What Happens If I Miss a Day of First & Foremost?
First & Foremost was designed to complement the diets of real people in real life. We know every day is different. Some days you eat more nutritious foods than others. Some days you’re on-the-go, and some other days you’re traveling and have to grab something quick and convenient. Keeping up with three supplementation occasions (morning, afternoon and evening) may seem a bit daunting when planning your day — but we simplified our program as much as possible so it seamlessly integrates into your daily routine.
You might be wondering what happens if you miss a day or occasion —we get it. You might be tempted to “catch up” when you remember, but given our day-parted program, we recommend that you skip it, and pick up your routine at the next occasion. Here’s why: Water-soluble vitamins turn over every few days, fat-soluble ones turn over every few weeks or months, and some minerals are stored long-term in your bones. So missing one day’s worth of a nutrient isn’t detrimental, as long as you resume the next day. Because our program is dayparted, it’s not recommended to combine various occasions, because doing so can inhibit absorption and potentially put you at risk of over-supplementation.
Building a Habit
Think of First & Foremost as part of your daily routine — there are many things you do every day for your health, from brushing your teeth to eating to wearing a seatbelt. That said, building a new routine can be challenging. It usually takes around 30 consecutive days for functional new habits to stick long-term. So, don’t be so hard on yourself if you miss a supplement. Just take every day one step at a time — our day-parted program is not meant to be rigid, but rather to provide you with the right combination of nutrients at the right time so you can get the most out of your supplements.
The keepsake jars are intended to be part of this habit-building. We designed them to be kept out, not hidden away — we believe it’s easier to remember to take your supplements when you can see them. To that end, we suggest placing each of the 3 jars in a place where you’re most likely to be at that time of day. For instance, keep the morning jar next to your coffeemaker, so you take the occasion with your morning coffee (our morning capsules are time-released, so you don’t need to worry about coffee interfering with absorption). Similarly, your afternoon jar can be kept at your workspace (note: if you split time between working from home and an office, you can order a second afternoon jar to keep a stash in both places). And the evening jar can be kept on your bathroom vanity or your bedside table, so you remember to take it before bedtime. The idea is that the occasions fit into your existing habits, which makes the habit easier to adopt. On the go a fair amount? We recommend using a pill case to keep First & Foremost on hand.
Supplements can take ~90 days to feel and see the benefits, so be patient with your new habit. Supplements are essentially an insurance plan for long-term health goals — you take them today for benefits tomorrow. If you are deficient in some water-soluble nutrients, like B vitamins, you may feel the benefits of supplementation right away. However, there are other nutrients or minerals like iron, manganese and vitamin D that may take months to feel the benefits. And then when it comes to calcium, you won’t notice the benefits of supplementation until you get older.
As you’re embarking on your journey to cultivate new habits, be gentle with yourself. The goal is to give yourself a strong foundation for your diet — we’re aiming to be stronger and healthier, not perfect. You got this.
