How I got my kids to eat healthy.

I remember MANY mornings of arguing and trying to get my kids to get out the door on time for school. Whether it was a hair out of place, someone was in the bathroom and they are taking to long or I don't want to eat that for breakfast. Well, after having two kids graduate high school, I am left with an 11 yr. old, 6th grader. It has been much easier with him. (Sorry girls!)  Maybe because he is a boy or maybe mom just decided to pick her battles. Since I can't decide, I pick both! :)

He loves drinking a healthy shake before school! 

Since Patrick Jr. was 18 months old, we started a journey of health and wellness. 10 years ago I couldn't tell you what that really meant. What I have learned is that moms and dads set the tone and example for the kids. I don't buy junk food and unhealthy food like I use to and there has been a huge change in our health, moods, and grocery bill.

We never would have imagined that our kids would not complain about no cereal and enjoy fixing a shake with fruits and vegetables. It was also rewarding to see my older daughters get on the bus with their shakes instead of pop-tarts. So many moms ask me how did I get them to change. I started with me first. And since I buy the groceries, if I didn't purchase the junk, they won't eat the junk and then it becomes a habit and a lifestyle. And yes, I know many husbands sometime don't want to eat healthy either. Well guess what? He is an adult and responsible for himself. We are responsible to our kids so I just let him eat what he wanted and now he sometimes eats healthier than me...lol!

So remember moms and dads, many times kids do what they see, not what you say. I was raised on, "do as I say not as I do". I know many of you probably have said it...lol! That doesn't work anymore for most kids. Peace

3 Things Your Heart Wants From You

In keeping with Heart Health Month, Teresa Elias helps me out!

Hey, you. Yeah, you, the one with the heart beating 100,000 times a day, every single day. I’ve got a bone to pick with you. I was supposed to give you a USANA Test Kitchen recipe this month, but I’ve heard you’ve been neglecting the hardest working organ in your entire body, and that’s just not cool.

When was the last time you thanked your heart for everything it does for you? Do you even remember the last time you stopped and thought about how while you get to rest at night, your sturdy, reliable heart is still going strong? Listen. You need to show your heart you care. It doesn’t ask for much, but it still needs (and deserves) your loving care and attention.

So today, I’m here to tell you what your heart wants from you. Do these three things, and you and your heart’s relationship will flourish. You’ll both grow old together. You’re welcome.

Fill Up on Fiber
Your heart is pleading with you to eat good food with loads of fiber. It knows in its deepest depths that fiber helps with proper digestion, but it also hopes you’ll realize that fiber has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease. Score! Easily up your fiber intake by having oatmeal for breakfast (and feel free to dress it up with raisins, dried cranberries, and some walnuts). At dinner, try mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, and if you’re making burgers, mix some black beans in with your meat.

Say Hello to Plant Sterols
The word “sterol” may not have the nicest ring to it, but trust me when I say your heart wants them much more than a measly box of cheap, assorted chocolates. Plant sterols help block the absorption of cholesterol, which may lower your LDL cholesterol and allow your blood to more easily flow through your arteries. For your heart, this is a major plus. It already works hard—no need to make its job harder, right? You can find plant sterols in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, and in higher amounts in certain types of margarine spreads (like Smart Balance), yogurt products, and snack bars.

Work it Out
My dad used to try to get out of working out by saying that if the heart only has a certain number of beats, it’s better to be as inactive as possible. Full disclosure: My dad is not a doctor. And, in fact, he was completely wrong. By getting your heart rate up through exercise, you can help make your heart stronger. A stronger heart is a heart that’s better and more efficient at doing its job. And a more efficient heart is a happier heart and one that’s more likely to stick around longer. Take your heart out for a walk around the block, go on a bike ride, or do anything that gets your heart really pumping.

Remember. Don’t listen to my dad. You don’t have a limited number of beats in that heart of yours. Take care of your heart and it will continue to take care of you, just as it has your entire life.

Nutrition & Children (Back to School)

For many students the month of August is Back to School month. We as parents are doing all the necessary things to prepare our kids to have their best year. Clothes, school supplies, backpacks and more! Oh and of course vaccinations and physicals must be done.

The most important detail for many are left out and that is in the form of nutrition. It's really a blessing to get compliments from the teachers that our children are rarely sick and eat very healthy. Although as a child that wasn't the case for me due to being anemic. So I had to take a vitamin and iron everyday of my life and I was sick alot. No parent wants that for their child.

This month will focus on back to school. What are you doing in the area of nutrition for your child? Don't even get me started on the school lunch program. As my kids say, "Uck". We are dedicating our blog this month to the children. To not just help them prepare for the classroom but prepare their insides for all the germs that will be lurking in the byways and hallways...lol!

With our food supply being so processed and the choices for school lunches are next to nothing. We make sure our children supplement to have the most optimal health during the school year. That is why our teenagers took The Body Rox and our youngest son took The Usanimals. Usanimals provides one of the best antioxidant complexes available for protection against oxidative stress among supplements for children 24 months to 12 years old* Body Rox provides the same just for older kids ages 13+.

So don't just get all the tools they need on the supply list make sure to include the most important tool of all for cellular health.

USANA RESET: Cody Blair 140 Pounds Later

Every year my family and friends "reset" our bodies after eating a "ridunculous" amount of food for Thanksgiving and Christmas! It's always great news to hear someone else getting great results. Congrats Cody!

Cody Blair still gets called names.

Whether those names are better is debatable, but the names certainly are different. They come from a different place, for a different reason.

“Now they call me anorexic,” the 22-year-old from Las Cruces, New Mexico said.

And those people are joking, of course. It wasn’t an eating disorder that transformed the Cody Blair of 2008 into the Cody Blair of today — healthy, fit, and missing 140 pounds.* It was a change in lifestyle and an introduction to USANA’s Nutrimeal™ shakes — and later, the rest of the RESET program—that has people commenting on his new, slimmer, healthier physique.

The names Cody used to be called were very different. He remembered going to Pennsylvania for college and hearing insults about his weight hurled at him on a consistent basis. These insults cut deep, diving Cody into depression. For a month, he stopped eating regularly. 

Then his mom introduced him to USANA’s shakes. The selling point for Cody was the way the shakes made him feel fuller for longer. He started having a shake at noon and another before 7 p.m. This allowed him to start losing some weight. Pretty soon he was giving up junk food and parking further away from his destination so he could get exercise walking to and from his car. Other people started noticing the results.

“I didn’t know it until I got home from Pennsylvania, but my clothes didn’t fit,” Cody said. “My mom said, ‘Your pants are too loose.’”

The weight loss has continued for Cody. Just this summer he won a RESET contest for those in his mom’s USANA organization. His final total after those two months: 43 pounds. For this impressive accomplishment, he won $500 — most of which has gone toward buying new clothes that actually fit.

“It’s an awesome feeling, except it’s expensive,” he said.

Money and a new wardrobe aren’t the only reward Cody’s weight loss has earned him.

“To be able to be told by people that you are their inspiration, to help somebody is a bigger benefit,” he said. “I know that when I got my smile and pride back, it made the world seem so brand new, one day I hope to help as many people as I can, so that they can feel what I feel.”

During this year’s International Convention, Cody spent a lot his time in the store staring at the wall of the USANA Foods display — the wall adorned with his picture. He started getting recognized.

“People were happy to see a real person,” he said. “Someone that’s not on TV, that’s not Photo-shopped or anything.” To help other people realize that weight loss is possible for normal people, Cody said he’s thinking about starting a blog.

For now, he is planning on starting a workout regimen so he can start building some more muscle.

“I want them to call me muscle head,” Cody said. It seems like that’s a name he could live with.

by David Baker

For more information about USANA products, please visit http://www.yourhealth2b.usana.com/.

*Results not typical. The typical weight loss is 4.5 pounds in 5 days.

Choosing the Right Company

by Pete Zdanis

Evaluating network marketing companies can be a daunting task. However, it is well worth the effort to insure that your time, money and reputation are not wasted on trying to build a business with an inferior company.

We know you will find the following guidelines to be valuable in helping you select a company that you will be proud of and that will provide you with the level of lifetime residual income that you aspire to.

There are four main areas to evaluate. First, you'll want to look at the company. Who are the leadership of the company? The management? What are their credentials? Is there a vision for the future? Do they function with integrity, and can you prove it? Is this the company...are these the people that I want to align myself with?

Second, you'll want to look at the products. Does the company do the research and development of the products? Does the company own their formulas? Does the company do their own manufacturing? Are they in control of quality control procedures? Are the products highly consumable...that people use and reorder on a monthly basis, and become loyal to? Do the products have a positive impact on people's lives?

The third issue is timing and trends...timing in the industry, as well as timing in the company. Is the industry just now emerging as a growth industry? Does the company have a history of solid growth...not one that is declining, or flattened out in terms of growth?

And, the 4th is the compensation plan. How do you make money? And, is it fair for the individual who is working on a part-time basis...someone who wants to make an extra few hundred dollars per month, and beyond that... will it pay an individual $10,000, $20,000, or more per month...for the people who really want to go out and create wealth and financial freedom?

Don't short-cut this process! And, trust your answers! Because we know that if any one of these areas is lacking, your chance for success is cut in half. Which means you'll have to work twice as hard to be successful. If two of these areas are lacking, you'll have no chance.

The time to do your homework is before you make the decision to partner with a specific company...not by jumping from one company to another.