The Supplement Edit
I’m constantly editing my daily routines (thank you Aquarius energy) but I have been making every effort to stay consistent during this particularly chaotic and challenging era (thank you youth sports and competitive dance!)
We are wrapping up our 6th week of school and I feel like that’s been enough time to really fine tune my latest wellness routines and edit out what wasn’t working.
It’s me, hi. I’m the problem it’s me (The Spritz).
Here’s the scoop on the 5 essential supplements that have been making me feel good (and what I’ve taken out of the wellness cabinet) combined with some simple morning, afternoon and evening routines to not just survive being a busy mom and entrepreneur but thrive in my Football/Dance Mom Era.
Colostrum. No not for babies but for baby cows. It’s the ancient superfood found in a mama cow’s milk after a calf is born and it’s supposed to repair your gut barrier for better digestion, skin health, hair repair and overall immune boosting benefits. If your social feeds are anything like mine, you’ve seen every influencer, podcaster and celeb raving about ARMRA colostrum. I first tried it this summer at my brother-in-law’s house and to be honest, I was a little grossed out (and this is coming from someone who will literally ingest anything if you tell me it’s healthy). It smelled and tasted a bit like baby formula. So I did some research and tried a version in pill form and took an entire month’s supply and didn’t really notice a difference. But I was still curious and kept seeing ARMRA everywhere so I tried their powdered version. I bought the Blood Orange flavor and it was delicious. Kinda tasted like Sunny D vibes and I looked forward to drinking it every morning. Then I listened to a podcast with the founder on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast and she said the optimal way to take this supplement is to just scoop the unflavored powder into your mouth and eat it. So here we are. I’m scooping cow colostrum into my mouth every morning. Hubs is getting it too. I personally think the taste of the powder on its own is way better than drinking it in water… plus you’re not wasting any of it in the drinking glass (or when you use a frother it makes all this foam and it’s hard to actually get it down). So one month of the pills (not recommended by the ARMA founder/colostrum expert) vs. one month of ARMRA powdered colostrum and I have to say I notice a big difference in my digestion, skin health (zero breakouts this month) and the whites of my eyes are wider and brighter. It’s supposed to help with allergies too so will keep you posted…that’s another post on my allergy journey I’ll spare you now.
Liver Support. It’s no secret that my Covid lifestyle choices consisted mainly around cocktailing and pretending to be a sommelier. Since it’s no longer on trend to binge drink anymore and my husband and I find ourselves running a professional car service for tween athletes every night, I’ve cut WAY back on alcohol. Like going from drinking a glass or two every night (I mean I do love my pre-dinner and post-dinner wine…) to only a few days a week, mainly on weekends and date night (which is now Wednesdays thanks to our ridiculous sports/dance schedule). Anyway… back to the liver. It’s apparently the powerhouse organ of the body and when she isn’t happy…well no one’s happy. So my new mantra is happy liver, happy life. This supplement I found at Whole Foods is filled with all kinds of liver-loving superfoods and has been a game changer.
Electrolytes. Another gamechanger for me – I do not have any trouble making my water goals but plain water can get a little boring. This passionfruit flavor is sweetened with stevia and tastes like heaven.
Grass fed organic whole milk and raw honey. Okay so these next two aren’t exactly supplements but I’ve made some major tweaks to my morning coffee ritual and made the switch after years (and maybe even decades???) of using dairy alternatives in my morning cup. I am now a full fat dairy drinker. I know I know, I’m not an Oatly or Almond Milk Latte girly anymore. I’m a grass fed, whole, organic milk girly now. I love my Peet’s whole bean Espresso Forte roast, which I keep in my Breville espresso machine, and I use a frother to foam up the milk (I love this brand from Whole Foods but I’m working on trying to find good raw milk in my area) and I like to add a tablespoon of raw honey and some cinnamon to balance blood sugar. That’s it. It’s so delicious and keeps me full and happy all morning while I’m fulfilling my lifelong dream of being a short order breakfast cook and lunchbox assembler. And I don’t know if it’s the colostrum or just cleaning up my diet in general but I haven’t had any of my usual digestive issues (which are mainly constipation and bloating) since I made the switch to dairy back in August. I never drink “non-dairy” or plant-based alternatives any more and I’m feeling way better. Strange but true.
Afternoon Green Juice. Okay again, this one isn’t a supplement either but I’m telling you that I’m taking way less stuff than I ever have and just adding in this afternoon green drink has given me SO much energy that I can get through my afternoon insanity without having a menty b. So every afternoon when my daughter gets home from school we make a green juice with tons of organic celery, parsley, cucumber, ginger, lemon and either organic oranges or apples. I usually make enough for two servings and save half for the next morning so I’m getting 2-for-1. My kids like orange/carrot/pineapple so I’ll make that for them a few days a week as well. And other than a random stomach bug (which my husband says was actually me drinking too much wine at a garden party/harvest dinner) I haven’t been sick once since the kids went back to school and that’s kind of unheard of for me.
So that brings me to what didn’t make the Supplement Edit. Here’s what hasn’t made the cut lately and what I’ve taken in the past… side note: my actual doctor told me I didn’t really need to be on all these supplements and just try to pair it down and focus on eating nutrient-dense foods and it sounds so basic but it works. Eat the rainbow kids!
Vitamin D. Turns out I’m kind of dumb sometimes and despite my best efforts to be healthy was accidentally WAY overdosing on Vitamin D! I got this free bottle with a greens powder (also didn’t make the cut) and totally misread the label. I’ve been taking a full dropper full instead of a drop. I had my husband google what the symptoms of Vitamin D overdose/toxicity are and yep, turns out I’ve been struggling with all of these (bone and joint pain, muscle soreness, dizziness) on the days I would take my Vit D. I usually only take it when it’s raining and I can’t get sunshine outside (my preferred way of getting this crucial vitamin). Anyway, read your labels kids and maybe slow down so you don’t accidentally poison yourselves like I did!
Athletic Greens/Organifi/ etc. I know this is a controversial opinion but there’s A LOT of ingredients in these powders. They’re hard to remember to take daily, time consuming and don’t taste great, IMO. It just takes me a few extra minutes to make my own green juice with all of these fresh nutrients instead and it tastes way better. Plus they’re so expensive and I felt like I was spending way too much money on “wellness” stuff and it was stressing me out.
ALL of the expensive packets from Cymbiotica. I was spending hundreds of dollars on all of this stuff from the trendy brands. I have magnesium sprays, liposomal packets, collagen powders, Vagus nerve oil (that was a fun one)... I’ve tried it all in my pursuit to feel (and let’s be honest, look) my best. I still keep some Vitamin C and Glutathione on hand for emergencies or when someone in my family gets sick or if I overdo it on the booze. But I haven’t taken them daily/weekly in months and I actually feel better. I mean, apart from my occasional Vitamin D poisoning, I haven’t felt this good in a long time. And I’m 41, have two extremely busy kids, a huge dog that is always needing me, a house that needs cleaning, dishes to do, laundry piles the size of my bed… you get the picture. It’s not the time in my life to be doing more, I’ve gotta do less. So this is what works in this moment for me. Of course, this isn’t medical advice and please speak to your doctor/healthcare team about what works for you, get your labs done, etc.
Here’s to feeling awesome in this crazy season of life, my fellow mamas. Do what makes you feel great!
