Walking the walk

I know there are at least two fellow Isagenix fans who read this, so I'm posting a little update.

I've been so focused on sharing these amazing products with other people that I've dropped off reporting on what's going on with me!!!

Well, I'm still at that phenominal 130 pounds. It is the strangest and most wonderful thing that I got to see my metabolism change, my cravings disappear, and my energy level shoot up. If it had only been a few weeks, you might say "Oh, this can't last." But as I realize the next major holiday is the 4th of July, and last year at that time I saw photos of myself at the family celebration in LaCenter and I was totally mortified... where DID those rolls of fat come from??? Now, nearly one year later, I still show the awesome effects of incorporating the Isagenix 21st century food technology into my daily life. It takes less effort than it would take to drive up to KFC for some greasy (but tasty!) deep fat fried chicken.

My hair is better, and my skin is better. My eyesight is better. I sleep WAY better. I actually look forward to falling asleep because of the massively entertaining dreams I have every single night!

Today is a cleanse day. This is why the post is titled "walking the walk". I could easily skip the cleanse days now and not gain weight. However, I understand the health benefits AND I want to set a great example for all in my team who are watching everything I do. So tomorrow I'll probably weigh in at 129 or even 128, and I'll have a good laugh, and then have a FANTASTIC shake. Let's see... tomorrow I think I'll do a pineapple, mango, with a little extra vanilla extract and some flax seeds. Does breakfast get any better than this? I think not, children.

Yesterday my daughter's friend Stephanie came over unexpectedly. She has three people at work who want to start on the Isagenix products, so she came for information to take to them. I was working in the yard, and it was HOT (oddly, this early in Seattle) so I had on short shorts from the old days, and a sleeveless shirt. More of me was exposed, so poor Stephanie got a shock. She called me "Skinny" however it's a well-documented fact that I've been called chicken legs for my entire life. Still, she was impressed (hmmm) and that's fine.

Anyway, as the day comes to a close you can bet that I, like anyone, would love to have a nice chicken salad, or broiled fish and brown rice, or something. But my liver and kidneys and entire internal system thanks me for taking these breaks and flooding my internal body with the cleansing minerals and soothing teas. So I think I'll just grab another 32 ounce glass of ice water and then mop the kitchen floor.

Today was one of those all-too-few days when I got to stay home and clean the house and do laundry. Wow. But on the way up to Snohomish, where we get our work truck serviced, I got a call and enrolled another associate right on the spot. That was pretty uplifting. Good times.

Happy day to you all - please comment or write to me at poppinoff274@yahoo.com or you can even call me at 509-387-0003.

Went to a concert last night

It wasn't an old people concert, it was 'Me Without You'.

Laura invited me, so of course I went. Jim Rohn says - "Don't miss anything". He's a wonderful motivational speaker, and a successful man. He believes life should still happen, even while you're building an empire.

So we went to the concert. Me, Laura, Sarah, and Trevor. As we drove up, I suddenly had this "Holy Moly what am I DOING here?" response. But then I thought "I can be wherever I WANT to be."

GREAT show, by the way.

The band we were there to see played at 10:30pm, so it was a LATE night. That's okay, everyone should have a late night now and then, even if they're old. Home again, had to have some snackies, then to bed after midnight. It was probably close to 1am.

Peaceful deep sleep.

4:30am the phone rings. I'm in a DEAD sleep, so I am highly confused. First I think it's the alarm, then I realize it sounds like my cell phone. Didn't recognize the number. Answered "This is Ruth". I was so sleepy it took a couple of minutes (it felt like) to sink in that it was Stephanie, Laura's former roommate, on the line. (For some reason my sleepy mind thought it was somebody I had an appointment with at the store!) Seems she was in a car full of 5 kids, driving long distance, and three of the five were cuffed and in the back of a patrol car, awaiting the tow truck to arrive. She was scared, mad, and wanted to know what to do.

Back in bed about 5am, it's light, and I'm thinking - ok, game over man.

Then David's cell phone started beeping to indicate a low battery.

Goodness.


I may or may not fill you in on "the rest of the story" about the arrest as the details become known. I think I can pretty much guess what happened. Being rather partial to law enforcement, I advised the kids to be polite, direct and honest in their answers, and calm. Poor little tiny Stephanie. If I could have, I would have driven over to pick her up. Problem was, they were in some town in Eastern Washington in the middle of freakin' nowhere.

Now I'm at our store and for whatever reason, my eyes feel funny.


BUT - you must read about and/or listen to 'Me Without You'. Here's what the lead singer completely reminded me of:

King David danced before the Lord with all his might. It was an act of worship so honest and pure it made the angels join in, I'm absolutely sure. King David wrote beautiful poetry, too, to praise and glorify God.

The concert was LOUD to the max, but from time to time I could have sworn angels were joining in the singing.

I know I sound like a sap, but that's never stopped me before. Check them out. Do you think that the "youth of today" are evil, self-centered, drug-affected, drunk, immoral jerks? Check out this band, and meet some of their fans.

Wow.

I'm impressed.

What Laurie knows

Laurie is not a scientist. Laurie is not a physician. Laurie does not own stock in a drug company, nor does she carry a chip on her shoulder regarding "traditional" medicine. Laurie does not pre-judge a food product based upon her assumptions that it can't possibly work as medicine. Laurie trusts one who has had an experience, then trusts her own intelligence as she reads the information regarding the nutritional products she has bought. Laurie opens her box of products with excitement, anticipation, and an open mind.

Laurie called me yesterday, after incorporating the nutritional cleansing, fat burning, and replenishing products into her life for one month. She was very excited.

For a long time now, Laurie has struggled, as many of us do, with some "excess baggage" around her middle and thighs. She's struggled worse with a burning sensation every time she eats, which is worse if she drinks coffee. This condition got so bad that her physician prescribed a very strong medication which prohibits the stomach from pumping acid. At all, I mean. Stomach acid, in its normal function, assists with the digestion process. So, for these years, how many of the foods Laurie has been consuming have passed through her system partially digested? We will never know. The burning and "gurgling" (as she describes it) have been nearly intolerable.

Laurie knows something. She knows that after her first cycle on these products her doctor took her off that medication that stops her stomach from pumping acid, and she knows that she feels better than she has in years. She now digests food normally, and what's happening inside her is that she's creating an alkaline environment (read healthy) rather than that horrible acid environment that scientists know is highly cancer-friendly. She can enjoy food. She can enjoy going out with her husband and (gasp) having a cup of coffee.

Laurie knows that the 21st Century food technology known as Isagenix has turned her life around. She has seen the pounds melt away. She has felt the surge of energy. She asked me if I was aware that being on these food products and the nutritional cleanse causes a decrease in cravings for certain foods. I told her that I'm well aware of that, since jordan almonds and licorice bites no longer tempt me! You see; Laurie knows that 83% of Americans are overweight, and of those many are obese. She knows that we need nutritional assistance in this day and age to get to the root of that problem and solve it, once and for all.

She looks, sounds, and acts differently now.

Laurie's call to me came at an absolutely perfect time. Murphy's Committee, those "helpful" souls who would cast discouragement on anything outside their own comfort zone, is hard at work to dissuade. Murphy's Committee will find themselves defeated; drowned out by truth, experience, and passion.

What Laurie knows, is that life tastes good, and being nourished all the way down to your last cell feels wonderful. Laurie knows. And she's so ready to help others know too. One of the things I thought, as I hung up from talking to her, was - what if I had been "too shy" or felt like it was an intrusion to introduce these products to her? She'd be looking at turning 50 with 25 extra pounds around her middle, a horrible medical condition, and no energy. Now we can celebrate our 50th birthdays together, having found a new friend, and shared a phenomenal health experience.

Laurie knows that she'll nourish her body with the Isagenix products for life.

How would you spend $30,000????

I copied this rant from my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/momshap


I find this unbelievable, yet sadly common these days. SO many people will accept a prescription or go under the doctor's knife before learning what GOOD NUTRITION can do for them. Easy fix. Cut me open and make me not fat anymore. Read on if you dare.


How would you spend $30,000?
Current mood: frustrated


Hi.

Rant time. But I have to get this off my chest in on a forum that's pretty much neutral.

Since January, 2006, I've met people who have lost amazing amounts of weight by utilizing a cleansing and nutritional system that is nothing short of miraculous. But, in reality, it's NOT miraculous - the human body is. Among those I know personally, it would be conservative to say that 1,000 pounds has been lost. That said; the drug industry and the medical community is not happy about this trend, and has absolutely nothing to gain from the success these smart people have achieved. The drug industry and medical community have a STRONG say in what is allowed, and what is not. Vioxx is responsible for 28,000 deaths, and was FDA approved. Nutritional suppliments haven't killed anyone, but are suspect. And there you have the logic of the money machine which tries to dictate how you will be healthy. Or, in reality, how you will be unhealthy so you will pad their pockets. Healthy people don't stand in the pharmacy line at WalMart with debit card at the ready.

The medical community encourages something referred to as WLS, or weight loss surgery. What "qualifies" a person for this invasive procedure is a repeated attempt at losing weight without a sustained success. This could be, "I tried Slim Fast once, and it was icky, so I quit" or "Jenny Craig failed me" or "The carrot and celery diet was too restrictive." The yo-yo dieting tried by so many has resulted in a greater and greater percentage of people being not only overweight, but obese.

Enter the gastric banding procedure.

You can have your tender stomach reduced to the size of a walnut for the low, low price of $30,000. This makes you feel "full", having consumed only a small amount of food. Theory? Eat less, lose weight. Does it work? Sometimes. Does it fail? Sometimes. Do they give you the statistics of failure right up front? Not likely. How many patients experience a migrating band, which embeds itself into the stomach and requires surgical removal? How many patients eat past the fullness of the band, because the underlying cause of their obesity (compulsive overeating, consuming too many of the wrong foods, lack of healthy exercise) was never addressed? How many who have had the procedure have lost 30 - 50 pounds quickly, and then just stopped because they are unable to take in the proper amount of lean protein to facilitate continued weight loss?

$30,000. That's a considerable amount of money. Here's the math. For $3000, you can be on a nutritional program in which two meals a day are replaced with a super high-quality whey protein shake, complete with vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes, includes nutritional cleansing, and natural metabolism boosters FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. I've known more than one person to lose 100 pounds this way. Then, for the additional $27,000, you can replace one meal a day with the high quality whey protein shake (with minerals and digestive enzymes), have excellent vitamins and minerals designed for either men or women (also with digestive enzymes), exceptional quality antioxidants, and have a nutritional cleanse twice a month - FOR 15 YEARS.

Tell me which person you think might be healthier in 7 years. The walnut-stomached individual who is still nutritionally unbalanced, or the healthy person who has found out what giving your amazing body exactly what it needs can do for your health?

I have not known someone who has incorporated this nutrition into their lives to suddenly vomit several times a week. I've not known them to have something migrate into an organ of their body which then needs to be removed. I've not known them to lose lean muscle due to lack of proper protein intake. I've not known them to need to visit their physician several times a year to have their whey protein shake adjusted because of a Holiday or event upcoming which they feel they'll need to be able to ingest a ton of additional food for. I've never heard of a person dying because they had adequate nutrition. I've never heard of a person bleeding to death during the time they sip a shake for breakfast. I have heard of many of them impressing their physicians by their exceptional physical improvements, however.

How, indeed, can people even think of starting with such an invasive procedure?

I will never forget the poor woman who looked at me with tears in her eyes. She was pale, and tired. She'd had the gastric banding 9 months earlier. She and I had both lost 30 pounds. She had some 100 pounds to go. She looked at me, and at the ease of incorporating these foods into her life, and the tears came. Probably $30,000 too late. Maybe she would have rather bought a new car? Who knows.

People

I'm not good at confrontation. But I find myself having to learn to be good at it, since I am an employer now.

I had to have a little heart to heart chat with the help (said intentionally like that, and I don't mean anything by it) after a little woopsie.

As gentle and careful as I was, it appeared as though I was telling a little boy that he had to give his puppy away. I watched the expression on his face turn from resolved to defend himself, to disbelief, to being crushed. He walked away defeated.

I was sorry, but I decided to let that emotion just evaporate, and get on with the business of business.

Today, I got a chance to give and gain "closure" on the situation. I followed up with the offended customer, and then summed up the event with the employee. He understood both my concern for him, and my desire to be a professional service provider in the community. I saw that, when it all came together, he found my position to be valid.

I told him that I do not mind if this particular customer takes her business elsewhere, but the actions that led up to her complaint need to not happen again. It was very satisfying to see the incident closed with a positive outcome, and the bounce in his step restored.

I'm not sure I'd sign on for supervisor again, but I do believe I can get the hang of it.

Network marketing is ever so much easier! :-)

What's weighing you down?

I'm getting new business cards printed this week in anticipation of three health expos I will be attending as a vendor. I came up with a new tag line. See what you think:

"I lost 30 pounds of toxin-filled fat in 4 months. I've never been healthier."

Our employee, Anthony, responded with "Ewwww." And looked at his own belly. It brings home the harsh truth that Americans, due to S.A.D. (standard American diet) and environmental toxins, are DIRTY on the inside.

Toxin-filled FAT. I want to have a vat of fat to show. It's in part due to autopsy findings that the scientists behind the products David, Laura and I are consuming came to discover the ugly fact about fat. I mean ugly beyond the ugly that fat itself is as it sits on and around vital organs, choking them slowly. The TRUE ugly fact is that inside each fat cell is a piece of dirt. Much like an oyster will form a pearl around a grain of sand, your body forms insulation around toxins in the form of fat and fluid.

So, what's weighing you down? Do you think that little pudge around your tummy is cute? Would you think it was as cute if you could examine it under a microscope? Would you think it was as cute, and harmless, if you knew that with just 20 additional pounds on you, you're at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and all the other obesity-related, potentially fatal diseases? It's not cute. And it's not necessary. Get rid of it, and do it now.

Do you have four months to devote to your life? Let me put it this way: can you afford to spend about 35 minutes a day on the most precious asset you have - which is YOUR BODY? If you invest this small amount of time, and feed yourself the clean and healthful products that are available and affordable and delicious, in 4 months time you could be saying "I lost 60 pounds of toxin-filled fat in 4 months." Why stop at 30, if you have 40, 50, or 60 pounds of excess weight to lose? 60 is as easy as 30, it just takes a little more effort. The 35 minutes a day I mentioned includes moving around for 30 minutes! Walk, jog, jump, swim, garden, climb, MOVE it or lose it.

On the Record, With Mom Shap

I currently weigh 129 pounds. Yes, this is after both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which were basically feeding frenzies. I am very happy with my triumph over the scale, but it comes as a result of some fairly simple changes which are scientifically sound and readily available to the general public.

The "stuff" I am "on" is called "FOOD". You are on "food" too. We may buy our "food" from different places, but we both are consuming food. Human beings need nutrients to stay alive. We need specialized nutrients to perform the miraculous daily activities which go on inside the human body. We have so much going on inside that we are totally unaware of, and yet if one of those systems malfunctions, we most certainly do become aware... sometimes too late. We are able to obtain the necessary nutrition from foods God has, in His wisdom, placed on the earth. We were told what was "good for food" way back in the time of the garden of Eden.

The "stuff" I am "on" is the result of amazing technological advancements in the science of nutrition. Cellular structure and development was studied, and the effects of food were documented. The result of years of study and testing is this "stuff" I'm on.

I am not using "drugs" or taking products with added "chemicals". I am not "on a diet". What I'm eating does not require a physician's prescription. If I had a major health issue, such as diabetes, it would in my best interest to have my progress monitored by my doctor, so that the drugs I had been prescribed could be stopped when I had become healthy again. The same would apply to other diseases or maladies common to ill-nourished people.

I'd rather go to a doctor who advises me to change my lifestyle, rather than saying "Hmm, by this time next year we'll probably be putting you on high blood pressure medication, given your history and the trend we are seeing." Well, doc, how about this??? How about I adopt a low-fat, high-fiber, nutrient-rich diet and start E-X-E-R-C-I-S-I-N-G, and then you re-test me in six months. HOW ABOUT THAT approach? Your very own doctor may be aware of some of the eating habits common to Americans which encourage cancer cells to grow, and he may not share this information with you.

I decided to start eating food products which were the result of a cutting-edge technology that allows scientists to obtain nutrients from the finest and cleanest food sources, and place them into easy-to-consume forms. I take daily vitamins, for instance, which contain the phyto-nutrients equivalent to six servings of vegetables. The fruit powder I dump into my breakfast shake equals eating about 20 clean and vitamin-rich fruits. The meal replacement shake which I enjoy every single morning, and sometimes in the evening, gives me 35 grams (the way I mix it) of the highest quality protein available, plus digestive enzymes, and a mineral blend which gently separates toxins from fat in my body, allowing me to live cleaner and healthier inside. It's technology. And that's okay. I'm fairly certain that those who have expressed fear or aversion where this technology is concerned, will find it easy to hop into their car (a definite technological miracle, making the horse-drawn carriage obsolete) and drive to the closest QFC or Safeway (which replaced the family farm) to buy packaged and processed foods to consume. They, too, are "on a diet". They choose what to eat each day, as do I.

I recently read that we start losing one half pound of muscle per year starting at about age 30. That means that we are placing an increased burden on our weakening bodies as we add pounds of fat each year. This can not only be halted, but reversed. This will HAVE to be reversed if we are to live into our 70s and 80s without physical assistance. If it really was as simple as changing your eating habits and adding weight bearing and cardiovascular exercise to your life, why wouldn't you want to do that?