It’s almost cliché to note the extent to which we are all busy today. In fact, it just goes unsaid at times, “I meant to (complete the project) (water my plants) (take care of myself first) BUT….” The exception is always there, isn’t it? As humans, we seem to like to take care of everything else before we take care of ourselves, and we could quite possibly fail at both if we are not careful.

Our health is the basis of all that serving we do for others. If, in this busy day and age, we can’t help ourselves, then we’re certainly not going to be able to help others. Vitamins are a main component of a healthy lifestyle, especially for the busy and stressed. In fact, “vita” is Latin for life!

So, if your body isn’t keeping up with your drive, ambition and “to-do” list, perhaps you should take a look at the following vitamins, which have been shown to specifically aid today’s busy lifestyles:

B-Complex Vitamins- The B-Complex of vitamins consists of eight separate elements: niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, cyanocobalamin, pyridoxine, folic acid and biotin. All of the “B” vitamins work directly on your nervous system, obviously a system that we’d like to keep healthy as we work through our stressful, busy days. In fact, the lack of B vitamins is often associated with stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety.


B1 vitamins can be obtained from oatmeal, whole wheat, meats and brown rice.

Having enough B2 vitamins (riboflavin) will aid your energy supply. Get this integral vitamin through dairy products and green vegetables.

B3 complexes (niacin) are found in sources such as chicken and fish.

Vitamin B6 has been show to relieve nervous system symptoms, and also to reduce irritability! A good place to find this is in whole grains.
Folic Acid is a B vitamin, and while most know it is important for pregnant woman and their developing babies, the rest of us need it, too! For example, do you feel as if your metabolism has slowed? One possible reason is the lack of folic acid. Another symptom that indicates a lack of this important nutrient is fatigue. Good sources for this nutrient are broccoli and spinach.

Vitamin C- Vitamin C is necessary for the repair and rebuilding of your body. While you sleep, your body renews itself, and vitamin c is a main component in this process. Unfortunately, most multi-vitamins won’t carry an adequate amount of vitamin c, so make sure you are consuming enough citrus or getting your vitamin c through others sources.

Vitamin E- This vitamin is also an antioxidant (as is Vitamin C, above). This is important because one of the main functions of antioxidant vitamins is to combat free radical damage. Not surprisingly, these free radicals increase when your body is under stress. Increase your intake of Vitamins C and E to neutralize theses cancer-causing agents.