Everybody dreams of having an active and healthy lifestyle. We all want to live long enough to reach all our goals and not be a burden to our families. However, in a fast-paced society, it is easy to get caught with the demands of our everyday life. Often, we juggle different roles such as that of a child, a parent, a friend, a partner, or even a workmate that require us to manage multiple responsibilities at once. As time passes by, we see our commitment to staying healthy weaken. It’s either we find ourselves making excuses to skip our workout routines, we forget to take our supplements, or we just eat whatever’s readily available without regard to its nutrition.
Then one day, we suddenly feel random parts of our body begin to ache, we easily get fatigued, and we can no longer do activities that we did with ease a year ago. This is when we realize that something needs to change with how we manage our lifestyle. But where do we start? How do we squeeze in staying healthy amidst our busy schedules?
If we want to become conscious of our health and what goes into our body, we need to be well-versed with what nutrients our body needs and how much of them we must consume to reach peak performance. It is important to take note that these essential nutrients are necessary for normal body function, growth, and development. However, they are not synthesized by our system, thus, they need to be externally sourced from foods or supplements.
The Macros
Macronutrients are the set of nutrients our body needs to consume in large amounts, specifically proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. These are broken down to provide energy and building blocks for our body’s structure.
Proteins are known as the body’s building blocks, especially for muscle tissue. They are also known to aid in our digestive system through digestive enzymes, improve the structure of our skin by providing antioxidants, collagen, and elastin, and nourish our hair and nails through keratin. Proteins can be sourced from lean meats, poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy.
Another set of nutrients that our body needs in large quantities are carbohydrates or the body’s go-to energy source. They fuel us throughout our daily activities and during short to moderate lengths of exercise. Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source for movement, biosynthesis of proteins, brain function, and more. This food group includes bread, pasta, rice, cereal, fruits, and vegetables.
The last set of essential macronutrients is healthy fats which are essential in giving the body energy and supporting cell function. They also help protect our organs and keep our body warm. We can get this from avocado, almonds, nuts, fish, and oils coming from olive, sunflower, and canola.
The Micros
Micronutrients are the set of nutrients that our body needs in smaller amounts but are nevertheless essential to our health. These are minerals and vitamins which are vital in ensuring that our bones, muscles, heart, and brain function properly and efficiently. These are also in charge of making enzymes and hormones. There are various sources for these like fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish, whole grains, dairy, legumes, nuts, and liver.
The Supplements
But the thing is, it is not every day that we get to cook or consume meals containing all the essential nutrients that we must take in. Our body’s health needs remain constant day by day. So, what do we do? This is where supplements come in. They ensure that we still get the right amount of nutritional supply to eat, sleep, and perform better even on days our diet is insufficient.
This is something USANA is known for. Throughout the years, they took pride in providing consumers with the highest quality nutritional products to provide support in their active lifestyle. Their wide range of food supplements for various lifestyles and ages ensure that necessary support is provided where it is needed. Such supplements include: Cellsentials, MagneCal D, and BiOmega.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong commitment. But it doesn’t have to be a burden as we go through our daily routines. Knowing the right nutrients and supplements and incorporating them in our daily ritual, a long and healthy life no longer needs to be just a dream but rather a lived reality.
