Photo by Karola G: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-medicines-4046997/
The essential tenets of health and fitness seem quite simple on the surface, and perhaps they are for the most part. Few would disagree that a healthy diet, good sleep, and getting the exercise you can is a good idea. It’s past that where everything can get a bit confusing. Sure, we know we shouldn’t have stress, because it can hurt us. But how much stress? Surely life is stressful? Aren’t our bodies and minds natural troubleshooters, which means we’re predisposed to feel a certain level of stress?
These kinds of recursive questions can leave you exhausted if you let
them. It’s not fun to deal with that, especially when you have so much
to deal with on a daily basis, from raising a family to working a job to
keeping the house clean.
So, if anything about health is to be sustainable, it has to be simple. This also applies to supplements. How can you tell which are best for you? And most of all, which are best for you now? In order to limit that aforementioned stress and exhaustion, we’ll give you a simple list of pointers that might help you answer those questions:
What are your goals?
Ultimately, what you want to achieve with your health is a good way to filter out your choice, even if a supplement alone isn’t going to achieve that for you. It can help though. For example, if you’re looking to support muscle growth and recovery, your supplement stack will look very different compared to someone whose primary goal is better sleep quality or improved joint health.
As such, it’s important to be specific and realistic about what supplements can do for you. They’re meant to support an existing healthy lifestyle, not replace the effort required in diet and exercise. Try writing down one or two central goals, like “I want to run a 5K race” or “I need to reduce afternoon fatigue.” Perhaps that means a bit more magnesium before you go to bed, or even Vitamin D in the morning. You can also have bloodwork done to see what your medical professionals recommend. More on that later.
What are you missing?
Supplements ultimately exist to fill any gaps in nutrition that a usual diet might leave open, and so deciding what you’re lacking is a wise idea before you start buying different pills. A simple way to determine this involves looking closely at your current eating patterns. If you rarely consume fatty fish, you could be missing out on essential Omega-3 fatty acids, and it could help to get that.
Alternatively, if you follow a plant-based diet, Vitamin B12 and iron are possibilities you may want to look into. It’s only really after identifying where your diet falls short you should consider supplementing, otherwise, you’re just guessing and possibly spending money on things your body already gets plenty of. That said, certain options like a multivitamin are generally safe.
What feels sustainable?
A supplement routine, just like an exercise routine, must feel manageable enough that you’ll stick with it for the long term. A regimen that requires you to take a dozen different capsules spread across three different times of the day is probably too complicated for somebody with an already busy schedule, and you might not even need that. For example, if you’re doing a ketogenic diet you have to supplement with electrolytes, but you plan for that and would know about it ahead of time.
Consider how easily a supplement fits into your existing morning or evening routine, as maybe you only want to take one multivitamin with breakfast, or perhaps you’re comfortable mixing a powder into your post-workout shake. If the process itself feels annoying, you’re far more likely to give it up it after only a couple of weeks, making all the effort and money spent entirely useless. Keep the list short if you can, unless otherwise instructed.
What does your doctor recommend?
Before making any changes to your supplement intake, it’s always best to have a conversation with your doctor or a dietitian. They have the medical knowledge to evaluate your overall health profile, including any pre-existing conditions or medications you’re taking.
From there, they can provide advice based on data, like your blood test results, ensuring you aren't risking harmful interactions or overdosing on specific nutrients. It’s really important to inform them about all the supplements you’re currently using though, even those you consider minor, so they can offer personalized guidance. Their professional recommendation is going to help you make informed choices, with more peace of mind that you’re pursuing this the right way.
With this advice, we hope you can better understand which supplements are best for you right now.
So, if anything about health is to be sustainable, it has to be simple. This also applies to supplements. How can you tell which are best for you? And most of all, which are best for you now? In order to limit that aforementioned stress and exhaustion, we’ll give you a simple list of pointers that might help you answer those questions:
What are your goals?
Ultimately, what you want to achieve with your health is a good way to filter out your choice, even if a supplement alone isn’t going to achieve that for you. It can help though. For example, if you’re looking to support muscle growth and recovery, your supplement stack will look very different compared to someone whose primary goal is better sleep quality or improved joint health.
As such, it’s important to be specific and realistic about what supplements can do for you. They’re meant to support an existing healthy lifestyle, not replace the effort required in diet and exercise. Try writing down one or two central goals, like “I want to run a 5K race” or “I need to reduce afternoon fatigue.” Perhaps that means a bit more magnesium before you go to bed, or even Vitamin D in the morning. You can also have bloodwork done to see what your medical professionals recommend. More on that later.
What are you missing?
Supplements ultimately exist to fill any gaps in nutrition that a usual diet might leave open, and so deciding what you’re lacking is a wise idea before you start buying different pills. A simple way to determine this involves looking closely at your current eating patterns. If you rarely consume fatty fish, you could be missing out on essential Omega-3 fatty acids, and it could help to get that.
Alternatively, if you follow a plant-based diet, Vitamin B12 and iron are possibilities you may want to look into. It’s only really after identifying where your diet falls short you should consider supplementing, otherwise, you’re just guessing and possibly spending money on things your body already gets plenty of. That said, certain options like a multivitamin are generally safe.
What feels sustainable?
A supplement routine, just like an exercise routine, must feel manageable enough that you’ll stick with it for the long term. A regimen that requires you to take a dozen different capsules spread across three different times of the day is probably too complicated for somebody with an already busy schedule, and you might not even need that. For example, if you’re doing a ketogenic diet you have to supplement with electrolytes, but you plan for that and would know about it ahead of time.
Consider how easily a supplement fits into your existing morning or evening routine, as maybe you only want to take one multivitamin with breakfast, or perhaps you’re comfortable mixing a powder into your post-workout shake. If the process itself feels annoying, you’re far more likely to give it up it after only a couple of weeks, making all the effort and money spent entirely useless. Keep the list short if you can, unless otherwise instructed.
What does your doctor recommend?
Before making any changes to your supplement intake, it’s always best to have a conversation with your doctor or a dietitian. They have the medical knowledge to evaluate your overall health profile, including any pre-existing conditions or medications you’re taking.
From there, they can provide advice based on data, like your blood test results, ensuring you aren't risking harmful interactions or overdosing on specific nutrients. It’s really important to inform them about all the supplements you’re currently using though, even those you consider minor, so they can offer personalized guidance. Their professional recommendation is going to help you make informed choices, with more peace of mind that you’re pursuing this the right way.
With this advice, we hope you can better understand which supplements are best for you right now.
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