Supplementation - what you might be missing

If you are ready to commit to better health, this post is for you! John Maxwell once said that "You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily." That pretty much sums up my feeling on supplementation. It's an easy habit that I undertake daily to ensure I have all the nutrients my body needs to function optimally. I believe that health doesn’t have to be complicated nor does it have to be expensive. It does require commitment and a bit of an investment but here’s the biggest truth bomb you need to know when it comes to your health, “Invest in your health today so that you aren’t paying for dis-ease later.”

What do I mean by this? We know that 80% of dis-ease is directly related to lifestyle choices. Those are the everyday decisions you make that relate to your mind and body. Things like what you eat, how you move, your self care, your flexibility, what you drink, what you listen to, how you manage stress, and your proactive health care choices. You can think of your health as your retirement fund. If you’re saving for retirement, you’re choosing to put money into an account every single month that you don’t see an immediate benefit from BUT you know will pay off in the long run. The money you commit to put away each month could easily be used for entertainment, a new iPhone, new clothing, or travel. Or you can be forward thinking and put that money away so that you are taking care of your future life. You can still enjoy your life. You are just intentional with when you spent money on more luxurious items and it isn’t a splurge every month. Your health is very similar. If you want to be healthy and live a longer, healthier, more vibrant life, you need to choose to invest in your body every single day. The immediate benefit may not be felt BUT long-term, you’ll see it. It’s more fun to eat chocolate cake than carrots! However if you’re eating chocolate cake on the regular, that’s not adding to your health. Choose to eat with the intention of fueling your body and enjoying occasional treats too. Small daily investments into your health bank will reap the rewards long term. {Side note: eating well is a healthy choice. I completely understand and respect the body positive movement and loving on our physical and emotional form wherever they are at. Where I think this concept gets murky is when we detriment our health for the sake of doing what feels good at all times. I believe we still need to honor our bodies by providing what it needs and we can’t ignore the fact that our bodies are meant to eat whole foods, get daily movement, get quality rest, have a clear brain-body connection, etc.}

You get out of your body what you put into it. That’s the bottom line! The question is whether or not you’re willing to honor your body by supporting it. Are you ready?

You’re made up of about 724 trillion cells so I feel it’s super important to make sure they are getting nourished. Below are the FIVE supplements that I make sure I take every single day. These are the foundation of my supplementation, and while I do take other things, I feel like this is a good starting point for anyone.

Life Long Vitality (LLV)

This three part supplement is what completely revolutionized my health 4 years ago. It contains the equivalent of 12 servings of top quality fruits and veggies. I was dealing with hypothyroidism and Stephen had just been diagnosed with Celiac. I've always been a proponent of supplementation so when I joined doTERRA, naturally I thought I needed to try their supplements. It also helped that they have a 30-day money back guarantee so I really felt like there was no risk. Over the years we've appreciated so benefits including not getting sick, no more cold-sores, better responses to stress and less soreness in my body, better digestion, better sleep, our hair and nails grow so quickly and beautifully, Stephen's work colleagues even started telling him he looked like he was growing younger. I really loved that everything was naturally-sourced and also contained essential oils and herbs. I love that I can just pop it on my LRP order and they arrive each month, easy peasy!

Here are the three components of LLV:

• Alpha CRS - the cellular renewal system that is designed to revitalize your cells and help birth new ones that are stronger than ever before. Comprised of antioxidant properties, this product is designed to inhibit the oxidation of cells that can lead to permanent damage of them. It’s designed to support your cardiovascular system and brain and keep your nervous system functioning optimally.

• xEO Mega - A marine or plant based formulation of essential fatty acids focusing on Omega 3s and 6s. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are nutrients required for many key functions in the human body, including cell growth, brain development, muscle activity, immune function, joint health, and many others. It’s also formulated with 9 essential oils: Clove, Frankincense, Thyme, Cumin, Wild Orange, Peppermint, Ginger, Caraway, and German Chamomile.

• Microplex VMz - a whole food nutrient complex that is a formula of bioavailable vitamins and minerals that are deficient in our modern diets. It’s a botanical blend of kale, dandelion, parsley, kelp, broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, and spinach as well as digestive enzymes, tummy tamer oils, vitamins, and other trace minerals that are of vast importance to the function of our bodies. TerraZyme Digestive enzymes are critically important to helping the breakdown and absorption of our food. A diet that is comprised of cooked foods lacks the enzymes that are naturally found in fresh, raw foods. Terrazyme is comprised of 10 whole food enzymes that work to promote more efficient digestion of food nutrients, reduce the demand for internal production of digestive nutrients, and thus free resources for optimal levels of metabolic enzyme production and activity. PB Assist Probiotics have received a lot of interest in the last few years when the understanding of our gut microbiome became a hot topic. A healthy gut is a healthy body. FUN FACT. You are more bacterial than you are cellular! Science estimates that you have 10 times more bacteria in your body than cells and bacteria make up between 1 to 3% of your body mass (for a 140 lb adult that equals out to be 1-3 lbs of bacteria!. Healthy bacteria are responsible for a number of functions. They help to support digestive health, immune health, your mood, and more. There are many things that can wipe out our good bacteria (microorganisms) - antibiotics, stress, alcohol, lack of exercise, use of disinfectants, etc. Did you know that just one course of antibiotics requires 18 months-2 years of daily probiotic use to restore proper bacterial balance in your body? A daily probiotic taken at night, before bed, is crucial for your health. Why at night? Your gut is fairly inactive while you sleep and so taking a probiotic, it will hang out in your gut and not be eliminated. Vitamin D It is refreshing to see how much attention Vitamin D is getting as it is a MASSIVE benefit to our immune health. Research shows it’s on the best ways to support your immune system, especially against nasty viruses. A recent study out of the Journal of Preventative Medicine and Public Health stated… “Only 20% of our vitamin D reserve is meant to come from the diet. The remaining 80% is expected to be produced in our skin from the UV-B of the sun. In contrast to the context of the recommendations of the 1960s of 4000 to 5000 IU/day to avoid rickets, our diet today is poor in wild fish (×10 richer in vitamin D), wild eggs, and fresh milk (non-pasteurized). Children are playing and people are working indoors all day long, and powerful sun-protective cosmetics are used to prevent melanoma. Even sunny countries such as Greece present a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, as the angle of the sun rays from autumn to spring do not result in sufficient vitamin D production with usual sun exposure.” A second study linked low levels of vitamin D as a risk factor in multiple disease processes. Most Vitamin D recommendations are far too low, as we see in this study. Proper levels of Vitamin D can be helped with dietary choices (fermented foods, oily fish, etc.) but ultimately a supplement is needed to get to proper levels.

• 1000 IU for children <1 year on enriched formula and

• 1500 IU for breastfed children older than 6 months

• 3000 IU for children >1 year of age

• 8000 IU for young adults (>13 yoa) and thereafter

DDR Prime My final suggestion is DDR Prime. This product is based on the fundamental truth that all dis-ease is linked to cellular needs. Life Long Vitality is supportive of cellular energy, essential oils are supportive of cellular protection and DDR Prime is designed for cellular resilience. When our DNA is damaged, it has two options - our cell will either attempt to repair itself or it will be destroyed. Many studies have shown that essential oils can protect DNA and stimulate the reversal of cellular damage. DDR Prime is an essential oil blend designed specifically as an essential oil cellular complex to help your cells in three areas: prevent DNA damage (Frankincense, Thyme, Lemongrass), induce cellular death (Lemongrass, Clove, Niaouli), and help with oxidative stress (Wild Orange, Summer Savoury, and Clove). It’s available in both an oil bottle and as a supplement. Adding these five supplements to your daily routine (Life Long Vitality, Terrazyme, PB Assist, Vitamin D, and DDR Prime) will significantly improve your health status. My experience shows that within a month, people notice a difference in their health but as mentioned before, long term benefit is what you’re investing in.

Do you have questions about supplementation or even internal use of essential oils? Drop me a note, I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time!