Taking Supplements?Track Your Progress!

You’re going to start taking nutritional supplements, so you order a bunch of vitamins and prepare to change your health for the better. But before you take your first dose, you’ll want to make sure that you have a method to track your progress.

“Why?” you may ask. It’s simple – if you are diligent in tracking your vitamin intake and how it’s affecting your life, you’ll be better able to adjust and understand your future nutritional supplement needs. You’ll also be able to see specifically how the nutritional supplements you’re ingesting are affecting you for the better.

Here are some easy, no frills ways to track your progress while taking vitamin nutritional supplements. Though you don’t have to continue to track forever, some people find it fascinating to do so; they enjoy seeing where they were in comparison to where they are now.
Step 1: Create a Spreadsheet

No, the spreadsheet doesn’t have to be a computer-generated piece of art. Nor does it have to be complicated. Simply create tables (or columns) for each nutritional supplement. For instance, at the top of the spreadsheet, write the supplement name (vitamin B12, folic acid, taurine, feverfew, et cetera). Then, make columns that include: date taken, time taken, and dosage. This will help you track your intake of nutritional supplements in a general way. Keep this spreadsheet and a pen or pencil next to your vitamins and you’ll be sure to fill it out. Of course, a simpler way of keeping track is to have a fully integrated nutritional supplement that means you don’t have to shake and take from numerous vitamin bottles.
Step 2: Create a Journal

Along with your nutritional supplement spreadsheet, add a journal. Again, this doesn’t have to be a formal notebook. It can be a few pieces of paper stapled together. Just make sure that you have plenty of room on it to write.

Every 5-10 days, you’ll want to add an entry into your journal. You should include an overall health check and what’s different for you health-wise now than before. Though at first it may seem a trivial thing to do, you’ll begin to see patterns over time. For instance, imagine these three entries:

January 14 – Feeling kind of low for the past week. I notice that it’s still hard to get up in the morning, but I make myself just to take my vitamins. Cried a lot today for some reason, but managed to do the laundry anyway.

January 23 – Took a walk for the first time in months. Could the supplements be working for me? I even had a disagreement with our neighbor (the one with the barking dog!) and didn’t start to cry. Amazing!

February 2 – Groundhog day. But what a difference! After taking the nutritional supplements for a few weeks, I’m beginning to wonder if they aren’t miracle drugs. It’s been much easier to get up in the morning, and I feel a renewed sense of self-esteem. It’s weird… but I like it!
Step 3: Compare Journal Entries and Adjust Supplements Regularly

At this point, your nutritional supplement spreadsheet should be a part of your daily routine. However, every month or two, you’ll want to go over all your journal entries and vitamin log. Ask yourself whether you feel that a dose has been working for you (based on how you feel, feedback from your physician, etc.) Also make notes on journal entries and honestly see if you’ve made any progress health-wise as a side effect of your vitamin nutritional supplement intake.

Remember – the more you know about how vitamins and nutritional supplements are working for you, the better. So keep a log and track your progress for maximum benefits!