For those of you who follow me, you know that rarely shop Target or Walmart for cleaning and household supplies. I shop with online Shopping Club that manufactures household products that are affordable and safer for my home,and…that just so happen to be manufactured in the USA.
As for my family…if my Wellness Shopping Club sells it, well, I buy it from them. With over 500 products available and manufactured in the States, I rarely need buy anything from the big box stores other than fresh produce and groceries.
With my allergies, asthma and eczema, I wanted natural, safe, non-toxic, effective and affordable products and it was becoming difficult to find in the “overly fragrant” cleaning aisle of stores that would set of a round of asthma I hated that. Plus when using the products I would break out in painfully itch red rashes. I really hated cleaning because of that.
Then, 19 years ago, I discovered through a friend, my online Shopping Club! I didn’t overthink making a convenient, simple switching stores decision when my friend shared this Shopping Club with me. I welcomed the idea of a one stop shop for safer products. Of course, I had some concerns about making regular purchases online, afterall, it was 2004.
Things sure have changed! I keep a running list of items to get in my next order and love the products!
Some of the benefits of this shopping club are:
• Never having to read labels anymore, unless I want to read them.
• Convenient doorstep delivery within 3-4 days.
• Never having to forfeit quality because of cost.
• Never having to worry about supply-chains issues.
• Never having to worry about the price going up so much that it hurts.
I loved this company and the products so much that I had decided to partner up with them in business and share it with others—and that has been a source of income for me for the past 19 years.
One thing that makes me happy is that becoming a customer is completely risk free. I respect this Shopping Club’s honesty, transparency, integrity, loyalty, community, values and morals. I NEVER have to worry about any of my referrals getting hurt in any way by the company or products. The company isn’t going anywhere
I am so honored and blessed to get to share this store and enhance people lives with wellness. I will never stop sharing a store that continues to put their customers first.
This is so much more than amazing products and great income—it’s also about the friendships I have made over the last 19 years with like minded, positive people. That’s PRICELESS
Have you noticed how Centrum has added these icons, suggesting that they the supplement helps with bone health, brain health, etc. They charge you more for this, by the way.
Take a look at the label, has anything been added for these additional health benefits?
BRAIN HEALTH: If you want to protect your brain (or any other organ), it takes more than icons on a label. The supplement I take has an amazing ingredient, Phosphatidylserine, (which helps to prevent memory and cognitive decline), Ginkgo Biloba (which helps to promote serotonin and dopamine) and Bacopa (which protect brain cells from free radicals). It doesn’t appear that Centrum has added any of these to help with brain health.
EYE HEALTH:Lutein is amazing for the prevention of macular degeneration, and this label shows it has 300 mcgs. But research shows we need a minimum of 6 mg’s per day of Lutein. Let’s do a little math…. One (1) mg = 1000 mcgs. Six (6 )mg = 6000 mcgs. Centrum’s label shows it has 300 mcgs, less than one mg. Based on their technology, most of those 300 mcgs aren’t getting absorbed by the body. A person would need to take 20 Centrum tablets per day day to get the minimum Lutein requirement. That’s a lot of pills and expense!
My mother developed macular degeneration later in life and had what the doctors called “low vision”. She was able to prevent total blindness by taking a supplement rich in Lutein. I don’t want macular degeneratio to happen to me. So, to prevent it, I take the same supplement she did with 10 mgs of Lutein, plus Zinc, and Zeaxathin— all noted for promoting eye health.
So don’t waste your money on store brand supplements. They have low absorption, synthetics, and they lack the necessary ingredients to make a difference with your health!
Many people hate going to see a dental hygienist because of the constant inflammation of the gums and other issues which makes dental cleaning painful.
I on the other hand, always liked going to the dentist, I loved how great my teeth felt after a cleaning and I wanted to keep the feeling until the next cleaning. I had to do a lot of research on many different toothpastes. While some brands used natural ingredients, I felt they simply weren’t effective at cleaning and protecting my teeth—or leaving my mouth feeling fresh. I was never fully satisfied with the quality or the outcome of those brands,..
Then I found this tooth polish called Exceed. I found this tube of tooth polish through the Wellness Company 19 years ago. It has natural ingredients like xylitol, T40-C3® Melaleuca Oil (tea tree oil), coconut-based cleaners, and potassium. Not only is it great on plaque and tarter, it is also naturally whitening.
It’s a great price too, $4.29 per 3.3 ounces. I don’t have to make a choice between efficacy, natural ingredients, whitening, and great taste. I get them alI! I love this product and my teeth do too!
VITAMIN D is a super essential, powerful vitamin for everyone. Yes, you can get vitamin D from the sun, but you have to get outside and expose some skin for a minimum of twenty minutes a day. It’s great if you live in warm climates, but what about those cold, dark dreary winter days? It makes it hard to obtain it from the sun, doesn’t it?
Vitamin D been shown to prevent and improve survival in many forms of deadly cancer; it can also prevent fatal heart attacks; improve survival in kidney disease; strengthen our bones and prevent and cure depression. Vitamin D is also a potent weapon against diabetes; rheumatoid arthritis; Multiple Sclerosis (MS); high blood pressure; inflammation; Sjogren’s Syndrome; thyroiditis; Crohn’s disease and obesity—all of these have been linked to low vitamin D levels . The benefits of Vitamin D now fills volumes in medical libraries.
Needless to say, I am a Vitamin D devotee! I love bright sunny days and become sluggish in those grey days of winter. I do admit my February Blues have practically disappeared since I started taking Vitamin D daily. This one I use is working great for me, as the Vitamin K in it helps the D to work.️
Check it out and see if your Vitamin D levels needed to be “fixed” like mine did.
I am beyond excited! I can now purchase my Black Angus Beef from an American ranch where cattle are grazing/free range in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Texas, and even Hawaii. The cattle are raised with NO antibiotics, and NO added hormones, which makes for a better meat product.
Because of this, I know my family will be eating the BEST Black Angus in the entire world!
No more high prices for this grade of quality of USDA PRIME beef — if I could even find it at the local stores. I know for certain the quality we will be gettin. It’s a! WIN-WIN!
Best part? It comes straight from Riverbend Ranch to my door at a FRACTION OF THE PRICE you find for USDA Choice at the store. Riverbend Ranch HIGH CHOICE BLACK LABEl is 100% USDA PRIME.
These great products are only available to members of my online shopping club. Saving money on high quality beef is Just one more reason I love this online shopping clubo!
Cold and Flu season is upon us and many are looking for natural ways to boost their immune system and prevent flu. Elderberry is an “old wives” tried and true remedy and it does help to boost the immune system.
I have found two products that have been working for me and find them so much better than Elderberry. The first is ProvexCV. It’s a small capsule proven to have highest absorption rate in the country. I take it daily. It has a lot to offer the immune system with the protective power of 10,000 purple grapes in every bottle, blood pressure benefits for healthy individuals are only the beginning! ProvexCV delivers a powerful and diverse dose of polyphenols for unparalleled antioxidant protection, optimal cardiovascular health, and a healthy immune response
The second product is Activate-C ImmuneComplex.It’s a proprietary blend of vitamins A, C, and D, zinc powered by Oligo®, plus quercetin and beta-glucan to optimize cellular response, helping the immune systems work harder and faster.
It comes in tablet form and a drink mix in two flavors, raspberry and orange. I like the drink version. The orange one reminds me of Tang that I used to drink as a kid. When it’s cold out I like to drink it warm. It’s comforting and makes me feel better instantly. I know this is one product that keeps my immune system operating at its peak with this blend of clinically proven ingredients.
Consider the value of prevention starting today. Make sure to stock up on immune boosting products that work!
The exact timing and duration of flu seasons varies, but flu activity often begins to increase in October. Most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February, although significant activity can last as late as May Are you ready for a cold and flu season ?
Last year, I found myself waking up in the ICU of a hospital, with no memory of how I got there. My last memory is that I was at the airport. I remember having a vague conversation with a police officer. Other than that, I have no further recollection of that day until I woke up in that ICU two days later. Luckily I carry my health info and medical cards with my drivers license, so they were able to care for me. The diagnosis? DKA – Diabetic Ketoacidosis. My blood sugars had spiked to nearly 600 and I was on the verge of a diabetic coma. Considering I had never had any indication of sugar issues — all my bloodwork always came back perfectly normal.
So what happened? My doctors explained that my recent move, my recently broken shoulder and the resulting pain and lack of sleep, burying a parent, extensive dental work and weight loss (a good thing) put quite a bit of stress on my system. All of these contributed to a metabolic imbalance and my body decided to crash—big time.
Turns out the ability of the body to control insulin can make significant differences in the quality of one’s health. Insulin is a hormone that is generated in the pancreas. It is released, optimally, in small amounts throughout the day and in larger amounts after meals.
Insulin and its effects can also cause weight gain, battle metabolic issues and even lead to diabetes. The below article from “Get Your Lean On” gave me some insight and tips on controlling the insulin my body manufactures and I thought I’d share.
It recommends avoiding all forms of sugar, which led me to the R3 lifestyle. The study results showed sugar promotes insulin resistance. Refined carbohydrates are another food to moderate or avoid completely, if you are able, since they are converted to sugars. With my new R3 eating plan, I rarely crave sweets or carb-loaded foods—but I still crave grapefruit and indulge that craving every other day.
The article also recommends eating foods that are higher in soluble fiber and will help stabilize and regulate blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber also produces higher levels of good “gut’ bacteria and makes you feel fuller, longer. I make certain I get lots of veggies (especially cucumbers and peppers) and drink Fiberwise daily. With R3 I do have two healthy snacks every day, usually veggies. I’m never hungry between meals anymore.
Of course, the study recommends that regular exercise should also be a part of a good daily, healthy regime. Unfortunately with my broken shoulder and subsequent shoulder replacement, I’ve not been working out or exercising for the past year—other than walking the dog, that is.
Finally, I’ve followed the suggestion to increase consumption of lean protein. With R3 I make it a point to have protein within an hour of waking up each morning. I didn’t believe it when I was first told to do this, but it works! Turns out the protein helps to absorb valuable amino acids that build muscle. Eating the right proteins is critical to the overall effect of an insulin “smart” diet, so I pay attention to the types and amounts of the protein I eat at every meal.
You may also want to consider some supplementation in your plan, regardless if your goals are weight-loss or simply universal good health. My company has developed a great tasting shake in several different flavors that allow me to easily and conveniently control my blood sugar and insulin levels.
My R3 journey started around 2017. I wanted to lose weight feel and better about myself. You see, I wasn’t always overweight or obese, I was always fit in spite of my asthma. To keep my lungs healthy, I worked out several days a week lifting weights. I did aerobics two to three times a week. I swam. I biked with the bike club two “short” rides and one long ride every week. I also rode my bike to work 19 miles each way practically every day. I was active and had a great social life.
Then, I gained a little weight, not much at first. After a major asthma attack which landed me in the ICU for several weeks, I gained “prednisone weight” about 20 pounds. I still participated in the Dublin Marathon three weeks after getting out of hospital. I was so full of Prednisone weight, I walked the marathon. (It took five and a half hours.)
Shortoly afterward i participated in an asthma drug study. During that study, I gained 70 pounds.
I had become fat. Not only that friends treated me differently as though I lacked will power or I was lazy. I wasn’t, but…
Around this time my dad went into a nursing home. My mother did not drive, so I became her driver and patient advocate for dad while working 60-hour work weeks and volunteering for local charities. Although I was busy and on my feet all day and water running three days a week, I remained heavy.
At my heaviest, I was 250 pounds and often the heaviest person in the room. I hated it.
At this point, my dad passed, I was now my mothers caregiver. Because of my weight, my doctor suggested human growth hormone injections to see if I could lose weight. His program started out promising, and combined with early morning workouts with a personal trainer, I lost 13 pounds in the first two weeks, but nothing after that. After 3 months we gave up. It wasn’t working for me.
That brings me to that first R3 Challenge around 2017. I took the before picture and submitted it. I didn’t do all that well, but I did lose maybe 10 pounds When comparing the after picture with my before picture you could tell my clothing definitely ldid not look or fit the same. The same clothing is in both photos. If you look closely you’ll see my left arm is in the pants. Most of my work colleagues and friends thought I lost a lot of weight but I hadn’t. I’d lost inches. A Non-Scale Victory (NSV).
I semi-participated in other challenges after that, but never really finished them. My schedule was terrible, I was taking care of everyone and everything but myself. But I finally was j200 pounds thanks to swimming and rowing three times a week. It was progress.
In 2021 my mother passed away and I decided I needed to make life changes. I changed jobs. I put my house on the market. I took a trip to South Carolina to check out the housing market.
2022 arrived. For me, 2022 will forever be “Year of the Shoulder”. The year began with a good purchase offer on my home on January 6. That same day, while at work, I tripped over a case of wine, fell and broke my right shoulder (my dominant hand). My house was closing on January 25. I had 20 days to pack, find a new home and move—all with a freshly broken shoulder. I ended up purchasing a brand new house sight-unseen in Florida with a closing date of January 26 — a day after my New Jersey closing. I was lucky as I was also able to find a good mover to match my timeline. It was a very painful move but i made the 16-hour drive with my mother’s dog.
Once arriving in Florida, it was time to regroup. I found I moved to a new development in a town I had never heard of, but it was now home. Rain was coming down in buckets. I was wondering if I did the right thing. The pain prevented a lot of unpacking (It took nearly a year to find all of my silverware).
Being on Worker’s Comp, I needed to find an orthopedic doctor in Florida who would accept the Worker’s Comp insurance to care for the shoulder. I finally got an appointment for an orthopedist on April 28. I weighed in at his office at 213.
I wasn’t happy. I went on a girls’ trip vacation the following month at nearly 250 and wearing a sling. I was once again the fattest person in the room. I was sick and tired of being overweight, unhappy and in pain. I had to do something.
When I saw the Challenge beginning June 6 – the same day I started Physical therapy — I joined. I figured I couldn’t work and unpacking the garage was still a tedious, painful, one-armed process. I couldn’t even find my scale in the garage, I had to buy a new one! Nor did I have a mirror (It was somewhere in a box in the garage). What could I lose? Weight!
I started the challenge with no expectations at all. Some days were good, some weren’t. My physical therapy lasted the entire length of the challenge. I was in constant pain. When the challenge ended, I was down 25 pounds! I was surprised I lost the weight, since I wasn’t the best at sticking to the plan 100 percent.
The best part, I continued to lose weight (another 15 pounds) after the challenge just by following the Real Life part of R3.
In August, after an 18-month wait, I flew to Washington, DC and Arlington National Cemetery to bury my mother. The flight home was an adventure. After multiple delays and a layover, I arrived at my destination airport, and I woke up two days later in a hospital ICU. Apparently, stress and the pain medication caused a cascade effect resulting in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). I also had never been a diabetic prior to this event, I have no memory of being in an ambulance, in an ER or let alone in an MRI, but I was.
When I was released, to go home —my day trip to DC had turned into a week. I had gained 11 pounds (they said water weight from IVs). It took three weeks to lose the water weight. I followed R3’s Real Life phase. The good news was the endocrinologist approved the R3 plan and liked the idea of my eating five to six times a day to keep my metabolism balanced. By September, my blood numbers were back to normal and I was taken off nearly all of the medications that came home with me from the hospital.
October came and I was down a total of 53 pounds. I decided not to do the Fall R3 challenge. I had a surgical date for a total reverse shoulder replacement on November 16—I didn’t want hospital food ruining my challenge!
Knowing I would be incapacitated for six weeks, I cooked R3-friendly meals—enough for 42 days and froze them tor my recovery meals. By the time of my surgery, I had lost an additional 14 pounds. This time, at the orthopedic office, I weighed in at 146 pounds! I was fully dressed and still in my shoes!
Of course, after surgery, I swelled up and gained 30 pounds! I left the hospital weighing 176 pounds, It took a month to shed those 30 pounds of water weight. Again, I did it by following my R3 Real Life phase.
On December 31, I was 145 pounds.
I’m happy about the weight loss, especially since I wasn’t allowed any workouts other than walking my chihuahua. I admit I feel better about myself now that i’m closer to my ideal weight. My shoulder still needs to finish healing, before I can go back to swimming, water running and rowing, to stay fit, but I’ll get there with R3. I want to lose the last 15-20 pounds for my ideal weight.
R3 is really a lifestyle for me and I know I’ll never go back to being that overweight again.
With this summer heat, do you find yourself looking for the easiest, tastiest, and most fun way to get dinner on the table tonight? Something that you and the rest of the family will eat and enjoy?
The answer lies in snacks. Yes, snacks.
Gather up all the fresh fruit, veggies, crackers, breads, cheeses, meats, spreads, and dips that you’ve got lying around your kitchen, throw them all onto a big ol’ platter, and go to town on these endless snacking possibilities. A little creativity and some clever combinations will get you a lot farther than you think.
The best part? No utensils required.
Do you plan, shop for and partially prep the coming week’s dinners Sunday night?
Do you anxiously await coming home from work to cook your luxurious dinner?
Or do you drags your feet home after a long, strenuous day, desperately wanting to fall to your knees and lift your arms up to the dinner gods in the hopes that they will send you something delicious for you to eat on your couch?
If you’re the kind of person who lacks patience or energy to come home and whip up an impressive dinner (even if it’s on the sheet pan, or only requires one dish) every night, then you are the perfect candidate for the snack dinner.
A snack dinner is the ultimate solution for dinner that doesn’t sacrifice good food.The beauty of a snack dinner is customization and itrequires barely any preparation or prolonged commitment. Assemble a gathering of your favorite dips, spreads, butters, fruits, veggies, toasts, nuts, cheeses, meats, and pickles. If you can snack it, you can have it!
Assemble all your components on anything, it could be a fancy platter or a paper plate.Gather a variety of components to complete your snack dinner, you get the best of all worlds. A little bit of this and a little bit of that, and before you know it, you’ve just consumed the most diverse dinner full of unexpected combinations . Another plus to this dinner is that it’s super kid-friendly.Kids love this fun, build-your-own style supper.
Start with some baseline dips that will serve as a hearty foundation for this dinner. Black bean hummus, tzatziki, guacamole, or a yogurt-tahini sauce. Fresh, flavorful dips like these taste good with just about everything. Add to this plenty of freshly cut veggies and fruit, and maybe some crackers or crusty bread for a starchier bite.
A crucial component to the snack dinner is cheese—use whatever cheese you have on hand, from sharp cheddar, to soft goat or Brie cheese. If you want to make it more “upscale” add some charcuterie to pair with the cheese. You can even toss in a handful of nuts and/or your favorite nut butter.
To add a touch of sweetness to this easy dinner see if you have some jam, chutney, or honey in your larder a little bit of one of these will go a long way.
All in all, this should not be a dinner that you’re planning/shopping for in advance and breaking the bank for the finest and most well-coordinated components. While a fancy, intentionally curated cheese board is great if you’re hosting a party, the snack dinner is all about making use of the odds and ends you already have, and that you know you like to eat. Throw it all together, don’t bother with plates or utensil, and start munching.
Really? Study says booze, coffee, being overweight could be key to long life People who drink moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee and are overweight in their 70s live longer lives, according to researchers at UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. A new study claims that people who drink alcohol and coffee live longer than people who don’t. The researchers started a study in 2003 to look at what makes people live past 90. They say participants in their study who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained from either drink. But anyone who plans to spend their nights drinking nothing but tequila should use caution, It’s not about getting drunk every night — researchers say moderate drinking—one or two glasses of wine, maybe a little bit more, and a little bit of coffee, should do the trick In addition, people who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than people who were normal or underweight in their 70s. Researchers at the “90+ Study” say that they are always looking for new participants who are 90 years old or older. To learn more about the study, click here for the institute’s website.
