To function properly, your body needs a wide range of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes. A lack of nutrients can lead to many health problems, but a deficiency can also lead to general malaise, lack of energy, and even depression.
It’s not surprising that parents often complain of general fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Because you’re on a busy schedule and constantly multitasking, you’re probably letting a healthy lifestyle slide a bit.
Meals may be quick bites between folding laundry and giving the kids their baths. Exercise may be running around the house to pick up after the kids and the dog. The solution is finding alternative ways to improve your health and energy levels.
Eating Right, Right Now
Yes, it’s incredibly obvious to tell you to eat right, but many parents think, “As long as I’m regularly eating, it’s good.” Nothing could be farther from the truth! Grabbing chicken nuggets when your child does isn’t effective. Instead, start keeping granola bars, fresh fruit, and pre-cut veggies in your cupboard and fridge.
On a slower day (in theory, you could have one), prep and prepare meals in advance and stick them in the freezer. You’ll be less tempted to nosh on potato chips or order takeout if you have healthy options at your fingertips.
Supplements
There are more supplements available on the market than ever before. Some are traditional multivitamins; others add in essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These can keep you from getting run down and protect your immune system, but you may not see a real difference in energy levels when taking them.
Supplements are often formulated for specific needs. A women’s multivitamin will contain more Folic Acid, for instance. There are also vitamin and mineral combos for older adults.
If you can remember to take the pills daily, supplements are an inexpensive way to improve your nutrition. The downside is remembering to take them every day (try placing them next to your toothbrush to remind yourself every morning). Supplements can target specific deficiencies accurately, but be aware that some of the active ingredients will be flushed away by your body.
IV Nutritional Therapy
IV nutrition is increasingly popular and affordable, particularly when there is a clinic in your area. IV therapy provides many of the same vitamins and minerals as a supplement but in a more effective, efficient form.
With the formulation going directly into your bloodstream, you don’t have to worry about it passing through your body without being absorbed. Most blends of IV nutrition also include powerful antioxidants to give your immune system a boost.
For IV Therapy St. Louis’ Institute of Natural Health suggests getting an IV infusion every few weeks for maximum results. The effect lasts for that amount of time, but eventually, your body will use up the nutrients, and you’ll once again start feeling depleted. IV therapy takes just a few hours or less.
You can relax and enjoy a few hours of alone time during the treatment as well, letting you “reset” and invest in some much need “me-time” before plunging back into the fray of daily life.
