My health and wellness journey with @NOWFoods – Month 1: The Diagnosis

As you guys know, I had a chance to visit the NOW Products plant a few months ago just outside of Chicago. I’ve been a fan of NOW products and supplements for many years and it was my tremendous support for the brand that led me to be a part of the trip.  I’m extremely proud to share that as of this month, I am now officially a #NOWWellness partner and will have the opportunity to share with you all the many great products I’ll get to try and the things I’m learning along the way.  This partnership probably couldn’t have come at a better time for me because there has been something going on with my health that I am now at a point where I no longer have the leeway to ignore any further…

Time for a health reset…

I’m always honest and up front with you guys about the fact that while, yes, I try my hardest to live a healthy, holistic lifestyle, there are periods of time in my life where I fall short of my overall health goals.  Those periods have come several times over the past few years where I go through a pretty rapid change in my weight, health, and habits – both on the positive and the negative side.  The last time that happened was while I was in Grad school a few years back. That full time school, work, wife and mom thing was just not conducive to a healthy lifestyle and quite frankly, it was not a priority. Like, not at all.

I’d been great at keeping up a good workout routine and meal regimen just a year ago this time and then BOOM, back to the drawing board – less time at the gym, eating out way too much and simply not paying attention.  Truth be told, it’s when you stop paying attention that leads to things really falling apart.  

So long story short, during my last physical, I got some pretty disappointing news that my cholesterol levels and triglycerides were through the roof. I was told that my LDL (bad cholesterol) was too high, while my HDL (good cholesterol) was too low.  There’s a part of this diagnosis that’s simply hereditary, but not paying attention to stuff is also a major fact. Fortunately, I am still at the point where making the drastic changes in my diet and exercise habits can still reverse this and so I do not have to resort to any prescription medications at this time.  Thank goodness!

Partnering with NOW Products

As I mentioned earlier, as part of my Partnership with NOW, I get to try out 10 products each month of my choosing and share my results with you all.  NOW products include everything from Sports Nutrition Supplements to Essential Oils to organic foods and so much more! Truth be told, all of these products work great together to help you achieve a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and wellness.  

This month, I have been incorporating the following NOW products into my daily routine:

• Cholesterol Pro™ & Cholesterol Support Veg Capsules – These are 2 NOW Supplements that were recommended to me to help support my body’s natural metabolism of cholesterol and maintain cholesterol levels already within a normal range.* Along with a diet low in saturated fats and regular exercise, these are essential to my overall health.  I don’t take these both at the same time, only because it’s just hard for me to keep up with, but I have been told that they do serve different functions toward cholesterol maintenance and support.* 
• MCT Oil – Vanilla and Mocha flavors – The MCT oil helps maintain a healthy metabolic rate.* I love that I can either take it in my drink or cook with it (at a light temperature).  
• NOW® Sports Amino Power Pre-Workout Powder – Since working out is such a major part of maintaining good health, this powder is essential!  I add it to my juice or a smoothie before heading to the gym and it gives me a little boost of energy to make it through my workout.*  It also supports your body during the recovery process following a tough workout.*  
• Probiotic-10™ Packets – We all know the importance of probiotics for good gut health.*  Each NOW^® Probiotic-10™ packet has at least 10 billion live organisms consisting of probiotic bacterial strains; with Inulin to Assist Healthy Growth of Acidophilus and Bifidus NOW has a few options for probiotics. There’s one that I have that requires refrigeration, but I love these probiotic packets since I can travel with them. 
• Sugarless Sugar™ – I was suspicious of this one too for a while because I am generally not a fan of sugar substitutes. I put it to the test though and it passed! Sugarless sugar both bakes and tastes like sugar, but contains no artificial ingredients and has just 1/3 calories of sugar.
• NOW® Organic Sprouted Brown Rice, Quinoa Cups and Whole Grain Pastas – These are all just healthier options to incorporate into your meal plan that surprisingly taste pretty good. I sometimes mix the Quinoa Cups into a salad with an Italian dressing, some nuts, and boiled egg that has become one of my favorite meals.  

Learn more about NOW Products here and if you’ve tried any of these that you love (or don’t love so much), please share your experiences in the comments below!