Vitamins… Never too Young to Start

Disclosure

Wisdom is a wonderful thing… I’m just a little sad that it took me until I surpassed 40 before it started to kick in about some things.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m not smart. Actually, I’m a very intelligent person and wiser than many of my peers in all kinds of things. But when it comes to health and nutrition, I’ve just never come to grips with how important it is.

I’m not going to stew on weight and working out right now. I’ve talked bout that before.  This time around. I’m talking vitamins and supplements.

Don’t run away! Hear me out.

When I was younger, I didn’t spend much time, energy or money on vitamins or supplements.  It wasn’t a priority in any of those categories.  When I did purchase multi-vitamins, it was usually an all-in-one type that I would purchase from a discount store (IE 99¢ Only Store or Big Lots) for as little money as possible.  Hey, at least I was taking SOMETHING.  Right?  Sure, Nicole.  You were doing a-okay.  Keep telling yourself that.

In reality, I hadn’t been factoring in anything else.  Calcium, Iron, Potassium… nothing.  With bad knees, creaky bones and according to the radiologist, initial signs of arthritis, I wonder whether I could have prevented some of that by eating better or at a minimum, taking in the correct vitamins and supplements to offset what I wasn’t doing right.

Now that I’m old… over 40… whatever… I’m rethinking what I take in.  While I want to say that the change was spurred by my age, it was actually the result of my frugalness. (Is that a word? Frugalness? It is now so let’s just go with it.)  When we started doing more couponing, I started watching deals at various stores and decided it was worth it to buy fish oil, vitamin B-1, vitamin C, calcium, etc if the price was right.  DH and I check out labels and pay more for ones that we think have more benefits.  Sure, the coupons and savings helped but we now realize the benefits and look beyond just the price.

I generally take a multi-vitamin daily along with a calcium and fish oil combo.  When the opportunity came up to review Centrum’s new line of ProNutrients, including Omega-3 and Fruit & Veggies, I was extremely interested.  Centrum is a brand I trust and like (and actually have their chewable multi-vitamins on my preferred list.  When I get through the supply of horse-pill sized store-brand ones I currently use, I’m switching back to Centrum chewables.)  My mission, through Collective Bias, was to focus on the Omega-3 fish oil ProNutrients product.

Once home and with the package in hand, I was thrilled by the size.  They’re mini!  (Yay Centrum for coddling to us pill-haters!)  I initially removed the calcium/fish combo pill from my rotation but quickly realized that removing calcium wasn’t the brightest idea. So I’m currently taking ProNutrients Omega 3 along with my previous regimen of calcium and multi.

Now, I’m sure you have some questions so let’s go there.

What does Centrum ProNutrients cost?  Well, a box of 100 costs $18.48 at my Walmart. However, there’s a $3 coupon on Centrum’s Facebook page. While the campaign is focused on Walmart, I want to point out that ProNutrients are available elsewhere.  So if Walmart isn’t your shopping location of choice, ProNutrients were in the Walgreens circular last week and my Parade magazine had a full page ad that said “Available at CVS”.

Does it work?  Yikes.  I just started taking it.  I haven’t a clue how well it works.  Whether I’ll notice or not is beyond me.

What I do know is that vitamins and supplements aren’t something just for people trying to fight the aging process or battling some ailment.  There are vitamins and supplements for people of all ages, all body types, and all fitness levels.  Think about it, we even give our kids vitamins! Regardless of your age, I encourage you to consult your physician or a dietitian to find out what vitamins and supplements are appropriate for someone of your age, lifestyle and activity levels. While you might feel invincible now, who knows how you’ll feel when you’re… ummm… not young.

For more information on Centrum vitamins and supplements, visit the Centrum webpage. For specific details on the ProNutrients line, you can check out the ProNutrients website. Of course, you can find them on Facebook as well as hear what others are saying by following #NutritionPossible on Twitter.