What's on your bucket list...?

I'm not one for cliches, getting caught up in the latest thing, or generally going with societal crazes. I still proudly haven't seen the movie, "Titanic" and sorrow the day I let my husband get me to watch, "Forrest Gump." I don't own an Apple anything (except for a click-wheel iPod that was a gift). I'm a little bit bohemian-hippie and a whole lot conventional wisdom rebel/skeptic.

Having said that, I love the concept of "bucket lists" (even though I haven't seen the movie, yet...). :)  As soon as someone comes up with better terminology, I'll use it. But this is the one that is probably going to stick.

Bucket lists are good for your mental health. Just making them can give you a fresh perspective on living life to the fullest. They can give you a renewed hope in the joy of pursuing everything that mortality can offer a human being. Recently, a dear friend's dear mother passed away from battling cancer and every ailment that goes along with that battle. However, her super-good attitude and her determination to NOT stop living life to the fullest undoubtedly eased her final mortal journey. That wonderful attitude allowed her just one more trip with her kids to visit places overseas. While we don't want to go around burdened with the sorrow of feeling today was your countdown to the "end," hopefully  knowing that it is inevitable inspires you to truly LIVE and not just get through the day. Make your list!

Accomplishing your bucket list is good for your general well-being. I have yet to meet someone whose bucket list includes "play more video games," or "spend less time with my kids." When the end is near, will you wish that you'd spent more time in the office, making more money? Or will it be memory and experience that will guide your regrets? It might be akin to my skeptical nature, but I just despise regrets and when I live my life by design rather than by default, I free myself from those deathbed disappointments. Start doing your list!


What's on my bucket list? Glad you asked. I was re-inspired on this particular topic because of my stack of Dr. Oz DVR's. Penn and Teller made an appearance to help debunk medical myths. They addressed the myth that losing your memory was inevitable as you age (one of my fears, actually). One of the single-best ways to improve your brain capacity was to learn to juggle. Hello bucket list! I have ALWAYS wanted to learn to juggle. In 30 seconds Penn had me juggling two objects (I only had a bottle of Rx meds and my SD card holder on hand). I'm ecstatic and can't wait to improve my skills this summer.

So - go make your bucket list and live life by design...not by default!

Start Spreading The NEWS!...

Last weekend was GTC - the annual meeting for Arbonne in Las Vegas, NV. I wasn't able to go this year and felt it keenly. And what a year to miss! As always, they used the meeting as a platform to launch new products, but these were the two biggies in my oh-so-humble opinion:


1. NEW SKIN CARE LINE:
You already know that Arbonne has an amazing skin care line. If you didn't, let me fill you in. They have  GREAT skin care lines. We demo the RE9 line (anti-aging). But they also have great lines for those riddled with acne, younger skin, and now... Sensitive skin! To me, and people like me, this is HUGE.

Calm Skin Care Set - Click here for more info

I always new that I had sensitive skin. Why not? I have the perfect genetics for it. A nice northern-Euro + Ashkenazic blend. I freckle like crazy when out in the sun, never tan - only burn, and my hair will turn coppery with consistent sun exposure. When I developed asthma after a nasty bout of pneumonia, I got tested for allergies. I'm literally allergic to everything on the allergy test except horse dander. That really doesn't give me a lot of options when it comes to skin care.

I tried EVERYTHING. In my poor college years, I used the apricot scrubs from the local discount store. Sure, in the shower I had baby-smooth skin, but by the time I was out the door I looked like a swarthy sailor with a beet-red face from the resulting inflammation. Eventually I sucked it up and decided that I couldn't go cheap if I wanted to go "pretty." But even department store lines and other network-marketed lines ended up filling up my bathroom cabinet without offering me any relief.

That's when a friend (and future sponsor) introduced me to RE9 - and for the first time the redness almost completely disappeared. My skin felt healthy and no longer riddled with itchy, icky flakiness. Over time my pores were noticeably reduced and even my husband commented that it was "really working" because HE noticed fewer blackheads.

I still have rosy cheeks, but no longer look like a cherry tomato. And I kick myself because another "hat" I wear is professional photographer - and I didn't chronicle this journey. I won't be making this same mistake with this line. I'm excited to see if the new CALM line will take my skin to the next level of well-being. It's even really nicely priced for the budget conscious - of course I would love to talk to you about getting it at a 35% discount like I do! ;)




2. GROUNDBREAKING VITAMIN SPRAY:
Check this out. An easy way of getting your vitamins. Hopefully by now you know that Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic in a society that spends most of its time indoors. Doctor Oz is always talking about it. It is leading to younger and younger cases of osteoporosis (just ask my 34-year-old friend who broke her hip and found out she had it). But Vitamin D deficiency isn't only about brittle bones. It affects your hormones, depression, and many other systems in your body.

This unique spray delivers efficacious levels of essential vitamins B12 and D to support energy, immunity, calcium absorption and more with a tasty Tropical Splash flavor. Formulated to help counter vitamin D deficiencies that may come from simple actions such as an inadequate diet, wearing sunscreen regularly or not getting enough sunlight, and vitamin B12 deficiencies that may come from maintaining a vegetarian diet.

The problem is, to supplement (if we're not going to increase our sun exposure), is that stomach acid can render our supplements less-effective. Believe me, I take them anyway. I will get some benefit, even if it means consuming higher levels to start with. However, this spray will change not only how we administer our vitamins, but also its effectiveness in getting directly into our blood stream.

Arbonne owns the patent on this technology, and this is only the beginning. There is discussion on what will be offered next. Magnesium? (Also epidemically deficient in our society). A complete multi? I don't know - but I'm super excited about what they've got so far!

The Best Breakfast in the World...

When I embarked on this detox journey, I was a little concerned. For six weeks, no grains, no fruit (except berries and bananas), no starchy veggies, no dairy and very limited red meats. What's left?

It helped to know this little guide:  on your lunch and dinner plate limit it to 1/4 protein and fill it with at least 3/4 non-starchy vegetables. Good starting point, but seriously - what else was I going to do.

Thankfully, there was a companion cookbook and I'm in LOVE with the following breakfast. Not only that, but he emphasizes the need for a protein powder made from rice, hemp, or peas. Have I mentioned, lately, that Arbonne's protein powder is from rice, peas and cranberries. But for those of us who love a good mush for breakfast (grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat), this is a LIFESAVER. Or thin it down for a superb shake and a great way to start the day.

I found that the "full recipe" was way more than I could eat. Below is my pared down version.

In a coffee grinder or other blender:
1 TBSP Flaxseeds
1 TBSP Sesame Seeds
1 TBSP Sunflower Seeds
1 TBSP Pumpkin Seeds

Be careful not to get it more than "sand" consistency as it will quickly turn to butter right after this point.

Add to the blender mix:
3 Walnuts
5 Almonds
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 TBSP Cacao powder (or an extra dark cocoa powder)
1 TBSP Arbonne Vanilla Protein Powder


Blend. Add 1/2 cup Almond Milk or Coconut Milk. Add one of the following: 8 strawberries, 1 banana and/or 1/2 cup blueberries or cherries. As an added boost, add a TBSP coconut oil. Blend some more. Detox or not, I'm never giving this up! Even my kids LOVE it and it's a really quick and easy fix for busy mornings. Sadly it's not a make-ahead mix.

To your good health!

Time & Money...

Mathematically speaking, if "Time is Money" we could say that Time = Money and change the name of this post to either 'Time & Time' or 'Money & Money.' Either works.

Yep - I know that this is not Wednesday, but yesterday I had the pleasure of a root canal. Since I have been resolved to be more frugal, I decided to have this procedure done at the dental school. The exchange? Four loooong visits instead of 2 shorter ones, but for $500 (before insurance) instead of $1800. And that is what life really is, right? A host of exchanges that we make along the time and money spectrum.

We are bombarded by messages every day that claim to be on the lookout for our health and well-being, and while many want to do better, we are sometimes deterred from doing the right thing in favor of cheaper or less time-consuming activities that aren't good for us; let alone those bad habits that are a time and money waster.

Take smoking for example. Hopefully by now everyone knows that there is nothing redeemable about that addiction. It's a time hog because with nation-wide designated areas for smoking, you must stop what you are doing to go enjoy a drag. It's costly both in the moment you buy them and the long-term effects on your health. It's as viable a solution for appetite suppression as the tapeworm was.

At my last job, smokers were allowed to take two 15-minute smoke breaks per day, then a half hour lunch (non-smokers had the option of an hour lunch instead). Most in our office used part of lunch as their third smoke break for the day. Assuming they ONLY took three smoke breaks per work day, that adds up to 195 hours that you could have been doing or enjoying something else (3 x 15min x 5 days x 52 weeks/60 min). And let's be honest. The average smoker smokes one pack per day. 20 cigarettes. The average time to smoke is just 5 minutes. That equals 608+ hours (or 25+ days) that you could have been doing something more productive, healthier, or more soul-satisfying. What would you do if you had an extra month each year?

Even though most of us reading this blog are probably not smokers, the concept about time and money exchanging still applies. Let's start adding up other "bad habits" in time and money. How much TV do you watch (the national average is between 4-6 hours). How about soda drunk? I knew of a family of five that visited the local filling station at least twice a day for a 32-oz soda that cost $1.49 in the soda alone (not to mention the gas and time spent getting there). Just in upfront costs they were spending about $3,874 per year (a conservative estimate at five days per week) to drink something that has zero health benefit - and in fact is proving to be detrimental to your health. 

So, before you think you don't have enough time or money to make some much needed changes in your life, consider the following quotes from Dr. Mark Hyman, MD:

"...ask yourself if your time and money are best spent as you are spending them now. Think of money as your life energy. It represents your time in a monetary way. How do you want to spend this life energy? Do you want to spend more of it creating health and vitality? We are so overworked, overstressed, and overtaxed. Even so, there are ways of making choices that give us more resources."

What do you want your life to be in five years? If you keep doing what you are doing, will you reach your goals and achieve your dreams?

You may be right... I may be crazy...

I've decided that in order to make it in this world, you need to be a little bit crazy. I don't mean in the "Bates Motel" sense, but more of the "with everything that can go wrong, I am still gonna smile" sense. By nature I'm a happy person. But, I'm not naturally satisfied with things as they are. I don't like to be bored. I find everything interesting (which is why I like to dabble) and I find beauty in the strangest of places. I love art.

But there is one place in my life that I have so much trouble with that learning to smile anyway with regards to it is something I've only begun to do in the more recent past. It's my body.

I'm not talking massive bouts of self-loathing at all, but I'm definitely not satisfied. I never have been. I was a ballet dancer from ages 4-18. Believe me when I say that the 35-year-old me has wanted a time machine many times to go back and slap the 120-lb 18-year-old me a few times for not being satisfied then.

It's not just a weight issue. It's my issues with not ever losing a pound - even when I was on the UNL cycling team. Not a dang-blasted pound. I started the season at 165 and ended at 165. And was 4th fastest adult female in the state of Nebraska in 2002. I was hot. And the scale didn't budge.

What I'm really not satisfied with are a lifelong battle with mysteriously dropping blood sugars. Normally low blood pressure (90/48) - causing me to get woozy and blackout if I stand up too fast. Heart flutters. Fatigue. Have I mentioned infertility? Who knows what else? And I've had more inconclusive medical tests than I care to remember I paid for...

If willpower were all it took to lose weight or be active, I'd be the most amazing superwoman EVER. So, because of all of this, I have been on a never-ending quest to understand my physical body. Enter "The Blood Sugar Solution." I know I have talked about this before, but here's this week's wisdom that I have to pass on to you, today:

Revelation #1: PROCESSED FOOD IS ADDICTIVE. And I don't want anything to control me. Especially anything as insignificant as a candy bar.

And that brings me full circle to my insanity. I took all of the quizzes (I'll post one of them below) and found that not surprisingly I was lacking in several areas of nutrition. I'm on a journey to get all reset and become balanced physically. Monday (yes, the day after Easter), I began my detox journey. Things got a little bumpy as I approached the 4pm hour. I pushed through (and picked a really rotten time to consolidate the kids' candy while going sugar- and flour-free!). Tuesday was worse. If I was blogging about this yesterday, I would not be so full of smiles as I am, now.

Revelation #2: I HAVE SOME REALLY BAD HABITS. But that is changing this week as I am becoming aware of them by detoxing my addiction to sugar.

Today, by comparison, has been remarkably easy. THANK GOODNESS! I don't think I could have handled another day like yesterday. What helped get through? All of that willpower I have? Ummmm... maybe a little - but it was more accurately 'determination.' The biggest difference was all of Arbonne's sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan certified, naturally-energy-boosting helpers. Protein powders to ensure proper nutrition. Fizz sticks for a vitamin-filled energy boost (without the crash you get from sugar & caffeine). Fit chews to get over the need to binge. And a nice, relaxing tea to help in my efforts to detox and remove my addiction to sugar. So, as day 3 comes to a close, I am very happy to report that, unlike yesterday, I am all smiles, again. :)

To your health! A shout-out to protein...

I am always looking for truth and knowledge in whatever activity I am pursuing. It doesn’t matter if it is to boost my photography skills, how to take care of my little farm, how to raise my kids, or even in matters of faith. I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding.  I might be the world’s biggest skeptic, but I will put claims to the test and do my own leg work to find out what is real.

When I was approached about Arbonne a few years ago, I heard all of the claims that you hear about mineral oil (found a LOT of interesting concerns about its use on PubMed), about it being “Pure. Safe. & Beneficial,” and the benefits of its vegan nature. The vegan issue was a concern for me because I’m not against eating meat – I know it has its place on our table, but I also believe that it doesn’t need to be the main source of protein for every meal, but that it should be eaten “sparingly.” So – where is the balance?

If you know me at all, you know I love Dr. Oz. And – you know that I love Arbonne’s products more and more all of the time. Before I became involved with Arbonne I was looking into a Naturopathy program. So, the marriage of my desire to help people feel well and do so naturally was a perfect marriage for me and Arbonne.

But I digress. A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Oz had a guest physician who discussed the epidemics of obesity and diabetes in this country. He coined the term “diabesity.” The next day, his book “The Blood Sugar Solution” and its companion cookbook went on sale for Kindle for $2.99 on Amazon.  I hesitated, then got it knowing that I’ve been on a lifelong pursuit to lose weight and get my systems under control. Who knows? Each step might be the right step to answers.

I was so excited when I read that the good doctor recommended a vegan protein shake for breakfast that derived its protein from either peas, rice, or hemp. Arbonne’s vegan protein powder is made from peas, rice and cranberries. I wonder if there is a connection between cranberries and hemp? I haven’t researched that, but when I do, you will know!

As a small shout out to my Jewish brothers (this week is Passover), one of the topics covered on yesterday’s Dr. Oz program was “biblical dieting” and the health benefits of that. In the bible it was a regular practice to give away 10% of your meal. Not only would you be helping the poor, but certainly we all know that we’d be in better health if you reduced your portion sizes. There is emerging research that indicates that by eating 10% fewer calories, you will live 10% longer and healthier. It appears that once again ancient wisdom lives on.

The Arbonne protein powder meets all of these criteria: low-calorie, nutrient and protein rich (20g!), and delicious. Definitely worth a good look if you want to get healthy and energized!

Live well!

PS: I LOVE the vanilla best for its flavor if I'm drinking it alone, or for its versatility when I jazz it up with celery, bananas, spinach, lettuce, and/or berries and apples. Mmmm! 

A personal journey...

My journey into Arbonne is a very personal one. None of us are the product of a single experience, but our experiences work like a web, intertwining to create the person we are today. If we let it, our "web" is made stronger if we embrace the journey and learn from every moment. In psychology we might refer to these episodes as "push/pull" factors; the things that compel us in the direction we move today.

A few of my moments revolve around a number of these factors. As an Arbonne customer, my first three introductions came from what I call my "medical mystery tour." I'm hardly debilitated - and don't consider myself "sickly" at all. I just have various quirks that I live with, but that occasionally I realize aren't the same thing everyone else experiences. Among these are infertility.

Arbonne's Prolief Hormone Balancing Cream

Like many folks, I found my biological clock ticking away as I approached 30. It was just a number as far as I was concerned, but when it came to making babies, I was learning that all of those claims that it only "takes one time" was vastly untrue. It was devastating. Add to that a failing cocktail of meds guaranteed to produce sextuplets and I was one frustrated chica.

That is when my first contact suggested a hormone balancing cream made by some company that claimed to be properly formulated and better than the rest. I was skeptical, but after downing the meds for nearly 18 months, I was willing to give it a go. But seriously, this stuff was a lotion? How was that possibly going to work?

Two months later I was pregnant with my first. Fast forward 2 years when I was again frustrated from downing the fertility meds with no results (except a couple of miscarriages). It was at this point that I remembered I had a partially used bottle of Prolief cream in the back of the bathroom closet. One month later, I was ecstatically heading into morning sickness.



Is Arbonne the answer to everything in life? No. God is. But Arbonne has been a big blessing in our lives in many ways along the way. It is the only thing that has gotten my skin under control (no more red-face, blemished, scaliness). It has so many wonderful dietary aids that is improving the relationship I have with food. And it has proven to be the income it has promised to be. I have done other network marketing businesses, but this one has fit for me.

BTW, Prolief is not a pregnancy enhancer (don't be worried) but is for balancing your hormones so that they are in the right balance. I have had great success at reducing uterine fibroids and avoiding surgery as a result.