Is It Worth It?

“Sure, the science behind the value of improving one’s gut health makes sense. And, yeah, I’m definitely struggling with several of the symptoms associated with a poor gut microbiome…but the COST. Are the probiotics and supplements you’re talking about REALLY worth the expense?”

I’ve heard this type of question from several friends and family since we’ve started our health journey with Plexus, so I thought I’d try to answer it in today’s post. But before I do, let me give you a quick peek at our personal financial situation, so you can better understand the tax bracket from which I’m speaking.

Our current family budget, if given the gift of sentient speech, would probably utter similar words to those of Bilbo Baggins, “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

Or, more likely, it might just cry piteously in the corner, in a defeated sort of way.

Being a bi-vocational pastor of a small country church is a rewarding job, and I genuinely love what I do. It’s a good, fulfilling job…but it’s not a wallet-filling job.

Even with a second part-time job in play, some of the line items in our family budget are conspicuously void of funds. If our “retirement” category were a child, for example, then protective services would have been called a long time ago, because that little fella’ has seen some serious neglect, if not downright abuse.

I’m not complaining, mind you. I’m just laying our situation out there for the sake of this discussion. Being homeowners, homeschoolers, and homesteaders on a limited income, we find ourselves on the less affluent end of the economic spectrum.

We don’t eat out at restaurants (sit-down or fast food) or buy name brand groceries. Our clothing is bought almost exclusively at thrift stores. We cook from scratch. And any hobbies or extracurricular activities that we engage in are either free or super-duper cheap.

All that to say, our opinions on what constitute daily “necessities” have not been formed within an ivory tower. We are very choosy about where we spend our money. And we choose to spend our money on our Plexus probiotics.

For the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee each day…

•  I’m seeing my insomnia convert into restful nights of sleep.
• I’m seeing my appetite suppressed and my sugar cravings calmed.
• I’m trading my chronic fatigue in for long-lasting energy.
• I’ve dropped 10 pounds, and kept it off, and haven’t had to suffer through the experience!
• My digestion has been markedly altered and improved.

I don’t have any other expenses in my life that can compete with that cost/benefit ratio!

I’m not just getting products when I receive our monthly supplements. I’m getting to experience a quality of life that had been out of reach for me for years. Not only am I getting direct benefits from the probiotic blends, I am also seeing doors open to healthier lifestyle choices. My Plexus products are ENCOURAGING me to live healthier!

Garfield the cat once said that “A diet is just the word ‘die’ with a ‘t’ tagged on the end.” Up until recently, I completely agreed with this sentiment. Having to constantly say No to junk foods and desserts was exhausting and discouraging. Trying to consistently make good eating choices was torturous.

Since starting our Plexus regimen, however, passing on unhealthy food options has been a breeze. I’m literally NOT CRAVING sugary foods! Sure, I’ll still treat myself to something now and again, but the decision to do so isn’t driven by the “I NEED this” impulse that it had been before. And I’m just NOT hungry a lot of the time. My desire to snack between meals has disappeared!

Add to that, I now have a surplus of energy. My body WANTS to move! My brain WANTS to think! I’m no longer trying to force a sluggish body and a foggy brain to engage with life. They are doing it on their own, and I’m along for the ride! By incorporating these probiotics and nutritional supplements into my daily diet, I am getting to witness my body heal itself from the inside out and function the way it was designed to.

I had forgotten what it felt like to be healthy. I was viewing “healthy” as a neutral state. Like, “I’m not currently sick, and I’m not engaging in any overtly bad habits, so I’m healthy.” I was SO wrong. What I was viewing as a “normal state of health” was a depleted and deficient existence. Now, my eyes have been opened to an entirely different experience, and it’s amazing.1 Note: I’m kind of getting the idea from talking to others that the intensity of my body’s positive response to these supplements is slightly atypical. My wife, for instance, is experiencing a more measured and gradual response to these same products.

So, to revisit the question that prompted this post, “Are Plexus probiotics worth the expense?” Absolutely. Definitely. YES.

Not only are they worth keeping as a line item in our piddly budget, but they’ve moved into the protected status of “core necessity.” And, in our family, that is a pretty exclusive list.

[For those who would like to know more about some of the different nutritional supplements Plexus has available, or for those looking for more information about improving gut health, please connect with us on Facebook!]