then you need to find something that fits your tastes.
would need to keep a journal of your habits before
Look for the following:
taking the vitamins and again for a couple of months
Size. The pill should be a size that you are
comfortable swallowing or chewing every day. The
best vitamin is the one that you will actually take,
not the one with the best ingredients that stays in
after taking them. The changes are subtle, but they
are there. It is easy to take these for granted because
they are not the same rush that you get from caffeine
or sugar.
the bottle for years.
Smell. Some vitamins have an odd smell. If that
turns your stomach, then choose a different one.
Taste. Many people think a vitamin should taste
like candy. If that is you, then get a gummy or
chewable vitamin that tastes great, or a small tablet
that you can’t taste at all.
One Daily. Some vitamins are designed to
What are all of those other supplements for?
If you talk to health nuts, athletes, and back-tonature enthusiasts about their vitamin supplements,
you will find that all of them take more than just a
single multivitamin. They all swear by a different
combination of supplements that enhance their
specific activities. In most cases, these devotees have
be taken two, three, or six per day. That is too
built up their stock by reading books and articles
complicated. Choose a vitamin that has everything
or talking to other healthy people that they respect.
you need in one single pill.
They have arrived at a mixture that works well for
Cost. We all have financial limits. Choose a
vitamin that you can afford to purchase regularly for
the rest of your life.
That is simple. Choose what works best for you.
them both physically and psychologically.
If you stick with the Mud Run Blueprint for
Fitness™ program, you will find yourself on that
same journey in a few months or years. But, right
But do not choose to skip it.
now you are just getting started and there is no
Why don’t I feel a rush?
to be. Today you need one simple habit that you can
Taking a vitamin and mineral tablet is not like
downing an energy drink. You will not feel an
immediate rush of energy. Rather, over time, you
reason to make this more complicated than it needs
continue for the rest of your life.
Take one small, simple, affordable vitamin pill
every morning.
should notice subtle, but solid, improvements in
your health. When your body has these nutrients it
can perform its daily activities better. This includes
a sound sleep, regular and reliable digestion,
preventing and repairing injuries to the joints, stable
blood chemistry, and improved oxygen absorption
during exercise. To really notice each of these you
Dr. Roger Smith is a researcher at Florida
Hospital, prolific author, and avid mud runner.
He competes with the old guys in every mud run
around Central Florida. This column was drawn
from his book The New Blueprint for Fitness: Mud
Run Edition, which is available at Amazon.com.