SOLUTIONS FOR ‘RESOLUTIONS’

THE GOOD

It’s that time of year again. Another year is coming to a close, and a New Year filled with new opportunities awaits us. What an exciting time! It’s a great time to look at where you’ve been, what you’ve accomplished, the people in your life, the opportunities you’ve ceased, places traveled, obstacles overcome, fears tackled, goals achieved, friends made, loved ones laid to rest, rivers crossed, so on, and so forth.

Make note of all the people, places, and things that have brought you joy, enhanced your life, education, brought you a breathe of fresh air, hope, fulfillment, and made you a better person for it. 

Give thanks. Smile.

THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

On the other hand, be sure to look at your perceived failures. The things that didn’t go quite as planned, or hoped for. Things, people, events and/or circumstances that brought you pain, heartache, and/or disappointment. Be sure to acknowledge how you handled each scenario. Did you handle it in such a way as to build you into a stronger person, or did you allow it to tear you down, or worse yet, apart? Many prefer to not look at these situations. However, there is no course to chart if we don’t know where we’ve been.  Much can be learned by our mistakes. Look. Learn. Grow. Do not fear. Do not be ashamed. The thing about mistakes, or things that have gone awry is it’s never to late to look at it again with a new perspective, deal with it, and let it go. Now that’s refreshing!

WHY PEOPLE FAIL

We hear over and over again how people make the same New Year’s Resolution(s) year after year, because they never seem to be able to conquer it. They are slaves to bondage. No habit, or addiction compares to the freedom of overcoming. This is why one must evaluate carefully, not only their resolutions (which I prefer to refer to as goals from this point), but must be able to know exactly why they did not reach their goal. For every why you didn’t reach your goal, come up with what you’ll do differently this time, or it is sure to fail again. People tend to have the same main goal or two, year after year.

People mean well, but deep down don’t:

1. Take the time to really think things through.

2. Believe in themselves.

3. Trust in themselves.

4. Have the  true faith necessary, to take the steps daily to accomplish the small and simple.

5. Create a plan, because they’re already planning on failure.

6. Believe a Higher Power can help them through difficult times.

7. Think it’s possible, and/or believes it will require too much sacrifice.

8. Believe their current life isn’t so bad, and therefore settles for less than their potential.

9. Plan a realistic goal, become overwhelmed, and give up.

THE SOLUTION

You’ve all heard of the SMART formula.

S - specific, significant, stretching

M - measurable, meaningful, motivational

A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented

R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented

T - time-based, timely, tangible, trackable

This is smart advice, no pun intended.

WHERE DO I START?

1. TAKE TIME

Any great leader you may have read about has taken the time to be alone, to think, reflect,  listen, seek direction, and make plans. Between phone calls, texts, e-mails, meetings, appointments, errands, families, job commitments, volunteering, and the daily essentials of living, it’s no wonder people run out of time for themselves. Be sure to put ‘you’ time on your schedules, just as you would any other important person in your life, and stick to it. Allow yourself time to get to somewhere quiet, unpopulated, and serene. Allow yourself enough time to get there, relax, and have some good quality, quiet time away from the stresses of life, this will enable you to think more clearly, and get in touch with your inner feelings.

2. BE CLEAR

For success in reaching your goals you need to be clear on a few things: What you want, why you want it, and how you will attain it. Write it down. You must also have a burning desire to accomplish it! As in “No such thing is an obstacle”. Simply figure out a way around it, through it, or to eliminate it! If you want something bad enough, you’ll get it. Look at your past successes. What drove you? How did you feel about it? How did you accomplish it? How did you feel when you overcame perceived obstacles? And more importantly, how did you feel when you made it to the end, and reached your goal? Surely you must have reached some important milestone in your life by now, most likely several. If you can reach one goal, you can reach any goal.

3. CREATE A PLAN

Yes, you must be actively engaged in reaching your goal, daily! Goal reaching is not a passive activity. I started by wearing a gaudy bracelet many years ago, on my left hand. When I did something that day to reach my goal, I allowed myself to move the bracelet to my right hand and then had the choice to leave it there until the next day, or put it away until the following morning, and repeat the process again. I disliked that bracelet so much, I made sure I put my goal item at the top of my list each day, so I could take the blasted thing off! It worked. Find what works for you.

Write down the steps necessary to reach your goal, then go back and fill in how and when you will do it. Do this for each step all the way to the final objective. It takes a bit of time, but it’s so worth it! You’ll be amazed at how things begin to fall into place as you make the conscious effort to reach your goal daily.

Update your progress on a weekly basis. I like to keep a calendar of everything that was accomplished that week to bring me closer to my goal. This way I can literally see the progress being made, and it’s very motivating.

Work your plan, and it will work for you.

4. BE FLEXIBLE

Be open to new ideas, possibilities, or pathways to get you to where you would like to be. Be flexible on the time issue. Understand life and time, is a constant evolving thing, controlled, yet uncontrollable. Manage the items you can, manage them well, and let the rest go, no stewing, no complaining, just keep pressing forward, keep believing.

Keep your goals alive.

5. START WITH THE END IN MIND

Don’t  know where to start? Wondering what’s really important to you?

I’ll give you a few ideas.

1. Professional

2. Educational

3. Intellectual

4. Relationship(s)

5. Creative things

6. Spiritual

7. Volunteer

8. Health

9. Fun/Play (Recreation)

10. Material object(s)

I suggest choosing one goal at a time when beginning, to ensure success. Juggling too many goals can be overwhelming, and set you up for failure. However, as you get into the practice of deciding what it is you want, create a plan, write your plan, and follow through to completion, goal setting and reaching can be a multi-goal process.

Some people like to start with a category and do one thing daily, others weekly, and still others monthly, it just depends on you, your circumstances, and most of all, desire.

BOTTOM LINE

Support systems are wonderful. Ask any military what it’s like to work on a Team that has it together, understands what a Team is about, and how ultimately, each member of the Team knows one another inside and out. They know eachothers strengths, weaknesses, and can literally tell by the look in their eyes, or expression on their face, what needs to be done, and who needs to do it. This is a supreme blessing. When you come back into civilian life, it’s an adjustment, mainly because you’re beginning from the ground up, building a brand new support system which functions on a different plane.

Maintaining the inner strength you once had on your Team might present itself a challenge, but it can be dealt with, and make you a much stronger person for it. This is a topic for another blog. The point here, is to acknowledge your support system, use it, but use it wisely. Never rely solely on a support system.

Only you can make things happen in your life. Sure, a support system is nice, but people come, and people go. Even the people who have been with us for many years have times they need to be absent due to their own circumstances, of course they care, but you must know you can pull through anything, with or without the support of others. The only person you can truly rely on 100% of the time, is yourself. Get to know yourself. Struggle through the hard times, the lonely times, the uncertain times, and you will grow immensely as a person. 

This is another element of ‘Mental Toughness’. Learn it. Grow.

As you hold yourself accountable, you will gain inner strength. The key here is to follow through whether you feel like it or not, whether you want to or not, whether it’s raining or snowing, you must daily keep pressing forward. The only way to understand the growth that comes from achieving is to follow through. PERIOD! No one can do it for you.

No excuses.

So go for it! Make a New Year’s Resolution. Make it happen in 2011!!!!

Keep me posted on your progress, as I hope to have many success stories to put on the blog December 2011, and one of them will be yours!

Health!

   

THE KEY TO PROGRESSIVE WOUND HEALING, INJURY REPAIR, DISEASE PREVENTION, AND VITALITY.

You may be wondering what could possibly be so dynamic in the process of healing wounds, repairing injuries, preventing disease, and give you vitality. The answer could be shocking, as it’s so simple, so available to everyone, yet many give no thought or heed to nature’s call when she sends her many warnings. Warnings of infection, or slow healing,  when it comes to wounds. Warnings of continual pain, swelling, and slow healing when it comes to injuries. Warnings of headaches, body aches, fatigue, mental fogginess, irritability, insomnia, bumps, high blood pressure, and the like when it comes to disease. Finally, nature sends her warnings when you feel run-down, and literally out of energy.

THE MAGNIFICIENT HUMAN BODY

Our bodies are equipped to handle great loads, high stress, and the uncertain. However, we must give our bodies what it needs, consistently, in the proper ratios to be able to get the job done, and done right. If we forget to eat, our body lets us know. If we’ve stubbed our toe, it lets us know. If we’re fighting an infection, the body will surely send out signs indicating things are going amiss. We have no excuses. We just need to pay more attention to what our bodies are telling us, listen, and take action.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS TOPIC ON THE BLOG

The reason I’m blogging on this subject is because I desire my readers to be aware of the warning signs. My goal is to help you understand the simple preventative maintenance you can perform to stay disease free, and keep your vitality high. In the case of wounds, and injuries, what has happened, has happened, the damage has been done, yet there are things you can do to greatly speed the healing process, and come away much stronger than before your injury.

WHAT IS THE KEY?

The key is called elimination. That’s right, elimination. Your body takes in an abundance of foods, drinks, perhaps medications, inhalers, second hand smoke, other air pollutants, etc., and you are expected to see these toxins are eliminated from the body. The liver can only do so much. I’ve plenty of clients with backed up livers, wreaking havoc on their systems, until they were able to consciously assist their body in the process of elimination.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION?

The process of elimination, is the process in which your body utilizes various organs to eliminate foul, hazardous, toxic, and/or otherwise poisonous waste from the body. The organs do a very good job at this, however, the organs need to be paid attention to. Warning signs need to be taken note of, and action needs to be taken to assist these organs in their jobs, so as to not overburden any one system of elimination, causing a toxic condition which not only leads to disease if ignored, but also drains the entire meridian on which the organ lays, as well as, surrounding meridians, depending on the length of time toxins have been stagnant, and their concentration levels.

 

FOUR AREAS OF ELIIMINATION I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON

1. BOWELS

Your bowels should be in the habit of eliminating regularly. Some of my clients are shocked to hear their output should be equal to input, meaning, if you eat three good size meals a day, you should be having three good size bowel movements a day, and so forth. If you’re like the typical person I see on a regular basis, you’re not outputting at the rate you are inputting, to keep your system revved. It’s not unusual for clients to report to me they have perhaps one movement a day, others one movement per week. This condition needs to change. First thing I would recommend is drinking plenty of good, pure water. A general rule of thumb, divide your weight by two, then divide this number by thirty-two, and it will tell you the minimal amount of water in quarts you need to be drinking each day. If you’re working outdoors, physical labor, or exercising, plan on plenty more. Next, look at your meal plan. ‘Dead’ foods are mucous forming. They collect and sit in the bowels, forming a sort of hard plastic coating on your intestines. It’s not unusual for a person to be carrying around 5-10 lbs. of old hard compacted fecal matter by the age of thirty-five. No, this does not sound appealing, but it is reality. Live foods are fresh foods, they act as scrubbers, purifiers, and pack in nutrition and fiber to help keep you regular, eat PLENTY of these ‘live’ foods.

2. KIDNEYS

Our kidneys work hard each day to discard toxins from our urine. These are toxins that could be coming from the food you eat, the things you drink, products you use on your skin and hair, medications, or metabolic waste. Our kidneys regulate water balance by eliminating excess water and salt, and they work real hard to keep us from getting dehydrated. The kidneys are crucial to the formation of new blood, and help our bodies assimilate Vitamin D. To perform these mighty tasks, we must give the kidneys what it needs to do the job, and do it efficiently. This requires plenty of water, pure, clean water. Many people do not drink enough water. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Drink, drink, drink, and while you’re at it add the juice of a whole lemon to your water first thing in the morning, this will work wonders. Keep your system flushed, at all times, this allows toxins a way out.

3. LUNGS

Our lungs are working 24/7 as well. What you may not realize is how hard your lungs work all day and night to eliminate toxins, especially in the lower passages. When I ask my clients if they are deep breathing, the answers is always “no”, but then they’ll tell me how they work their cardio so hard they are sure they’re getting to those lower passages. I will then demonstrate for them some deep breathing, with a look of shock on their face they adit their cardio “Isn’t doing anything like that!” Deep breathe my friends. Breathe so deep it hurts, your lungs will howl and let you know you’re on the right track. I recommend  beginning with 3-5 breathes in the morning for a week, then add 3-5 at night for a week, then 10 in the morning for a week, and add another 10 a week later at night. They are surprised at how sore their chest gets when beginning. This is normal. You must breathe deep to clear out the sludge in those lower passages, especially if you’re prone to respiratory infections.

4. YOUR SKIN

Your skin is considered to be the largest organ of the body. It breathes, and allows for things to both escape the skin as well as get absorbed by the skin. Knowing this, we must take care of our skin. How do we do this? More than you might realize. To allow the skin to detoxify, it’s needs our attention.

Skin that’s properly taken care of is:

1. Protected from the elements: sun, wind rain, cold, etc., as much as possible.

2. Dry brushed before bathing/showering, to exfoliate the skin (basically removing the dead skin cells, allowing the skin to breathe easier.)

3. Cleansed with products that are skin friendly, and not full of chemicals.

4. Washed in body temp water, hot should be the occasional for muscle tension release.

5. Dried thoroughly, patted.

6. Products applied to skin should also be skin friendly.

Sounds easy enough, however, most of us don’t take time to exfoliate as often as we should, and tend to apply lotions, and creams that not only clog the pores, but contain harmful ingredients, as well.

BOTTOM LINE

The harder your organs need to work to clear out the sludge, the less energy it has to offer you, your injuries, wounds, and so forth.

These four areas of elimination can be your ticket to great health, vitality, and speed your healing/recovery time. It truly works. I’ve seen it time and time again. Keep in mind, the older you are, the longer you’ve neglected these areas, the longer to getting them functioning at their best again. Be patient. The way I look at it is like this: You’ve got to eat, so eat clean. You’ve got to drink, so drink plenty of good, pure water. You’ve got to breathe, so make it a point to breathe deep each day for a few breathes. You’ve got to clean yourself, so do it mindfully. This is cheap medicine folks. Imagine if you paid heed to all four areas, consistently.

Pay attention to the messages your body sends you. Don’t ignore them. When the warnings signs are ignored, these toxins are driven deeper into your system, to areas of weakness. If lifestyle, eating habits, or environment do not change, eventually neoplasms begin to arise as a desperate act to get your attention. Neoplasms are the polps, cysts, and tumors that begin popping up in unusual places. Avoid it.

Take care of elimination, and your body will take care of you.

Health!

"Merry Christmas!"

Following a Meal Plan…Successfully!

WHO ARE MEAL PLANS FOR?

Meal plans are for anyone interested in covering their nutritional needs without the fuss of figuring out proper ratios of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, for themselves. It takes the guesswork out of what types of carbohydrates, what types of fats, the amounts necessary for them to reach their goals, and how often it should be consumed. Meal plans are for the old, the young, and everyone in-between. Ninety-nine percent of my clients who order meal plans are athletes, determined, hardcore, consistent, athletes. These people do not have the time and/or desire to plan out their nutritional needs, it’s much easier for them and their schedules to have someone else do the figuring. Anyone serious about reaching their fitness potential should consider the asset that lies within a good quality meal plan. Anything less is guess work.

HOW DO I GET STARTED ON A MEAL PLAN?

With me, the process is quite simple, you e-mail me, I contact you, we either set an appointment, or we handle things via e-mail. Once I’ve obtained the information necessary to put together a plan tailored just for you, I get started calculating your nutritional needs. At this point, when a first timer comes for a plan, and they leave their appointment, they usually spend the evening either going out to their favorite restaurant for their ‘last meal’, or they head home and do a last sweep over the kitchen for the goods they’d like to ingest before their meal plan pops up in their e-mail. This is common. I highly discourage it, but people will be people and people are generally afraid to make changes, even if they are healthy, and they are paying for the service.

Within 24-72 hours your meal plan shows up in your inbox. All you need to do is look it over, make sure everything is understandable to you, and print it off. Next, you tally up amounts of specific items. For instance, if you’ve got eight egg whites at breakfast, you’ll add up all the eggs you’ll need for the week, and write down the amount on your grocery list. Ditto other sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Now you know what to shop for. Shopping is easily done because you simply get what is on your list, period. I always allow for at least one ‘free’ meal a week, however, I encourage my clients to shop for this meal separately, on the day they plan to have the meal, so as not to be tempted during the meantime.

You now have your meal plan, you know what to eat, when to eat it, and how much of it to eat. Your nutritional bases are covered. Special needs have been addressed. This means you can now get to work, no more standing in front of the fridge for five minutes pondering what the next meal will be, or grazing in the closets, cabinets, etc.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO A MEAL PLAN

Yes, as with anything else in life, you must plan on jumping a few hurdles to stay on track with your plan. Success here lies in beginning with the end in mind. Let’s take a look at some of the obstacles you can plan on encountering when following a meal plan.

1. LACK OF SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS / LOVED ONES

This is a given. Anytime you are living with others and break away from traditions, there will be tension. You will be excited about your new plan, especially as you begin reaping the benefits within a week or two, and want to share this with your friends/loved ones, but they might not be as excited, in fact, they could even become quite critical, pass judgment, tease you, and be anything but a support. Know this now, you must have the strength from within to follow your plan, you will NOT have any cheerleaders cheering you on. Let this strengthen your resolve to stick to your plan, get the results you desire, and move on with your life. Some of my clients have everyone in their household on a plan, this is ideal, this is also extremely rare.

2. FOOD PREPARATION

You’ll soon find it takes time to get your meals together, shopping for the items, washing, dicing, storing, etc. Some of my clients prep as much as possible on Sundays. They find this works well because they have more free time. They boil their eggs, get vegetables and fruits washed, cut, and stored in the amounts they need, bag them in ziplocks, or arrange them as a meal in a tupperware like container, with a date and meal number on it. Things that can be cooked as a whole, then cut to servings, are then placed in the freezer as well, if this is what works best for them. Others have the freedom to prepare meals as the day progresses, but they are far and few. You see, there will always be a duty or errand, work, assignment, etc., calling for your attention, you MUST plan ahead, and be ready to roll. I encourage all my clients to invest in a mid-sized insulated cooler, several small ice blocks, and plastic cutlery to store their meals for the allotted time away from home, camp, etc. I always advise to pack one extra meal on top of that because things can come up and they always do.

3. HEADACHES/BODYACHES/GENERAL FEELING OF FATIGUE OR NAUSEA

When beginning a meal plan, almost everyone has some type of detoxifying process to go through, some more than others. For instance, a person who has followed a generally consistent habit of eating relatively healthy, will have less detoxifying to do then the individual who’s eaten carelessly, or has taken prescription or over-the-counter medications. As toxins are being pulled back into the bloodstream for excretion, it could get uncomfortable, be prepared, drink PLENTY of water, keep flushing your system, and it will subside within a week or two depending on how backed up you are. This will be the topic of another blog. Plan on taking it easy sometime during the day for the first few days, take a power nap if you need to. Assist your body in its endeavors, and it will do you right.

4. TEMPTATION

Temptation when on a meal plan comes as the result of two things, mental attachments, and body composition. When I say mental attachments, I mean it’s more of a mental thing then anything else. Your nutritional bases are covered. Following the plan will leave you feeling more than satisfied, unless you're not following it properly, you're not drinking the proper amount of water, or composition has changed. Mental attachments also happen when there are temptations all about you, you see them, and go on autopilot thinking you must partake. Not so. I’ve had clients actually hire me to come to their home and clean out their kitchens, bag up everything that’s plan junk, toss. Box up everything that’s so-so, and take it to a shelter, and leave only those foods that are truly health enhancing. This is a drastic step, but it’s a wise one for many. If you choose to leave your favorite snacks in the kitchen you’d better have a mighty strong mindset. You must develop this mindset one way or another, as there are plenty of poor food choices around everywhere, however, when starting a plan I suggest lowering the temptation factor to zero, if possible. 

As body composition changes, so do nutritional needs. A person who began at 270 pounds will not necessarily have the same requirements as someone weighing 187. Your plan changes as you do, your goals, and your fitness level. When a client has jumped on the hardcore wagon, it’s not unusual to see nutritional needs change within 72 hours. This needs to be paid attention to, and modified as soon as possible.

5. PARTIES / HOLIDAYS / OUTINGS WITH FRIENDS

You must mentally be prepared before entering any of these situations. Expect there will be rich foods around, or plenty of food that is NOT on your meal plan. Expect it will fall on a day you do not have a ‘free’ meal, and if it does, consider yourself blessed. Generally, at parties and during holidays, we are out for long periods of time, You must plan ahead for this or plan on failure! Load your insulated bag, keep it in your car if you need to, make a run to pick up some ‘ice’ (everyone needs ice), and have your meal. Have a Plan B, and Plan C, as well. No one is perfect 100% of the time, so don’t expect you will be either, however, do everything you can to plan for your success, as it will empower you in all aspects of your life.

When you’re out with friends it could be a challenge, especially if you’re considering having an alcoholic beverage. Alcoholic drinks contain a high amount of calories, and will thwart your plan as fast as a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. Be prepared, maybe it’s time to sit back until you have enough in you to go and not partake, or perhaps it’s time for a lifestyle change, or perhaps you go and sip on the same drink all night, with many glasses of water in between. One way or another you must decide.

6. YOU ATE SOMETHING YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE AND GONE WILD

I see this mentality all the time. “I had a piece of cake at Johnny’s birthday, I couldn’t resist, it was just a small piece, but I felt so bad afterwards, I figured I already blew it, so I had three slices of pizza, too.” Not cool. So you had a moment of indulgence, look at it objectively, it’s not the end of the world, or your meal plan! Get back on the wagon, don’t ride yourself for it, and keep moving forward!!!

7. I DON’T WANT TO EAT THE SAME MEAL AGAIN

Yes, sometimes our taste buds will rebel. Try adding a new spice. If you have it cold, try it hot. If you eat items separately, try blending it all together. You get the idea. It happens to all of us, if all else fails, be in good company, get an interesting book, or something else to help you get down the meal, distraction is what I call it, give yourself something else to focus on other than your food.


8. I'M SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY!!!
Indeed, it will surely feel this way at times, as you perhaps make changes from a 'dead' food diet to a clean or 'live' food diet. Dead foods are generally less expensive and used as a tool to hook you as you enter a grocery store, "Ten of such and such for just $10.00", etc. Combine your new eating habits with supplements and paying your trainer/meal planner, and you could be feeling like you're going to go broke. Here's what I suggest: look at where you're spending your money, can you forego your Friday latte? What about the night out with the guys where you easily drop $40.00-50.00 bucks? Do you really need cable? What about all the stuff you've accumulated in the shed? Think of ways you can cut corners, be even healthier, and put that cash towards your new objective(s). 


In my opinion, it's much more expensive to pay doctor bills, co-pays, fuel traveling to and from appointments, missed time at work, medications, and in the end not even feeling well, due to eating a low calibration diet, than to invest in your health now. You decide. 


One thing is for sure, one way or the other you're investing in your health, one is preventative which allows for your quality of life to be all it can be, as well as your vitality, the other is used after the fact, after the fact you've become ill, diseased, and/or otherwise compromised. One allows you to enjoy life today and everyday, the other is merely a means of survival and tolerance. The choice seems clear to me. What about you?

BOTTOM LINE

Following a meal plan for success comes down to personal decision. Just as one must decide what to wear, who they’ll marry, what career to head into, or what kind of vehicle to purchase, only you can decide if the plan will work for you. Yes, it takes effort. It’s so worth it though. You can only know of its goodness when experienced for yourself. My people in the military don’t necessarily have the luxury of shopping as an ordinary citizen at times, due to their location and/or assignment, so they make due with what they can. Military, you can e-mail me, I can help you with choices to maintain a healthy body, and even grow stronger by making knowledgeable choices with the foods that are available to you. Meal plan or not, please, don’t take good health for granted. You never know what’s going on, on the inside of you. You only have one body. The human body is magnificent, reproducing cells on a regular basis. What you are assimilating is what your new cells will be made of, be it strong or weak, positive or negative, you are the builder of your self. 
Build strong. Stay strong. Be strong. Hugs!

Remembering Our Military: The Holidays

Hi Team:
XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL!

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq.  You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!  It is FREE and only takes a second.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you.  Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do.  We can never say enough "thank you's".

Thanks for taking the time to support our military!

May everyone have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Multi-Level Marketing vs. Nature’s Blueprint

I think we’ve all been there, a friend, neighbor, business associate, gym rat, and/or other well meaning individual approaches us with an unbelievable opportunity to increase our cash flow. They radiate excitement, beam with energy, have nothing but good to say about the company, it’s products, and people, and gives you at least a dozen reasons why you should be a part of the action, too. Any answer given back relating to why it’s not for you, is typically overcome with a response that makes reasonable sense, within 30 seconds or less. Hmmm…you wonder, “Maybe I should think it over”. Yes, indeed you should.

Being a Natural Health Consultant for 19+ years, I’m approached regularly by both MLM Companies, as well as, individuals with new products coming onto the market. You see if they can get me to come on as a Distributor, knowing I consult with clients on a regular basis, they see opportunity for themselves, and their down-line, as well. The way they see it is, I could then sell their products to my clients, much the same way drug companies come into your doctors office and offer him/her a fine compensation for not only trying their samples, and handing them out, but also eventually hope to win that doctors loyalty in choosing their drug, as preferred drug choice for their patients, for which the doctor continues to be compensated for, rather indulgently. Family vacations, large sums of money, awesome season seats to the doctor’s favorite sports team, so on and so forth.

Only problem here with me is I’m not one to be sold, or to sell to others something I do not absolutely, positively, believe in and have proof myself it is a worthwhile product with substantial benefits to be had, as well the research to back it up, before I even consider mentioning the product to my clients. Let me tell you, I’ve seen many MLM companies, and most of them have something good to offer, the only problem is, the price it comes at.

Today, I’d like to tell you of the MLM Companies I’ve found to be reputable, with outstanding quality products, which I believe can truly improve your health and well-being. I’m not here to promote them, I have been, or currently am a distributor for some of them, however, my goal here is to help you know where to find some the ‘good stuff’, if that is what you’re looking for. This list in no way reflects the only companies I believe are out there to be of value, just the ones I have first hand experience with, knowledge of, and good track record for nearly two decades. I will be brief, honest in the pros and cons, and give you my opinion.

WHAT IS MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING?

Here are a few definitions of Multi-Level Marketing:

1. Multi-level marketing (MLM), (also called network marketing, direct selling, referral marketing, and pyramid selling) is a term that describes a marketing structure used by some companies as part of their overall marketing strategy.

2. A business system where goods and services are sold through a pyramid scheme structure, with distributors on the top supplying others lower down the scale in return for commission.

3. A form of direct selling by distributors to the public in their homes. Not a business format franchise.

4. This business system is one where the businessperson receives commission for their sales and sales of those they sign up as distributors. This is illegal in some states and some resemble pyramid schemes. Although these can be legitimate business opportunities, it should be thoroughly researched.

There you have it, basically, MLM is designed to offer the public a superior product, at a substantial price, incentive being for you, the consumer, to become a distributor (to receive the product at discount), in hopes you too, will sign on many people below you, to further reduce your price for the product, as well as make a larger commission and improve your health and well-being along the way.

USANA

USANA has come a long way since first introducing the most bio-available multi-vitamin on the market. They now sell all kinds of items, from skin care to specially designed herbs. I think many of their products are wonderful, some highly over-rated, and all definitely overpriced, distributor or not. The fact is USANA still sells a synthetic (manmade) multi. Regardless of its bioavailability, it’s still manmade and can never compare with true nutrition. It is a great back up though, for insurance, if you will, and a highly costly one at that.

SUN ANCON

I have nothing but good to say about SUN ANCON and their product the ‘CHI MACHINE’, it’s costly, but well worth it, as it’s benefits are many, and the product is made with such quality, it will last you a very, very, very, long time. The company stands behind its products, if on rare ocassion a product does have a fault, SUN ANCON takes care of the equipment in a timely manner. I do not have experience with any of their other products, as one is for reflexology, which human touch is crucial in the reflexology process, a machine just cannot compare, or some of their other products which are insanely priced.

XANGO   

I love XANGO, the juice, company, and people. The product has many benefits for the consumer, but much too costly. To be affordable to the common household, you would have to make XANGO (as any of the other MLM’s I’ve mentioned), your livelihood, as this is the only way to get the price down, and make some money back on what you’ve put into it. XANGO juice is very therapeutic, healing, building, and detoxifying.

ISAGENIX

I appreciate the fact ISAGENIX uses many fine quality, wholesome herbs, for their products, and knows how to put them together in helpful ratios, so as to aid the body, build the body, and detoxify the body at the same time. I like the blends ISAGENIX uses for its short (3-5) days cleanses, as nutritional bases are covered, giving first time users peace of mind they are getting what they need to get through a few days, and are still eating a meal a day, as some individuals cannot mentally handle other cleanses requiring no food at all.

The only problem I have with their products (besides the cost), is the fact too many people become ISAGENIX ‘eaters’, they go on a 30 day plan, drinking 2 shakes a day, eating manmade stuff for snacks, and eating one ‘real’ meal a day, for thirty days? Yes, some people need this, depending on their circumstances, the only problem is, people are not educated on what plan is best for them.

I’ve heard many people mention how a relative did ISAGENIX and went into liver failure. This is not an ISAGENIX problem exclusively; rather both the consumer, and ISAGENIX are at fault. You see ISAGENIX formulas are effective, they do work. If you have an individual who’s so toxic when they begin ISAGENIX and they do not understand the process of detoxifying properly, they will run into trouble, as their system becomes overloaded with toxins faster than the liver can handle them. Wise to talk to someone who knows about cleansing before you begin on such an endeavor, and spend a lot of money while you’re at it.

MONA VIE

Mona Vie is another fine product, similar to Xango, yet different.


BOTTOM LINE

Yes, all these MLM’s have something of value to offer, the only problem is, the cost! I think it’s rather sad there are so many quality products available, yet not available, because they are so pricey. This brings me to Nature’s Blueprint.

NATURE’S BLUPRINT

So you can’t get any of those fine products mentioned due to cost, trust me, I’m a distributor for several of them, yet I very rarely use them myself because the cost is plain ridiculous! I mention them to clients where I see a nice fit, and know it is worth it for them to make the investment, as their health is in such a dilemma. However, I also believe we can take matters into our own hands, and eat responsibly, make knowledgeable choices, and build our own bodies stronger, simply by what we eat, drink, and think for that matter, everyday.

For instance, if you drink water the way you should, hence close to a gallon a day for the smallest adult, then you’d better be sure you’re drinking good, clean, pure water! Ditto food. If you can buy organic, do so whenever you can, as it has less pesticides, and chemicals. Eat an abundance of beautifully colored fruits and vegetables, lean, clean proteins, healthy carbohydrates, and fats. Shower regularly. Be sure your bowels are moving. Get fresh air, sunshine, and include laughter in your daily interactions. Rest and sleep as needed, learn to manage stress. Exercise regularly. Supplement what you need to, as we all have our weaknesses, and times of illness and/or injury. 


When you give your body what it needs, in the ratios it needs it, when it needs it, your body knows just what to do with it, where to take it, how best to distribute it, circulate it, detoxify it, heal it, rebuild it, and eliminate it!!! The list goes on and on, the ‘freebies’ available to us everyday!!!!! Use them to your advantage!!! Breathe. Live. Love. Laugh. Enjoy!!!! Hugs.