Sarah Nelson said...

Great advice! Now I just need to get myself to the store to buy those vitamins. Thanks!

Elaine said...

I LOVE your post and the darling picture of my grandson! It's so true what you say, we can't control everything, but gain some peace by doing what we can. You have a wonderful way with words, so honest and heartfelt! Keep up the good work!
Love you!

Linette said...

I definitely have to take my vitamins! It's such an important part of staying healthy!

LMC502 said...

Vitamins are so important. A few years ago I was so tired all the time, no matter how much I slept. I would fall asleep at work, almost fall asleep in traffic, etc. My Dr. did every test under the sun - including an ECG - and finally found I was low in B12. I got a few B12 shots for a few months and now I take one daily in pill form and it made an amazing difference.

I also still take my daily prenatal vitamin since I'm still BFing. I feel 100 times better when my body is getting what it needs.

Ashley R said...

Thank you ALL for your feedback! I'm glad this was a great reminder for those of you who are forgetting your vitamins. It's so worth it to take the extra time to find ways to give your body all that it needs!

LMC502: WOW, that is so incredibly scary that a low level of one nutrient can cause such alarming side effects! I'm so glad you took charge of your health and got the answers you needed! Yay for vitamins!

Stacie said...

I agree that taking vitamins is really important (although I'm guilty of NOT taking them!). Especially us farther north, who NEED extra vitamin D to make up for the lack of sun during the winter. Thanks for posting!

Still BLonde after all these YEARS said...

That picture of Mr. Active tells me why you need vitamins and energy girl. I had 3 Mr. Actives! I know!

Little Miss Kate said...

taking vitamins is a great way to help promote overall health

Theresa said...

I don't know where I would be without my vitamins. I can't live without them.

Wendy said...

Good reminder for taking our vitamins...I usually forget.

Janice said...

I wish I could remember to take anything regularly!

Julie G. said...

Taking care of ourselves is the best thing we can do for our kids! We can't care for them if we don't care for ourselves! That daily vitamin is an excellent way to keep ourselves healthy overall.

Shawna said...

Since I started taking Vitamins, I can really tell a big difference in the way I feel. Great Post! Thanks for sharing! When I am taking vitamins I feel so much better & have much more energy!

AnnFC said...

voted for you at Parents

John said...

I was told I could have died within 2 years - all because I have no vitamin B12. That's overly simplifying it, but it's true... it's amazing what the lack of a vitamin or vitamins can do to our bodies.
~Wendy

Bianca Roman said...

Good luck with your surgery when it's time <3 I will get into a phase where I take my vitamins every day and then a week passes and somehow I fall off the 'vitamin taking wagon' and I can always tell a difference when I take it vs when I don't.

Libby's Library said...

I am unable to take vitamins, orally. I have to get mine via injections. BUT, my husband takes many vitamins, and supplements, and it makes a huge difference in how he feels.

I'll check to see if he has been buying Nature Made, and if not, I'll encourage him to do so!

Suzanne said...

Still taking prenatals, still BFing . . . they are sooo needed.

Best of luck!

Kelsie Harris said...

I take a multivitamin and a fish oil everyday. I'm breastfeeding so I like to know I'm getting everything I need even though I eat a healthy diet. I could be a little better about exercise, but I'm working on it.

psychogrannie said...

I ended up in the hospital due to lack of Potassium in my body. It was causing heart palpitations and almost sent me into cardiac arrest!

S said...

Excellent reminder to take care of oneself!

momof6greatkids said...

Great points...we miss out on so many things in our diets, we are so busy taking care of everything that needs to be done we forget the simple part of taking a vitamin to help us be even better! Remember it all adds up!

Shaky Mommy said...

I have an umbilical hernia too! I've had it since I was a baby but it was not severe enough for surgery. It gets worse each time I'm pregnant, but once I have my babies it stops bothering me. Sorry you have to have surgery on yours!

As for vitamins, I take a prenatal, folic acid, acidophilus and extra Vitamin C every day. I know I don't eat right enough of the time, plus I'm breastfeeding.

Ashley R said...

Shaky Mommy- You do?? Glad I'm not the only one! hehe Mine is starting to bother me more than when we discovered it 2 years ago, so it's time to get it fixed. I'm trying to avoid a c-section with my next pregnancy too, so I have a better chance at a successful VBAC by getting it done now.

Good for you! You've clearly read up on the important vitamins you need as a breastfeeding mama. You're baby will be sure to get everything they need because of it!

SockMonkeyMills said...

I am so happy you shared your story. There are many lessons here! Everyone needs to stop, breathe and pay attention to their bodies and take care of ourselves.

Rachel said...

I ended up hospitalized due to multiple infections when my youngest was an infant. I can't imagine my health without supplements now!

RealtorSD said...

i'm taking fish oil right now along with my prenatals. My dad said he read that it can boost a babies IQ.
sarah at realtorsd.com

staci wells mefford said...

Love naturemade. Take my vitamins everyday snd bank my points with them for $ $ coupons

Karisa Tomkinson said...

NatureMade is the brand I take for my vitamins. :)

steffie said...

i so understand!!!! i have 3 girls who loved to "bake like mommy"!!! and always when mommy was sleeping! so cleaning up messes at 3am was pretty much the norm at my house! i still have to go check on them when they are too quiet, and they are 24, 20 and 14 now! LOL, i take a multi, b vitamins and an injection of b12 monthly, and barely can keep up!!

lewalk said...

I so need to take vitamins. I have always been a puny type person. I'm very small, not on purpose, and have seemed unhealthy to people my whole life. I have low potassium and iron all the time. You'd think being an adult I would be able to make myself take a vitamin every day, but nope. I'm so bad about not doing it. I am uber tired lately so I really do need to read up and find out exactly what I need rather than popping a multivitamiin and calling it good enough like I do when I remember to take them at all.

Unknown said...

Vitamins fill in all the blanks that I miss with in my daily diet. I take them every day.

Helen said...

It is sad. You never know how good you had it until something goes wrong. I know I need to take better care of myself, but it is so easy to let it go when we feel o'k.

lisa said...

I totally believe in vitamins...have taken them for years and I know they make a difference!

FiddyMama said...

SO important to remember that not all vitamins are created equal!

Some Lucky Dog said...

I take a multi-vitamin every day. I didn'te know that Nature Made were recommended by pharmacists. I'm going to talk to my doctor about them next time I see her!

Sarah said...

Good quality vitamins are so important! I try really hard to remember to take mine every day and to give them to my boys' too. I have an issue with kids' vitamins because they all have Red40 and my son is allergic :(

janet said...

I have been taking vitamins for a long time as part of my weight loss program. I feel so sluggish when I miss one. I take prenatal because they are just the easiest rather than try for a multivitamin...and my hair is sooooo long now!!