What do you do to cultivate good emotional, physical and mental health? Doctors regularly recommend at least a few days’ exercise per week, while many useful articles and lists detail everyday ways you can bolster your health through certain diets or surrendering common habits. When it comes to giving yourself an overall touch-up, basic supplements have been proven to compliment a proper diet and regular exercise with amazing results. From cellular supplements to detox supplements that work on removing toxins from the body, there’s an entire industry out there for you to discover and work to your benefit.

How Long Have Supplements Been Around?

Removing toxins from the body and using aids to alleviate occasional hot flashes or fatigue is not a new concept. In fact, supplements and related resources have been used for hundreds of years in countless cultures across the world. Americans, in particular, have been taking multivitamins and mineral supplements (the latter of which is also known as MVM) since the early 1940’s.

How Is The Supplement Industry?

Detox supplements, breast health supplements and basic dietary supplements have all been quite popular throughout the West for years. Sales of dietary supplements in the United States have totaled $36 billion back in 2014 — around $6 billion, in particular, was for the sales of MVMs. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommended that people over the age of 50 get the majority of their vitamin B12 from either fortified foods or dietary supplements.

How Commonly Used Are Supplements?

Supplements are well-known for their versatility. There’s a supplement or MVM for everyone, perfect for reducing pain, improving health and bolstering the condition of skin or hair. MVMs are still widely popular as a dietary supplement and, according to recent estimates, at least one-third of Americans take them on a regular basis.

What Are Popular Supplements?

While all supplements have their regular buyers, some have proven so common as to be completely mundane. Nearly two-thirds of American adults take at least one dietary supplements, with multivitamins and multiminerals easily the most popular for their wide range of benefits. Those that live in cold climates frequently take vitamin D to supplement their reduced sun exposure, while the elderly and those with vegetarian diets often take B12 to increase their energy.

How Much Exercise Should I Get?

A supplement is much like extra credit on a homework assignment — used on its own won’t net you a winning score, but doing both will see you go far. Physical activity only accounts for 20% of total energy expenditure in an active person and less than 20% in a sedentary person, with the thermic effect of food doing the rest of the work. Even a mere three days of moderate aerobic activity per week can reduce your risk for stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

Which Supplements Should I Get?

If you want to start removing toxins from the body or are interested in boosted health for menopausal women, you can’t go wrong by adding a few supplements to your diet. Most supplements can be taken every day, with some taken multiple times per day, but it’s best to check with your regular doctor to make sure you don’t have any accidental interactions or overdoses to worry about. Antioxidant supplements are prime for removing toxins from the body and a multivitamin can do the trick if you’re overwhelmed by your options. When it comes to staying healthy, it’s the little things that matter.