Review: Costco.com 4X Pro-B Probiotic

Did you know my sister's getting married in May? She is, and I'm in the wedding. Yay me. Why am I mentioning this? Trust me, it has something to do with a short, strapless, yellow satin bridesmaid dress I will be wearing (yes, there's a post coming on that, too). Satin is not my friend, so I'm doing my best to ensure that I look as little like Tweety Bird as possible that night.

I'm doing what I can now to take care of myself, and that includes my inside as well as my outside. When there was a shoppertunity as part of Collective Bias for Costco.com (one of my favorite places ever) to try out a probiotic, I jumped on it. The wee ones take probiotics daily, but - as usual - I'd neglected myself. And yes, my digestive health will absolutely make a different in how I look in that satin yellow dress come May 19.

I talked a bit about my shopping experience for the 4X Pro-B probiotic on Google+ earlier, but let me reiterate that shopping on Costco.com is easy - and fun. I always find something new, and when I'm searching for something in particular, it's easy as pie - especially knowing that shipping is included in the price of the vast majority of items.

The Costco.com site includes all the information about 4X Pro-B that I wanted to know, from what strains are included to what allergens it might contain to why I should take a probiotic. Did you know why you should take a probiotic?

As part of my effort to work on my digestive care, there are some things that I'm doing differently - or at least focusing on more than I was previously. I love projects like this that remind me of the things I should be doing already.

First, I'm taking the 4X Pro-B probiotic daily. It hasn't been that long since I started taking it, so I can't comment on its longer term benefits, but already I'm feeling a little more energized, possibly because there has been some more movement if you know what I mean (and for your sake and mine, I'm saying no more on that topic for the moment). I'm looking forward to the differences I see in my digestive health in the coming weeks.

Part of my changes are the things that I'm not doing. For example, I have a standing weekly meeting for the gala at my son's school (ironically, also on May 19 but we won't discuss that conflict now either). It's right after dropoff, so I usually stop and pick myself up a cup of coffee. Except that I happen to not like the taste of coffee, so I get something that has lots of other ingredients in it making it taste yummy, but unfortunately also adding a ton of empty calories that do nothing good for me. And that's breakfast. This is one of those things that I'm not doing now. Instead, I'm filling up my 40 ounce water bottle and bringing along a bowl of homemade granola or some Greek yogurt with fruit preserves. My barista misses me, I'm sure.

Other things I'm cutting out? Well, I have to admit that I spent last week at Blissdom. Everything I ate wasn't the most healthy. I was pretty good at breakfast eating granola and fruit, and I filled up on veggies when they were offered (loved the Lorax party where all the offerings were either fruit or veggies). But it wasn't all good. We'll pretend like the potato bar incident didn't happen. And every night and party had drinks - but I didn't use all my drink tickets, so that's good. Gorgeous vodka drink? I won't be seeing you very often anymore!

Then there's the plus side. The Costco probiotic isn't - and can't be - the only addition to what I'm putting in my body. Rather than adding supplement after supplement, I'm trying to actually get my daily dose of veggies and fiber via my food. Fruit has never been a problem for me, but much as I love veggies, I don't tend to be good about preparing them. Now? This is a focus. The other night I had a tiny cheeseburger and a massive plate of homemade sweet potato fries that was probably twice as big as the cheeseburger. And the other night? I made roasted brussel sprouts. They're one of my favorite vegetables, but I rarely make them because I can't convince the wee ones that they're yummy. New attitude? That's more for me. The day I got home from Blissdom, I ate an entire bowl of brussel sprouts all by myself. And I was happy.

I'm also focused on getting my exercise. While I'm pretty good about going to the gym two to three times a week, it's what I don't do regularly the other four to five times a week that I'm working on. I have a Kinect and several games that make me sweat. And I'm using them - even if it's only for ten or fifteen minutes. I also have a group of friends who go walking with me. Though it's winter in Chicago and we can't go on our trail right now, we've decided to find an alternative rather than meeting for breakfast instead of our weekly walks. So my new Dr. Scholl's shoes? They're getting use. Can you see that the label inside is already being worn away because I've been putting the miles on them?

I'm also making sure that I'm not being lazy about my cooking. I'm not using the excuse that I'm running here, there, and everywhere with the wee ones to "cheat" with dinner. While we don't eat out or order out often, I will do a quick chicken salad with canned chicken or PB&J sandwiches for dinner. Instead, I'm using my crockpot for the nights when I know I won't be home until the tiny tummies are screaming for food. And I'm making a lot more soups where my base is grated onion, carrots and celery - even when it isn't necessarily called for, knowing that as my soup starts cooking, I can and will puree the veggies, getting all of us lots more fiber and taste.

What kinds of changes are you inspired to make when you start taking your first baby steps?

In the interest of full disclosure, this shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias As always, all opinions are my own.