When we grew up, me and my cousins spent a ton of time at our Grandma and Grandpa’s house here in St. Louis.
It’s one of those houses where, when you drive past today (I don’t recommend the neighborhood anymore), you can’t imagine 11 kids growing up in it.
And it’s funny the little things we remember.
Like food…
I remember that my Grandpa Joe would make everything into a sandwich – they had white bread with every meal.
I remember it was a HUGE treat to have dessert like a Ding Dong, Twinkie, or anything else from the Hostess outlet up the street.
And I remember my Grandma Rita (Reet) would always give us Flintstone vitamins in the morning when we spent the night.
Especially as a kid, I really had no idea why we took vitamins or supplements.
I just liked how they tasted.
And listened to my Grandma.
Now that I’m an “adult” in the fitness world, I’ve become very curious and skeptical of the things we put in our bodies.
So, why do we take supplements (like the protein powder we’ve been talking about all week)?
Here is the best anyone has ever put it to me…
Supplements are an insurance policy to cover as many known and unknown gaps that exist in an otherwise balanced and healthy diet.
It’s kinda like a road with a bunch of potholes on it.
Sure, you can drive on it okay, but it’s definitely not an optimal surface.
But, once the road workers patch the holes, the road looks and feels better driving on it.
My biggest problem is that, while I eat very clean and healthy, it is still very difficult to “fill all the potholes in my diet.”
I’ve only met a few people who can do it.
And their diets do not sound like fun.
So, us “normal” people have to supplement.
It’s really about knowing your body.
And knowing your diet.
If I’m having a day when I know I haven’t gotten enough protein, I’ll add an extra scoop to my protein shake.
Now, the baseline is a good, reputable multivitamin just like Grandma Reet taught us.
I take a product called Micro Factor.
Of course, it turns my urine into the same color as Mountain Dew, but that’s half the fun…
That’s how we know it’s working:)
Truth be told, we should all probably prioritize a daily multivitamin, but my tiny brain is always in strength mode, so I sometimes forget my daily mv.
But, I rarely forget my protein.
Hey, I’m not perfect.
STAY STRONG,
Jeff
PS – I have noticed that one of the ancillary benefits of spending our hard-earned $$$ on supplements is that it forces us to listen to our bodies more.
I don’t know about you, but if I’m gonna spend $100/mo on supplements, I better feel a difference.
You can click here to learn about where I get all of my supplements.