Awesome Dinner TONIGHT! Love Isagenix Dieting Plan

Ok...I love experimenting in the kitchen, tend to be a fly by the seat kind of a fellow who rarely uses a recipe when I cook.  Have to say, tonight's dinner was SUPER YUMMY.  My own shrimp scampi dish...

You need one skillet, and one lidded pot to boil noodles in.

Pour some Virgin Olive Oil in Pan

Juice of one whole lemon

Some capers.

Four sliced mushrooms

Three diced dried Italian Tomatoes

Handful of Shrimp

Cover and on low heat steam...

In pot, boil up some organic duck egg noodles.  I know...where do you GET THEM?  HERE!  Trust me, the folks at Northern Farmhouse Pasta have the world's BEST PASTA, and ALL ORGANIC...to die for!

When noodles are done, place on plate.  Lay on the shrimp, followed by the mushrooms, capers and tomatoes.  Take drippings and add some tomato basil feta cheese, turn heat on high and thicken...pour over shrimp and pasta.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped French Parsley.  SO GOOD!

Think of Dieting As Hide and Seek, Lost and Found!

The Day I Started 10/6/2012

It's easy to look in a mirror at the who that you over years have become and simply think the task of getting in shape, losing weight is too great a feat, and head toward the refrigerator for a morning slice of last night's left over apple pie, half of which you ate while watching the 2:00 AM rerun of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" on the "Comedy Channel".  I know, because I have been there, have avoided almost every mirror in my house, and then my apartment that showed me more than my head, as if somehow by focusing in on only that part of me that I was not embarrassed about the rest of the world would follow suit, identify the who of me by just my face, rather than that rest of me that I could not stand, that part of me that I was embarrassed and ashamed of.

Reality is, the world does not often cooperate in our fantasies, in our masquerade of self delusion.  People did see my Buddha Belly as it grew ever bigger, showing concern, sometimes in remarks that hurt, remarks that saw me grab one more chunk of meat from the grill, or help myself to another scoop of taters or Mac and Cheese at dinner.  In short, I was playing hide and seek with a truth I did not want to face...I was FAT, maybe even on the verge of OBESE, and the only person who could change that reality was staring back at me in the mirror each and every morning when I combed my hair and brushed my teeth.

In the past almost four months now, a lot of changes have occurred in my life, a caterpillar slowly emerging from his cocoon, a beautiful butterfly, wings still damp who is getting ready to take flight.  As I was working out today, had an Epiphany of sorts, an AH HA moment.

Me on 1/17/2013

One of my recurring themes when I share the product with others is encouraging them to lose the weight and let the beautiful person that has always been residing inside themselves to emerge.  Thinking on that, pondering that child's game of "Hide and Seek" that was the game I'd been playing for far too long with myself, realized today that I was still playing that game, but in a new and wondrous way with ALL NEW RULES.  

For years as the pounds piled onto my frame, the beautiful me, all the muscles there under the surface had been hidden away under mounds of fat, and now with the help of Isagenix, my coach "Andrea Hameed" and many of my Isa friends on Facebook, I am seeking out those muscles, that beautiful me, that which was lost now being found...the me that has always been there slowly emerging as the fat melts away!

All I have to do is look at statistics to know there are a lot of seriously overweight people in America, in the world...also know that a lot of those people deep down inside do not want to be fat, are playing that same old game of "Hide and Seek" that I played for too many years.  Also know, that many of those people who want to find that beautiful person hiding inside are afraid to take that first step, and the next, and the one after that, fearing more than anything looking the fool when and if they fail.  That fear of failure more than anything else sees them making excuses..."Dieting never works" or "I'm just naturally big boned, and besides I like myself just the way I am", the patented "everyone in my family is on the large size", and my own favorite, "I am sure your program works, but it's just too expensive, I cannot afford it!"

I know these excuses because I have used than, finding them easier to blurt out rather than facing a truth I did not want to face, hiding my own shame in excuses that deep down inside I knew were not true.

Dieting does work, but only if you are ready to dedicate yourself to the long haul journey that lays ahead.  I did not pack on some 40-50 pounds of fat (almost all in my belly) in a week, a month or even a year...it was a long process that happened over years, even decades.  Expecting to diet for a month, two or even three and reclaim my former self is unrealistic.  Furthermore, dieting is only a part of the pathway that leads to success...getting to where you want to go requires lifestyle changes, requires committing to actually EXERCISING, being active.  Most of all, finding the real you that you've lost over a period of years take faith, dedication and belief...it also takes STUBBORNEST, that refusal to accept anything but the new course and reality you have set for yourself despite the naysayers bent on seeing you fail.

I live on a limited budget, and it took me far too long to realize that I could not afford what not getting healthy was costing me.  When I woke up, saw lost life opportunities resulting from my weight, when I woke up to the shame and guilt I carried around because of my Buddha Belly, when I started looking for ways to find the money to GET HEALTHY because I wanted it, I found out that I could afford to try Isagenix...as I watched inches and pounds melting away, watched the new me emerging, found the money to STAY THE COURSE to continue on a path that was working.  

I used to stop at a fast food place a couple times a week, grab a couple of burgers, some fries, a super sized Coke, always telling myself I deserved it, or making it OK because I was hungry.  If I were out and about and there was a Panera's or Starbucks on the route too and from, I would treat myself to a Grande something something, and oh those danish always enticed me...sometimes one was just not enough, so would buy two.  Pull into a gas station for a fill up, and how could I not grab a Snickers Bar, or a Pay Day?  The cost in pounds, and in CASH adds up quickly.  Looking back at those times, finally being honest with myself after years of denial, realize I need to be truthful..."I DID NOT WANT TO AFFORD Isagenix's OR ANY OTHER DIETING PROGRAM"...what would have meant looking in that mirror and admitting truths I was not ready to admit.

The old saying "You can drag a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink" is so very true.  I can introduce you to Isagenix's, can show my own before and right now pictures and prove that their "90 Day Challenge" can and does work...but if you are not ready, if you are wanting to wallow in your shame, guilt and denial, then the program I believe, nor any other dieting plan is going to work for you.  But, if you are ready to make changes, if you are willing to do the work, if you are ready to become that beautiful person that has always been hiding inside yourself, then lets take the journey together.

Sherwood Martinelli-The Isa Guru

Cell/Text (845) 346-6523

Home     (845) 693-4513

www.isahealthychoice.com  Go explore the product, look at our Weight Loss Products.

If you are ready for serious life changes, ready to lose that weight, lets chat...I make a great coach, and Isagenix (in my perspective) is the greatest weight loss program in the world.

The Ebbs and Flows of Losing Weight, Getting Healthy

Being honest with myself, I allowed myself over a period of years to get VERY unhealthy.  My cholesterol was high, I was overweight to the point of being almost but not quite obese, had no energy, and was on a downhill track mentally, emotionally and physically.  As the years unfolded, as I grew older, being honest, I sort of gave up, stopped trying, and chose to ignore the signs that I needed to reassess some issues in my life, especially where my weight was concerned.  It's painful to catch a glance of yourself in the mirror and realize how much the body staring back at me resembled that of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" of TV fame...can we say eight months pregnant carrying what looked like triplets.  I felt shame on the inside, while on the outside pretended to the world that I was fine, and when someone brought up my weight, found a convenient excuse in my gall bladder surgery, telling them keeping the weight off since that surgery was almost if not impossible.

In ten days I will have been on my Isagenix program for exactly four months, and as anyone and everyone who knows me, sees me can vouch for, the results are nothing short of astounding.  I started the program back on October 6th weighing 193 ON A GOOD DAY.  My gut hung over my 38-40 waist pants by several issues, I looked fat and out of shape, and could not walk up the flight of stairs to my apartment without huffing and puffing.  110 days into this journey to a new me, my gut is not gone, but the HUGE BUDDHA BELLY has shrunk to a point where if I were pregnant, I would have just started showing...no disrespect to my women readers in that comparison.  I have more energy than I have had in years, and over all feel a lot more positive, and better about myself.

Me BEFORE STARTING ISAGENIX

That said, the journey has had its ups and downs, the proverbial ebbs and flows that see you on certain days doubting yourself, even considering giving up as those voices in your head say, "What are you wasting your time for, give up on this folly and go raid the refrigerator.  Perseverance...one step at a time, working the program even when you do not want to...that at times is the hardest task of all, especially when you find yourself on a plateau, seeing no results for days, even weeks on end despite how hard you are trying.  In short, yes there have been DARK DAYS, been times when I wanted to give up, walk away and just give up.  What I have learned, is overcoming those obstacles, sticking to it when every part of you is wanting to give up is the difference in those who FAIL AT DIETING, and those who succeed. 

Ebbs and flows, ups and downs...let's be honest, there are days when I fell off the proverbial wagon and in a big way.  In my 110 days, Halloween has come and gone, celebrated a day of feasting at Thanksgiving, and then ran rushing head long into the Christmas/New Years holidays.  Trust me, more than once I far exceeded my caloric intake, missed my workout, and every time I did it showed when I got on the scale...but I did not give up, did not beat myself up.  Instead, this time  forgave myself and would get up in the morning and get right back on the proverbial horse, go back to working the program that was improving my health, and my life.  That dedication and perseverance is paying dividends...for the first time since maybe 1980 (32 years ago) my weight (on a good morning weigh in) is down under 165, and I am so looking forward to that day very soon when I get on the scale and weigh in at under 160.

Dieting is not easy, and any one who tells you differently is lying to you.  Dieting is a journey, not something done successfully with long term lasting changes in a few days, a few weeks or even a couple of months.  It took those of us who got fat/obese years to get there, and the journey back to health, back to the ME we want for ourselves cannot be rushed...but take it from me...the work, the occasional self doubts, the worries of failure, the ebbs and flows are WORTH IT!

The NEW ME EMERGING

If you are serious about losing weight, are wanting to reclaim that beautiful you that is hiding inside, and are ready to do the hard work, ready to work the program, lets talk...I can coach anyone to success if they are willing to dedicate themselves to the work that lays ahead on their journey to victory and success.

The Isa Guru-Sherwood Martinelli

text/cell (845) 346-6523

phone    (800) 693-4513

              (800) 868-1973 (recorded information on Isagenix)

www.isahealthychoice.com 

PS...if you enjoyed this article, please share the link with others, and toss me a G +1 using the buttons below this post.  Enjoy your day, and believe in yourselves.

Wanting To Lose Weight? What Isagenix Can Do For You!...A Picture Worth 1,000 Words

Less than four months ago I had a HUGE Budda Belly.  Thanks to Isagenix, their Isa Body Challenge, and their 30 Day Cleanse dieting program, I am fast becoming a new, happier healthier person, and so can you.  Visit www.isahealthychoice.com or text me so we can chat.  (845) 346-6523

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

As much as I sing the praise of Isagenix, and give it a great deal of the credit for my own weight loss, I could not have done it, seen the success I have seen if I had not greatly increased my own daily water intake.  Did you know that you are mostly water?  When you're born your body is about 78% water by weight. By the time you're an adult this number drops to around 50-61%. 

 Drinking enough water each day is a key step in wellness & detoxification. You need to drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water a day; more if you get your sweat on! (i.e. someone who weighs 160 pounds needs to drink 80 ounces of purified alkaline water a day)  Do yourselves a favor, and start properly hydrating your body!  Drink water!

If you would like to know more about Isagenix send me a text at (845) 346-6523 and lets chat.  Would you like to try a sample Isalean Shake?  www.isafreesample.com

Needing Inspriation To Attain Your Goals?

Someone at NYKO 2013 posted this on Twitter...Next time you think you cannot lose weight, or accomplish a goal, replay this video. It will make you cry, and it WILL MOTIVATE YOU!

 

The ViSalus Healthy Shake...Is It Really ALL THAT HEALTHY?

I made a comment on Twitter wherein I stated a couple of basic truths in comparing our 100 percent natural Isalean Shakes to the ViSalus Shake.

1.  Our shake is a nutritionally balanced 240 Calorie meal, packed with premium nutrition that includes a balanced ratio of high-quality protein, healthy fats and energy-boosting carbohydrates, IsaLean Shakes support weight loss and an increase in lean body mass. IsaLean Shakes contain no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives.  The Visalus Shake as a stand alone nutritional supplement is not a meal at only 90 calories.

2.  Our shake mixed with water tastes great...the Visalus shake requires the addition of eight ounces of milk, does not mix well with water, which instantly makes it a no go product for those who are lactose intolerant.

Today on Twitter, a Visalus rep took exception to my Tweet and posted this to me:

@theisaguru once you add your milk an  d use one of our recipes you have 250-300 healthy clean calories! do your research!

Let's not let it be said that I do not do my research.  I went right to the source, and started looking at some of the Visalus recipes that create these so called HEALTHY CLEAN CALORIES.

8-10 Ounces of Low Fat Skim Milk...32 percent of your daily calcium for the day.   Right at 100 calories for 10 ounces.  (Purchase price of milk not included in ViSalus pricing structure.)

2 Scoops of ViSalus Shake mixture.

1-2 Tablespoons of Oreo Pudding mix.  80 Calories (give or take).  This is a processed food full of various toxins used as preservatives.  Hello, we are supposed to be detoxing our bodies, not contaminating them.  Almost no vitamins...see for yourself here.  (Purchase price of pudding mix not  not included in ViSalus pricing structure.)

A drop or two of mint extract.   (Purchase price of mint extract not included in ViSalus pricing structure.)

1 Tablespoon of Cocoa   (Purchase price of Cocoa not included in ViSalus pricing structure.)

This is just one recipe, and it seems to come in at about 270 Calories (30 more than our Isalean shakes), and you are required to go out and purchase 4 industrialized  processed food products for this recipe.  How often are you going to want to have this particular shake recipe in a week, in a month? 

Our Isalean Chocolate or Vanilla shakes...two scopes of product, some water, a few ice cubes, blend and enjoy.  Additional outside sourced grocery items for our meal in a shake...ZERO with no extra added costs to create our shake.  Visalus shakes rely on processed foods to complete their recipes, our shakes are all inclusive, and made from all natural healthy ingredients. 

When you compare apples to apples, Isagenix Isalean shakes are hands down the best and most nutritional meal replacement shakes out there.

Some other PROCESSED industrial foods that ViSalus recipes call for include Jello Cheese Cake mix (puddings include gelatin...gelatin is made using animal hoofs, hides, and intestines), pretzels, concentrated Orange Juice, PROCESSED Apple Sauce, PROCESSED Graham Crackers, CONCENTRATED Cranberry Juice, Instant Coffee (contains the Category 2 Carcinogenix acrylamide...YUMMY)

So, if you are an athlete, a triathlete looking to build lean muscle, increase energy, improve performance, if you are someone wanting to improve your health and lose weight, you are encourage to do a fair comparison of Isagenix and ViSalus, and if you do, I am certain you will choose Isagenix, the healthy SUPERFOOD CHOICE.

Get Your FREE Isagenix Enrollment! Expires At Stroke of Midnight January 3, 2013

10 Free Isagenix Enrollments!

This offer will expire at the stroke of Midnight on January 3^rd, 2013…the official starting time of the “Isa Guru 9 Day Cleanse Challenge.  If you are one of the first ten people to sign up, and order a 30 Day Cleanse Pak, I will reimburse you the cost of your one year enrollment fee.  So, if you are thinking about dieting, getting fit and healthy in 2013, consider this.

McDonald’s runs ads offering us their McDonald’s Breakfast Dollar menu…what a deal, every bad for you, toxin filled item on the list can be had for just ONE DOLLAR on their ala’carte menu.  A couple of egg McMuffin’s, some hash browns and a cup of coffee...$4.00 breakfast of dead bankrupt calories, dangerous toxins, sodium, fat and who knows what else…WHAT A BARGAIN.

Imagine instead starting out your day with a tasty (chocolate or vanilla) Isalean Shake (a SUPER FOOD) that has 240 nutritious calories that include over 90 building blocks, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that boost your immune system, and help keep you healthy from the inside out at a cellular level…and they taste DELICIOUS. 

If you are ready to claim success in your dieting, are ready to lose that weight that has been hanging around for years, join my team and claim a free enrollment in the process!

Did I mention that your enrollment also starts you on the road to financial independence as a Isagenix Representative?  This is the perfect opportunity for moms looking to work from home, and consider this…Isagenix’s newest three millionaires ARE WOMEN.  Sign up today and let’s get you started on your road to success.

Enroll and order your 30 Day Cleanse Program…just click on the link, and the 30 day plan is there!

Contact me directly:  Sherwood Martinelli-The Isa Guru (845) 693-4513 and I will walk you through the entire enrollment process, and coach you to successful weight loss in 2013!

Tips To Win Holiday Battle of The Bulge

Click For Free Isalean Shake

The average American will gain between eight and ten pounds during this festive time of the year.  That does not have to happen, and you can win your "Battle of The Bulge" this holiday season.  I've lost 20 pounds in the last two months, and do not want to put half of it back on during the Holidays as I attend parties, find myself tempted by all those Christmas goodies that are just to readily available everywhere I do, and am sure many are in that same boat.  So, here are a few tips to help you win the holiday battle of the bulge.

 

1.  If you are dieting, working at losing all that unhealthy fat that has slowed you down for years, keep your eye on the prize...a happier, healthy you.  Staying focused on what is truly important is a great way to face temptation and win.

 

2.  Avoid over inbibing...alcohol is dead calories, they have nothing in them, and our bodies burn those calories first, leaving everything else there to be stored as fat.  Furthermore, alcohol lowers our inhibitions, and you do not want to find yourself grazing at the buffet table after two or three drinks do you?

 

3.  Host your own party!  It is a lot easier to find healthy nutritious food at a party you plan and host! 

 

4.  Stay active!  Get up 15 minutes early and go for a walk, and do another walk just before dinner.  The holidays are busy and hectic, and it is easy to miss out on our workouts, so this small walks can help a lot in winning the battle of the bulge.

 

5.  "Just say NO!"  It is your body, and you can just politely say no when the plate of cookies is passed around.  It is a lot easier to say no than it will be to lose 8-10 pounds in the New Year if you over indulge in the Holiday FEASTING!

 

 

 

You've heard me say it in my other posts, dieting is not enough if you truly want to lose your unsightly pounds and keep them off.

 

You've got to cleanse your body of the toxins that keep you fat. Before you start any "diet," the most important thing you must do is a "chemical cleanse." (I didn't really believe that until I actually did the cleanse and then saw the weight loss difference.) The foods that most people eat on a daily basis are loaded with chemicals and these chemicals actually interfere with the body's ability to balance and cleanse itself so that it can lose and then maintain a healthy weight.  The Isagenix 30 Day Cleanse is a great way to accomplish this chemical cleanse.

 

I started using Isagenix, the world's leader in nutritional cleansing and their IsaLean Shakes helped me balance my minerals, protein and nutrition so I could finally shed my unwanted pounds. If it works for me, it can probably work for you too. Give it a try, get your FREE sample of the IsaLean Shake by clicking this link and thank me later!

Does Your Weight Embarrass You, Cause You Shame?

20 Pounds Lighter

Tough questions indeed, the answer to which I would not have wanted to admit too just under three months ago.  I struggled to fit into my jeans, my stomach hanging obscenely over the top by some five or so inches.  I hid that shame with humor, telling people rubbing my "Budda Belly' would bring them good luck, or blaming the large stomach on medical issues, always saying I'd had trouble controlling my weight after my gall bladder surgery.  Excuses aside, I was embarrassed about my weight, disliking my own appearance, especially when standing sideways looking in the mirror, the silhouette from the old Alfred Hitchcock show starring out at me from the other side.  I hated it, but my attempts to lose that stomach were futile.

 

What changed?  In a word, Isagenix.  I tried their 30 Day Cleanse program, and the results were so remarkable I followed the program for a second month, and am now on my third.  In that time, I am down to a 36 inch waist, fitting comfortably into my pants, no gut hanging over the top edge.  I've lost over 30 total body inches, and I feel like a new person...more importantly, that embarrassment is receding, the shame I felt all but gone.  That is a blessing, a Christmas gift I gave myself that is changing my life, and who I am.  I have a lot to be thankful for.

 

If you have tried dieting and failed, if you find yourself sitting late at night alone, feeling that guilt, shame and embarrassment that being overweight brings us, you can lose all of it.  I invite you to try a free sample of Isagenix, invite you to visit my Isagenix site and read up on the 30 Day Cleanse.  If you decide to give Isagenix the opportunity to help you in the way it has helped me, I will be right by your side offering you great coaching, and the best support you could ever hope for in your journey to bringing out that beautiful you that has always been hiding inside.

Wanting To Lose Weight in The New Year? Start Off Right With a Isagenix Free Sample

We all know the routine...somewhere after Christmas, and before we ring in the New Year on December 31we sit down and evaluate the past year, make a list of New Year's resolutions we want to keep.   Usually, many of us include on that list getting healthy, losing weight, and finding that energy we lost somewhere along the way.  We mean well, are even dedicated to the tasks we have laid out for ourselves.  Problem is, too often those resolutions fail as we fall short of our goals.

 

Well, lets change that for 2013.  You can attain your weight and health goals in 2013!  You just need the right tools, the right motivation, and a product that gives you the winning edge!  That product line, in my opinion, is Isagenic and their 30 Day Cleanse Program.  Imagine waking up on February 1st, 2013 and getting on your scale to find you have lost 15, 20 even 25 pounds, taking a measuring tape and measuring your body to find you have lost 20 or so inches of your body mass.  Well, with Isagenix and the 30 Day Cleanse program you can make that happen.

 

To get you started on your journey to a new, healthier, happier you in 2013, I'd like to introduce you to Isagenix by giving you a free sample of the product.   Just click this link and follow the instructions and your Isagenix Free Sample will be on its way to you.  Try it out, and then lets get you on the Isagenix 30 Day Cleanse and on your way to a new you in 2013.

Should Santa Claus Be On Isagenix and In Isagenix Body Challenge?

Santa Needs a Energy BOOST

Jolly old St. Nicklaus, or Santa Claus is a merry old soul with a bag full of goodies and toys.  You have to love Santa's sleigh and eight reindeer, not to mention perhaps tens of thousands of elves working tirelessly all year long for Christmas Eve...talk about a major potential down line, and that does not count those lists he has been making now for how many decades?  Can you imagine how fast he could go executive...some of those elves are pretty plumb themselves. 

 

All this aside, lets face it...Santa has a serious weight problem...guessing here from some of the Christmas Cards, postcards and pictures I have seen, this Saint has to be tipping the scale at 350 maybe even 400 pounds.  All those cookies, cakes and glasses of milk, and guessing he might have some other health issues as well.  I can so see him as a member of the Isagenix 100 Pound club speaking at the NYKO event!  How cool would that be?  Santa trotting out onto the stage with his eight reindeer weighing maybe 220 pounds and talking to everyone about just how much he enjoys his morning and afternoon IsaLean shakes...what a testimonial that would be.

 

Might be wrong here, but guessing dear old Saint Nick would be a shoe in to win the Isagenix Body Challenge once he was dedicated to being a product of the product.   Who could resist a jolly old man with rosy cheeks, twinkling eyes, a great head of hair, and that laugh which is so contagious!  Can't you see him coming out onto stage followed by his eight reindeer, his sleigh full of wonderful Isagenix goodies and treats for everyone in the audience?  The standing room only crowd chanting, "SANTA, SANTA, SANTA".

 

One thing is for sure...Right or left, I would want Santa in my down line!

 

 

 

 

Just a Six Legged Man Juggling Naked In Times Square

There Is Light At Tunnel's End

In just 37 days another year passes into the record books, 52 days after that the birthday clock ticks off another year in my own life as I move from 56 to 57, one step closer to wherever it is that life and eternity is taking me.  Almost two months ago, perhaps by accident or maybe by design I found myself at a juncture where life was screaming loudly, "It is time for a change".  Voices are often easy to ignore, or at least give only a half an ear to whatever it is they are saying, even when what they are saying we already know is true.   For whatever reason...providence?...I heard the voice, realized that something had to give, that something had to change, that my life needed a new direction.

 

Change is not easy, and does not happen overnight, and the process/journey of that change suddenly sees you having your feet not so firmly planted in not just one, but two, three even six different worlds, grappling with a simple fact...change often times requires giving up things, things that you perhaps love, are comfortable with...even if some of those things are not good for you, emotionally, mentally or physically. 

 

I like to eat...too much at times, but the huge Budda Belly hanging over my ever expanding waist, was not a healthy byproduct of that eating.  I don't drink a lot, but probably being honest like it more than I should.  A great bottle of wine with dinner, a few drinks with friends while listening to music at an Open Mic night in the bar across the street.  Cannot say I like smoking, its a habit, one that gives me some comfort in bad times, something to do when I need something to do for whatever the reason might be.

 

That voice screaming relentlessly..."It is time for a change."

 

I found Isagenix, or more aptly it found me.

 

The journey so far is being an exciting one even if it has its highs and lows.  I have a lot of self disciplend at times, at others not so much.  One foot in the world of Isagenix, the other in the world that was and still is.  Another foot is in the business end of Isagenix, a model (network marketing) that is alien to me, one that takes me so out of my personal comfort zone.  Truth be told, I am a very visible loner, preferring the solitude of a walk in the woods with my camera, my feet, mind and heart comfortable in this alone space that lets me think, in a world that lets me observe without having to be a part of it, in a realm where my mind for a bit can be and know quiet.

 

A six legged man, one foot in this world, another foot firmly planted in another as I try to juggle balls hoping none fall from the air...that part of me I keep hidden from the world afraid of what will happen when I do.  Once read somewhere that if you want to be something, pretend you are until you have the skill sets to be what it is that you want to be...sometimes in this journey, feel like I am prentending to be while hoping one day I will be...not sure I have ever been really HEALTHY my whole life, and a lot of the time right now, though I know I am getting healthier do feel that I am pretending to be, and think that reality is why I fear what happens if I fail.

 

The weather outside suits my mood, the wind howling as storm clouds pile in one upon another, as a storm blows in on the horizon, the weather like my life changing fast, me wondering if I am going to be able to keep up, me wondering who this new person emerging from within is going to be.  Sometimes it all seems to much, sometimes fear sees me wanting to fail, wanting to go back to that unsafe safe place where white is white, black is black, and even if it is bad for me, returning to that space of being comfortable because of the familiarity of the world in which I lived, even hid.

 

NOPE...cannot let that happen, best to be the six legged man juggling naked in Times Square, braving the gawkers and the doubters, proving to myself that where I am going to is where I am supposed to be.

Dedication... When "The Chips" Are Down...A SHOUTOUT To Amy Austin

I always like reading great testimonials from my Isagenix friends who are over on Facebook.  Being successful in losing weight means being dedicated to where you are wanting to go, especially when the "chips" are down.  This morning while catching up on Facebook I came across a testimonial from my Isa friend Amy Austin who lives in Canada.

 

She received a difficult phone call, and one of those old demons was sitting on her shoulder encouraging her to stop and get a bag of chips, to fall off the proverbial wagon and break her two day cleanse that she was/is being so good with.  Perhaps out of will power, or perhaps because the cosmos had her get on the scale this morning finding out she had already lost seven pounds saw her ignore that tempting voice!  WAY TO GO AMY!

 

Here is the link to her article.  Go give her a "Job well done" comment in her blog!

What's in Season...Trying A New Widget

Hello Readers:

As I work toward getting healthy and SLIM, looking for some new widgets that my readers and I might find useful...today looking through the list of widgets that are available right in my Blogger console, found one that I am trying out for the next few weeks as it looks promising.  To find it, simply scroll down to the bottom of my blog and try it out.

 

This is a FRESH FOODS widget...how cool is that?  You can choose what state you live in, what month it is, and it tells you the fruits and vegetables that are in season for you with little pictorial icons.  Click on any icon and it opens up a new page that gives you a brief history of the fruit or vegetable you are considering for your meal.  It gets better...over on the left side are various links to RECIPES!  I love recipes.

 

So, for those of you looking for fresh fruits and veggies, for those of you looking to find new recipes for some of your favorites foods, give it a whirl and let me know in the comments section of this article what you think of it.

Life and Isagenix Is About Giving Back, Paying Forward

Network marketing was always one of those things I saw in a negative light, something I associated with phrases like pyramid scheme...then one day I had an epithany...every product sold is sold through network marketing in some fashion or another.  If Walmart  has a camera for sale on Black Friday, and your friend knowing you are looking for that camera too give as a gift tells you about the sale, isn't that networking/network marketing?  If you rave about your new car to a friend and they go out and buy the same vehicle based upon your personal recommendation, isn't that network marketing? 

 

It was/is this epithany that has allowed me to go beyond  embracing the product that is Isagenix, to embracing it as a business that I want to be involved in...in short, this epithany has seen me taking my first steps as a network marketer, though in many ways I have been a network marketer most of my life, but for others, rather than for myself.

 

As I've taken my first steps into this new world known as network marketing, realizing other truths, such as the very real fact that my own success is completely dependent upon me helping others...sharing my truth, introducing others to Isagenix by sharing my own testimony, my own story of becoming a product of the product, and then once someone says "I want to be a part of that", helping them become successful in their dreams and goals.  In short, it is about giving back by paying forward, giving others the helping hand up that is so generously being given to me by everyone I have met in Isagenix (both in real life, and in the various Isagenix Facebook groups).

 

As in most of life, you get out of network marketing what you put into it, and there is no room for selfishness in giving back by paying forward.

 

 

Why I Have Chosen Isagenix

Old Train, New Direction

Sad, depressed, lethargic, overweight, lost...all adjectives that I could use in honestly accessing my own physical self, mental and emotional state of mind.  As they say, life happens, and with that life comes everyone's share of ups and downs, good times and bad.  Without realizing it we get stuck in a rut, and once there we seem at times incapable of getting out of it, mostly because we are guilty of "Stinky Thinking".  I can list a litany of reasons (excuses?) for the why and where of this rut and how I found myself in it, but when that list is carefully reviewed, it still comes down to one basic fact...it was and is my fault that I am in a rut, and it is going to take my own proactive efforts to get me to where I want to be physically, spiritually and emotionally.

I know I have to lose weight, have needed to lose that weight for some years now.   But, that weight had been put on slowly over a course of years, my waist expanding from a 28 to a 32, then a 34, and now at the age of almost 57 stretching a 38 to capacity, I had allowed myself to be blind to what everyone else saw until some people lacking in tact starting making comments that hurt. 

"Gee Sherwood, you need to lose some weight, you look like you are carrying twins."

Those kinds of remarks hurt, but it seemed easier to use an excuse such as, "It's been a lot harder to lose weight since I had my gallbladder taken out."

A true remark to some degree, but being truthful, I'd lost the motivation and perhaps the will to slim down and look my best.  As you get older, even those in the best of circumstances get hit with disappointments and losses that affect who we are.  The passing of a mother or close friend, a lost job, personal injuries that see your career and self identity gone, a wife, relative or close friend stricken with cancer, some of them no longer with us.    These emotional moments take their toll, and over time without realizing it, at least in my case, some of that zest for life just fades away, and with it a certain level of self confidence as we go from thinking ourselves immortal to realizing that we are mortal, and that with each passing day our time on this earth is growing shorter.

In this rut, my attitude in a funk, kismet as is always the case stepped in...or perhaps this time around I heard that knock on the door and was willing to let someone in.  I met someone who has made some dramatic changes in her life, someone who credits Isagenix with saving her life...hard to argue with that kind of assessment when the person you are speaking too has lost 130 pounds in her own journey to find or perhaps rediscover herself.

Without boring the reader to tears with all the minute details of that meeting (a story better told at a later time in another post) her words, her sharing of her own journey made me realize that my issues, my own weight loss needs were not near as insurmountable as I had been thinking they were.  There was no hard sell, no pressure to join Isagenix or try their products...there was just a sharing of her own truth and how Isagenix had changed her life.  Her words rang true, struck a heart cord that suddenly saw me waking up to a very simple truth...if I wanted change, if I wanted to be a healthier happier person, I had to want to take that first step.

Oh those old voices were singing their own chorus..."You can't afford it"..."diets don't work",,,"people get heavier as they get older, it is just a fact of life"...I knew these voices, but also recognized that other voice, that voice that had been silent for far to long, that voice that spoke of dreams, aspirations and believed always that there were better days ahead.   The discussion was intense as the two sides of me weighed in with differing arguments.

"You can't afford it."

"My Droid 4 cost me $400 dollars, surely my health is worth as much as my cell phone?"

"Diets don't work!"

"True, I've tried a few over the years, but this was not a diet, it was a super food."

"People get heavier as they get older, it is just a fact of life."

"No, I got fatter because I indulged myself more often that I should have, stopped exercising, and over time the pounds just piled on...that is a fact of life."

In the end, the answer was simple.  The 30-40 extra pounds that I am carrying around are hurting me, and taking a toll on my own self confidence even if I try to hide that fact from those around me.  I was and am where I am at because I allowed myself to be there, even if I have some good excuses to fall back on.  Lastly, as my sponsor (who had herself lost 130 pounds), the choice was pretty simple.

Chocolate or Vanilla...for the record, I chose two of each for my first order as a brand new Isagenix Associate.