Review: Hype or Holy Grail? Care/Of Personalized Vitamins

I’m going to ramble a lot in the next few paragraphs about the importance of self-care, but if you’re here for a quick review recap & discount code to try out your own personalized vitamin packs, scroll to the bottom of the post!

If you’ve been following me on social media for the last few weeks, you’ve probably seen me talking about the self-care focus I’ve been trying to put on myself lately. When you’ve got a lot of stuff on your plate, taking care of yourself can often fall by the wayside – that’s something I’ve found happening more and more recently, and it’s led me to realize that not taking putting the effort into taking care of myself can sometimes be a form of self-harm.

This might sound a bit harsh, I know. Self-harm? Just because I’ve skipped a meal or two ’cause I was running around all bananas busy-like? Yes! That’s hurting you, my dear! Realizing this has opened my eyes to the excuses I make for why I don’t “have time” to do things – or, in other cases, has caused me to rethink what I view as “treating myself”.

For example, when I’m working on commissions and driving my boyfriend to/from work and packing Etsy orders and delivering groceries, it can be all too easy for me to skip breakfast & lunch, claiming I’m “too busy” to make the effort to eat. Or I can plan for this, keep grab-and-go snacks in my fridge, and acknowledge that making myself a priority and taking care of myself emotionally, mentally, and physically isn’t always going to be scented sheet masks and Netflix binge days – sometimes it’s really, really hard.

I don’t think people talk enough about how hard self-care can be. The importance of it is stressed, yes – online, in marketing, with inspiring-yet-also-sometimes-a-little-condescending “amazing new life hacks” and articles written by self-proclaimed “wellness gurus”. But nobody really talks about HOW INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT it can be to just force yourself to stop and take stock of how your body feels, check in with yourself mentally, and really take a second to consider: are my needs being met? Am I hungry, am I thirsty? Have I stretched recently, or has my head been buried in my phone? Even if you’re mid-task, would a few moments of fresh air or food prep hurt? Take a deep breath, drink some water, grab a snack, take your vitamins or medications, unclench your jaw, and relax the muscles in your shoulders.

I know some folks reading this may be thinking, “But even that is oversimplifying it! My job is hard, I have so much on my plate! I have other people to care for, responsibilities, things/people/situations that are relying on me!” I understand. Things are hard, and some days there just isn’t enough time. And that’s okay! Just do your best, and make the best effort possible to check in with yourself and make small steps and choices toward self-care.

I’ve been trying to prioritize my own self-care in various ways recently. Some have been easier, and some have been a little more tough.

I’ve been cooking more, and trying to get enough food in – even on my busiest days – so that my body doesn’t suffer from my poor eating habits.

I’ve been drinking lots of water too, thanks to the fun trick of infusing my water with yummy things like lemon, cucumber, mint, and strawberry!

I try to get my body moving a bit more than I’m used to, ’cause outside of deliveries my work is all pretty sedentary. I’ve discovered a few great Youtube fitness channels with fun workouts involving dance, yoga, and strength training. It’s so fun, and best of all: all free!

And finally, the main point of this whole post now that I’ve rambled you all into clicking away: vitamins! I suffer from a deficit of some key vitamins, and knowing that I’m extremely tired and weak without them has made me appreciate what they can do for me more than ever. I was taking some chewy gummy vitamins for awhile, but didn’t find that I was feeling any real health benefits. They claimed to contain the iron I needed each day, for example, but I was still extremely low.

I did a bit of sleuthing online and read some reviews talking about Care/Of and their personalized vitamin plan. For those who don’t know, Care/Of is a subscription service that delivers custom packs of vitamins and/or supplements to your door each month. They use a research-backed algorithm to deliver recommendations that are specifically tailored to your own personal diet and lifestyle, taking into account any personal health goals you have as well.

They do this by having you take an online quiz (it’s easy and quick, no studying required! lol) that evaluates your needs, and then the website provides a list of recommended vitamins for your health plan. You can opt in or out of any of the vitamins, and there are also other things available such as collagen powders, caffeine sticks, and more. I’ve personally only tried the vitamins, and likely won’t be branching out as much – but the discount below works on your whole order, so go wild!

For me personally, my health issues and goals are focused on improving my joint & bone health, less stress, better sleep, more energy, and eliminating digestive discomfort. For these things, I was prescribed a total of 5 daily vitamins, including a probiotic blend and ashwagandha, an herb used in traditional Ayurveda. That’s another thing I really liked about Care/Of’s website – they didn’t only have the normal stuff you’d find in your average grocery store vitamin aisle, but offer some more holistic approaches as well.

So far, I’m completely in love with my subscription, and am grateful to C/O for the opportunity to try it out at such a steep discount! I’ve noticed an increase in energy and overall mood, the latter of which not something I was even expecting from this little experiment! I’ve also noticed that my stomach has been doing a little bit better, which I imagine is because of the probiotic blend in each day’s packet – yay!!

In addition to health benefits, I will admit that there’s also something so satisfying and happy-making about seeing a new little pouch with my name on it each day. The vitamin packs also have fun facts, daily challenges (“Smell a flower today! No, really.”), and even some questions to add a little self-reflection time into your day. This bit of personalization is so cool, and makes taking vitamins (which is a pretty boring task, let’s be real) a lot more fun and unique. I am a bit of a penny pincher, so I will admit that I investigated the cost of each of the vitamins sent to me, and was pleased to discover that I’m actually saving a total of $4 each month if I were to order these online or buy them at the local health food store! AND THEY HAVE MY NAME ON THEM?!?! AHHHHH!!!

Each package is sent every 30 days, and they come with instructions on how to take the vitamins as well as full nutritional facts and information on each one in your box. Health benefits, personalized packets that feel like I’m spoiling myself, and a check mark on the ol’ self-care list of to-dos, all for less than $1 a day? Yes, please. I don’t see myself bouncing out on this anytime soon! I checked with Care/Of to see if there was any sort of discount code I could offer (I’ll be honest – I wanted to sign my boyfriend up so he can try it ’cause I love it so much, and wanted a good deal! haha), and there was! So I’m passing it along to you.

Full disclosure: I’m not being sponsored by Care/Of, they are not paying me, this post isn’t an ad. I’ve truly been trying to work on myself over the last few months, and vitamins are integral to how much healthier & happier I’m doing. I won’t get any money if you use the code, BUT I will get the website’s form of loyalty currency – “Carrots” that can go toward a discount on my next month of vitamins! (So if you sign up, or even just take the quiz using my link without spending a single cent, you’re helping me stay healthy!! Win/win, thank you so much!)

To save a whopping 50% off your whole first month (this includes vitamins, sticks, powders, and anything else on the website!), use my link here and take the quiz yourself: https://takecareof.com/invites/cddra8

Use ‘CDDRA8’ during checkout to get 50% off your first month!

Overall, I’m so happy with my Care/Of experience, and very grateful for this newfound energy in taking care of myself. It’s hard, but it’s so important – and little steps each day, like a daily vitamin or filling up a glass of refreshing lemon-cucumber water, add up to a happier, healthier me! 🙂

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