This is a review post.
This post is part of a my Taking Care Of Mum series. Click here to read more posts in the series.
Over the last couple of months I have been taking some steps to take better care of myself. Sleep is still a challenge for me, which I am working on and will write more about later this week.
I have written before about how often I see mums, including myself taking the burnt chop. That is mum puts everyone else’s needs above hers and has what is left. We run kids to after school activities, extra classes, specialists, but often don’t listen to what our body is saying and giving it the attention it deserves.
I have started listening a bit more to my body and the experts, taking some vitamin supplements and also having some regular treatment with an Osteopath for some tightness and little niggles I have.
I exercise six times a week and exercise with high intensity. This can take a toll on my ageing body! Last year I started taking Vitamin D on the recommendation of my GP as I was deficient, like a large chunk of the Australian population is.
A recent Australian study noted that:
- 31 per cent of the population were vitamin D deficient
- Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) had levels considered by many experts as below the optimal for musculoskeletal health
What does it mean to be Vitamin D deficient?
Low levels of vitamin D can contribute to a number of serious, potentially life-threatening, conditions such as softened bones; diseases that cause progressive muscle weakness leading to an increased risk of falls, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
I had also been reading in lots of places about the importance of magnesium supplementation to a healthy diet:
Magnesium, an abundant mineral in the body, is naturally present in many foods, added to other food products, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines (such as antacids and laxatives). Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation [1-3]. Source.
Magnesium deficiency is the largest single deficiency in Australia. Some reasons given for this:
- Stress responses use a great deal of magnesium
- Our soil is no longer providing the magnesium it used to
The level of exercise I sustain and the pace of my life, does put stress on my body, so for me a magnesium supplement has been incredibly helpful in managing this, muscle recovery and energy levels.
A good friend of mine who is passionate about taking care of yourself has recently set up a company here in Australia called VOOST. VOOST have a range of effervescent vitamins and minerals, including magnesium.
I have been testing them out for the last couple of months and have found them to be a great addition to my diet and they have been making a difference. Sometimes it isn’t until you stop taking something that you realise how much they are working!
An oversight by myself, meant I didn’t take the VOOST Magnesium with me to Japan when we went away recently. I ran everyday while I was away, including a couple of speed sessions on the treadmill in the hotel gym at Tokyo. Nothing too different from what I would have completed back home in Australia, but I certainly had some soreness in the legs that I had not been experiencing.
The VOOST magnesium is an effervescent, which means you just add them to some water and have a lovely tasting fizzy drink. How you take your vitamin supplements can have an impact on how much you actually absorb:
Forms of magnesium that dissolve well in liquid are more completely absorbed in the gut than less soluble forms. Source.
The small steps I have been making to take better care of myself, like adding supplements to my diet, means I am in a better position to care for my family. I am listening more to what my body is saying and making changes to address the noises it may be making to let me know that something is not quite right.
What has your body been telling you lately?
VOOST Giveaway
VOOST have a range of effervescent vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, Vitamin B complex, Calcium + D, Magnesium and a Multi Vitamin. They have partnered with Germany’s most sophisticated and leading producer of pharmaceutical products to create a convenient and easily digestible way of supplementing your dietary needs as required.
VOOST is available at selected Woolworths Stores, IGA supermarkets and selected health food stores, RRP of $4 each. You can sign up to their newsletter to keep up to date with the latest products and stockists.
To celebrate the launch of VOOST and to help you take care of yourself, you can win a fantastic VOOST pack valued at $124 (Aust residents only sorry) including:
- x6 VOOST effervescent packs valued at RRP $4 each.
- x1 $100 Visa Card to have that massage/osteo/physio treatment you need but have been putting off.
To enter simply head over to the VOOST facebook page, give it a like and leave a comment letting them know how you take time out to care for yourself. The competition ends Sunday 13 October, at 11.59pm AEDST. Go here to enter.