Making Your Multivitamin a More Big Part of the Day

I like the ideas suggested from this product because it’s a way to make you feel accomplished and it’s a good reminder to know whether you’ve taken your vitamin(s) for that particular day or not. It can relate to my regular routine since I already take a daily pill – why not just add another one? I think also it’s a way to make you feel almost “rewarded” that you’ve taken your daily supplements and can continue about your ways. The name I would come up with this new particular product form would be Strivergy . I like it because it’s putting STRIVE and ENERGY together which the words say for themselves. The supplements make you strive to feel and look well about yourself but also giving you energy in what are in the multivitamins themselves. They would come in a liquid or gummie-type form since I like those types better than others. I would also take a couple of options as mentioned on the idea form for ways to have them labeled. I like the fact of having a clear window on the side of the bottle showing how many multivitamins you have to take until having to re-fill but also showing you a reward of “congrats on 2 weeks of great nutrition!”. 

Other types of sayings you could have said are say little 'foods for thoughts' such as “you’ve reached your 2 week mark, pamper yourself to a massage” or “call an old friend who you haven’t spoken to for a while.” Even something to get you to buy the product again such as “you’re just one week away from having to re-fill, here’s $1 off your next purchase”. Now of course this is a lot of wording to put on a bottle, so perhaps you can log online or even have an app on your phone where you have like a rewards type of program as multiple places have, and it’ll show you how many points or weeks you’ve taken your vitamins and what the surprise may be. It’s a good incentive to get people to take their multivitamins and feel rewarded at the same time. It’s just the nature of the beast with our society that we need to feel something or gain something tangible to want to do a task and as they say “money talks”. So if you can accrue points for taking these particular vitamins and say get $2 off when having reached 100 points towards your next Strivergy batch or $3 off at 150 points towards your monthly rate at a gym, etc. just something that’s still related to health and wellness, but also exciting and fun too.  

I know with having taken these Strivergy supplements, it would make me feel better as a person knowing that - hey, I’m doing something good for myself physically, emotionally, that’s good for my body but also I am getting rewarded with these points that can get me things too. I think the only way this would change my multivitamin routine the fact that I’m taking it more often and more aggressive about taking it with the incentives involved. I don’t think it would change my outlook too, too much on One A Day but I could probably see myself not taking it as often since it’s just a tablet that I’m not a fan of. Doesn’t mean that I would completely rule them out but I could see myself slowly staying away – may still stick to the VitaCraves but just not the One A Day tablets.

A Tale of Two Multivitamins

One-A-Day:  Meet Judith, not Judy or Ju-Ju for short, she prefers to go by the name that was given to her at birth which is just simply...well, Judith. She’s 65 years old and lives in a small rural town where the closest gas station is about 15 miles up the road. She lives alone with her pet cat named Rumor who’s about 8 years old. She’s had him since she was a kitten and they have grown very fond of each other over the years. She treats him as if he’s her very own child, as she never had the chance to have any of her own. She lives a very simple life, now just having retired of being a teacher for almost 40 years she’s ready for a break. Despite not being as mobile as she used to, she still manages to take her multivitamins One-A-Day tablets. She has always preferred the “traditional” forms of the tablet and doesn't care for how they make the new-type of intake methods such as powdered mixtures, chewables or gummies. She’d rather just have a full glass of milk or meal and digest the pill in one sitting – call it a day.

She likes how the One-A-Day tablets tend to have a variety of supplements, especially for those who are older as herself. She used to take Centrum but since a lot of her friends and family take One-A-Day's, she thought she’d give it a shot. To keep herself busy now where she’s not working full-time and lives solo, she’ll go on simple walks either on her own or with neighbors around the block. Her great-niece bought her an iPod not too long ago to update her to the “real world of technology”. So she’ll listen to her classical music and some soft rock tunes while going on her walks. Judith recently joined a gym not too long either and though she doesn't work out nearly as much as she used to, she still will like to get some type of cardio and weight resistance training in as part of her routine. She’ll try to go at least 1-2 times a week, if she can get a friend to go with her that would be even better. Her eating habits are better than they used to be. She quit drinking not too long ago and used to be a hard core smoker. She’s been completely straight edge now for about 10 years and it’s definitely much easier now than it was in the beginning. All in all, she’s very cautious on her eating/drinking and dieting habits in general. 

Judith may have the occasional steak and fries, but only for special occasions if she’s meeting with family or friends, dining out or something. She tries not to splurge too much as she doesn't want to lose whatever figure she still has left. Her meals usually will start with a salad, especially for lunch and dinner. She’s never been a huge breakfast eater but she knows she has to have something to take her One-A-Day supplement with. So she may just have a piece of apple with some cheese or maybe a bowl of cereal. When her sister comes to town, they’ll go to this special diner the next town over where they used to go to as kids and that’s when Judith may want to splurge a bit and get her eggs, bacon, and pancakes. 

To pass time, Judith likes to sew and knit while watching her daytime talk or game shows on tv. She used like to watch the soaps before they took off All My Children – that was always her favorite. She hates the fact that reality tv has taken over cable so she pretty much shuts the tv off once Jeopardy is over at 8:00pm. Also on Thursday nights, she’ll attend Bingo at her local Baptist church down the street and meet a few of her friends there. It was something she used to like to do with her best friend – who was almost close to being her husband, but he had an unexpected accident about 15 years ago and she just couldn't break from that. She doesn't mind being single though as she has a lot of family that live close by and she’s a very sociable person. Plus her cat Rumor is VERY needy so he soaks up a lot of her time too. 

VitaCraves:  Mary-Jo, she likes to be called MJ so as not to confuse her with her mother or grandmother for that matter. Mary is after her mother and Jo is actually short for Josephine who is her grandmother. Her parents clearly decided to get creative - so in turn she likes to be called MJ and her friends think it’s pretty cool. She’s 25 years old and just a few years out of college living in a suburb outside the city, but not in the "sticks", so there is some civilization. She was never huge into taking her vitamins, used to hate taking the Flinstone chewables as a kid and since then she’s never been big into taking supplements. In college pretty much her supplements were consumed of food and alcohol J. Now that she’s “grown up”, she’s become more physically active, going to the gym regularly -  well about 2-3 times a week, and will take VitaCraves which her friends and doctor referred to her a few years ago. Ever since she was a kid, she’s LOVED gummie-worms and gummie-bears so she figured why not give these a shot and she likes them so much better than the chewable tablets. Her parents have tried to influence the Centrums for Women or the One-A-Day but she’s never been a huge fan of the pill as her stomach will get upset if she doesn't get to have a big meal. Whereas with the VitaCraves they’re so much easier to digest and you don’t necessarily have to have a meal to take them. She loves to go out with friends, especially to the bars and clubs, she’s sort of seeing someone but not sure how serious it is as it’s only been several months of dating.

They might meet up a couple times a week and he’s very active in the gym and church which influences her to do the same. They have similar music tastes too like R&B, Alternative, and Hip-Hop. Another form of exercise she knows that will make up for the gym is definitely going to the clubs and dancing. She loves to dance; even as a kid her parents would have her in ballet and jazz classes which were her favorite. During her downtime, she’ll read a book, watch tv, bowl/pool, mini golf or go to the movies. She’s a huge fan of Redbox especially and Netflix. MJ is definitely a busy person though, so it’s very rare she’ll have downtime to herself. Occasionally she’ll also go jogging with her pet dog, Scout who’s a Rottweiler. They’re of course known to be “rough around the edges” but he’s a very sweet dog and is very close to MJ. They’ll go jogging and sometimes her dad will tag along too – she still lives at home, which she’s desperately looking to move out in the next year or two. 

Unfortunately her job status isn't where she’d like to be, however. Who would've thought that being a Business major, would be so ‘vague’ in getting jobs this day in age?? Right now she’s just working part-time being an admin assistant for this architectural firm in the city. She doesn't have a car at the moment, so she takes the commuter rail and will get picked up/dropped off by family or sometimes friends that may be around. Her dieting is so-so. It has gotten a little better since college but still could improve. Because she doesn’t have much of a filter, she’ll be sure to take her VitaCraves and have at least one healthy item everyday that’s some color of the rainbow – whether an apple, orange, lemon in her water, whichever. She’s definitely a huge foodie though. MJ has a younger sister who’s very opposite of her and kind of does her own thing, but they’re closer now than they used to be when MJ was in school. Being just a few years apart you’d think they would be close and hang out all the time, but still they have their differences in what to do for fun. To gain some more income, MJ will also babysit and nanny from time to time which she’s done for years. It’s a good reminder for her on why she can wait to have children at this moment in her life <smiles>. They’re a good way to keep her active as well.

The person I would relate to the most is actually a little tough because though I’m closer in age to MJ, I feel that some of Judith’s qualities I may relate to more. I am similar in age to MJ and love to keep busy, eat my VitaCraves, am close to family, friends and a huge foodie. However, I also would play Bingo (if there was a church near me that hosted), and love cats. I used to have a Rottweiler in real life as a child, but right now I just have a cat and birds. I like my quiet nights of wining and dining as relates more to MJ and like my big breakfasts, which I guess can tie into both personalities. I remember back in the days of working part-time and I also babysit from time to time as well now – even being full-time just to make extra money. I’m also trying to move out as similar to MJ and am seeing someone who I’m in a serious relationship with. Poor Judith lost her love a while ago but still doesn't mean someone else wouldn't come into her life <smiles>. I’m a huge breakfast diner person like Judith - then again, I like big breakfasts in general. So all in all, I’m a tie between both lifestyles – oh and when it comes to music, I definitely am similar to MJ but surprisingly enough I used to like soft rock back in middle and high school which is a bit different some may think, haha.

Supplements, Today & Tomorrow

The current vitamins/multivitamins I currently take are a couple types. (although there are several that I may switch on and off from consuming, too - it really just depends on the day) The main one I take is the 1 A Day VitaCrave Gummies. If I do not take the gummies or if I've run out, then I may take the Equate One Daily Women's Health multivitamin/multimineral supplement. Sometimes I may not take either of the supplements during some days of the week, because I may forget. I know that it's healthy of course to get the vitamins in your diet during some portion of the day. Other types I've taken within the past several months, just not regularly are Finest Natural Vitamin C w/Rose Hips: Immune System Health, and CVS Vitamin E: Circulatory and Heart. These ones I do not take as often since they taste funny and are not as appealing to me as the gummie supplements.

I normally take these supplements in the form of a soft gummie or pill. The Vitamin E are soft gel tablets which make it easier to go down but they leave a not so good after taste. I use these particular forms because they seem to be more common from what I see from those around me and even in the stores on the shelves. I know that their are other ways to get your vitamin supplements by forms of liquids as an example but it's not something I've tried before. I wouldn't be opposed to trying it out, however. I feel that the benefits may be stronger in getting your vitamin supplements in a form of a pill as opposed to liquids because it's compacted. Because I do not know anyone personally who's used other forms, I cannot compare and see which would be better in general, but to me I would think the pill is better.

I like the form of the gummies as best to take because they are easier to consume and of course more fruiter in taste. They do not leave an after taste in your mouth and also with some vitamins, you have to make sure you have a FULL sized meal before taking it - where as with the gummis you do not necessarily need to have a full meal or some type of a pre-caution to take before consuming the pill. This is another reason why I prefer the gummies over the other multivitamin pills because sometimes I may not always have access or finding the time to eat a full sized meal before taking the pill and in turn it could upset my stomach or leave a bad state in my mouth.

When going on the shopping spree, I noticed that the vitamin/multivitamin supplements seem to promote more of the gummies or soft chews as opposed to the standard pill. Especially looking at the Flinstones vitamin supplements. Back in the day, they used to be more of like a chewable tablet in different colors and they weren't so good tasting - especially the grape flavored colors. Now they seem to promote more of the gummies and I can see how children - and adults for that matter - would enjoy those more. This aisle had a wide

selection of a specific brand called Spring Valley that had specific supplement bottles such as fish oil, Vitamin D, L-Lysine, and Vitamin E. Products that I saw that were appealing for people like me were the gummies, especially where I take those now. They taste better and are soft. They are easy to swallow and as mentioned before, you do not necessarily have to have a full sized meal to take them. 

Supplements that I found unappealing just by looking at the labels of bottles - and are pretty obvious are the supplements for MEN and the ones that are for women going through menopause. Since I have not reached that point in my life and I'm definitely not a man (smiles), these stood out the most as unappealing to me. However looking at ones that I could take and still didn't like were the Caltrate soft chews in vanilla flavor. I like vanilla but not so much I can see as a chewing vitamin supplement. The taste of the chew I feel would be kind of chalky and taste a bit murky. Also the Spring Valley calcium sugar free chews didn't seem appealing as I like things with sugar in general so I feel this would taste rather bland and leave an odd after taste. 

An interesting supplement I saw in the vitamin aisle were I.Caps which were basically eye supplements for better eye health. I never knew they had such a thing. Also I saw by Centrum they had round tablets that looked like little colored marbles, as opposed to a pill, gummie or soft chew. I was curious to see if it's like a hard candy that you need to suck on for a while, or if when you bite into it, it's soft in the middle or would have liquid. I noticed they had Emergen-C powder packets that you can put in water for vitamin C or enhancing the immune system. I thought they only had Emergen-C for sicknesses and knocking out the "common cold" from your body. That's the only time that I've taken it. This is something that I could see myself consider taking, especially where I've had exposure to this particular brand before - just for a different reason to use for my body. Some of the soft chews I could perhaps see myself taking, but they would have to be fruity. I'm not particularly interested in eating the ones that are more chocolate, vanilla, strawberry type flavored but if they was more like strawberry, watermelon, mango, etc. I feel they wouldn't taste as fake I suppose. 

Also in the vitamin/supplement aisle, I saw protein shakes, bars, muscle mixtures (which men predominately use), and also Nutri-System or specific dieting-weight loss products that I have used or may consider using in the future. I particular like Slim Fast and Special K. Nutri-System I heard can help but it's very expensive, so that somewhat deters me away as I wouldn't like to spend a lot of money if there were other products just as good, yet cheaper in price.

Looking around the store to see what ways can enhance nutritional needs are a lot of things: in a therapeutic sense, there are facial moisturizers and nail products that can be ways to pamper yourself and feel good emotionally and physically on your face, hands and nails. Thinking of food consumption, a lot of vegetables and less processed foods are important to take in and digest. Fiber is important which you can get from granola bars, cereals, and nutri-grain type bars. I nice marketing tool for better health that I saw was free sampling on the Yoplait Greek yogurt. One of the store staff members were scooping samples of this product, and I tried it and actually liked it. Considering I'm not big into Greek yogurt, this is a nice way to test a product and you may think of things differently if you can actually delve into it personally and right away while you're thinking about it - good marketing. I even got a $1 off coupon for this product which is something good to hold onto and will be kind of a reminder to buy this product. 

I saw in some outside aisles they had trail mixes, a lot of salads and fruits right when you walk in the store but outside most aisles there are a lot of things that aren't so good for you like cookies, chips, and even sugar cereals - which a lot of them tend to be at a child's level because they will want the parents to buy those as opposed to a Special K or say plain Cheerios that would be better. By the fruits section also, there are a couple of small aisles that have a lot of whole grain products that may be low fat, organic, whole wheat etc. I normally wouldn't go down these aisles but I would consider it and maybe buy a couple of things here and there but not all the time because they tend to be more expensive. In general, I try to eat whole grain or whole wheat bread for instance - may not be organic - but I definitely stay away from white bread if I can help it. Even as a child, my family would only buy wheat bread. 

Some new products/ideas of receiving your nutritional supplements are as follows: Instead of taking a daily vitamin, take one that’s by the week and it wouldn't be a big pill, it would be regular size and come in any form – tablet, chews, gummies, etc. Because taking it daily you could forget but by the week it may be easier to remember. Or perhaps every two weeks or once a month, take an injection of a vitamin supplement and you wouldn't have to take it by the mouth. This may be a stretch but perhaps even at a day spa or health fitness center, the steam rooms/saunas could have an enrichment of nutrients and vitamin supplements coming from them with the steam and the heat that encompasses the room. Lastly, you could perhaps having a specific type of fruit (and not just an orange for vitamin C), but a new piece of fruit that’s never been grown or thought of yet, and it would contain all the vitamin enrichment that you would need just by consuming it - so no pill, soft chew, etc. it’s just this one piece of fruit that you could have either daily or weekly to get your nutritional needs. 

New Forms & Experiences Scavenger Hunt

For my first day of what I’ve seen in and around me on wellness are several things. Starting in the morning I took my necessary nutrients of vitamins and have some form of juice and add water to reduce the sugar intake. Or sometimes, I may just have the water and no juice at all. Juice is of course more exciting than water because it’s fruitier and sweeter. I’m a huge fan of most juices but because I know that cranberry is good for the heart and other parts of the body, I typically like to drink that. Orange juice can be a little too acidic (though still important) and apple juice can be too sweet, especially Motts. I particularly will put a lot more water in apple juice than other types of juices. Water of course too is the best of all to receive, as it will keep you hydrated and clear out your digestive system. It can also reduce breakouts and almost can be a filler for craving something that you really don’t need (ie. sweets, salty foods). Obtaining these types of drinks makes me feel good about myself, to know that I’m doing right for my body and not consuming it with things that are “bad” for you like sodas and having high sugar-flavored drinks. Especially where they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I tend to drink the most in the mornings, obtaining the supplements that I need.

The old/traditional way I may have consumed my liquids, is either having coffee which can obtain a lot of sugar and creamers, or just having the juice as well and not adding water to it. It can solve a lot of problems in keeping your body right and also making you less tired. That’s what I feel it does to me. Occasionally I may still need the caffeine and will break out a cup of coffee but if anything, I will reduce it to 1 cup as opposed to 2-3 cups I may have in a given day.

Another form of wellness I've encountered today is working out at the gym in particular going on the treadmill. Usually I may just use weight machines to utilize weight resistance, and I feel that cardio is important as well. Especially where I’m out of town and you tend to splurge a little bit being away from home, it’s nice to stay in shape if you’re in or around a fitness center area. It makes me feel accomplished that I've done
something to burn calories and try my best not to intake a lot of fats and sugars after. They say that eating after working out is better than before. I've started to do that and sometimes you think it’s best to work out after eating so you are burning the calories you ate. However, I've noticed that I do not feel as good physically and I’m almost sluggish because I may be still full from what I've just eaten. In turn, if I’m feeling the pinch of being hungry before working out, I’ll grab a yogurt or a piece of fruit and then go to the gym and work out. After working out, then I’ll have a substantial meal but nothing too fatty. I really like how on the treadmill they show you your calories, how far you've walked/ran, and your heart rate. They record it and to see the end results it’s great. Even if it’s not as much as you may have hoped to obtain – it’s still better than not doing anything at all. That’s how I look at it.

I’ve seen that there’s a day spa in the gym area where I worked out at. They present their flyers and brochures in bright colors, everyone on the pamphlets look calm and relaxed, the music is pleasant, and it's predominately women of course since we tend to pamper ourselves more. I am a big fan of therapeutic remedies such as massages and facials. I try to get them done every couple of weeks but what deters me away is money, where the pricing is not very inexpensive. So what I’ll do is I’ll typically get them done on a pay week and it’s a nice “reward” to treat yourself after working so hard over the past couple of weeks…so why not get a facial? (smiles) I didn't always do this, usually I may resort to having a couple glasses of wine or socially drinking with friends. I feel that the therapeutics are a better approach and it makes you feel physically and emotionally good. Where with drinking, you tend to eat while you drink and if you have too much, it might not make you feel good – especially the next morning. However, as long as you have a big tall glass of water after a body massage, the next morning you’ll feel like a whole new person. On my second day of journalizing this activity, I noticed a lot of people eating salads, especially when going to Panera Bread. This is of course is a much healthier approach than say eating a cheeseburger and fries from Wendys. 

A substantial salad with say a little meat (if you're not a vegetarian or vegan), the fix-in’s of vegetables and dressing can still fill you up and make you feel better about yourself than eating a large French fry obtaining all those fats and oils into your body. I try to eat at least 1-2 salads a week, because personally I’m not a huge fan of them however I know that they’re good for you. What I’ll sometimes do, if I need something more filling is that I may order the “YP2” at Panera Bread or some café that you can order a half salad and get a half cup of soup. I’m a huge fan of soups and I’ll try to stay away from the creamier ones and instead have a chicken noodle, lentil, or minestrone. They still fill you up and do not make you feel as heavy afterwards. Traditionally, I will have a sandwich and chips for lunch, but substituting that for a soup and salad, is so much better for you.

I was really craving a coffee because I was extremely drained from the night before and had to be up early to drive a bit of distance. A coffee of course has a lot of caffeine but I’m trying to cut down on the coffee and instead may have some caffeinated tea. They say that it’s not too, too much better for you – including staining your teeth, however it can still make you feel lighter and more refreshed. Instead of adding sugar and cream, I substituted for honey and just had a small instead of a large. I felt rejuvenated and so much better. Whereas with a coffee, I normally cannot drink it by itself because of the cream and all - which means I would need to have a piece of muffin, donut, or cereal to go with it. Tea I can have by itself and it’s less calories and still fulfills what you need to keep going. I’m particularly a flavored type of coffee and tea person…almost like the sugar substitute I would have instead of just a regular and needing to add regular sugar. Today I tried this one from Panera called Mango Ceylon which was wonderful! I love mangos and adding honey to it as opposed to sugar, the flavoring was still delicious.

Something else I've noticed that is an enhancement of wellness and awareness is listening to soothing music, especially in a cafe, driving in your car along the sunset (sound too cliche?) or if you're at the park and beach. Being inside of a cafe shop, this can make a difference on how your day is going when you listen to calming, alternative or smooth jazz music in the background. I've always been a fan of music, especially smooth jazz and soft rock (Magic 106.7 was my favorite growing up for a while), so this is something that I can see helping me get through the day. Take a deep breath and sit back, relax and enjoy the music. This should come naturally but obtaining a good night's rest is always important. Because of going away, being out of town, I made sure that any down time I had to take a nap during the day so I can be well-rested for work. This is important of course so as not to be deprived at work and not do a good job with your tasks and attending to others needs or requests. 

Another product I've encountered today and in general really, is to observe the nutrition facts on the backs of packages. This is a good way to feel like you're cutting back on what you would normally eat. Today for instance I had some shortbread cookies and usually I could probably intake about 6-8 but instead I had the serving size which was 4. I drank water as opposed to milk, because even though milk is good for making strong bones and preventing osteoporosis, it still has fat in it. Speaking of milk, I used to drink 2% reduced fat but lately I'll drink 1% low fact or no fat (skim milk - which I do not like as much). These little differences can make a huge difference in the dieting. 

Looking back what what I've experienced over these past couple of days, the ones that are most meaningful to me is fulfilling my physical exercise. This is what I want to make sure I keep up with, even as simple as going on walks during lunch breaks, or going to the gym just once a week. Because I work in the city, I tend to do a lot of walking - although during the Winter it can be tough with the snow and cold, I want to make sure I get into a better habit of keeping up with it. I also want to be sure to continue drinking water regularly and staying hydrated because it's important in your dieting and personal well being. Keeping on top of the nutrition facts are important - especially when wanting to splurge on sweets or fats. Only have the serving size of 4 cookies as opposed to 8, or eating 10 potato chips as opposed to 25. These are what I want to stay committed to and feel that a little bit can go a long way. 

These companies that are behind these products and experiences just want people to help them them "you". At the same time that they are promoting these products of eating right and working out well, they want you to see results but also to help them obtain and make a profit. LifeFitness for instance, is a very common brand for workout equipment I've noticed at gyms. They must be making a ton of money from these different gym franchises and people seem to really like them. The cardio and weight machines are extremely popular and whenever I work out at the gym, I see them all getting used one way or another. We need to have gyms just in general. The obesity rate in this country needs to change and this is a great start to cut back on those rates! I know there are outdoor tracks and side walks, but we can't find a random weight machine on the side of the street or in a general office setting. We need that separate outlet of fulfilling our exercising needs to help ourselves but also help these companies that are in the health awareness businesses. 

This also can go for therapeutic well-being places such as spas and nail salons where people (especially women), like to go and pamper themselves. This is more of an emotional and physical than mental I would say. It's more of a want than a need unless you have physical problems that you may need therapy for. I highly support all of these businesses that are enhancing our well being necessities and sometimes wish I worked for a company that specialized on these topics - so I can receive some of these remedies - complimentary (smiles).

Me, Myself & I

Greetings! My name is Serena and I am a 30 year old African-American female from outside of Boston, MA. I guess you could say that I’m a true “Bostonian” because I never left the state, haha. All my close family and friends still live here so why leave? (smiles). I still live at home (though hoping to move out very soon with my boyfriend) with my 2 parents and 3 pets (1 cat and 2 birds). I have a younger sister who lives not too far away as well. I LOVE to travel and try to go anywhere I possibly can without putting myself too much in debt – especially when it’s really cold here, I absolutely love to go to the Caribbean. I’ve been to Hawaii which is definitely paradise as lot of people say. If it wasn’t my job or money on the line, then I wouldn’t mind living over there for quite some time. I also enjoy photography, taking care of children/nannying and spending time with friends. I consider myself to be a “busy-body” and always on the go.

 A famous quote that I’ve found inspiring to me for a while now is from Ella Fitzgerald, who was famously known as the Queen of Jazz – “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” I find this to be true to me in my everyday life because yes, you just do the best that you can and try to get ahead – without getting yourself in trouble. Stay true to yourself and stay focused, whether it’s with your job, family, friends, whomever. I try to be a hard-working and dedicated, compassionate person helping those in need and I do believe in karma – “what goes around, comes around” – and “do unto others as you want others to do unto you.” It’s true!

My approach to living a healthy life is to eat and drink right, have fun but do it all in moderation. My priorities today are to make sure I get all the “rainbow” colors in my diet – red would be an apple, orange would be an orange, yellow would be a zucchini, green would be broccoli, etc. I try as best as possible to intake all my fruits and vegetables and cut down on the pork/beef products. As a child, I used to have a lot of processed foods like fast food from McDonalds, Lunchables, bologna or ham and cheese sandwiches which of course are not the healthiest choices. For dinner however, my grandmother or parents would typically cook fairly healthy meals of baked chicken with veggies and the occasional starch. I do remember however, having quite a bit of Hamburger Helper which is definitely not a healthy item by any means. So I definitely try to make a change of this in my regular routine now, by eating just chicken, turkey or fish. Occasionally I may have the red meat like steak or pork chops but not on a regular basis. Plus they’re very heavy and sometimes cannot digest properly.

The healthy choices I make in my regular routine are again, obtaining the right fruits and vegetables daily, and having some sort of protein. I take my vitamins regularly as well – in particular the Women’s 1 A Day gummi-vites. I’m a true meat eater and probably could not go a day without eating some type of meat. Usually if I do however, it is typically chicken – just because it’s the easiest and cheapest to cook/obtain. I will usually start with one egg or a Slim Fast or Special K protein shake for breakfast. If I do not want eggs and what something else and still lighter, I may have a string cheese with the shake or a bowl of cereal – which that can add fiber to the diet, too. What can make things harder is that where I work, I’m around a lot of CARB places that have breads and pastas and when you smell the aroma while walking down the street, it’s definitely not easy to pass up. On top of leftover sandwiches and snacks that may be leftover from a client meeting. Who wouldn’t want a yummy egg, bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich to start the day off? Occasionally I may eat one here and there, just not make a habit out of doing it. I’m a huge breakfast person in general, I could eat it any time of the day. Ideally I wouldn’t mind having a stack of pancakes with homefries, bacon and eggs but I know that it’s not good for you. I try to make sure to have perhaps one day a week to splurge and then the rest stick to a regular routine diet. I ensure that I work out at the gym 1-3 times/week, which can make me feel good afterwards. Trust me, I’ll still get the occasional lazy days especially after a long day at work and I may not want to work out, but as long as I don’t overeat and can make up for it the next day, I don’t feel as bad.

I try to balance my goals of eating healthier but also not restricting yourself to not having a day or two to splurge.  I feel that if you deprive yourself too much, then once you do have that moment to go crazy then you can gain a lot of weight and it can make you feel bad about yourself. What I make sure I do is work out regularly whether going to the gym or for walks during lunch breaks and eating/drinking healthier. As opposed to having a soda, have water or seltzer water and instead of juice, just fill it partly with juice, partly with water. We do have a water filtration cooler system at my job, so it definitely keeps me in check to ensure I drink plenty of water throughout the day. On average I may drink about 4-5 full glasses of water a day in my Nalgene bottle. These little things can make all the difference. I know doing this is important to me because you’re not going to be a “spring chicken” forever, and if you do not have the genetics where you can eat anything and everything you want without it going anywhere, you just HAVE to take care of yourself and watch what you eat. The older you get, the harder it’s going to be to lose weight. The metabolism slows down and it’s just not as easy and good for your health overall.

I feel like I’ve been successful in obtaining my goals mostly when I’ve weighed myself on the scale and I see that I’ve lost a few pounds. Of course if I do not feel so good and perhaps guilty after pigging out on a large coffee and donut from Dunkin Donuts, then you probably will see a different number on the scale. I do not feel good when say I’ve gained little weight and I thought I may have lost and put a lot of time and effort into losing. I try to figure out what I could’ve done better and just learn from it and move on – taking it as an experience. Also what helps is creating a food/drink daily log when writing down things that I’ve had throughout the day. This includes cutting sweets and alcohol – which is not easy, but again in moderation is key and not having a lot of it – and also a big difference is the timing on when to have your last meal. Do not partake in the midnight cravings; I typically will stop eating after 8:00PM. Some days are tougher than others and you may still be hungry and on days that I do that, I’ll try to just resort to an apple or yogurt….eating something light can make all the difference and in turn makes me feel accomplished for the day.