Making a choice to change your life and live a healthy lifestyle is a commitment to better living. It is a commitment to yourself and your family. You are demonstrating that you want to live long enough to see your children grow and meet your grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. It takes hard work and a lot of dedication. Yet, no one is perfect. People have busy lives and schedules that are not always their own. And while the commitment and dedication is there, you want to enjoy life as well. You cannot merely focus on food and exercise all day every day. Therefore, dietary supplements can be a great addition to your healthy living plan to help you stay on track even when you cannot focus on you.
THE BENEFITS
Supplementation has several benefits for those serious about a healthy lifestyle. First, you are ensuring you will receive the proper daily dosage of your vitamins and minerals to help your body achieve maximum health. Part of the benefit is mind over matter. If you are taking a supplement daily, you are making yourself think about your health. Once you take that step, you may notice your mind is going to help you keep in line with your new found goals and determination to avoid “counteracting the benefits” of your supplements. Many dietary supplements include entire meal replacements and snacks to make sure you are controlling your portions and thinking about what you are eating throughout the day.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
First, make sure your supplements are certified by the NSF as well as third party tested by independent research and studies. This ensures it passes the standards set forth by the department of public health and safety. However, this is only one of the many thing for which you should watch when choosing a supplement. You want to look at the ingredients and make sure your body can actually use and process them. Make sure the ingredients do not include things like sugar and its byproducts or wheat, especially within the first five ingredients. If these ingredients are present at the top of the list, you are ingesting a sugar pill as opposed to a helpful dietary supplement. You also need to make sure the supplement is not overloaded with unnecessary vitamins and minerals or more than your proper daily value. Otherwise, you are wasting money on filler products that your body will not absorb or may do more harm than good. Finally, make sure your supplements are provided by a name you trust.
When used properly, supplements can help you feel better, have more energy, and reach desired goals.
If you have made the commitment to a healthy lifestyle and are interested in a complete overhaul, including diet, exercise, and supplementation, contact the experts at Apex Personal Training at 612-405-3002. Joel Eshelman is a certified personal trainer who has spent his career helping people achieve their fitness and health goals.
