I was doing a training call with my team this week on the subject of motivation.  The point I was trying to make was this:  What keeps most people from approaching other people is your attitude and lack of passion for what you do or think is right.  It is not your desire to help people.  The recommendation I gave was for each person to discover what drives them, what subject or experience they could use to make them break through the barriers to pick up the phone, talk to a stranger, tell others about something they had to offer.

And I told them that mine was cardiovascular disease….

America has just become the fattest country in the entire world and the cardiovascular and circulatory diseases came right along with it.

Do some research on this with the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association. I did and I’m so fired up I’m fueled for the next decade!!!  The United States is also among the WORST for exercise.  WARNING:  obesity and lack of activity are the top two risk factors for a heart attack.

I lost my father and my step-father to heart disease…

Burning with passion here…..

Look at these statistics:

•                                          That’s right!  The United States is now officially the FATTEST NATION in the WORLD and rapidly climbing to the top for heart attacks and strokes!

Now look at these statistics…

Worried about the economy?  How about this bit of information:

“In 2010, coronary heart disease alone was projected to cost the United States $108.9 billion.  This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.” – Heidenreich PA, Trogdon JG, Khavjou OA, et al. Forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2011;123:933-44. Epub 2011 Jan 24.

Below is the percentage of U.S. adults with heart disease risk factors in 2005-2008.⁶

We are also the most INACTIVE!!  I mean, 53%????  

More than half of adult Americans not exercising!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Number one in obesity!  GET A LIFE!

Or, better yet, SAVE A LIFE!

CLICK HERE for #1 way to LOSE WEIGHT!

Maybe you have seen quite a few overweight people in North America.  Maybe you know someone who had a heart attack or is suffering from other cardiovascular disease.  Perhaps you know someone with diabetes.  These diseases are obesity, inactivity, and nutrition related problems.  Obesity has increased in North America to the point that it is being called an epidemic.  This is not my opinion.  HBO has been running a series of documentaries on obesity as an epidemic, for example.

Save a life, get someone on the 90-day challenge!!!!

CLICK HERE for #1 way to LOSE WEIGHT!

Want to know who else is #1 ?  ViSalus® Body by Vi™ is the Number One Direct Sales company for fitness and weight loss products.  Why?  Because our products WORK!  With over 10,000,000 pounds lost and a program that lets you get your product for free, you have NOTHING TO LOSE BUT WEIGHT!  Help your family, friends and neighbors.  Click on the links above and get them on the 90-day challenge TODAY!

Facebook™ is second only to Google™ in internet traffic.  This attracts marketers like a bear to honey yet, similarly, a lot of marketers get stung.  I have spent some time and money researching the very best training on marketing through Google™ and Facebook™ yet hesitate to publish any of my own.  I’ll tell you why.

When I did a search to find out if I can talk about them without violating copyrights, I could not find much useful information.  Therefore, I’m slapping a ™ on everything just in case.  Think I’m paranoid?  No, I’m just playing it safe.  If I post this and I’m violating copyrights, a team of lawyers can ask me to take it down and if I don’t, I could end up fined or in court.  It already happened with another internet company.  There’s nothing like getting an email from a team of lawyers to open your eyes and mind to the fact that copyrights DO exist.

Before you form any judgment on this, realize there is this thing called “ownership” and try to remember that there is an owner behind anything and everything on the internet.  People have gotten comfortable with global communication and sometimes forget that they are using services that someone else is paying for.  Using the internet is like renting a home.  You have a lease but it comes with rules.  The owner of the property has the right to say what can and cannot happen on their property and … you signed the lease.

A stand-up comedian once joked about the biggest lies people tell.  One of them, he joked, was “By clicking the link below, I am confirming that I have read and understand … ”  It was funny because almost everyone does it.  We don’t have time to read a bunch of legalese and are in a rush to get to the next page.  We cannot get to the next page until we check the box.  But clicking on it without reading the agreement does not alleviate your responsibility for having “signed” it.  Yet people do check off the box and agree to an internet site’s rules and regulations when they never read a single word!

If you set up a FB profile or page, here are some of the agreements you made with Facebook when you set up your account:  https://www.facebook.com/legal/term.  Notice that in trying to understand what you agreed to, you have to go elsewhere to read their clickable references such as their stated principles:  https://www.facebook.com/principles.php.  You could spend a great deal of time studying and learning the rules and regulations of this social network.  Sad thing is, I don’t know anyone who does read the entire agreement.

People who do not have the time to read the agreements and privacy policies yet want to use social networks to let people know about their opportunity or business, are most vulnerable to “experts” who say they will make it easy for you and show you how to do it.  Or worse, they sell you an automatic program that will find you customers and put out regular messages.  Most of the people who go this route end up being labeled as a “spammer” and lose their accounts or end up blocked.

What does this mean for internet and network marketers?    A spammer is someone who is sending out messages that were unsolicited and let’s face it, ANY message that starts with “Please check out my….” is spam.  Social networks by definition are SOCIAL.  You violate their very purpose when your messages are not social, are anti-social and lack a conversational aspect.

To handle the spam and hackers (another subject I could write a book on), a few automatic safety features have been set up for the user’s protection.  This was bad news for spammers and zealots.  It was great news for those whose walls and in-boxes were full of unwanted messages.

However, like most things in this universe, there is a bright side and a dark side.  While features are there to protect the members of the social network, we live in an imperfect world.  There are gossips, haters, zealots, and outright criminals who have access to the social networks, too.  While the new features are great news for social people, some are using them as an attack.  They discover that they can report you.  If you block and report them, they block and report you back.  Some hackers who failed to get into your account will take revenge with false reports on you as a spammer.

If Facebook™ blocked you from friend requests or sending messages, you cannot just call them.  They have no obligation to provide you with “customer service” since the service is free and you are not a customer.  A block is issued automatically if reports of “spam” or “inappropriate” are issued on you from other users.  Despite the fact that they offer a feature that sends friend requests on your behalf using your email or address book, if several people refuse your request, or worse, say they don’t know you outside Facebook™, your friend requests can be blocked for several days, months or permanently.  If you forget how long the block was and try to send a friend request anyway, the time is extended.

See why automatic friend finders is not the way to go?  Don’t blame the social network – it’s THEIR site.  They own it so who can complain?  Unfortunately the answer to that is:  ANYONE.  If someone doesn’t like you, they can file a report with a single click.  Additionally, they remain anonymous while you get the penalties.  Not fair?  Maybe.  But it is the safest solution for a free communication service this widespread.

To protect yourself, remain social, don’t spam, change your password often including your email accounts.  Don’t request or approve friends with automatic software.  Fill your friend list with people you work with and don’t add people you have not talked to.  Get people to request your friendship and approve only those you have checked out.  Never spam your friends.  In summary, keep your social network social.

Out of all the courses I’ve done, here are some basic points which are going to hold true for a marketer using any social network:

• Advertise by example.  In other words, give useful information, free offers or just chat on your wall rather than advertise.
• Show who you are with a professional profile and contact information to instill trust
• Like your friends posts and comment on them
• If you don’t like what someone is posting, uncheck “Show in News Feed” on the drop-down menu under the “Friends” tab
• Unfriend spammers rather than reporting or blocking them.  In other words, don’t unnecessarily make enemies.
• Change your passwords often
• Never send a group message and never answer them.  Just delete them.
• Don’t use automatic programs to find friends or send messages
• Use “Help” to learn what the features are and stick to the rules, regulations and agreements
• Use your “Status Update” feature for just that.  Post newsy items, results, interesting materials

I hope this helps you have a better social networking experience.  There is so much more to know about this subject and how to successfully market through social networking.  I’ll try to cover more specific subjects over the next few weeks.

I wrote to Audrey Sommerfeld, VP Marketing at ViSalus® because someone was spreading horror stories about soy on Facebook.  It is not uncommon to hear rumors about successful organizations or high-profile people or even smear campaigns.  But when someone tells me I am harming people, I’m going to take a time-out and do some research.

I want scientific evidence and authoritative source materials — not opinion or hearsay.

Since it was Audrey Sommerfeld who answered me first and comprehensively, I decided to share her answer with you.  We’ll call the person who was spreading the bad news “Mr. Anonymous” (for legal reasons).

Here’s what Audrey said:

“(Mr. Anonymous) likes to create fear, so that he can be seen as the expert, so he can sell more of his products.”  (In reference to what he told me…)  ”Several things get taken out of context, and different topics blended together, which drives me crazy.”  (Me, too!)

“Soy protein is protein ‘isolated’ from the soybean.  Soy protein isolate has been widely used since 1959 in foods and for its functional properties, and has been used since 1936.  There are no enzymes in soy protein, it is simply made by mashing up soybeans, and using hot water to extract the protein.  No fiber, or phytates, or isoflavones, or anything else.

“There is a lot of misinformation and confusion about soy in the marketplace today.  In countries where consumption of soy is high (like Japan) the populations are healthier and have fewer health issues than in America today.  So we know that there is misinformation, and facts being taken out of context.

“Since some people say ‘yeah, and they eat fish and healthy foods’ here is information on what they eat:

“Every day in Japan, for example, people eat at least seven servings of vegetables, including sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, seaweed, onions, and bean sprouts; at least two servings of anti-oxidant rich fruits; and two or more servings of soy foods.  The Japanese also sip several cups of tea every day.  They eat a serving of fish, consumed at more than 150 pounds in a year.

“The confusion about how much soy Asians consume is based partly on a simple mathematical misunderstanding.  In studies of intake, findings are sometimes expressed as the amount of soy protein that people consume—which is different from the total amount of soy food in their diets.  For example, according to surveys in Japan, older adults consume around 10 grams of soy protein per day, which is the amount of protein in about 1 to 1 ½ servings of traditional soyfoods.  Because a number of authors have misunderstood the relationship between soy protein and soyfood, they’ve greatly underestimated the amount of soy in Japanese diets.

“It’s much harder to determine soy intake in China because diets vary greatly across regions. The most extensive data are available for Shanghai where large studies of health habits include dietary data from close to 100,000 adult men and women. Average intake in Shanghai is a little bit higher than in Japan. But the range of intake is extensive and a large number of the adults in these studies—as many as 15 to 20 percent of the men and 10 percent of the women—consumed 2 to 3 servings of soyfoods per day.

“With the exception of Hong Kong, there isn’t quite as much data on soy intake in other countries and regions. But, the available findings suggest that, compared to Japan and Shanghai, soy consumption is much lower in Hong Kong and Thailand, about the same in Indonesia, and a bit higher in North Korea.

“And contrary to popular opinion, the soy products regularly consumed in these countries are not all—or even mostly—fermented.  In Japan, about half of soy consumption comes from the fermented food miso and natto and half comes from tofu and dried soybeans. In Shanghai, most of the soyfoods consumed are unfermented, with tofu and soymilk making the biggest contributions. In fact, even in Indonesia, where tempeh is a revered national food, unfermented soy products like tofu account for around half of soy intake.

“Soyfoods have been consumed in China for at least 1,500 years and in Japan for 1,000 years. The evidence shows that soyfoods—both unfermented and fermented—continue to be a significant part of traditional Asian diets.

“Of the concerns over soy, there are a few common ones.  First, is referring to raw soybeans, that can contain a form of phytic acid that can block certain minerals absorption.  However, that is based on massive consumption quantities, and of the raw soybean and only occurs in those animals that lack the digestive enzyme phytase.  It is only an issue for people who consume those foods to get minerals in their diet, and in massive quantities.  The issue is in developing countries, and may have a genetic basis as well because they are lacking the digestive enzyme (which can be supplemented and therefore alleviate the concern).  It is not an issue for our products (ViSalus®) because of how we process the ingredients.

“Some people say only fermented soy is healthy. Fermentation of soy is done using bacteria and yeast, both of which add flavors and many bacterial concerns.  As far as needing fermentation, that is a lie.  Tofu is NOT fermented.  Tofu is made without bacteria and is pure protein.  If you want fermentation that is called SOY SAUCE or MISO.  And we can’t use these since the protein content is destroyed.

“The isoflavones are removed through the cross-current membrane technology developed by a number of high-tech companies.  This process is similar to making purified drinking water…”

“The second common concern with soy are due to some of the components of soy, particularly the isoflavones genistein and dadzein which can affect and inhibit thyroid peroxidase which is necessary for the production of T3 and T4.  Thus there is some evidence that it could lead to thryoid enlargement (Goiter) .  Our soy has been processed to remove the isoflavones, so this is not an issue.

“A third common concern about soy is the effect it may have on estrogen levels in the body.  This is again due to the isoflavones, which we have had removed.  So this is a non-worry.  We should note that many menopausal women do supplement with isoflavones, as it has been shown to help them experience fewer side effects of menopause.

“Lastly, our Soy is not genetically modified (it is non-GMO).  Many people worry about genetically modified soy, and if any of the ingredients got altered in the breeding process.  We use the most natural form we can get, that has not been genetically modified.

“We use soy because it is a complete protein, easily digested, can help the body lower cholesterol and c-reactive protein (an indicator of heart disease and inflammation), and helps build lean muscle equal to (if not slighly better than) whey. I am attaching an article on protein and sports nutrition, and the clinical showing how it helped.”

– Audrey Sommerfeld, VP Marketing    

I would like to thank Audrey Sommerfeld for her comprehensive answers to my minor concerns.  This is one more reason I love ViSalus® Sciences as a company, a source of fitness supplements and a home business.  If you would like more information about the 90-day challenge program, CLICK HERE.  Our mission is to end the obesity epidemic.  We have helped people lose over 10,000,000 pounds so far.  Fitness experts, Mr. Olympia, Hulk Hogan, Roy Jones, Jr., and a myriad of other celebrities and experts have all endorsed our products and program.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

http://www.greenorganics.com.au/organic-natural-skin-care-products/japanese-secrets-to-live-longer/
http://chinabevnews.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/asia-continues-to-dominate-soy-milk-consumption/
http://www.mnshippers.com/files/msa04.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9848514
http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410303,00.html
http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/grains__oilseeds/soy/soyfood_profile.cfm
http://www.aakp.org/aakp-library/Soy-Foods/
http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20110405/is-soy-safe-to-eat-after-breast-cancer?ecd=wnl_brc_042611*
http://www.bastyrcenter.org/content/view/1783/**

*April 5, 2011 — “For years, breast cancer survivors were often counseled to avoid soy foods and supplements because of estrogen-like effects that might theoretically cause breast tumors to grow.  Now, a new study of more than 18,312 women shows that eating soy foods did not increase risk of breast cancer recurrence.  The new findings are being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 102nd Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.” – By Denise Mann, WebMD Health News

**Soy for easier breathing?  Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD, wrote this must-read article on how researchers collected information on nutrition and other health and lifestyle factors from 278 people with, and 340 people without, COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Read the article for the amazing results.

One of the aspects of the United States culture that I particularly love is the freedom to have beliefs according to your personal convictions.  Today, my granddaughter is learning about Easter.  She wanted to know what the Easter bunny and eggs had to do with Jesus Christ so, as usual, we logged into the world-wide web to find out what we could.

Apparently, a Northumbrian monk named Bede, wrote a book “De Ratione Temporum” which, loosely translated, is about reckoning time.  In his book filled with astronomical explanations of the seasons, he established the month of April as the calendar time for the season of Eostre, the pagan goddess of Spring.  Spring has long been the time of year connected with fertility and rebirth — for obvious reasons.  Eostre, the Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility was known by various names such as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos.

Origins of the festivals and their names were lost in time as the pagan language translations include Hebrew, Latin, Saxon and more, as well as mixing them with the various beliefs, folklore and legend.  Linguists and scholars, such as Jacob Grimm, have traced the name to the Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn, Aosus,  and then to the common Germanic goddess Ēostre and Ostara. Some scholars have debated whether or not Eostre is an invention of Bede’s, rather than an “official” goddess of the Germanic Easter customs (including hares and eggs).  Ho-hum, oh well, I guess we’ll never know where it all started.

While the scholars and linguists enjoy their attempts to trace the word to its B.C. origins, my take on the whole thing is quite simple.  Winter ends and life returns to its hustle and bustle state.  Renewal and reproduction abound and a new cycle of life begins.

But why an egg-bearing rabbit?  The earliest records show that the celebration of spring was represented by the symbols of the hare and the egg.  These two items were specific representations of rebirth.  As we moved forward in time, more significance was added and associated until, today, Easter is truly a holiday that can be celebrated by all no matter what word you attach to it.

Happy Easter to all and with brotherly love, I include all faiths in that holiday wish!

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Speaking of renewal, check out this transformation kit I just found out about … http://cherylcurrie.myvi.net/

EACH ONE, TEACH ONE TOTAL QUALIFIERS SO FAR:  5723

Today is the last day … to be part of what over 5,000 in just this last week alone chose … being part of history in the making….

First off, over 13,000 people arrived in Kansas City for the biggest event so far and it was awesome!  The Mayor of Kansas City declared a ViSalus Day in honor of the obvious runaway expansion.  Ryan Blair, Blake Mallen and Nick Sarnicola outdid themselves with news and releases to help their ever-expanding force of promoters.  Over 9.7 million dollars worth of bonuses were awarded.  There was a guest appearance from Hulk Hogan and other celebrities while their stated mission to end the obesity epidemic in North America was set on fire!  Several times there was not a dry eye in the house as one testimonial after another was given regarding how far the new ambassadors had come in their fitness and prosperity challenges.

MARCH TO A BILLION GAME

At the end of the event, a game was launched for the “March to a Billion” game.  ViSalus has a burning purpose to be the first direct sales company to hit a billion dollars in sales without going out of North America … yet.  Indeed they are making every target they set.

To see this game, which ends today, click here:  http://visalus.com/for-promoter/each-one-teach-one

But that won’t be the last game they play.  There is still room for you and those you love …

Could you stand to lose a few pounds? Get a little healthier? Make a bit more money? THE CHALLENGE is WAGING A WARE on obesity with over 10,000,000 pounds lost!  They are also winning a war on recession with over 100 people earning a 6-figure income

and… the best part is… they have only just begun!

No one can ignore the facts…

**Close to 1000 BMW Qualifiers last month…
**Over 100 people breaking a 6 figure income…
**Over 100,000 people that joined the Challenge last month…
**More Celebs promoting 1 thing than in any other Direct Selling Company…

My own personal team has TRIPLED since Christmas, 2011.

Can’t wait to hear that you are taking part in making home business history…

Yes, I am a part of this amazing momentum and available to help you 24/7 to your success.  To become part of this rewarding, fun and effective movement across North America … if you care about helping people get fit, lose weight, make money, help hungry children… use the contact information below.

Cheryl Currie

760-780-1449

http://cc.90-daychallenge.biz/

Visit the team website at:  www.90-daychallenge.biz

Health & Fitness As a Network Marketing Home Business

Have you noticed that the healthy and energetic business owners are the ones who make the most money?  There are many reasons for this but one reason (particular to network marketing) is that your potential associates look you over with a magnifying glass to see if you represent what they wish to attain.  What good is it to be a successful entrepreneur if you do not have the energy and stamina to do the job?  If you are overweight, unhealthy, uninspiring, it conveys a message to your prospective customer or business associate that your plan does not work.

Is There Too Much Competition?

Some people think the “health and wealth” network marketing industry is saturated and no longer the right opportunity to invest in.  If you feel that way, please do yourself a favor.  Find a busy shopping mall or a restaurant and have a seat.  Take out a notepad and make two columns, labeling one “Overweight/Unhealthy” and the other “Looks Fit.”  Spend ten minutes observing the people around you putting a mark in the appropriate column for each person you see, including children.  Don’t leave out the elderly or anyone using a walker or wheelchair.  After ten minutes, add up the slash marks and discover for yourself what percentage of people need better nutrition and exercise.  If you do this, you will have the truth about the health, nutrition and fitness industry.

There may be plenty of products and services available but ask yourself this:  If those products are in any way effective, why do we still have an obesity epidemic?  Why are these people walking so slowly, looking so glum?  Why are their faces tensed with pain or exhaustion?  Possibly what is lacking is effectiveness.

Lack of Effectiveness Opens the Market

The apathy you see in the eyes of those who are obese comes from years of trying to lose weight and get fit only to find nothing worked.  They do not want to resort to surgery or dangerous drugs.  They have tried various diet plans and have spent a great deal of money and time trying to look and feel better.  Most of them, if they were lucky enough to lose weight in the first place, gained it all back within a year.

If you already work in the weight loss or fitness industry, you know that you first have to get your client past their apathy and disbelief.  They don’t trust that your product or plan works.  Most will be happy to lose a few pounds and gain a bit of muscle.  There is no magic pill, no completely safe, risk-free surgery.

So why bother with this industry?  Two reasons come to mind.  This epidemic affects your neighbors, your family, and your friends.  The percentage of overweight and obese individuals is climbing steadily and cardiovascular disease (heart and circulatory)  succumb to the lack of an effective diet and exercise plan?  Of course not.

The obstacles to getting fit and what you should look for in a Fitness Home Business are:

TIME and MONEY

• The product should not cost more money than the consumer has already tried or is spending, or better yet … save them money
• The best nutrition or exercise plan should take up less than ten minutes a day,  or better yet … save them time

Most people surveyed do not have time to go to the gym or prepare special meals.  Maximum time for exercise surveys at around 30 minutes twice a week though contrary answers show that most people do not actually exercise that much.  Some fitness center members say their favorite class or fitness instructor is not available when they are.  Others forgot to figure in travel time.  While some people say a membership does get them to exercise, others prefer a home exercise machine but do not have the money to purchase the one they’d prefer.  Almost all of the answers regarding what is stopping them from nutritious meals and regular exercise could be boiled down to “time and money.”

PAIN and PLEASURE

• The product should bring pleasure and be more desirable than what they have been doing
• The product should in some way ease mental, emotional or physical pain

There have been many “meal replacement” snacks and drinks on down through the decades.  Two of the majority responses to “Why did you stop using meal replacement snacks or drinks?” were:  ”Tastes awful” or “Had a negative digestive reaction.”  And what stopped the exercise?  ”It hurt too much and was too hard to do.”  What good is a great diet and exercise plan if you cannot “stomach” it?  On the other hand, people who noticed a difference in their energy levels and overall feeling of well-being, persisted through any discomfort, indigestion or “detoxification,” etc., to achieve the pleasurable results.

IDEALS and LIFESTYLE

• The product should align with the variety of personal and nutrition beliefs of the consumer
• The product should enhance the ideals of the consumer

People have formed or adopted strong opinions about diet and nutrition usually by the time they are 18 years old.  Some people have food restrictions as part of their beliefs and ideas about their ideal appearance, how they should feel, even how long they should live.  Nutrition industries are running into this more and more.  Ask a customer service representative or a nutritionist.  They will tell you about people who have developed “food allergies.”  Imagined or otherwise, these opinions and conditions are not to be argued with.  The consumer is certain that they cannot tolerate a certain food.  If your product or service does not align with most people’s ideals and lifestyles, your consumer base will be limited.  Witness the increased messages on the labels — “Vegan,” “Kosher,” “Non-GMO,” “Organic.”  People do care about these things.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

If you care about people’s health and are interested in personal fitness and/or as a home business, check the statistics and testimonials.  Personally, I only work with successful companies that give great service and effective products.  Buy only from companies with a good business rating and a money-back guarantee.  Try it out for yourself first but give it a good go before you quit.

Here are the ones I’ve found that fit all the criteria above.

For a recommended Weight Loss and Physical Fitness Program:  CLICK HERE
(U.S. and Canada Only)

For a recommended Physical Fitness Program you can do at home:  CLICK HERE

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NOTE:  Recommended programs that I have found to be effective have affiliate programs and purchases made using the links given may result in my personal compensation.  No claims regarding amount of income that can be made in any industry have been stated or implied here.

All About the ViSalus Vi Shake
by Audrey Sommerfield, SVP ViSalus Sciences

When Dr. Witherly and I created the shake, we wanted to create the perfect ‘meal’ to help people build and maintain lean muscle, burn fat, and feel healthier.

The Tri-Sorb protein blend is a unique blend of highly absorbable proteins. First we use non-GMO soy that has been processed to remove isoflavones that can impact estrogen. Why soy? It is a complete protein, easily digested, and adequate consumption can help the body reduce cholesterol and c-reactive protein. Studies show that soy can build lean muscle as good, and in some studies better than whey proteins.

We then use a whey concentrate, and the newest technology in whey hydrolysate. This is the most concentrated and ‘clean’ protein on the market today, and is very expensive. The key reason is it builds lean muscle. The FDA allows it to be called a ‘fat loss accelerant’ as a result..the only protein that can use that claim. Our proteins have been specially processed to remove fat, lactose, and carbs.

We add in the Aminogen, a patented and clinically tested amino acid to aide protein absorption. Many body builders buy this product in nutrition stores to aid their body. We include it.

The key is that not all proteins are created equal. If you read the nutritional labels, some will use gelatin to ‘spike’ the grams of protein. Gelatin is great for skin and hair, but not so good at building muscle. Some use milk powder or milk protein. Great for bone health, but not so good at building lean muscle. Some use whey, which is ok, but only about 75-80% absorbed. So with ours, it’s quality, not quantity…and we absorb more because of our blend.

Our shake is not just for weight management. It is for nutrition, and for health. The shake when mixed with non-fat milk or soy milk delivers 20-25 grams of protein, which is the amount nutritionists recommend we get in each meal.

Now body builders claim they often need more, because they are trying to build lean muscle. This may not be true, as not all proteins are created equal. This is the key reason we don’t put ‘grams’ of protein on our shake and tout it like many store brands do. I say this because some brands pump up the ‘grams’ of protein by adding gelatin (great for skin/hair/nails, but not lean muscle). Some use dehydrated milk powder, some just whey. Those also are ok, but not the latest in science.

We use a combination of proteins because they act differently in the body. The soy is used because of it’s heart health benefits Adequate consumption of soy in the diet can help the body lower c-reactive proteins, an indicator of inflammation and possibly heart disease. Soy is also easily digestible, and a complete protein. Our soy is unique in that we use a non-GMO Soy (not genetically modified), and was specially processed to remove the isoflavones that can impact estrogen. While those isoflavones may be beneficial, we know that women with fibroids, muscle builders, and others worry about the impact of estrogen. Non-GMO soy is about 45% more expensive than regular soy, but we chose to use it because of the concerns some people have about soy.

We use a whey concentrate for fast acting hunger control. Then we use a unique whey hydrolysate, which is the latest technology and is very expensive. It helps retain lean muscle, and is very highly absorbed. While some wheys can be absorbed about 80%, whey hydrolysate is much higher. It is a pure, clean, and concentrated protein. Combine that with the Aminogen, and we have more ingredients to help build, and maintain lean muscle while promoting fast loss.

So the 3 types of proteins help support heart health, bone health, muscle health, digestive health, and can help curb hunger quickly, and last too!

For athletes, it is recommended that they get protein into their body within 30 minutes after completing a workout. Protein will help the muscles repair themselves, and quicker. This is why our shake was designed to mix in water, and still taste great, and why we have it in individual serving packets. People can take the packet to the gym, and mix it in water and get it into their bodies quickly. The key points of difference are the quality of the proteins that we use (absorbability) as well as the fact that we added Aminogen®. Aminogen is a patented, and clinically tested ingredient that has been shown to help the body better utilize the protein. This way, you get more nutrition into the body and the muscle. We are also lower sodium than most brands (I’ve not found one yet lower than us).

Here is some information I found, that may be useful:

A few bodybuilding and weight training coaches recommend protein intakes of 40 percent of energy; for example 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate; 20% fat. Let’s take a look at this. In the 4000 calorie diet of our 100 kilogram bodybuilder, 40% protein would be 1600 calories, equivalent to 400 grams of protein at 4 calories per gram. That’s 4 grams/protein/kilogram body weight/day; over four times the RDI and twice what’s scientifically defensible. Not good.

Fast and Slow Proteins

How quickly amino acids get transported to blood and how quickly they then get assimilated into muscle and other tissue for repair and rebuilding is the basis of this idea. According to some enthusiasts, fast proteins such as whey are superior to slow proteins like casein. Both are derivatives of milk products. Here are some values (Bilsborough 2006):

•Egg protein 1.3 grams/hour

•Casein isolate – 6.1 grams/hour

•Whey isolate – 8-10 grams/hour

There’s not much evidence that these variations make a difference to muscle building over the longer term, although whey has shown some advantage in short-term studies.

Yet the other useful information that can be gleaned from the numbers above is that with average protein absorption of, say, 7 grams/hour, a theoretical absorption is limited to around 168 grams each day (24×7). If accurate, it makes the 400 gram/day protein diets look entirely unnecessary at best.

Very high-protein diets may not be safe over time for the following reasons:

•High levels of nitrogen and amino acids can be toxic.

•High-protein diets are not safe for those people suffering from chronic kidney disease. Up to 20 percent of the population may be undiagnosed.

Sources

Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med. 2004;34(5):317-27. Review.

Bilsborough S, Mann N. A review of issues with dietary protein intake in humans. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Apr;16(2):129-52. Review

Protein and Strength Athletes

While endurance athletes are easy to convince of the need for a high carbohydrate, low fat diet, strength athletes are a bit harder to convince of the need for adequate carbs and moderate protein. Strength athletes have long adhered to high protein diets in order to build muscle. This idea of high protein = more muscle is a bit overstated.

According to the research of sports nutritionists, strength athletes require high carbohydrate and adequate glycogen stored in the muscle. They point out that all high intensity; powerful muscle contractions (such as weight lifting) are fueled with carbohydrate. Neither fat nor protein can be oxidized rapidly enough to meet the demands of high-intensity exercise. Adequate dietary carbohydrate must be consumed on a daily basis to restore glycogen levels.

In fact, research shows that high protein/high fat diets can hurt performance. An inadequate amount of carbohydrate in the diet can result in:

•Reduced muscle glycogen stores in the muscle and liver •Decreased endurance •Decreased maximal effort •Decreased serum glucose levels •Increased risk of hypoglycemia

High protein/high fat diets can also have a negative overall impact on health, including the following:

•Increased risk of certain cancers

•Increased calcium excretion and increased risk of osteoporosis •Reduced intake of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals

But Don’t Strength Athletes Need More Protein To Build Muscle?

Research hasn’t shown this. In fact most strength athletes get far more protein than is necessary to promote muscle synthesis. The current protein recommendations for optimal muscle building in a strength athlete are 1.6 – 1.7 gm protein per kg of body weight. For a athlete weighing 90 kg (200 pounds) that is a total of 145 – 154 grams of protein a day [about 3 small chicken breasts]. There is no scientific evidence that more than 2.0 grams of protein per kg of body weight has any additional benefit in muscle strength or size

Audrey Sommerfeld
SVP Marketing

ViSalus Sciences

CLICK HERE:  For more information about this shake and the 90-day challenge program.

CLICK HERE:  For more information about Audrey Sommerfeld

The products and the Body by Vi Challenge keep the business opportunity simple, and the Three for Free promotion lets distributors get their products at no cost.

“The whole message is super simple: Lose weight, get fit and save money because you’re replacing meals with our shakes, literally saving people a couple hundred dollars a month,” Mallen says. “Then we layered in Three for Free, which removed all financial objections and barriers. We let our customers and our distributors refer three other people. Then their own products are sent to them free. We’re averaging over $400 in monthly product revenue for every distributor in our company. That’s unheard of! And our retention is dramatically better than the industry average.”

Retention results from several factors, including a strong compensation plan that lets new distributors promote quickly.

“We pay out up to 80 percent payout at the highest levels,” Blair says, “and we have a car bonus at the lowest rank of any competitor we’ve looked at.” More than 1,500 distributors have already qualified for a BMW, making them members of the company’s fancifully named Bimmer Club.

But the comp plan is intentionally skewed toward the bottom and middle ranks of producers, helping them quickly earn income that makes a real difference in a family’s budget.

For more information, CLICK HERE

Excerpted from ViSalus® article

People do not set out to over-eat and gain weight.  It is my contention that with some knowledge about calories, a person can not only lose weight and improve physical fitness, they can also increase their health and overall well-being.  Times have changed.  The amount of physical work we do has reduced while the availability of empty calorie snacks and over-cooked meals has increased.  We are an age of convenience and it is killing us!

Most people would consider the menu below beyond a reasonable diet.  In fact, most would have to reduce their intake to achieve this diet.  Yet if you read on, you will see that this menu, though our grandparents would consider it a balanced and healthy meal, will add pounds of fat on a daily basis if you are not engaged in active physical exertion every day.

What if you eat a reasonable, healthy, moderate diet?

Don’t kid yourself!

It is not likely that you are only eating the above diet.  There are no snacks there, no extra flavored drinks, no desserts and no fast-food meals factored in.  Snacks and treats are everywhere and have become part of our culture.  Most people are eating at least 3,000 calories daily and thus creating the obesity problem in the United States and elsewhere.

You only have to look at your grocery bill and how much you spent at restaurants or on snacks to see whether or not you stick to a diet such as the one above.  Nevertheless, even that diet is TOO MANY CALORIES unless your doing an hour or more of daily exercise.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories you’d burn if you stayed in bed all day. If you’ve noticed that every year, it becomes harder to eat whatever you want and stay slim, you’ve also learned that your Basal Metabolic Rate decreases as you age. Reducing how much you eat in hopes of losing weight decreases your BMR which is just the opposite of what you want to accomplish.

Determine your BMR:  A female, 5’4” weighing 200 pounds at age 35 would have an approximate BMR of 1654 per 24 hours.  With a sedentary lifestyle, the strict but healthy diet shown above will leave 678 unburned calories daily.

Now let’s turn that age around to 53 and the BMR is 1569.4 – see how it dropped?  Now you’re leaving 763 calories unburned every day. Drop the weight to 160 for the 35 year old and the BMR drops to 1480. Ever hear people say that the last ten to twenty pounds are the hardest pounds to lose?  And, if that 35-year-old is on the diet shown above and has a sedentary lifestyle, he or she is leaving 852 calories unburned every day.

If you eat 3000 or more calories every day, which MOST people do, how do you burn it off?  It’s a lot harder than you might think.  Here are some facts on that:

How do I burn those leftover calories?

To burn only 122 calories, you would need to do any of the following:
34 minutes of walking
14 minutes of jogging
10 minutes of swimming
19 minutes of cycling

Therefore, if you eat the above meals which are considered a reasonable, healthy and moderate diet, you still have about 700 calories unburned and you’ll need to do one of the following just to maintain your weight:

• 3 hours of walking
• 1.5 hours of jogging
• 1 hour of swimming
• 2 hours of cycling

This answers the question “Why am I overweight?” and why obesity is a problem for a growing number of our population.  Most people do not know about calories, how to calculate them or calculate how to burn them off.  Nobody wants to be fat.  Yet few realize they are causing it daily by eating whatever strikes their fancy, exercising when it is convenient and recklessly heading down the path to obesity and major health problems.  Most people ignore the situation until the major health problems kick in and only then do they seek professional help.

What about the diet plan programs or surgery?

Some plans do not work simply because they do not handle the root of the problem.  If you cannot stay on the plan, if it is not appealing, if it is too expensive or forces you to ignore your hunger, it will have a high likelihood of eventual failure.  Surgery, even if covered by insurance plan, has some very serious risks and does not handle the probiotic and metabolic rate issues.  Even if they offer “diet plan counseling” most surgery or food plans do not supply the super-nutrition or metabolism repair needed.  Once the band is removed or the food plan ends, the weight comes right back on.  All that misery may be wasted.  But don’t despair.  There is a way to get your calories down and your nutrition up.  I can say that because I have seen over 4,000,000 pounds of PURE RESULTS!!!

Why the  ViSalus® Body by Vi 90-day challenge is the Most Recommended Plan.

By replacing two meals with a ViSalus® protein shake, made with unsweetened almond milk, each meal costs less than $2.00 and is only 130 calories.  The patented protein/probiotic blend helps lean muscle replace fatty tissues whether you are exercising or not.

Your diet would then look like this if you still ate the lunch shown above:

Breakfast:  cost:  $1.90  calories = 130

Lunch:  cost:  $1.05   calories = 487

Dinner:  cost $1.90   calories = 130

Total daily cost:  $4.85        Total daily calories = 747

YOU SAVE MONEY DAILY and EAT LESS CALORIES than you burn even if you do not exercise!

That’s just one of the reasons why the ViSalus® Body by Vi 90-day challenge WORKS. 

FIND OUT MORE – CLICK HERE

Or, watch this short video on how easy it is to have a delicious and FAST breakfast!

ViSalus® also provides community weight loss support, lots of tips and even an exercise plan, all packaged up in a 90-day challenge to meet your fitness goals.  You can even win a vacation and other prizes.

Facts on calories and nutrition can be found at this other helpful links:

http://health.discovery.com

http://www.calorieking.com

The Contagious and Infectious Ideas That Led To Financial Ruin

Doctors now agree that a single factor can predispose a person to disease. That factor is stress. Understanding what stress is and how it comes about would be, therefore, an important study. In my previous article, the definition of financial ruin was given and the family unit as the building block of a nation was examined for changes. The question of why the change occurred was raised.

If a woman were to spend her family out of house and home, they would say she was mentally ill. They would proclaim she had no self-control and needed drastic treatment. If a man were to gamble away the family’s life savings, it would be indisputable grounds for divorce. Suppose also, that upon questioning that frivolous husband or wife as to their purpose for the overspending they claimed a threat from neighboring towns. This they might claim, required security systems, guns, bombs and artillery with the intention of bombing a neighboring city if need be. You might say they were psycho, right? Good thing this is only a hypothetical husband or wife. Or is it?

Let’s take a look at the relationship between war and the national debt.

World War I was waged from 1914 to 1918 under Woodrow Wilson. See how that relates to the National Debt:

07/01/1914 = $2,912,499,269.16

07/01/1915 = $3,058,136,873.16

07/01/1916 = $3,609,244,262.16

07/01/1917 = $5,717,770,279.52

07/01/1918  = $14,592,161,414.00

07/01/1919 = $27,390,970,113.12

That’s a $24.4 billion increase!!!!

For 12 years the debt was being paid off and got as low as $16.8 billion in 1931 but it never down to the $5.7 billion range. It then rises at about $3 billion per year during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

World War II came next and the debt rose more than 500%.   See the figures below:

06/30/1941 = $48,961,443,535.71

06/30/1942 = $72,422,445,116.22

06/30/1943 = $136,696,090,329.90

06/30/1944 = $201,003,387,221.13

06/30/1945 = $258,682,187,409.93

That’s a $210 billion increase.

To put this in perspective of our analogy, that would be similar to the wife or husband driving their debts up from $500,000 to $2.5 million within four years.

When Herbert Hoover took office (1929 – 1933), he actually reduced the debt by about $3 billion until his final year. Under Dwight D. Eisenhower, the debt went up by $22 billion. Under JFK the debt went up by $17 billion in only two years. Barely noticeable compared to the skyrocket climb to over a trillion during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. At the time of this writing, the national debt exceeds $10 trillion.

Some argue that the only way to see the true trend is to measure “per capita” or in ratio to the U.S. population. Alright, let’s be fair then. The U.S. Census projected 311,352,899 people in the United States.as of 2010 with 225,206,000 over 18 years of age. Basically that means every adult 18 or over would have to pay $60,174 in order to pay off the debt. Compare that to 1970 when people over 18 could have shelled out a measly $2,810 and made the U.S.A. solvent.

Some financial experts claim that we are now in a hyper-inflation, with the debt increasing at an average of $4 billion per day since September 28, 2007. Scary. No wonder people are buying gold and silver and banking outside the United States. Historically speaking, hyper-inflation is followed by bankruptcy. In fact, 14 countries are near bankruptcy or already bankrupt.

If You Can Keep Your Head While All Others Are Losing Theirs…

Our government is a government of the people. Before you gasp, point fingers and blame the government for this financial disaster, realize that Americans have been gladly going into debt for decades then taking the easy way out – filing bankruptcy – leaving their creditors high and dry. So again we must ask “Why?” and examine what changed the society from a handshake agreement and a skilled budget, to skillful manipulation of credit and non-payment of our obligations?

In the next article, we will examine where and how the financial responsibility and sense of fair exchange went awry.

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