10 Tips for an Improved You in 2013 (::Giveaway Post::)

Happy 2013! What are your resolutions this year? Do you have a plan to execute them? So many people make resolutions each year to get healthier, work out more, or lose weight. But resolutions only last if you make a plan to stick with them. Whether your goal is to lose weight or just be healthier, here are some tips to help you get there:

1. Eat (or Drink) Your Vegetables

It's really no secret that vegetables are good for you. Your mother was probably always telling you the same thing. The produce section holds a veritable plethora of vital nutrients and antioxidants that your body needs in order to stay healthy. Ideally, vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. If you aren't much of a vegetable eater, maybe challenge yourself to try some new ones this year. If you love vegetables, try juicing. A great way to ensure you get all those good nutrients is to take a Greens supplement. It Works offers a great product, simply called Greens, packed with your daily dose of veggies.

2. Drink Your Water

Of all the things you can do for your health, drinking water is one of the best! Did you know that ideally you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water everyday? As an example, I weigh 130 pounds. That means my daily water goal is 65 ounces. That's about eight 8 ounce servings, or about 4 standard size plastic water bottles. Also, try to stay away from adding flavors, sweeteners, etc. Drink mostly what you are made of!

3. Take a Multivitamin

I wrote awhile back about the importance of a multivitamin. To sum it up, you are probably not getting everything you need (nutrient wise) out of the foods you are eating. A multivitamin is a great way to make sure you get all the good stuff you need. Of course, we have a great one: It's Vital provides all that goodness to help keep your body healthy.


4. Get Plenty of Rest

Due to our fast-paced society, the internet, and all sorts of entertainment sources available to us these days, our society is not getting enough sleep. This CNN article reports that Americans are getting an average of 6.7 hours of sleep, and the numbers of those who sleep 8 hours or more are dwindling. Sleep is so important to our physical and mental health. If you aren't getting enough sleep at night, try going to bed an hour early every night. Your body will thank you. 

5. Essential Amino Acids

Essential amino acids come from healthy fats. They help our bodies build complex protein structures, regenerate our cells, and help us build lean muscle. Getting plenty of amino acids can help nail and hair growth and muscle production. It can also help other little things like sleep quality (see number 4), memory recall, and eyesight. If you aren't getting enough amino acids in your diet, try a supplement. New You 3.0 is a great product that provides essential and semi-essential amino acids to help you look and feel your best!

6. Ditch the Sweeteners

So far, my tips have been about adding to your current lifestyle. In fact, I think it's wise to mostly just add good stuff to your diet, and eventually your body will stop wanting the bad. But if and when you are ready to give something up, I highly suggest giving up sweeteners, particularly the refined (sugar, high fructose corn syrup) and artificial kind (sucralose, sucrose, splenda, aspartame, etc.) . This is a tough one, I know! I haven't even been able to completely kick sugar (although I'm close). When I do use sweeteners, I strive for the natural variety; honey, mostly. But in a perfect world, all sweeteners would fall under the little to none category. All sweeteners, natural or not, affect your blood sugar. A healthy person has a mostly stable blood sugar. The average American consumes something like 150 pounds of sugar every year. Eek! Give it up if you want to gain superior health!

7. Move Around

Find someway to get active. Whether it's playing with your kids, training for a <insert running terminology here>, jumping rope, doing squats while you brush your teeth, or whatever. Find someway that is convenient and doable for you to get some exercise. If health is the goal, some physical activity is necessary. It doesn't have to involve the gym. The internet is a great tool to get ideas of how to get moving without a bunch of expensive equipment or a personal trainer.

8. Be Kind to Yourself

Even the most disciplined people sometimes get off track. If you have a bad day or mess up a little, don't beat yourself up. Brush off and get back on track the next day. You always have a new chance to keep trying. No good comes of mentally flogging yourself, so just move forward and don't let a little slip turn into a slide downhill!

9. Create a Dream Board 

What do you want to achieve? Is it a certain pair of jeans you want back into? Want to have your high school physique back? Are you trying to overcome the symptoms of a chronic disease? Health and nutrition can help you meet these goals - but your mind is a huge tool to harness in this journey. Know your goals, visualize the outcomes, and create something tangible to help remind you every day. Your dream board can be made of anything (mine is a 8x10 photo frame on my makeup table). Be creative! Take a moment everyday to really imagine what it will feel like when you reach your goal. Let that feeling inspire you to keep moving towards your goals. You can do it! 

10. Do What You Like

The path to great health is not the same for everyone.  So maybe you aren't a gym rat (me either!). Find your own path! There are so many ways to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. If you tried one way and it's just not for you, try something else! Don't like tomatoes? Don't eat them - try broccoli instead! We are lucky to have access to so many fresh vegetables, world-class supplements, instant information! Find something you like and can do, and do it. Whatever you do, just don't give up. Your life and your health are worth it!


Happy New Year, readers! Here's a giveaway to ring in the New Year! Enter to win an Ultimate Body Applicator (aka Skinny Wrap). Daily entry for all you "tweeters." Contest ends 1/31/13. Good luck!



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Weight Loss Struggle - No More!

Are You Struggling With Weight Loss?

Are you a person who struggles with your weight? Does it seem like no matter what diet/product/exercise routine you try, you just can’t seem to get results? You are not alone. Many people today struggle with this very issue. But why? Isn’t it a simple issue of calories in and calories out? If you eat less and exercise more, shouldn’t you start burning fat and calories, resulting in a thinner, healthier you? Unfortunately, we are starting to find that it really just isn’t that simple. The determining factor of our weight loss struggles is often not how much we are eating, but instead what we are not eating enough of!

Do You Eat Processed Food?

If you live in modern day America, the answer is probably yes. We are inundated with food choices and many of them are extremely bad for our health. Corn and wheat are huge cash crops, subsidized by the government, and make up much of what we consume on a daily basis. Convenience comes in boxes, cans, jars, and the drive-thru. It’s not just easier; it’s more affordable to feed yourself and your family with these ready-packaged meals and side dishes, especially for today’s busy family on the go.  Did you know that it takes an average of two hours a day to prepare fresh, healthy food for a family of four? That’s two hours a day in the kitchen, not to mention the extra time spent shopping for fresh and healthy ingredients.

How Does Processed Food Affect The Body?

Historically, humans had to spend a great deal of time gathering, hunting, growing, and preparing food to eat. Today, we don’t have to struggle for sustenance. Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by high-calorie food choices. When the foods we eat are high in sugars and carbohydrates, we experience chemical and hormonal reactions within. In response to the flavors, our pleasure neurotransmitters go nuts. Sugar, salt, and fat were very rare for our caveperson ancestors, so every evolutionary instinct in our body tells us we need more of that stuff. Our pancreas works overtime to try to balance the blood sugar back to normal range, while we continue to down wheat, corn, and high-fructose corn syrup.

Prolonged exposure to this kind of diet causes our metabolism function incorrectly. The constant onslaught of high-calorie low nutrient foods suggests that we should store instead of burn. When we diet, instead of telling our body to burn, we are telling it we are going into hibernation mode. Unless you start feeding your body good stuff, you will continue this dreaded pattern, over and over again.

Okay, So Give Me An Easy Way To Get The “Good Stuff!”

I know that it’s hard to eat healthy food with our busy lives. It’s so much easier to depend on the pre-made meals, the pizza delivery menu, and the drive-thru lane. Even if you are cooking from home, you are probably consuming a diet of primarily wheat and corn, in their many, many applications. Making drastic changes to your diet takes an incredible amount of time, commitment, and preparation. And if you’ve got young kids who’ve ever even had a taste of processed food, it’s a thousand times harder! They just can’t even understand how nutrients, hormones, and neurotransmitters work - yet. 

While I highly suggest you do your research, start your own health journey, and educate your children about real food, I also know that we all are looking for an easy way. Lucky for you, drive-thru nation, It Works has created a product line just for you! We have products that help improve your health and overall wellness with just a few simple steps. You can continue eating (hopefully just a bit more health-conscious) while using our superior nutrition products that are designed to help you look younger and live longer!

 Superior Nutrition?!

I suggest three products to help improve your nutrient intake: Greens, ProFit, and It’s Essential bars. They all are packed with anti-oxidants, superfoods, and superior ingredients.

Greens provide 8+ servings of fruits and vegetables in every two scoop serving. Just mix with water or juice and go. Made with 38 superfood fruits, veggies, and herbs, it provides what you are missing in your diet every day.

ProFit is a superfood nutrition protein shake. With only 2 grams of net carbs, 14 grams of protein, mood-elevating cacao powder, maca, and lots of healthy fruits and fiber, ProFit is a super-shake! Blend it with a banana, milk, and ice for a breakfast smoothie or mix it with water for a quick post-workout recovery shake. ProFit comes in two great-tasting flavors: Chocolate and Vanilla.

 

It’s Essential bars are a healthy snack for busy people on the go!  Made with powerful ancient grains, heart-healthy omegas, and super antioxidants, It’s Essential curbs cravings and provides great nutrients. The delicious dark chocolate berry flavor makes it satisfying enough to even call it dessert.

Our Loyal Customers always save 20-50% off retail prices. 

Contact us today to get started, or order online.

   

It Pays to be a Loyal Customer!

We love our Loyal Customers!


Not only do our Loyal Customers get all the best prices on the It Works product line, they have their product conveniently autoshipped every month, free shipping on all orders over $125, free shipping on all autoshipments after three consecutive months, and earn Perk Points towards free product! I know that's a lot to take in, so let me break it down for you.

Best Prices

Our Loyal Customers save anywhere from 20 - 50% on our product line. When you look at any of our marketing materials, you will notice two prices. One is significantly lower that the other. That is the special price we offer to all our Loyal Customers! For instance, the wraps (our number one product!) come in a four pack for $99 retail. As a Loyal Customer you only pay $59 (before tax and shipping). In fact, our Loyal Customers get wholesale pricing, same as our distributors! You can't beat that.

Holiday Gift Packages only available until 12/21!

Convenient Autoship

When you sign up as a Loyal Customer you get all your favorite products conveniently shipped right to your mailbox. With your online account, you can change your product at a whim, so it's very flexible too. We ask that our Loyal Customers commit to a minimum of three months of autoship to maintain their ability to purchase products at wholesale prices. After the three consecutive monthly autoships have been fulfilled, the Loyal Customer is free to decide to keep their autoship running or to turn it off, but continues to be able to get wholesale prices - for life!




Free Shipping

Our Loyal Customers always get free shipping on any order over $125. In addition, after the third consecutive autoshipment has been fulfilled, the Loyal Customer gets free shipping on all their autoships! What a way to save.

Perk Points

Loyal Customers earn 10% back in Perk Points with every purchase. Plus bonus Perk Points are awarded after 6 and 12 months of consecutive autoshipments. At 6 months the Loyal Customer earns 50 bonus Perk Points, and 100 bonus Perk Points at 12 months! Each Perk Point is the equivalent of $1 towards products of your choice. Who doesn't like free?

It Pays To Be a Loyal Customer!


So why not sign up today. Get a jumpstart on your New Years Resolution, or give the gift of great health! Sign up at mdwrappers.myitworks.com or shoot us an email. You won't regret it!

Men Wrap, Too!

We often get asked the question - can men wrap too? The answer is: Yes!

Men are often surprised by the amazing results they get with the Ultimate Body Applicator. Check out some visuals below.

This is Joel Dunn's results using the Ultimate Pack for 90 days.

Not only does he wrap, he distributes too!

So now, what are you waiting for? These crazy wrap things are for men and women and work for just about everyone. Isn't it time you tried it? Visit my website to find wraps and all the other amazing products. Holiday specials are running now until 12/21.

Crazy Wrap Thing Ingredients Explained

When I heard about this crazy wrap thing, I was skeptical too. No way it can work, I said. That can't be good for you, I said. But six months down the road I saw my family and friends were toning, tightening, and firming - and fast! 

 

So I decided to check it out. Being the label reader I am, I asked about the ingredients. It's all-natural, they said. It's good for your body, they said. But I soon came to learn that all the ingredients are plant derived! So it's natural, it's good for you, and it works - in as little a 45 minutes. It's this crazy wrap thing, and it's taking over.

For those of you who, like me, need to read the label I'm going to break out the ingredients. Not just the latin name (who can read those anyways) but many common names and a little about each one. I hope this helps those of you who are still on the fence.

 Click here for the complete product information sheet.

The Ultimate Body Applicator Ingredients Explained

Water: The best things on earth begin with water.
Glucose: A skin conditioning agent and humectant. Glucose increases the water content of the top layers of the skin by drawing moisture from the surrounding air.
Caprylic/Capri Triglyceride: An oily liquid made from coconut oil. It slows the loss of water from the skin by forming a barrier on the skin's surface.
Glycerin: Glycerin improves smoothness and provides lubrication. It's also an effective treatment for psoriasis, burns, bites, cuts, rashes, bedsores, and calluses.
Alcohol Denat: Added to make the product unpalatable.
Stearic Acid: Used to produce a pearly effect in shampoos, soaps, and other cosmetic products.
Stearyl Alcohol: Used as an emollient, emulsifier, and thickener.
Ceteareth 12: Emulsifying agent
Aesculus hipposcastanum (Horse Chestnut) Extract: Provides astringent and anti-inflammatory benefits for products treating reddened, irritated or sensitive skin. In Germany, extract from its seed has been approved to treat poor circulation to the legs, leg cramps, swelling, and non-specific leg heaviness. Traditionally used for its ability to reduce varicose veins and to treat hemorrhoids.
Urea: Diseases such as atopic dermatitis or clinical dry skin are marked by a deficiency of urea. Urea is of significance for the hydration of the skin. Normal skin contains approximately one percent urea.
Centella asiatica (Hydrocotyl) Extract: Applied to the skin, it acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Studies at the Department of Dermatology in Strasbourg indicate it as a strong anti-inflammatory agent, effective in the treatment of wounds, ulcers, and lymphatic edema. Particularly suited to the fragile skin around the eyes, hydrocotyl extract assists in reducing inflammation and sensitivity of the skin. Tightens the skin and increases elasticity. Hydrocotyl extract is used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine to combat excessively dry skin.
Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) Extract: Green Tea is known to suppress inflammation and irritation, and more recently, has been shown to reduce cellulite. Polyphenols exhibit powerful anti-oxidant properties which play an important role in the prevention of cell damage. Consequently, green tea extract is considered to play a vital role in protecting the cell from free radical damage initiated by environmental factors such as exposure to UV light. Powerful antioxidant components help prevent or delay skin aging.
Fucus vesiculosus (Bladderwrack) Thalle Extract: Derived from the dried Thallus (bulbous root) of Fucus vesiculosus, a type of seaweed. It is rich in the same vital nutrients, trace elements, and amino acids present in human blood plasma, allowing it to penetrate the skin more thoroughly than most other ingredients. It speeds up the elimination of toxins from cells and is a natural cellular renewal ingredient. It also helps nourish and re-mineralize the skin. High in silicon, which is believed to keep the skin from wrinkling and sagging, it is used for its anti-inflammatory and revitalizing properties.
Hedera helix (Ivy) Extract: Extracted from the evergreen climbing plant. Ivy is well-known for its toning, tightening, and skin refining properties. Ivy extract has slimming and anti-cellulite properties, as it prevents water accumulation in skin tissues. It is antibacterial and soothing in cases of sunburn. Lowers tissues sensitivity, activates circulation, and helps reduce local inflammation. Ivy has a long history in folk medicine for use in cases of skin eruptions and ulcerations. It is also widely used to dress wounds and treat pus-exuding sores.
Equisetum arvense (Horsetail) Extract: This herb has a long history as an effective treatment for damages and tired skin. Used for its astringent, tightening, and firming properties on the skin. It helps heal wounds and improves the elasticity of the skin. The herb helps eliminate excess oil from skin and hair. Coadjutant in treatment of wrinkled skin.
Ruscus aculeatus (Butcher's Broom) Root Extract: Known to enhance blood flow to the brain, legs, and hands. It has been used to relieve constipation and water retention and improve circulation. Since butcher's broom tightens blood vessels and capillaries, it is used to treat a common condition known as varicose veins.
Tocopheryl Acetate: Vitamin E that is obtained through the natural distillation of edible vegetable oils. This ingredient is a known antioxidant and it helps to prevent sun damage and promote moisture retention when used in skin care products. Accumulates in the epidermis and forms a barrier against moisture evaporation from the skin. A major antioxidant nutrient, Vitamin E helps prevent free radical damage in the skin tissues, retards cellular aging due to oxidation, aids in bringing nourishment to the cells, strengthens the capillary walls, and protects red blood cells from destructive poisons.
TEA Hydroiodide: An organic iodide complex used for topical treatment of cellulite and localized adiposity (having the property of containing fat).
Methylsilanol Mannuronate: An organic derivative of seaweed that binds moisture in the epidermis thus firming and strengthening the skin. It is also known to act as an antioxidant to actively prevent the acceleration of premature aging. It is used when a positive effect on the sustaining skin tissues is desired, for reduction and prevention of the effects of cutaneous aging, for destroying free radicals and for moisturizing. In vitro studies have shown that methylsilanol manurronate normalizes cellular metabolism, is a tissue re-generator, and aids in the reduction of cellulite.
Menthol: A natural cooling agent, derived from mint oils. Anti-inflammatory and anti-itching to the skin, it imparts a cool, fresh, and clean feeling. Menthol has soothing properties when used in low concentration.
Camphor: Readily absorbed through the skin, camphor produces a feeling of cooling similar to that of menthol, and acts as a slight local anesthetic and antimicrobial substance.
Panthenol: Also known as Vitamin B5, panthenol acts as penetrating moisturizer. It imparts a moisturizing and conditioning feel and promotes normal keratinization and wound healing. Panthenol protects the skin against sunburn, provides relief from existing sunburn, and enhances the natural tanning process.
Phenoxyethanol: A preservative used in cosmetics and personal care products.
Paullinia cupana (Guarana) Seed Extract: Preliminary research has shown that guarana may affect how quickly the body percieves itself to be full. Other laboratory studies showed antioxidant and antibacterial effects, as well as fat cell reduction in mice.
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil: With its high content of beneficial materials and Vitamin E, jojoba oil is an antioxidant and protects from free radicals. It has antibacterial properties and can be used as a fungicide. Promotes clear and healthy skin.
Decyl Oleate: A lubricant that gives skin a soft and smooth appearance.
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate: A naturally occurring mineral derived from refined and purified clay. Used primarily as a thickener in cosmetics and beauty products.
Glyceryl Stearate: Acts as a lubricant on the skin's surface, giving skin a soft and smooth appearance. Also slows the loss of water from the skin by forming a barrier on the skins surface.
PEG 7 Glyceryl Cocoate: An emollient and thickening agent.

Is Our Low-Fat Diet Making Us Fat?

Eat more healthy fat.

Startlingly, the answer may be yes if you adhere to a low-fat and high-carb diet.

Increasing evidence is showing that fat is not the enemy we were led to believe. Our bodies need fat. In fact, it craves fat. Our brain is made up up sixty to eighty percent fat, it needs fat as fuel, and without fat its functions can become sluggish. 

But haven’t we been told that fat leads to heart disease and … makes us fat?

Well, in truth, it is the type of fat that is important, as is having correct balance of equal parts omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.

That's a lot of carbs! This is all wrong.

Omega-9 fatty acids are abundant in our diets and we really do not need to seek them out, however many of the oils we have turned to as “healthier options” are high in omega-9 fatty acids and have little to no omega-3 fatty acids. Our bodies can actually produce plenty of omega-9 fatty acids if it has enough omega-3 and 6. For this reason omega-9 is considered a non-essential fatty acid, and is abundant in vegetable oils such as canola.

On the other hand, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids as the body cannot produce these. These types of fatty acids used to be abundant in our diets (pre-1970s) through our consumption of animal fats, including red meat and butter. Good sources of omega-3 include fish (specifically cold water sea fish) and flax seed. Good sources of omega-6 include coconut oil and nuts.

Unfortunately when we were told that in order to be healthier we needed to reduce our intake of fat, the critical role fat plays in our diet was not fully understood. Doing away with fat trigger our bodies to be hungrier. Cravings are our bodies way of telling us that it needs something. Our bodies hope that as we eat we would give it the fats it needs. However, instead of feeding it healthy fats (Omega 3 and 6) we instead tend to fill it with carbohydrates and omega-9 fats.

A good start to a healthy diet.

Carbohydrates (commonly referred to as carbs) come in many forms from refined sugar, flour, and even the supposed healthy whole grains and brown rice. All these are turned to sugar by our bodies starting almost instantly as we chew. Our bodies are good at turning carbs into sugar quickly so they can be used as fuel. If you get more carbs than needed to fuel your body at any given time the body will store the extra sugar it produces as fat for future use. If we continue to eat carbs the body never needs to tap into its storage and the fat remains! We do need carbs; however, we can easily get plenty through fruit and vegetables and can easily exceed what is needed when we consume grains, even those supposed “healthy” whole grains.

Eating right is confusing.

When you must indulge, make sure you have this!

Even the experts are still learning and the recommendations are changing all the time. Even when we think we know what is right sometimes the temptation to have a big greasy hamburger with a ton of condiments and a heaping side of deep fried French fries is more than we can bear. When this blogger succumbs to bad food choices she takes two or three It Works! Advanced Formula FatFighter up to an hour after eating. 

This supplement will bind with around thirty percent of the carbohydrates and up to seventy percent of the unhealthy fats in a meal. It prevents the body from processing those carbs and bad fats into fat you can see. 

While it is important to increase your knowledge so you can make better food choices in order to be healthy, it is great to have a stand-by like FatFighter to take away the guilt when you succumb to a poor choice. 

You can save up to 45% on this and all our other great products when you become a Loyal Customer. It Works products are proudly made with natural active ingredients and designed to help you look younger and live longer.

Why Do I Need a Multivitamin?

We all have questions about vitamins! A trip to your local drugstore or supplement store can leave you even more confused. There are assorted vitamins, A to Zinc all touting different health reasons. Should you take them all? That's a hard handful of pills to swallow! It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it? Well, I've been looking into it, and I have a few words of advice for my readers with vitamin questions!

Why Take a Multivitamin?

First off, you may have been told by doctors or other health professionals over the years that you do not need to take any supplements, that all your need nutrients come from your food. There's a couple of problems with this line of thinking. First off, it is almost impossible to say that anyone will always eat a perfectly balanced diet. We don't consistently eat healthy and when we do, the rules are always changing! The 4 food groups, the pyramid thingy, now my plate! How many times in your lifetime have the food rules changed? And that's just what is out in public view, how many times do you think the Daily Value numbers have changed behind the scenes. Best guesses in the comments below! 

Another HUGE reason to take a vitamin supplement is a simple math equation. The daily value numbers are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Most women will gain weight on a 2000 calorie a day plan. Even smaller caloric intakes can equal weight gain! What is your calorie goal each day? Plus, when adding exercise to that equation means that you are using up those nutrient, therefore need even more nutritional supplementation! Eating all the nutrients you need in one day would be time consuming (preparing and eating a wide variety of foods), would break the caloric bank, and even figuring out exactly what you need would be mind boggling.

How Do I Know What a Good Vitamin Looks Like?

I know that trying to pick a good vitamin is scary. Supplements cost good money, and you don't want to choose one that is going to pass through, unabsorbed! Do you smell your vitamins when you pee? That's probably a good sign that your body is not absorbing as well as you should be!

I have two words for you: Bioavailable and Bioactive. Bioavailable means that they are in the right form, ready to be absorbed and utilized by the body. Bioactive means they are above and beyond what is needed to meet basic nutritional needs. 

So when you are choosing your multivitamin, be sure that those two words are included in the product information.

Where Do I Find This Amazing Vitamin?

There are some very good vitamins on the market. You can talk to your local nutritional supplement expert (found at local vitamin shops), ask your chiropractor (many have lines on great supplements) or you can ask your very own blogger/It Works Independent Distributor! It Works has developed an amazing multivitamin called It's Vital. It provides vital vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, supports overall well-being and vitality with over 70 bioactive and bioavailable ingredients. This vitamin absorbs beautifully! 

The best part is that you can save up to 45% on this and all our other great products when you become a Loyal Customer today!