Grandma Causey!

I am still using Physique and Performance with all of my training. . . . → Read More: Another Sports Nutrition Success Story as promised]]> This is the promised email and photo from the 26 year old son of Connie McFarren, a wonderful first level of mine. I have known Brandon since he was born and he has been a faithful consumer of Shaklee nutrition his whole young life.

Grandma Causey!

I am still using Physique and Performance with all of my training. I just competed in Ironman Florida this past November in Panama City. Ironman is a 140.6 mile triathlon ~ 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile (marathon) run. I trained all year for this event and it went off without a hitch. I completed the race in 11:58:07. My goal was 12 hours – so I finished right under my goal. Physique and Performance were KEY to my regimen. I used Performance out on the course – not only during all of my training, but also during the race itself. I used Physique after my long 5 hour bike rides on Saturday mornings – as well as the “shorter” workouts during the week. Jennifer ( his wife) and I are continuing to use our Vitalizer strips (faithfully) – though she seemed to get through her last batch faster than I did .

Love, Brandon

PS: In an older email I just found this note:. “I can certainly provide a testimonial from when I took Physique in high school during football season. I used it every morning after our weightlifting class and loved it.” Gotta love that young man!!! Linda

Dean Smith set new US and World records at the World Indoor Rowing Championship, hosted by the CRASH-B Sprints that took place on February 17, 2013 at the Agganis Arena in Boston. Over 2,200 athletes raced from more than a dozen countries, with competitors ranging in age from . . . → Read More: WOW!! SPORTS NUTRITION PHENOMENOM!!]]> Dean Smith Rows to new World and American Record

Dean Smith set new US and World records at the World Indoor Rowing Championship, hosted by the CRASH-B Sprints that took place on February 17, 2013 at the Agganis Arena in Boston. Over 2,200 athletes raced from more than a dozen countries, with competitors ranging in age from 14 to 95. Dean’s world record time in the 2000 meter row was 8:10.5. Just Google Dean Smith Rowing to see how he has been keeping active.

Dean, a former world- class runner is used to being on the winner’s podium. Previously in Masters Track & Field he won World championship gold medals in Hanover, Germany and Gothenburg, Sweden for the 800 meter run, as well as several national championships. Bad knees brought an end to Dean’s running a few years ago, so he was delighted to find a new sport in which to compete. He joined the Rocky Mountain Rowing Club when he moved to Lone Tree, Colorado seven years ago. Since then he has won NINE World Championships in sculls on the water in Zagreb, Croatia, Vienna, Austria, Birmingham, England and Vilnius, Lithuania.

Dean is a young 86.

He attributes his edge for success to using Shaklee Sports Products.

Based on AREDS 2 Study, What does Dr. Chaney recommend for Macular Degeneration prevention?

Quoted from Dr. Chaney by Debbie Garrison February 2, 2011

“Dr. Chaney is a Professor Bio-Chemistry and Nutrition at UNC Medical School —he is also a cancer researcher.

“Now you see it, now you don’t.

Most supplement companies are reluctant . . . → Read More: Macular Degeneration, Dr. Steve Chaney & AREDS 2 Study]]> AREDS = Age Related Eye Disease Study

Based on AREDS 2 Study, What does Dr. Chaney recommend for Macular Degeneration prevention?

Quoted from Dr. Chaney by Debbie Garrison February 2, 2011

“Dr. Chaney is a Professor Bio-Chemistry and Nutrition at UNC Medical School —he is also a cancer researcher.

“Now you see it, now you don’t.

Most supplement companies are reluctant to abandon a well-established brand – even when they have something better to sell.

On a recent visit to our optometrist he alerted us to a perfect example of that in the area of eye health.

But, first a bit of background.

Many of you have probably heard of AREDS (Age Related Eye Disease Study) conducted by the National Eye Institute. That study showed that high doses of the antioxidants vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E and the mineral zinc significantly decreased the risk of macular degeneration in high risk patients.

Very shortly after the study was completed several companies started marketing vitamin supplements based on the amounts of those nutrients used in the AREDS study.

However, by the time that study was published there were already several other published studies showing that lutein and zeaxanthin were a better choice than beta-carotene and that omega-3 fatty acids also significantly reduced the risk of macular degeneration. In addition, many experts felt that the amount of zinc used in the original AREDS formulation was too high.

So the National Eye Institute immediately started an AREDS 2 study with the revised formulation and most of the manufacturers of AREDS supplements started marketing AREDS 2 supplements.

Our optometrist told us people interested in reducing the risk of macular degeneration really should be using the AREDS 2 supplements rather than the AREDS formulations offered by the same companies.

• Since he knew that we used Shaklee products he also asked us whether it was possible to get those nutrients in the right amount from Shaklee supplements.

Dr. Chaney continues….

So we did some label reading.

1 Vitalizer Strip plus, 1 Vita E Complex, 2 CarotoMax, 2 OmegaGuard and 1 Zinc Complex come very close to the AREDS 2 formulation.

• Linda Dietz’s suggestion: “I would add Vivix to this list and Energizing Soy Protein because I have worked with so many folks who have either reversed or stopped the progression of this growing problem.”

So the bottom line is:

If you are interested in reducing the risk of macular degeneration look for an AREDS 2 formulation —- and Shaklee quality and consistency fits the bill.”

To Your Health ! Dr. Stephen G Chaney

Before VIVIX, these supplements stopped or reversed macular degeneration for numerous Shaklee family members:

• 6 Carotomax a day
• 6 zinc a day
• 1 Energizing Protein Shake a day
• 4 Vita Lea a day
• 4 B-complex a day
• 6 500mg time released C a day

Now that we have VIVIX, these are the supplements that are recommended by Dr. Chaney and the AREDS 2 study as a possible prevention for Macular Degeneration:

• 1 Vitalizer Strip a day
• 1 Vita E a day
• 2 Carotomax a day
• 2 OmegaGuard a day
• 1 zinc a day
• One protein shake or one Meal Bar or two snack bars a day
• 1 tsp of VIVIX a day

Most of my Macular Degeneration customers start just taking VIVIX. Then they have an eye exam. If their eye exam shows that their vision has stayed the same or gotten better, most of my VIVIX customers have added other supplements to their VIVIX and achieved even greater vision gains.

So you might be asking: “Does that mean that healthy foods can make you glad?”

According to one recent study (Br J Health Psychol, Jan 24, 2013, doi:

10.1111/bjhp.12021) the answer may be yes.

A team from the University of Otago in New Zealand enrolled . . . → Read More: Tips From The Professor: An Apple A Day Keeps The Blues Away]]> Last week I shared with you a study suggesting that junk food makes you sad.

So you might be asking: “Does that mean that healthy foods can make you glad?”

According to one recent study (Br J Health Psychol, Jan 24, 2013, doi:

10.1111/bjhp.12021) the answer may be yes.

A team from the University of Otago in New Zealand enrolled 281 young adults (average age = 20) in a study that looked at the effect of diet on their mood. Each day for 21 consecutive days they recorded their mood and what foods they ate using an online questionnaire.

In particular, they reported the number of servings of fresh fruit and vegetables and of several unhealthy foods such as biscuits or cookies, potato chips or French fries and cakes or muffins.

The investigators correlated the foods eaten with the moods reported by the participants on the same day, and again on the day after those foods were eaten. The results were pretty impressive.

On the days when people ate more fruits and vegetables they reported feeling calmer, happier and more energetic than they did on other days (p = .002 – anything less than .05 is considered a statistically significant difference). And the good effects of fruit and vegetable consumption carried over to the next day as well (p < .001).

While I paraphrased the “apple a day” quote to introduce this topic, one apple won’t quite do it.

According to this study it takes about 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables to positively affect mood.

Of course, any good scientist will tell you that correlations do not prove cause and effect. It could be that when people are “down in the dumps” they just naturally reach for junk foods rather than fruits and vegetables.

However, since there is no downside to consuming fruits and vegetables, I feel fully comfortable recommending more fruits and vegetables in our diets.

If their health benefits aren’t enough to motivate you, maybe the possibility of improving your mood will!

There are some things we just can’t control. We can’t do anything about the cold, dark days of winter. And to paraphrase those country songs, we can’t keep our girl and dog from running off. Life happens to all of us.

But, if we want to keep our mood where it should be, we can always reach for those fresh fruits and vegetables.

To Your Health!

Dr. Stephen G Chaney

P.S. Now Available For Immediate Shipping: The “180 Lifestyle Program” – a comprehensive lifestyle change program that you can use to support all of the 180 Turnaround customers that you will be working with as your 180 parties start getting results. Visit http://www.socialmarketingconnection.com to grab this valuable new tools to support your 180 business. While you are there, you can also check out the many benefits that you will receive when you sign up for my VIP program.

Dr. Stephen G Chaney

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

You probably already know that the S.A.D. leads to obesity and a whole host of diseases – including heart disease, cancer and diabetes – just . . . → Read More: Tips From The Professor: Can Foods Make You Blue?]]> The standard American diet (S.A.D.) is high in processed foods, fat (especially saturated and trans fats), refined grains, simple sugars, salt and calories. As I’ve said before, almost anything would be better.

You probably already know that the S.A.D. leads to obesity and a whole host of diseases – including heart disease, cancer and diabetes – just to name a few.

But did you know that the S.A.D. could make you sad?

That statement is based on a study by Akbaralay et al (British Journal of Psychiatry, 195: 408-413, 2009) in which they looked at the dietary patterns and mental health outcomes of 3486 participants in the Whitehall II Prospective Study.

In case you didn’t know it, Whitehall is the central district in London where most of the British government offices are located.

So the 3486 participants in this study were bureaucrats. They were middle aged (average age 55.6 years old) office staff (74% men, 26% women) who spent most of their day sitting and really didn’t like their jobs very much.

(I made up the part about not liking their jobs, but you get the picture.)

At the beginning of the study the participants were given a 127 item food frequency quiz to fill out.

Interestingly enough, the food preferences of the participants in this study clustered neatly into two groups.

The diets of the processed foods groups predominantly consisted of sweetened desserts, chocolates, fried foods, processed meats, refined grains and high fat dairy products.

In contrast, the diets of the whole foods group consisted mostly of vegetables, fruits, fish and whole grains.

Five years later the study participants were analyzed for depression using a

20 item standardized depression scale.

The results were pretty eye-catching. The processed food group was 58% more likely to suffer from depression than the whole food group! And this was after correction for age, gender, weight, marital status, education, employment grade, physical activity, smoking and diseases (high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke).

The reasons for this astounding correlation between diet and depression are not clear.

The authors speculated that the diets of the whole food group were likely higher in antioxidants, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids than the diets of the processed food group – and studies have suggested that each of these nutrients may protect against depression.

The authors also suggested that it might be an indirect effect. Diets that are high in saturated fats and refined grains and low in omega-3 fatty acids increase inflammation, and studies have suggested that inflammation can lead to depression.

The thing for you to remember is that, while we don’t know the exact mechanism, it is pretty clear that a processed food diet can lead to the blues down the road.

And, as the authors pointed out, the processed food diet in this study is pretty close to what most Americans are eating. So it is safe to say that the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) can make you sad!

So keep your spirits up with a healthy diet.

To Your Health!

Dr. Stephen G Chaney

P.S. Now Available For Order: The “180 Lifestyle Program” – comprehensive lifestyle change program that you can use to support all of the 180 Turnaround customers that you will be working with as your 180 parties start getting results. Visit http://www.socialmarketingconnection.com to grab this valuable new tools to support your 180 business. While you are there, you can also check out the many benefits that you will receive when you sign up for my VIP program.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! The past few weeks always seem to be super busy. Now it’s time to get our focus back on our visions and dreams so 2013 can be a terrific year. Thanks to Keith Patterson for sending me the following 5 possible barriers all of us might . . . → Read More: How To Make 2013 A Great Year]]> It’s GrOw Time
Greetings,

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! The past few weeks always seem to be super busy. Now it’s time to get our focus back on our visions and dreams so 2013 can be a terrific year. Thanks to Keith Patterson for sending me the following 5 possible barriers all of us might face during the coming months.

Enthusiastically,

Gary Burke

Why do some people achieve their goals while others fail? I believe it’s because successful people manage to overcome five barriers that, in many cases, guarantee failure. Here are those barriers and how to overcome them:

1. Uninspiring Goals

When most people set goals, they envision a “thing,” such as a particular amount of money, an object (like a new car), or a specific achievement (like writing a book). Unfortunately, these “things I’m gonna get or do” goals don’t appeal to the core of what motivates you, because they miss the point that what you’re actually seeking in life and work is the POSITIVE EMOTIONS that you believe those things will produce.

Fix: Rather than envisioning a “thing” as your goal, envision–with all the strength in your imagination–how you will feel when you achieve the goal. That way, you’ll be inspired to do whatever it takes (within legal and ethical bounds) to achieve that goal.

2. Fear of Failure

If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t take the necessary risks required to achieve your goal. For example, you won’t make that important phone call, because you’re afraid that you’ll be rebuffed. Or you won’t quit your dead-end job and start your own business because you’re afraid that you might end up without any money.

Fix: Decide–right now!–that failure, for you, is a strictly temporary condition. If things don’t go the way you’d like, it’s only a setback that, at most, delays your eventual success. In other words, accept the fact that you’ll sometimes fail, but treat that failure as an unavoidable (yet vital) component in your quest.

3. Fear of Success

In many ways, this fear is even more debilitating than the fear of failure. Suppose you achieved something spectacular, like enormous wealth. What if it didn’t make you happy? What then? What if you ended up losing all of it? What then? Would your friends start acting weird? Would your family be envious? Such thoughts (and they’re common) can cause even a highly motivated person to self-sabotage.

FIX: Decide that you’re going to be happy and grateful today and happy and grateful in the future, no matter what happens. Rather than focus on possible problems, envision how wonderful it would be to be able to help your friends and family achieve THEIR goals.

4. An Unrealistic Timetable

Most people vastly overestimate what they can do in a week and vastly underestimate what they can do in a year. Because of this, most people try to cram too many action items into the short term rather than spacing out activities over the long term. The inability to get all the short-term steps accomplished creates discouragement and the impression that the final goal is slipping away.

Fix: As you list the activities and steps required to achieve a goal, schedule only the 20% of the activities that will produce 80% of your results. Beyond that, set ambitious long-term timetables, but always leave some “wiggle room” when you plan short term.

5. Worrying About “Dry Spots”

It’s easy to get discouraged when you reach a point at which nothing you do seems to advance you toward your goal. For example, suppose you’re trying to master a certain skill. You make swift progress at first but then, after a while, it seems as if you’re not doing any better, or maybe a little worse. Some people use these “plateaus” or “dry spots” as an excuse to give up and therefore fail.

Fix: Whenever you reach a plateau or dry spot, it’s time to celebrate rather than give up. A plateau is almost always a sign that you’re on the brink of a major breakthrough, if you just have the patience to stick with it and trust that you’ll eventually achieve your goal.

B Vitamins, Dementia & Alzheimers

Dr. Chaney is an active cancer researcher and Professor of Bio-Chemistry

and Nutrition at UNC Medical Schoool.

“As we age there is perhaps nothing more frightening than the thought of losing our mind.

We can cope with lots of physical infirmities, but it is our memories and our cognition that make us who we are.

So . . . → Read More: Dr. Steve Chaney, Alzheimers, Dementia and B Vitamins]]> Dr. Steve Chaney

B Vitamins, Dementia & Alzheimers

Dr. Chaney is an active cancer researcher and Professor of Bio-Chemistry

and Nutrition at UNC Medical Schoool.

“As we age there is perhaps nothing more frightening
than the thought of losing our mind.

We can cope with lots of physical infirmities, but it is
our memories and our cognition that make us who we are.

So what can we do to keep our mind in tip top shape as we age?

I’m going to start by talking about the importance of one B vitamin,
folic acid, in maintaining our mental acuity as we age.

But, good health is seldom determined by one nutrient
alone, so I’m going to end this discussion by
describing a holistic approach for reducing the risk of
cognitive decline and dementia.

Two recent articles have emphasized the importance of
folic acid in preventing cognitive decline.

The first was a cross-sectional study of folate status
and cognitive function in 1,033 non-demented older
patients, ages 60-90 (de Lau et al, Am. J. Clin. Nutr.,
86: 728-734, 2007). The researchers measured blood
levels of folic acid and did extensive cognitive tests
on the subjects.

The results were fairly clear-cut. Those people with
the highest levels of folic acid were the least likely
to suffer from loss of cognitive function or
psychomotor speed (reaction time).

But, cross-sectional studies are not the gold-standard
placebo controlled clinical trial, which is why the
second study is so important.

In this study, 818 middle aged subjects (ages 55-70)
with normal vitamin B12 levels (the importance of this
will become apparent in a minute) were given either 800
ug of folic acid or a placebo daily and followed for 3
years (Durga et al, Lancet, 369: 208-216, 2007).

At the end of 3 years, the subjects receiving the folic
acid supplement did significantly better than the
placebo group on several measures of cognitive
function.

So you might be thinking that you should rush right out
and buy a folic acid supplement.

Not so fast. You need to hear the rest of the story.

Vitamin B12 is also essential for cognitive function,
and, with consumption of red meat declining, many older
Americans are becoming deficient in B12.

B12 deficiency has two symptoms:

The first to appear is anemia. It is what usually
brings the patient to their doctors office, and at this
stage the B12 deficiency is easily reversible.

However, if the B12 deficiency is left untreated, the
patient will eventually develop dementia that is not
reversible.

The problem is that folate supplementation can mask the
early, easily reversible, symptoms of B12 deficiency.

So that brings us to the third clinical study (Morris
et al, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 85: 193-200, 2007).

This study was a cross-sectional study looking at
vitamin B12 status, folic acid status and cognitive
function.

When they looked at those subjects in the study with
low vitamin B12 status, the ones who also had high blood
folate levels actually faired poorer on cognitive tests
than those with low blood folate levels.

So now you’re probably thinking that you should rush
out and buy a B complex supplement providing both folic
acid and vitamin B12.

Wrong again!

Some older Americans develop an inability to produce
something called intrinsic factor that is required for
the rapid absorption of vitamin B12 in the intestine.
Those people cannot get enough vitamin B12 from their
food, and for them a standard vitamin B12 supplement is
of little use.

Knowing this, you might now feel that there is no
effective way to make absolutely sure that you are
getting enough B vitamins to reduce the risk of
cognitive decline.

But, you’d be wrong again.

There is a second, intrinsic factor-independent pathway
for absorbing vitamin B12 that is present throughout
the entire length of the digestive tract.

So what you want to look for is a sustained release B
complex that releases its B12 a little bit at a time
throughout the digestive tract.

And since not all companies make their supplements
according to pharmaceutical standards, you would want
to make sure that this sustained release B complex had
been shown in a clinical trial to deliver at least as
much B12 to the blood stream as an immediate release B
complex in individuals with normal levels of intrinsic
factor.

Finally, now that you know what to look for in a B
complex supplement, let me remind you that mental
acuity is not just dependent on two B vitamins.

Recent studies have shown that diets rich in omega-3
fatty acids and antioxidants, maintaining ideal body
weight and exercising regularly all help us to keep our
brains functioning as they should as we age.

A holistic approach to health is always best.

To Your Health!

Dr. Stephen G Chantey

P.S. The Sustained Release B + C in Shaklee’s Vitalizer

continuously releases small amounts of the B vitamins

and Vitamin C during the 12 hours that it takes to pass

through the small intestine.

Clinical studies have shown that his results in up to a

200% increase in blood levels of some B Vitamins and

that blood levels of Vitamin B12 are equal to or greater

than the same amount of B12 in the immediate release

B-Complex Supplement.

.