Something to think about

Next time you go to the store to buy ANY kind of cleaning product (including laundry detergents), here’s something to think about:
Why don’t big time manufacturers fully disclose the “other ingredients” NOT listed on their labels?
Have you noticed fine print that reads: “Precautionary statement: Hazards to humans and domestic animals” (as shown on this Mr. Clean label)?
Have you thought about what sort of hazards do they mean? It’s not specific.
Have you questioned how is this product could affect you and your family’s health over time? Are you really okay with this?
An informed consumer makes better, wiser choices…it doesn’t have to be complicated!
We can help you make better choices.

What disinfectant do you use?

Recently a pharmacist customer wanted to put the chemical-free, botanical disinfectant I use and love daily because of its safety and great scent to the test. She didn’t believe my natural products could beat the products she uses for disinfecting areas. I said, “Let the science experiment begin!”

So she ordered some petri dishes and swabbed the absorbent pad that comes under raw chicken when packed by the butcher for grocery store. The first dish was left untouched as it was to be the Control.
The second dish was sprayed with the Department of Health standard sanitizing mixture of bleach and water. The standard disinfecting ratio is a one-quarter cup (minimum) to a three-quarter cup  (maximum) cup of bleach to one gallon of cool water OR one tablespoon (minimum) to three tablespoons (maximum) of bleach to one quart of water. In this case, the later measurement amount (three tablespoons bleach to one quart of water was used.)
Finally, the third petri dish was sprayed with the natural, safe disinfectant I use, Sol-U-Gard.
The dishes were left in a warm spot next to our  pharmacist customer’s computer overnight.

The photo shows the results of both disinfecting solutions in comparison to the control the following morning. Are you as surprised as she was?

Her question after seeing the results was “Why am I still using harmful, unsafe products like Clorox in my home?”
When there are safer options that work better and are EPA approved for use in hospitals and schools maybe you should  ask yourself the same question. Isn’t your family and your health worth the safer options?

We thank our customer for sharing her test results and backing up what I know to be true, there are scientifically proven healthier and safer products available. 

Oh go take a cold shower

When someone tells you to go take a cold shower…they are doing you a favor! This infographic shows the many benefits of cooler showers

Shopping online for wellness

Fourteen years ago I took out a membership for an amazing online wellness shopping club. I was a bit skeptical at first, but friends were adamant that I needed this. Being that I had always been a catalog shopper and was enjoying shopping online, I decided perhaps I would give it a try. But only for a few months. If I liked it it would be great, if not, well I’d move on.

it’s now fourteen years later and I’m still shopping there. I love the products and I love the company and most of all I love what it’s done for my health! Some of the priceless benefits I’ve received shopping here include:
• Better nutrition and nutritional supplements providing me with more energy, better sleep,, incredibly regular  bowel movements (IBS has practically disappeared!)
• Weight loss. Greater endurance, stronger muscles and quicker recovery time from exercise. 
• Improved skin, dry skin relief, eczema relief, reduced allergic reactions
• Healthier teeth, reduced plaque growth, whiter teeth and healthy gums
• A toxic free home, healthier and safer cleaning products, reduction in asthmatic reactions and reduction in need for prescription medications.

Not only that, I’ve received more than $3000.00 in free products over the years and more from this great company.

So here it is 14 years later and I’m loving this way of shopping. Why would I ever give up my membership?

Can you say that about where you shop?

Rain Gutters

Don’t forget to clear out your rain gutters before winter is in full force. We just did this at our home and it made quite a difference this last rainfall. As you know, when leaves fall, some collect in rain gutters and eventually clog the downspout, which will cause problems when it rains or snows.

You don’t want the debris getting so heavy that the gutter and downspout fall off! So make sure you clear out leaves, dirt and anything else that’s caught in gutters and downspouts before inclement weather hits.

Knee and Hip Replacements

Getting a knee or hip replacement is a big decision. It was for me.

I was always an active person and a cyclist. One day while out riding a police officer directed an SUV to make a left turn not realizing that the cyclist he had just driven past was still coming up on his right. The SUV slammed right into the cyclist who had the right of way.

My watch cracked the windshield, the antenna went into my left shoulder, my knees left huge dents in the vehicle. I was able to stand up all bloody from cuts on my legs a little winded from the impact.

It didn’t seem like much, just cuts and scrapes and huge bruises. At the ER they took X-rays and told me although nothing was broken or sprained, it didn’t mean I would have joint problems down the road. The next day I felt every bit of the impact.

A few years down the road, I started to have twinges in my hips and occasionally would have a slight limp. I followed my doctors suggesions  and began taking Replenex joint supplements to help maintain healthy cartilage and provide additional cushioning and soothing relief to my sore hip joints.

Replenex contains a number of ingredients vital to rebuilding and rejuvenating joints. Commonly found in other joint care products, Glucosamine works to aid in the rebuilding of cartilage. Bromelain works to decrease injury during recovery times. Ginger extract is claimed to have proven success in treating hip and knee joint pain. Lastly, the antioxidant properties of green tea are included to reduce inflammation in the affected area.

It helped and my hips functioned well for another 10 years. but the pain got worse. We tried conservative treatments like physical therapy, injections and exercise.

Unfortunately, the hip pain was significantly impacting my life, and my orthopedic specialist was suggesting that i might be ready for joint replacement surgery.

My orthopedic surgeon gave me this simple quiz to help me determine when it was time to consider joint replacement surgery:

  • Does the pain limit your normal activity?
  • Is it difficult to get up after sitting?
  • Do you have pain even when you’re at rest?
  • Does the pain affect your sleep?
  • Do you have chronic swelling/inflammation or stiffness?
    Have you received little to no relief from conservative treatments, such as RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation), physical therapy, braces, footwear modification, over-the-counter medications like aspirin and ibuprofen, and cortisone/lubrication injections?

If like me, you can answer yes to most of the quiz questions, you may (like me) be a candidate for joint replacement surgery and should speak with an orthopedic specialist.

Eight years ago I had left hip replacement surgery. Three years later, I had my right hip replaced. Doctors were surprised that I was able to function as long as I did with my hips. I believe it was Replenex that helped my hips to last as long as they did after my accident.

I still take this supplement daily to keep the rest of my joints functioning at their peak ability and heartily recommend friends experiencing aches and pains to give it a try.

Tis the season for vitamin D3

I don’t know about you, but since the time change occurred earlier this month, I feel I’ve been dragging. Yes, I’m still getting 12,000 – 15,000 steps a day and rowing three times a week and swimming twice a week, but I feel tired. It’s probably because I’m not seeing as much sunlight as I was and the current rainy season hasn’t been giving me a healthy dose of sunshine or vitamin D either.

It’s time for me to add vitamin D3 back into my diet.  This is the brand I use to keep my vitamin levels up. I have come to trust this company’s  standards of  development and processed at only $7.49, it’s a bargain to stay healthy!
It helps me battle infections and elevates my mood and with the holidays coming I can’t afford a single down day. How about you? do you take vitamin D?

To learn more about vitamin D and a healthy lifestyle, check out some of my previous blogs on this vitamin supplement.
Vitamin D and the risk of breast cancer 

Sunshine in a bottle: Vitamin D3

Do you need to add vitamin D and calcium to your diet?

Cyber Monday

Online shopping competition is fierce these days, so I would think companies would be willing to step up to the trends to stay in the race.

A few days ago I had to call a customer service department of a major company. I had to listen to several options and several menu options before finally getting put on hold for over an hour before a human actually picked up. They claimed there was a high volume of callers that day. The day prior I had tried for two hours to speak to someone at that company. How can a company like that stay in business?

Too many companies have gotten away from TRUE customer service. True customer service includes a personal touch—a smiling voice, a helpful person—and no phone system can provide that. Human interaction is needed for genuine personal touch. To compound the problem even further, many companies no longer publish a phone number, if they do, it is somewhere in small type hidden on their websites. They want you to go through email and wait days for an answer. Efficient? For them, maybe. For me? No.

Don’t tell me how much you care about my business in a recording. I’m more than just a number in queue. I am not a robotic machine. I HATE talking to machines. It makes me want to hang up! I prefer to talk to a helpful person every time. 

Where I shop for my monthly consumables, a human answers in less than ten seconds every.single.time. and they are pleasant! I suppose they’ve spoiled me, letting me know my business is important to them. I’m important.

Yes I order online, but when there is a problem, I prefer to talk to a person every time. I love companies that make that a priority. Come Cyber Monday, I know which company will be getting my spending dollars!

How about you?

Getting ready for winter

With cold weather setting in, I figured it’s time to strengthen myself, specificalllly upper body strength to shovel snow!

I found this plan designed to strengthen upper body muscles with the three simple moves shown below. 

They’re supposed to help improve daily movements like picking up a child, carrying a bag of groceries, or pushing objects like a vacuum or snow shovel. Woo hoo!

Hear that snow? I’m going to be ready for you!

What’s one of your favorite upper body exercises?

Stuck in your comfort zone?

Monday thoughts.

How many of you are stuck in your own comfort zone?
You feel safe doing what you have been doing every day, but question when you don’t get the results that you desire.
This can pertain to any aspect of your life: health, fitness, relationships, business, etc.

Have you ever had a conversation with yourself?
I don’t mean just talking out loud like some people do. I mean really dig deep inside and pull out what it is that really scares you.
Only you can find out the true answer.

Now, don’t lie, because you will only lie to yourself and you are the one person you never want to tell lies.
Once you identify your fear, ask yourself if you take a step towards conquering it, will it physically or mentally harm anyone? 99.9% the answer will be no. The only ‘harm’  might be palpitations and cold sweats.

Identify the fear that makes you stuck in your comfort zone, take a deep breath and just go for it! What is the worse thing that can happen?
You dip your toe in the cold water and after the initial shock, you breath and say to yourself, ‘that wasn’t so bad! I got this!’
Little steps like this will help you step outside your comfort zone and positive results will happen!
Remember, FEAR is Face Everything And Roar!