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Which supplement should I take? #Supplement Explorer
Are you always on your phone looking at which supplements you should take? Do you look at reviews? How do you decide what to buy?
As someone who has been in the nutraceutical industry for over 10 years, I’ve worked with many suppliers and companies to understand why an ingredient is chosen, what research is behind it, and how to sell it to a consumer, so if you are looking for some answers to questions you may have, drop a comment, or even better check out the Supplement Explorer on the site. It is free to use, 3 questions, and a simple output. No info is stored.I made the Supplement Explorer purely for my use and then thought, well, if it is useful for me, maybe it is useful for others. The tool is not affiliated with any company or brand, but was just a way for me to showcase what I find useful. If you use it, do give me feedback as to what you’d like to see it on too.
Stay well and remember, before taking any supplements, check with your doctor if it is a good fit for you or not!
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Pet health vs human health
If you have a dog or cat at home, you likely cherish them and treat them like family. Though they can’t speak, we somehow try to help them and do the best for them. Everyone’s pet is different and every pet has a different dietary need so how do you decide what’s best to feed them?
My rule is simple, if I can’t pronounce it, I probably will think twice about feeding that item. I use this same rule for me as well. Yes, some of those ingredients are needed especially if we don’t eat enough fruits and veggies or the right amount of meats so yes, that’s why vitamins and minerals are added to both human and pet food but to me a label with 30 ingredients that I can’t pronounce probably won’t be my first choice. Other things to consider when choosing food for yourself or your pet are allergies or any illnesses. A dog with bladder stones likely will need some alterations in diet like lower protein than one who is healthier. Similar to how we select food for ourselves, we can strive to choose the right food for our pet–Your doctor and vet are likely good sources for information as well, respectively. I personally like to see the protein as the first ingredient on the label and then see what else is there when I choose a pet food but every pet needs something different so make sure to consult with your vet. You definitely don’t want to feed the wrong type of food to your four legged companion.
Another area where are pets are like us is exercise. When a dog needs to lose weight, we take them for longer walks and restrict food from maybe 3 meals a day to 2 meals or find more filling foods so that they don’t eat multiple times. We apply the same strategies to ourselves. Yeah, we’re always looking for the magical supplement or diet but in the end a calorie deficit diet and exercise is what helps. Next time, you think you’re really different from your pet, consider these outlined similarities and feel even closer to your pet.
Stay well!
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Positivity Jar
As the year comes to a close soon, I was reflecting on something that I started at the beginning of the year and will complete as the year ends. What is it? The positivity jar. I started it for many reasons but mostly because I wanted to reflect on at least one good thing that happened daily. I tried a gratitude journal in the past but it was much harder to keep up with so this worked much better and was easier to do.
I wrote on a small sheet of paper, one thing that made me happy that day. It could be anything from family time to watching a movie to eating something, the goal was to find something that made me happy so that I don’t take things for granted. Even when times were tough this year and I was ultra stressed, this was a great habit to focus on the good that happened that day. Hard to do but when you reflect on your day, you will find it!
The only change that I would make if it did it again next year is to write it on a calendar directly versus putting small sheets of paper in a jar. What I’m looking forward to at the end of the year is to read these sheets of paper and see what made me happy and can I continue with those habits next year. I highly encourage you to try it out and see how nice and calm you feel after you incorporate this into your life. Really gives you a nice perspective of your day/month/year!
Stay well!
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Freedom and Structure
Today’s post is by guest writer Caleb Nelson. Check out his bio at the end of the post along with a link to his Naked Sunday podcast.
If you are anything like me, the idea of imposing any limitations is akin to being suffocated by an anaconda.
Whenever I feel the semblance of restriction or rigidity, my initial urge is to rebel. Like most entrepreneurs or leaders who value autonomy, the lure of freedom in pursuing my own interests and cultivating life on my own terms is the ultimate in psychological sex appeal. As most who walk this path eventually realize, at some point, the vast ambiguity of complete autonomy creates a glass ceiling on your ability to maintain consistent success.
“You mean I create my own lack of freedom?”…
#irony
When the expansion of prosperity (afforded by said freedom) reaches capacity, a seemingly paradoxical effort of placing “boundaries” must be instilled to continue growth. This might look like changing a delivery format (say 1-on-1 to a group), increasing rates, taking days off, creating cancellation policies, or creating an organizational structure. In a relationship, it might be scheduling alone time, routine date nights, or assigning chores. In health, it might be putting focused routines together, or goal-specific nutritional requirements. And these are just a few examples.
The number one problem that arises during this phase of transition is dogma. Many people succumb to the fleeting notion of “should” as it pertains to other people’s opinions. The structures and “rules” put in place must be contextually appropriate to what YOU want and the circumstances and relationships specific to this situation. Not someone else’s idea of success.
A simple question you can ask yourself before taking someone’s advice is. “Do I want their life?” This is crucial, for if you are not honest with what you desire as the outcome, you will inevitably resist the frameworks put in place to guide your path. It has to be the right FIT for YOU. If not, you will completely reject the system and go back to your previous level of growth (which you will most definitely feel is a sign of failure).
Consider the “crash-diet approach.” A hard, rigid list of tasks, delivered in an overwhelming dose of intensity, driven by an under-current of insecurity to live up to arbitrary expectations from your last swipe through social media, and rushing with an inexplicable urgency to achieve a goal that you don’t ACTUALLY care about in the first place.
That was exhausting to simply write that, let alone having experienced it first-hand in business, relationships, and health endeavors. It is no wonder so many people bounce around unable to get over the hump. Left to fall back to their previous state, except not dragging a deeply-seeded sense of guilt and shame for not being able to uphold some external means of validation.
So, for the ever-freedom-hungry mind, how do you combat this process of becoming the “authority?”…
SLOW DOWN.
You need to love the “box” you put yourself in (don’t worry you still have the power to change it, and inevitably probably will need to evolve it again). It is a representation of defining your values. Taking small steps to instill new habits and frameworks allows you to “feel” each change and properly integrate it into your lifestyle or culture (both at home and at work).
It will be authentic to your identity, and as such, it will “stick.” You will keep the results, as it is part of the fabric of you and your community. Because of the sustainability, you will achieve a new level of abundance in resources (time, $, relationships, etc.), which in turn affords you new freedoms and opportunities that are important to YOU.
Takeaways:
1. Assess – are you at a ceiling of growth? (think beyond $)
2. Reflect – what do you want from making a change?
3. Remove – before adding, what excess do you need to let go?
4. Dose – what is ONE small change you can make?
5. Patience – what is a timeline you will commit to before reassessing?Until next time…
Love. Every. Body.
Who is Caleb Nelson? Owner of Naked Sunday. As a coach, he helps heart-centered leaders transform their bodies and life, aka: “Look Better Naked Inside and Out.” If you’re ready to take a holistic approach to live as your authentic self and creating sustainable success, go connect with him on Instagram (Naked Sunday – @nakedsundaystudios | Personal – @lebinreallife) or check out the Naked Sunday Podcast (http://anchor.fm/nakedsunday), available on Spotify and ApplePodcasts.
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Being You!
Being in meetings this week for work, got me to thinking about many things but one thing that always was in the back of my mind is is conflict at work a sign of people being just themselves and trying to fit their personality into a style that probably doesn’t gel with them in that work environment or is it truly something else that causes conflicts. There are many tests from Myers Briggs to Emotional Quotient (EQ) to DISC analysis etc. but all these tests show that our personalities are what make us individuals so by restricting that, are were actually hindering engagement & progress? Is simply being you a problem at times?
Being your true self should not be an issue EVER but we all have reasons to be a bit guarded from previous bad experiences to being an introvert to just keeping it professional are all valid reasons to stop us from being ourselves in various situations but are limiting our mental health progress by doing so? Why is all this important for your mental health? Simply because you can’t be the best version of you by just diet and exercise, your mental health needs focus too! Our thoughts surely shape us even if we aren’t vocalizing them. So what can you do?
Mental exercises are great to do and those include practicing yoga to meditating but if being the best version of you requires you to write or sing or dance or play an instrument, do it! An outlet like such will not only do wonders for you but might even surprise you with your responses during a conflict!
Stay Well!
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Traveling and eating
One of the hardest thing to do when traveling is…Well, you could end that sentence with many words but for me, it is eating healthy while on the road. Yeah, at the airport there are options like Farmer’s Fridge but what about after work dinners or vacation meals? What can you do about it?
For me, a new way to control what I eat is by eating two snacks in the day and one big meal. My snacks could be anything from bacon and eggs to a protein bar or shake but I limit it to two snacks a day and a meal, which usually ends up being dinner. How did I get to this plan? I tried many different approaches from eating 3 meals to intermittent fasting to this approach, the best was my 2 snacks and one meal. My meal always contains protein to keep me full longer and I don’t eat after 9pm when I travel. Remember, one size doesn’t fit all and maybe you’ll have to experiment with what works best for you!
I enjoy this eating style because I’m less likely to eat junk and am able to maintain unnecessary insulin spikes. The nice thing about traveling is that it forces you to be creative to stick to your plan of action when it comes to diet, exercise, and sleep. I don’t know about you but usually all three are out of sync when I travel. If you have a goal, you have to find a way to achieve it even when you travel because if it is a goal worth achieving, why not try something different to get there?
Stay well!
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Weekends are for Mental Health Recovery
This weekend was a good weekend to relax as the weather is getting cold and Christmas time is in the air. You’re probably thinking what makes this weekend any different from the next, it’s all about how you to take care of your mental health. This could include many things like traveling, exercising, talking to friends or more. All depends on what you want to do to relax and unwind.
For me, this weekend, I took a trip to NYC and got to take in the Christmas atmosphere on NYC streets, eat some amazing food, and walk a lot! As much as I hate winter and cold weather, the walking in the city was not too bad as I was bundled up pretty well. Some amazing sites were seen at The Vessel and surrounding areas but I was disappointed with the Macy’s windows this year, seems like they keep getting worse each year. Santa-con was also on this weekend so wherever you went, you saw a bunch of Santa outfits and such and people having a blast. Surprisingly traffic wasn’t bad. If you do take the taxis, I highly recommend downloading the curb app, will make your life a lot easier especially if you don’t like to hail a cab.
The finale to the night was a visit to Bryant Park and the Winter Wonderland area. So many little shops and a great place to take a photo near the Christmas tree without the crowds of Rockefeller center. A thoroughly enjoyable trip and my legs are still recovering from the walking. NYC always offers so much to do.
Stay well!
Macy’s window 
Lights at Hudson Yards 
Lights near Hudson Yards 
Bryant Park Christmas Tree -
Recharge your mornings
One of the best things that I’ve done recently is to get up and grab juice instead of having coffee. Not just any juice but homemade fresh juice via a ninja juicer. Highly recommend this juicer but I digress! Why was this change in my morning routine so beneficial?
If you’re like me, you probably need a bit of coffee to start your morning. My coffee habit started because I wanted to drink something warm and slowly it became a recurring habit. Caffeine doesn’t really do much for me so swapping it out has been no issue. So on a whim, I bought a juicer after having fresh juice on vacation. At first, I was like it takes so many fruits to make a cup of juice and the clean up takes a little longer than making a kcup but after doing it a few times, it’s actually not been too bad. Now a few weeks in, I love starting my day with a fresh juice.
I have seen a number of benefits by switching, because it’s fruits, I am able to feel full longer and can workout with a natural sugar rush without the need for caffeine as a preworkout. Plus, I have a healthy habit incorporated. I’m also noticing an improvement in my skin and immune health because nothing beats nutrients from fresh fruit!
Stay well!
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Which magnesium is best to take?
Ok, so you can’t eat enough greens, nuts, and seeds and you turn to magnesium supplements but there are so many choices, so how do you pick one? Is it as simple as going to one that has a high milligrams dosage and you go with that one or is there more to it?
My journey with magnesium supplements started when I had migraines. I started with around 300 mg and noticed it worked well to prevent it so I continued taking it until eventually I became migraine free but I don’t believe that it in itself helped me because I did make some diet and exercise changes too but I do attribute it as a first step to helping me. On a side note, at this point, I bought whatever was cheapest to see if it would work. Also, most sites will recommend about 400-600 mg dosage per day. A good site to check out about migraine and magnesium is Migraines and magnesium . But is there a type that works better?
From magnesium citrate to oxide to glycinate to many other forms, each has its own benefits as seen here Types of magnesiums but the one you should choose should be based on discussion with your doctor to make sure you aren’t over dosing or taking something that may not work. People take magnesium supplements for many reasons including relief from migraines , possibly to help sleep better, maybe to help with constipation, and even brain health benefits so choosing one is difficult so what do I do?
I chose a magnesium complex. The pic is shown below. It has five different types of magnesiums and combines to a 500 mg dosage per capsule. Synergistically this combination has helped me with not only better sleep quality but also with muscle recovery. Plus, it’s a veggie capsule so free from many things that complicate supplement formulations. As with any supplement, you should consult with your doctor before taking and give it at least three months to notice a difference.
Stay well!
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Magnesium in food
One of the many supplements that I’ve taken on and off has been magnesium. Lately, I’ve seen more and more info in the news about it but what they fail to mention is where you can get it in food.
As a child, my mom always tried to get me to eat my almonds either dry or peeling the skin off after wetting them. I would grudgingly eat them at the time. She would say eating it, it would make you smarter so I did. Today, I grab almonds on my own due to this early enforcement but as I became part of the nutraceutical industry, I truly realized the benefits of these magical almonds. But before we get into that, let’s learn about what almonds have to do with magnesium.
Typically, magnesium can be found in pumpkin seeds in high amounts but how many of us actually eat that daily? There are many other for sources like spinach and almonds but neither is something that most Americans seek when grocery shopping so magnesium supplements are a great alternative but do your research before taking it or ask your doctor if they know about the best one for you. Meanwhile, check out this link for food sources with high magnesium contents. Top 10 magnesium food sources
On the next post, I’ll talk about the magnesium supplement that I take and the benefits that I have noticed since I started taking it. Plus, we will also discuss which type of magnesium is best, if there is one!
Image by Nicholas Demetriades from Pixabay
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