The Benefits I've Seen From Taking Daily Vitamins (Love Wellness Review)
Towards the end of last year a few things became abundantly clear to me:
I am closer to 30 than I am to 20
I had no real physical health routines that grounded me in the midst of life changes
My body had taken a big toll over the last few months because I was walking a lot less
I’m so committed to my mental wellness routines that I sometimes forget I live in my body and that a part of that is a responsibility to nourish it in the right ways. Every part of our being is interconnected and ignoring one part sends ripple effects through them all. I know this because at the end of 2020, I was feeling the most sluggish, bloated, and uncomfortable in my body that I have ever felt.
I want to make sure I note that for me feeling unhealthy was not synonymous for me with feeling like I’d gained weight. I am recovering from a strong pattern of disordered eating and gaining weight (and having a healthier relationship to food in general) is a big part of that. Being in lockdown for the better part of an entire year definitely meant more of a weight gain than I had anticipated. I went from a 24/25 in jeans to a size 27. It’s something I’m baby stepping to holding in peaceful and loving ways — to start, I got rid of old jeans and am slowly buying ones that fit my new waist and hip size.
So, the uneasiness I was feeling at the end of last year wasn’t about how much my body had changed, it’s that I felt unhealthy, my IBS was acting up, I didn’t have routines that helped me reset physically the way I did mentally. While none of these things happen overnight, December was the first time the awareness really clicked for me.
Because of my layered relationship with my body and food sometimes it’s harder for me to take ownership on changing my physical routines and I have to take a breath to make sure that I’m doing it for reasons that serve my greater good. I’m still learning to trust my gut instinct. (Literally.)
Context given, I knew that I needed to start small and work myself towards a physical routine that helped me feel good in my skin and helped contribute to my energy instead of my feeling depleted. Enter Love Wellness’ daily vitamins.
In all honesty, I came across the brand (and trusted them) because I follow the founder. I liked that they were specifically targeted towards women and that the website gave clear descriptions of what it helped and how. I grew up in a Latinx household with women who believed in the power of natural remedies above all else, so taking vitamins always intimidated me honestly. I didn’t know where to start, didn’t have anyone to turn to and ask, so it was incredibly comforting that their website really holds your hand through it all.
I didn’t sign up for a subscription right away. For the first month I ordered the single packs so that I wouldn’t be tied to a subscription if I didn’t like them. I started by taking Perfect Condition Vitamin and Good Girl Probiotics. Going into my decision to take vitamins I knew I wanted one that was more of a “catch-all” daily and then one that would specifically help my gut and vaginal health. Both of these delivered in pretty amazing ways.
NO STOMACH ACHES OR ADVERSE REACTION
I’d once before tried another popular multivitamin for like 2 days because it ended up unsettling my stomach. I went in wary about what Love Wellness could potentially do to me. I started Good Girl Probiotics first and then a few days later started the Perfect Condition Vitamin. This was my way of helping myself isolate if something did have a reaction. Luckily, I was fine and they folded into my routine pretty seamlessly. I take both of them right after I have breakfast, so there’s something in my stomach, and have been doing so for almost three months now.
Noticeably impacted my mood
I think this part is two-fold, one are the actual vitamins and the other is the simple act of self-care. I have seen my energy levels go up and I do credit a big part of this to the vitamins. It’s helped me regulate my body and feel better in everything from my sex life to my digestion. These are not magic pills, so this is why I cautioned with the second part. For me, it means a lot that I’m taking care of my body in this way and I think that’s helped shift my mood by reasserting my own agency.
BODY CHANGES
Wow. I hadn’t realized how much I was bloated until I wasn’t bloated anymore. I don’t know what part of the ingredients helps lessen bloat, but whatever it is, it works. I also feel like I have an improved vaginal health after taking them. Everything from dryness to itchiness is non-existent. I have also been using the pH Balancing Cleanser alongside the vitamins and it leaves my skin feeling so soft. Prior to this cleanser, I’d been using a foam based on that had aggravated the pH and led to ups and downs on itchiness which made quality of life harder to manage.
REAFFIRMS MY COMMITMENT TO MYSELF
It may sound very woo-woo, but taking the daily vitamins makes me feel like I’m loving and rooting for myself on the daily. It’s a small act of kindness in the midst of one of the wildest years of my life that feels not only doable, but like such a small gift every single time.
I think right now especially with the one year anniversary of stay-at-home orders inching closer and closer, that it’s important to ask ourselves how we’ve learned to care for our bodies, minds, and spirits in the last year. I know it hasn’t been easy, but sometimes loving ourselves doesn’t have to be grandiose acts, it can be small.