You know the scenario all too well: Alarm buzzes on phone; roll out of bed; walk to Keurig; add fat to coffee; sulk over previous relationship with candy flavored creamer; scroll through phone mindlessly…. Then, out of nowhere, BAM! It hits you. The most simple and subtle* advertisement ever:
And you think, “Man, summer is right around the corner, and I really……” (kick ya feet up, folks. It’s going to be a long hike through the justification jungle). But, here’s the thing, those supplements have an appropriate application. There are no miracle supplements no matter how hopeful we are with our scientific advancements. That gentlemen in the first ad; do you honestly think he doesn’t spend hours in the gym per week? Do you think he just pops those fat burners per the instructions on the label? “Consume one pill per desired abdominal”
Or what of the girl in the ad below “Inferno Joe”? High fat diets and ketosis have some extremely promising results as of late, but you can’t continue to eat our poor American diet and take exogenous ketones with the hopes of burning fat and chiseling away at your 2016 holiday inspired beach body. I’m sorry. It just doesn’t work that way.
But this type of insidious thinking and advertising go so far beyond riding the Ferris wheel at your own mental vanity fair. It seeps and oozes into other crevices of our lives as well. Often, we find ourselves staring face to face with the consequences of our lifestyle choices written in blood on a lab report. Whether that come in the form of inflammation, hormone levels, or vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies, the root of the issue can often be traced to specific lifestyle choices. And what some of us do when the justification jungle trails get a bit muddy, is kick it in to four-wheel drive (thanks human nature). We place supplemental Band-Aids over our lifestyle induced deficiencies. And at the time, it seems logical. For example:
- Can taking super doses of fish oil, but continuing to eat loads of breads and pastas save you from inflammation? Probably not.
- Can taking a probiotic but continuing to drink high amounts of alcohol and sugar and eating a highly-processed diet ever build a balanced gut microbiome? Probably not.
- Can adding a protein shake to your daily regimen, but continuing to eat a 75% carbohydrate based diet probably get you “photoshoot ready” by May? Probably not.
- Can taking an adrenal supplement allow you to continue to exercise more and sleep less without causing long term damage to your innate stress response? Probably not.
But…..
- Can taking a quality Vitamin D supplement raise low levels up to an appropriate range? More than likely.
- Can supplementing with an absorbable form of Magnesium prevent muscle cramping, aid in bowel regularity, and relieve tension? More than likely.
- Can ingesting a natural sleep supplement support your efforts of creating a more rock-solid sleeping routine? More than likely.
The list goes on and on, but the point is that you can’t buy every single supplement on the shelf and not change anything else about your routine. There are no “health in box” formulas that exist. What are some of the things that you are doing daily that you know probably shouldn’t be? The things that you are least likely to give up are probably the ones that a supplement can’t fix. Remove those first, then see if your symptoms improve. If you feel as though you are doing everything correctly but still can’t seem to improve your health, ask us what types of lab work may be appropriate for you and how you are currently feeling.
In my experience, taking the shotgun approach to health with supplements, more often than not, doesn’t seem to work. Worst case scenario, you are spending hundreds of dollars in supplements per month when you only need a Vitamin B-Complex.
Part of what we do at Fleurish is advise, manage, and tweak supplemental protocols for clients. Like with most situations and choices in life, that comes with its own set of trials and triumphs. You can arrive at “high performance” much quicker by taking the time to plan your trip. Selling yourself on why you deserve or need a specific supplement to solve a lifestyle problem isn’t the best use of your time or dollars. Give your justification jungle jeep a break and start paving your own path to wellness.
"Everyone needs someone to help them do what they ought to do. Your journey awaits....."
-Tyler LaFleur RN, CEP, CFMP
