All posts by betsyjbell

Hi Energy Grandma lives in Seattle, WA; Loves to write, hike, walk, garden and spend time with 15 grandchildren and their parents. Because of my Shaklee products and a healthy eating life style, I have excellent health at age 75. Because of my Shaklee business, I have the money I need to take trips to all the corners of the earth, spend my time as I wish.
Be Well health tips

Product news from Shaklee Corp.

Dear Ones,

The Global Pandemic has given rise to changes in Shaklee’s inventory, ingredient sourcing, and the demand of Shaklee’s health giving products. Many of you have noticed the delay in shipping your favorite supplements, cleaning and disinfectant products. The company is doing the best they can as customer service people work from home and the shipping headquarters in Ohio practices social distancing to keep the employees safe.

I just received a lengthy update from the company about product availability and formulas changes. I pass these on to you so you can know everything I know.

Don’t worry, I continue to troubleshoot product supplies as I am able and any other challenges you may have. I have included most of the corporate email. Read on if you are interested. Leave it to me if not.

Shaklee 180® Meal and Snack Bar Improvements
Customers may notice an improvement in our Shaklee 180® Meal and Snack Bars. A slight change in formulation – changing the fiber source to non-GMO soluble corn fiber – results in a moister, softer texture and mouth feel. Snack and Meal Bar fans will love the difference!
Slight Difference in Appearance for Sustained Release Vita-C® #20095
A change in tableting equipment has created a very slight change in appearance for Sustained Release Vita-C®, which [you] may notice. The tablet is slightly thicker and may also appear lighter in color. There is otherwise no change in this flagship formulation, remarkable for being the first plant-based sustained release delivery system for vitamin C.

Shipping Limitations for Get Clean® Hand Sanitizer
Please be aware that hand sanitizers are in a class of product that requires special shipping considerations, and the Shaklee Get Clean® Hand Sanitizer is subject to these considerations as well.

When placing an order for yourself…, please keep these parameters in mind:

  • Order must be shipped FedEx Ground (i.e., no 1- or 2-day expedited shipping options);
  • Must be shipped to a physical address (no P.O. Boxes);
  • Carrier may ask for signature on delivery.
  • May only be shipped within the contiguous 48 states.


These parameters are shown on the product page for the Get Clean Hand Sanitizer and will also be programmed into the ordering system. In the meantime, we will notify any customer whose order needs to be modified via email.

Thanks for your attention. We realize these parameters may present an inconvenience, but we know you will understand that these are regulatory considerations not within our control.

Shaklee Vita-D3® Enhancement: Vitamin D plays a major role in supporting bone health, cardiovascular and immune health and is vital for overall well-being. The challenge is that most people in the U.S. still don’t get enough Vitamin D from their diets and sun exposure to support optimal blood levels.*

To address this even more effectively, Shaklee has doubled the level of Vitamin D in Vita-D3 from 1,000 IU (25 mcg) per tablet to 2,000 IU (50 mcg) per tablet. The new formulation is available with item code #21364, and at only $.03 additional cents per serving is an incredible value.

Shaklee Vita-D3 #21364 – SRP $11.75 | MP $10.00 | PV 6.00.

The original Vita-D3 product (#21214) is now permanently discontinued. We have sent emails to alert those who had original Vita-D3 on AutoShip to ensure they replace the existing item with the new one, and that they are aware of the enhancements.

* Based on review of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Enfuselle® Product Update
Since the launch of our YOUTH® Anti-Aging and Hydrating Skin Care regimens and treatment products, we’ve closely monitored the impact on sales of remaining products in the Enfuselle line.  It is to be expected that many of our previous Enfuselle customers would make the choice to shift their loyalty to the newer line over time, and that trend is manifesting in decreased sales for some of the products in the previous line. 

As a result, we have decided to phase out and discontinue a few products that are no longer selling strongly enough to support another minimum order production. 

Enfuselle Calming Complex #32558 – An extremely slow seller, this product will reach expiration well before we have been able to sell through significant existing inventory.  Stop sell April 2021 / Expires October 2021. 
Replacement Product:  YOUTH Moisture Activating Serum #32583

  • New & Improved Formulations for ProSanté Hair Products
    We’re excited to let you know about enhancements to two of our ProSanté hair care formulations. A reformulation of our shampoo and conditioner leverages advances in hair care technology and wholesome botanicals to cleanse and nourish hair.

     

    The new formulas have been fully tested by several Leaders in the Field and are now ready for you and your customers to enjoy.

    Here’s what members of our Field test group had to say about the enhanced formulations for these two products:

    “I tried the new products and I loved the consistency, the smell, and the way they lathered and worked in my hair. I get lots of compliments on my hair health, including from my hair stylist. These new products provided great moisture, shine and revitalization. Because they come from Shaklee, I know they’re the best for my scalp and for the overall health of my hair.” ~ Michele Lyon

    “I couldn’t believe how little I used and how long it lasted. I liked the fresh, clean scent. I have very fine hair, so most shampoos are too heavy. I found my hair easy to manage.” ~ Lynn Benevento

    “I loved the new scent. My hair is curly, coarse, and often dry—these products made my hair feel soft and healthy with no buildup.” ~ Harper Guerra

    Available starting February 2020:
    ProSanté Revitalizing Shampoo #31690

    • pH balanced; safe for use on all hair types
    • Gentle
    • Moisturizes dry hair
    • Formulated with humectants and a vegetable derived protein for a smoother hair cuticle, better behavior and control
    • Features a cleansing system of naturally derived cleansing agents – No DEA, SLS, or SLES

      Available now:
      ProSanté Replenishing Conditioner #31644

    • Provides intense shine and softness
    • Moisturizes dry hair
    • Nourishes and strengthens

 

  • Get Clean® and Household Product Ingredients Information
    Starting January 1, 2020, we will be adding an “Ingredient Glossary,” a listing of ingredients, for each of our Shaklee Get Clean and Household products, to each of their online product pages in the Shaklee.com web site.

     

    We’re doing this as a result of a California law that goes into effect in January, which requires that the ingredients for all cleaning products be displayed online. The law applies to all household cleaners, not just ours, obviously, and it applies ONLY to places where the household product appears online. While the law doesn’t currently apply in other states, eventually other states will adopt similar statutes and we think it’s a good idea.

    Nothing changes with respect to the physical product label that you .. receive. No change to the label.

    To learn more about the addition of the Ingredient Glossary to the product pages for Get Clean and household products, we’ve prepared an informational slide deck.

    Click to download.

    The deck provides background and examples of the location where the Ingredient Glossary will be posted in the product pages, what will be included and how it will look. If you have any questions, please give Shaklee Product Support a call at 925-734-3638, or email us at medicalaffairs@shaklee.com.

  • New FDA Label Requirements for 2020
    The FDA has announced new RDIs/RDAs which go into effect on January 1, 2020. These regulatory requirements necessitate changes in many of our labels and Shaklee products will begin to reflect them, a few at a time, starting this month.

      Here is a brief summary of the changes you will begin to see:

    • FDA requires that all products manufactured after January 1, 2020 have labels that reflect updated RDI (RDA).
    • The agency is also requiring other changes that affect both Nutrition and Supplement Facts boxes.
    • These RDI/RDA changes mean the % Daily Value (%DV) in the Supplement or Nutrition Facts box on labels also changes.
    • Shaklee R&D and Health Sciences took this opportunity to enhance formulations for a few Shaklee products, including Vita-Lea®, Vitalizer™, Life-Strip®, OsteoMatrix® and Chewable Cal Mag Plus.

      Here are some helpful resources to walk you through the changes that your customers may notice:

    • Watch this brief but informative video (about 15 minutes long). This video is available in Shaklee.tv, in the Shaklee Science channel so you can also share it with anyone in your group.
    • A slide deck detailing the changes can be downloaded here. You can also download it directly at the end of the video listed above.
    • Contact Product Support at 1-925-734-3638, Monday thru Friday, 9-5 Pacific Time or by emailing medicalaffairs@shaklee.com.
  • Shaklee Get Clean® and Classic Basic-H® Improvements
    Shaklee R&D has recently found ways to improve performance for several of our Healthy Home products, while maintaining our promise to provide a full line of non-toxic cleaning choices that are Safe for You, Your Home, and Your Planet®.

    Here are some innovations you and your customers may notice:

    Here are some innovations you and your customers may notice: 
  • Fresh Laundry Concentrate (Liquid) – Regular & Fragrance Free – An improvement to the formula makes Fresh Laundry more effective on soils and stains.  A less viscous, thinner consistency allows the product to disperse quickly in water.  The same formula improvements have been made to Fresh Laundry Concentrate (Powder), without any change in texture or appearance.
  • Soft Fabric Concentrate – Better together!  The Soft Fabric Concentrate scent has been updated to match the scent in Fresh Laundry Concentrate. 
  • Scour Off™ – A new, updated formula uses beeswax to replace some of the oil, preventing product separation and providing a better user experience.
  • Hand Dish Wash – The color is a slightly deeper yellow due to a minor formulation change as part of our ongoing effort to provide the latest in eco-friendly ingredients.
  • Classic Basic-H – Clearly better! Our signature non-toxic cleaner available in 5- and 30-gallon containers, now without the blue colorant and the preservative has been changed to reflect the latest in eco-friendly ingredients.
  • Germ Off Wipes – Coming next year, Germ Off Wipes will be Germ Off+ Wipes. Updated with a new sanitizing agent that provides microbial efficacy and shorter kill times, with no rinse required on food surfaces, making it more convenient.
  • Basic-G® – Coming next year, Basic-G will become Basic-G+! [ Basic-G® Germicide #00525 – Most backorders being filled now with our first shipment of Basic-G+™ #00527.  Additional supply is expected next week which will fill all remaining backorders, and then this item will be available to order. 
  • Basic-G® Germicide Spray Bottle #50531 – Current supply is now the version with printed instructions for Basic-G+™.  Updated with a new sanitizing agent that provides microbial efficacy and shorter kill times.  The new formula is also effective against some of the most relevant pathogens today, such as norovirus.
  • No visible difference, but minor formula improvements using the latest in eco-friendly ingredients have also been made to the following:
  • Basic H2®/Basic H2® Wipes
  • Hand Wash Concentrate

Stay safe by wearing your mask and avoiding groups of over 5 people, keeping 6 feet apart.

Be well, Do well, and Keep Moving!

Betsy

betsy@hihohealth

www.fb.com/betsybellshealth4u Thursday at 8:30 PT life health tips

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Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Sooth chapped hands

Hand sanitizer that moisturizes
Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer 99% effective against viruses.

Have your hands become raw, cracked, red? That hand sanitizer! There are so many on the market and the supply is pretty good now that the various supply chains and manufacturers have pulled themselves together. But wouldn’t it be nice to have a sanitizer that you know is effective? That you know will not hurt your skin with repeated use?
Shaklee to the rescue. The company has just introduced an Earth Friendly, Always Safe, Always Works, Always Pure Get Clean Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer that does everything you want:
Kills 99.99% of germs* [Effective at eliminating 99.99% of many common harmful germs and bacteria in as little as 30 seconds.]
An antibacterial hand gel with plant-based moisturizers so your skin stays soft and protected. This fragrance-free, alcohol-based gel kills germs and bacteria and sanitizes your hands without drying them out. Formulated with plant-based moisturizers so your skin stays soft and protected. No rinsing or drying with towels needed. Safe for the whole family.

Does Get Clean® Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer kill COVID-19?

It has not been tested on COVID-19. Get Clean® Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer has been shown to kill 99.99% of many harmful germs and bacteria including: E. Coli, Salmonella, Staph, Candida, A. Niger. It can help protect your health by eliminating germs and bacteria that are commonly found in public places.

Is Get Clean® Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer approved by the CDC?

No. Get Clean® Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer exceeds the CDC’s recommendations for percent alcohol content in hand sanitizer. It has not been directly approved by the CDC but aligns with or exceeds all agency recommendations for alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
Germs are everywhere! They can get onto hands and items we touch during daily activities and make you sick. Cleaning hands at key times with soap and water or hand sanitizer is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to those around you.

There are important differences between washing hands with soap and water and cleaning them with hand sanitizer.
For example, alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t kill ALL types of germs, such as a stomach bug called norovirus, some parasites, and Clostridium difficile, which causes severe diarrhea. Hand sanitizers also may not remove harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and heavy metals like lead.

Handwashing reduces the amounts of all types of germs, pesticides, and metals on hands. Knowing when to clean your hands and which method to use will give you the best chance of preventing sickness.

Soap and Water

• Before, during, and preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal food or treats, animal cages, or animal waste
• After touching garbage
• If your hands are visibly dirty or greasy

Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer

• Before and after visiting a friend or a loved one in a hospital or nursing home, unless the person is sick with Clostridium difficile
(if so, use soap and water to wash hands).

• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, and wash with soap and water as soon as you can.*

Do NOT use hand sanitizer if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy: for example, after gardening, playing outdoors, or after fishing or camping (unless a handwashing station is not available). Wash your hands with soap and water instead [Thanks to the CDC for this information.]

Buy up to three bottles of Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer today. Be sure to place your order at https://us.shaklee.com if you are a registered member. If you are not a member, please use my personal website: www.HiHoHealth.com, typed into the URL bar at the top of your screen or on your phone. And thank you for taking good care of yourself and all the people you might meet during your day.

___________________________________________

From the heart…..

Last time I wrote to you, I was feeling grateful for “The Pause.” Today I am embarrassed by my privileged position in this difficult time of Pandemic. While I enjoy a spacious garden, the comfort of working from home, a steady income, excellent health and little damage to my personal well-being, countless others are at risk, getting sick and dying. Still others are unable to earn a living, losing their homes, going hungry. Three times as many people of color suffer than us white people. We, even those of us whose lives are peaceful, cannot deny our social contract is not working. I write to you as a Shaklee distributor whose business has increased because of the virus. I am grateful. I am also deeply saddened by the inequity. I hope and pray that we, as a nation, can find a new way forward that lifts all people. It is going to take some work. I pray that as you read this, you and your loved ones are healthy and able to pay your bills. Be well. Do well. Keep moving, Betsy

Betsy Bell’s Health4u, 4455 51st Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116        206 409 5940         betsy@hihohealth.com

 

 

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Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Weight Loss

Staying home could weaken your immune system

In the words of my trainer, staying home can mess up your immune system. When we are ready to mingle again, how resistant will our systems be? PJ Glassey of Xgym asks if we remember when Quarantines were only for sick people? I was once quarantined because I had the mumps. I remember the dark front bedroom and my mother creeping in to take my temperature and feed me soup. I was six years old. We have seldom quarantined healthy people.

We could end up on the other side of this quarantine period claiming it saved us all and

had we not done this unprecedented lockdown, millions upon millions of people would have died, and the virus would have continued to wreak havoc on the world for decades to come.

The other extreme side will say the lockdown had absolutely no effect on the infection or death rates and, in fact, the countries and states who didn’t close down proved that point by fairing as well or better than those who did.

Then there will be lots of people in the middle, adjusting toward one side or the other, based on what they believe to be true and then repeating that narrative based on their ingrained biases and agendas.

The bottom line is no one will really know. No one will be able to prove anything because no one can see into the future or even guess what might have been if things were done differently. PJ Glassey

Either way the lockdown will have negative effects on our immune systems and may cause increased infection rates if we don’t recognize what is going on and do something about it.

Here are some ideas about how to strengthen your immune system so you don’t catch every little cold, flu, bacteria, and other bugs the minute we are all mingling again.

First, let’s be clear that everyone gets sick, and there’s no way to avoid every bug….

The strength of anyone’s immune system lies mostly in their gut flora balance and diversity. In fact, over 70% of you’re immune system strength is directly attributable to the health and status of your gut flora.

Those little internal buggers protect you from the outside buggers in a myriad of ways, ranging from killing off those bad bugs themselves to communicating with your other lines of defenses in your body to help kill them there.

The best way to have an optimized gut flora is to feed them with the right nutrients and tools to be as healthy, balanced, and diverse as possible. If you help them, they are able to help you.

When you eat real, organic food, your gut flora thrives on the fiber (soluble and insoluble), vitamins, and minerals. Real (and especially organic) food is the best source for all this.

Non-organic food often has pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified components that kill off your good gut microbes, throwing off the balance, and slashing the diversity. Additionally, some respected scientists are finding the Coronavirus mechanism involves an “unmasking” of environmental toxins such as glyphosate, found in many non-organic foods, drastically amplifying its toxic effects inside the body on a cellular level, exacerbating the complications related to Coronavirus.

There’s something even worse than non-organic food though. Guess what that is? Yep – processed food. If you are eating most of your food out of bags and boxes, you’re decimating your gut flora and your immune system.

It just so happens that’s what most people are eating now in this lockdown, so they are setting themselves up to catch lots of nasty bugs when they get back out of their homes.

Another huge way we get and maintain a strong immune system is through constant exposure to microbes. When we are consistently coming into contact with viruses and bacteria, we are building and strengthening our immune system. We do this by shaking hands (and sharing microbes), playing in the dirt, hugging people, kissing, talking and laughing within 6 feet of each other, etc. – everything we are avoiding right now – so that’s another way we are decimating our immune system and setting it up for failure.

We are also acting like OCD people with all the incessant handwashing, hand sanitizers, spraying, wiping, disinfecting every surface, masks, gloves, and more, all contributing to preventing the natural and healthy exposure of the TRILLIONS of microbes we need to be in contact with, in order to try to avoid the ONE bug we are so fearful of right now.

If that worked, then clean-freak OCD people wouldn’t get sick more frequently than their “dirtier” friends but they do. They get sick way more often, in fact, because they are so focused on staying clean and sterile, they don’t get the exposure necessary for proper immunity. This, of course, feeds their OCD, which makes them try to be even cleaner, which then perpetuates the problem, sometimes resulting in the “Howard Huges syndrome,” along with Munchausen, and more.

When we are cooped up inside and out of the sunshine, we rapidly become deficient in Vitamin D, which drastically weakens our immune system. Some health and medical experts even believe Vitamin D should be reclassified as a hormone because it’s so much more powerful than other vitamins – especially with its effect on our immune health.

Since we are inside, out of the sun, and moving much less than we usually do, our hydration habits are also most likely suffering, as our thirst mechanisms are sending us fewer signals. Viruses and bacteria LOVE a dry host and HATE hydrated hosts because those people are stronger, more energetic, have healthier organs, happier gut flora, and the list goes on and on. PJ Glassey

During the lockdown, we are doing the exact opposite of what we should be doing to build and maintain a healthy immune system to be ready to come out of this and resume our lives.

Here are PJ’s top 7 suggestions, based on what he has learned about the human body as a biohacker and health researcher over the last 34 years:

1.) Drink 2-4 quarts of clean, filtered water per day. Here’s a “ballpark” way to figure out how much you should have: Take your body weight in pounds, divide that by two, and drink that many ounces each day, spread throughout the day as much as possible. This general formula works great for people who weigh between 100 and 250 lbs. but some may need a bit more or less depending on climate, habits, activity, sweating rate, etc.

2.) Eat organic real food, prepared in your own kitchen, with your own hands.

3.) Stay away from processed food, artificial ingredients, and especially sugar because that can really hurt your internal buggers. If your food has a label on it, treat that as a warning label, and the longer it is, the more urgent the warning!

4.) Exercise! This can be through the X Gym online training, the X Gym app, running, biking, hiking, dancing (learn a new move on TicTok), or anything else that gets you breathing hard. [Join Free Form Dance Dance on Saturday morning 10:30 – 12. zoom to a curated set list virtually dancing with several dozen people. It’s a hoot.]

5.) Get out in the sun and/or take a vitamin D3 supplement.

6.) Eat fermented foods like kimchi, or sauerkraut, or kefir, or all of those, as I do. These foods are packed with probiotics – another word for the “good buggers” I’m been talking about and will help balance and populate your gut flora. [Shaklee’s Optiflora does a great job.]

7.) Get outside and roll in the grass, plant some stuff with your bare hands, play with some earthworms, walk on the beach in your bare feet, dig in the sand with your hands, etc., and then rub your face with those grimy hands!

How is your score on doing these 7 things? Begin adding one after the other over the next few days/weeks to get ready. Hopefully, you have not put on 19 covid pounds during this stay-at-home order. Shaklee can help you there with a 7-Day cleanse to kick start better eating anytime you are ready.

Our current “quarantine quandary,” as PJ calls it, is more than just weight gain. It’s going to get way worse if people don’t become aware of the current immune-depressing world we are moving around in. Personally I know a lot of people who are gardening and walking and getting up close and personal with their “quarantine pod” of friends and family and so are not overly depressing their immune system. If you see yourself in the situation PJ describes, take steps. You’ll be glad you did.

Be well, do well, and keep moving!

Betsy

 

Betsy Bell’s Health4U

206 409 5940

betsy@hihohealth.com

www.HiHoHealth.com  my Shaklee shopping page

 

 

 

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Be Well health tips

Guide to 7-Day Cleanse

Your success is my goal. If you want to detox your gut and liver now to prepare for the holidays–Fast now to Feast later–, hit the Shop button on my menu bar and download the 28 page Guide to a successful 7-Day Cleanse. You must open the www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com website to download your Guide.

Buy the 7-Day Cleanse packet from my Shaklee website. www.HiHoHealth.com

While you are waiting for the delivery of the product, you can follow the guidelines for preparing your body, shopping for the ingredients (there is a LIST!), and read the recipes that will fill you up and nourish you for the 7 days of the cleanse.

You will not go hungry if you follow the guide.

Eat every two hours. There are plenty of suggested recipes and foods you can take to work whatever your daily schedule. Whether you are a teacher in a classroom, a secretary behind a busy phone console, a doctor seeing patients every few minutes or a person with a full volunteer and friendship life, this will work for you. I have done the groundwork for you. Use your PayPal account (or sign in as a guest) to buy the downloadable Guide for $12.50. I am here to answer your questions by text or phone. 206 409 5940.

To read more about the products in the 7-Day Cleanse packet, go to previous posts: Can the Liver be healed?

I am so excited to bring this Guide to you. I believe in your success and am here to support you. I can’t wait to hear your results!

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

206-409-5940

Betsy@hihohealth.com

Short videos on each Cleanse product found at www.fb.com/betsybellshealth4u

Live FaceBook health tips 8:30 Pacific time every Thursday morning at www.fb.com/betsybellshealth4u

Watch, like, and share.

 

 

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Be Well health tips

Can the liver be healed?

2 Comments

Dear One,

I’ve been thinking about the liver–yours and mine. Before I get into how to repair a damaged liver, I’d like to explore a question that plagues me.

Why is it so hard to change our eating and exercise habits with the goal of improving our health? The goal is so real, so tangible, so every-day-in-the-morning first thing and again at night, the self-skewering we do to ourselves, remembering the impulse to leave the chair and go for a walk or do a few crunches, remembering the three extra bits of Halloween candy we know we shouldn’t have eaten. We vow to wake up the next day and do better.

What helps some people stop the things they don’t want to do and take up the things they want to do and keep it up on both counts, faithfully, until the new behaviors stick? I have thought about this for years. I have marveled at my own change in eating habits from a past of sneaking a whole pound of chocolate into my basket and eating the whole thing on the way home from the grocery store, a pound of milk chocolate, no less. What solidified the change?

For me, it was getting too sleepy in a lecture I wanted to hear to stay awake and take in the information I craved. I drew the connection between heavy sugar-laden food minutes before the lecture started and falling into a food coma.

When the feeling of sluggish brain connected with the food, my resolve to change became stronger than my craving for sweet, filling comfort food. My analytical mind went to work to figure out how to find other comforts, to plan ahead so hunger was satisfied in other ways. It took focused effort, hourly check-ins, listening to motivational tapes where the voice had me imagine myself running the beach in a bathing suit, attractive and strong, using present tense verbs as if it were true already.

It’s a long story which I have told before.

Several people signed up to do the Prove-It Challenge. One person had success and began to connect the way her joints felt with what she was eating. The 7 Day Cleanse made a big difference. When she tried some of her old foods, the pain came back. A real break-through. She found the recipes on the Shaklee website helpful and made delicious smoothies and salads. But it was hard to find the resources she wanted.

I decided to gather all the 7-Day-Cleanse recipes together and create a shopping list so that it would be easy to go to the grocery store and bring home everything you need for all the meals for a whole week. It took many hours to put this packet together. I am ready to share it with anyone who wants to do the 7-Day-Cleanse.

My goal is to help you be successful with your goal. These tools and your commitment will make a difference in your outcome. Hit the SHOP tab in the menu bar if this is for you. There you will find a fully supported 7-Day Cleanse. It is a downloadable Guide with a shopping list, recipes and tips and tools for a successful cleanse just in time for the holidays. Only $12.50.

 

Liver DTX
Can we help make our liLiver cleansever function better? You bet we can.

Milk Thistle (seed used in DTX)

One of the Shaklee supplements in the 7-Day-Cleanse is one I have relied on for years. Its ingredients come up right out of Mother Earth including extracts of a couple of very helpful mushrooms: Reishi (detoxifying and anti-cancer) and Schizandra (liver support, anti-inflammatory, and boosts cognitive function). However, the main ingredient of Liver DTX is Milk Thistle Seed Extract. Milk thistle has been used to heal the liver since ancient times. Don’t confuse milk thistle with mildweed, the beautiful flower that attracts the Monarch butterfly and other insects!

Here is Shaklee’s description of Liver DTX: “Your liver is the first line of defense against toxins. Liver DTX contains milk thistle seed extract standardized to contain 80% silymarin, which is shown in laboratory studies to protect liver cells from toxic substances & oxidative stress. Plus, silymarin’s antioxidant properties help maintain liver cell integrity.

Liver DTX also includes dandelion, turmeric, & artichoke, designed to help maintain healthy bile flow & aid in the liver’s natural detoxification process.

Given the toxins we are all subjected to in our air, water and food, I am grateful for this support from Shaklee. If you suspect your liver is over-loaded, get some today. Item code 20616.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving (in more ways than one:-)  Betsy

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Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Prove it once and for all

Seriously, Dear One, If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, or this is the first one you are seeing AND if you want better health for the long haul but just can’t seem to get the program under way OR keep the current program going more than a few weeks, READ ON…

You are invited to take the Challenge and Prove to yourself that switching to the Shaklee basic program can re-set your body on a health-giving path.  Thirty days to feeling better or your money back.

What is the Prove It Challenge?

A box with 2 canisters of protein powder (your choice) and Vitalizer strips. Strip and Shake.

Get ready by taking a week to cleanse with the 7-Day Cleanse,

and then begin the simple Strip and Shake 7 day cleansefor thirty days.

If you don’t feel better at the end of those 30 days, you get your money back.

Just $159. The Prove-it Challenge box comes with a shaker.

Our scientists have proven this works by taking blood from long term Shaklee users of multiple supplements and compared their health with the health of others who took a multivitamin for twenty to fourty years or a third group who took no supplements at all. The study was conducted by the University of California’s School of Public Health in Berkeley, no strings attached. The researchers were astounded. They’s never seen such healthy blood on all measures of health from lower triclyerides and incidents of diabetes and homocystine levels to an attitude of “I feel great.” Unusual from a group of people ranging in age from 50 on up. Not typical.

Our Prove-It plan represents those products taken over 20 – 40 years by these older adults. You can have the same results.

Order today and join me in a major re-set.

Order # 85926 Free shipping, free membership if you are new. $159

Ready, Set, GO

Be well, Do well and Keeping Moving!

Betsy

PS I’ll support you every step of the way with recipes, pep talks and milestone markings.

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Health and Fitness

Keto Diet: Healthy or not?

Dear Ones,

From the Heart….

I’ve been eating lots of rhubarb, some from my own garden, but most from the healthiest patch of rhubarb I have ever seen in the garden of a woman who doesn’t eat it because she is on a keto diet. I decided to see what a keto diet is since my trainer at the Xgym promotes this diet, too. We’re told not to eat carbs even as they show up in vegetables and fruit except for the ones very low on the “sugar” scale or glycemic scale.

I add sugar to my cut-up rhubarb and put it in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Out comes a sauce with rhubarb pieces still intact, soft and delicious, tart spring in every mouthful. Have I ruined a Keto diet? Let’s take a look at what my most reliable doctor/scientist, Dr. Stephen Chaney, has to say.

Personally, I think people gravitate to the keto diet because they need rules about refined carbohydrates, which are altogether different from fruits and vegetables and a little added pure cane sugar. When a person craves sweets, a teaspoon of sugar does not satisfy. It’s the refining and additives, fat and salt, that make carbohydrate foods fattening. A small serving of rhubarb crisp a couple times during the spring growing season will not induce diabetes or cause your low-carb diet to fail.

The ketogenic diet has been around since the 1920s when doctors realized it helps control epilepsy. Today the ketogenic diet is mainstream. Proponents claim:

Hunger and food cravings will disappear. The pounds will melt away effortlessly and rapidly.

You will feel great. You’ll have greater mental focus and increased energy.

Physical endurance will increase. You’ll become superhuman.

Type 2 diabetes will disappear.

Your blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels will improve, reducing your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

This sounds like the perfect diet. But, is this diet safe?

What Is Ketosis?

Ketosis is a natural metabolic adaptation to starvation.

Metabolism 101:

The Fed State:  fed (absorptive) state of metabolism ie. while your food is being digested. Here’s what happens to the carbohydrate, protein & fat when we eat in a meal.

  • Most carbohydrates are converted to blood sugar (glucose), which is utilized in three ways:
    • Most tissues use glucose as their primary energy source in the fed state.
    • Excess glucose is stored as glycogen in muscle and liver.
    • Glycogen stores are limited, so much of the excess glucose is stored as fat.
  • A few tissues such as heart muscle use fat as an energy source. Excess fat is stored.
  • Protein is also used in three ways:
    • Some of it is used to replace and repair the protein components in muscle and other tissues.
    • In conjunction with exercise, protein can be used to increase muscle mass.
    • Excess protein is converted to fat and stored.

The Fasting State: Between meals:

  • Most tissues switch to fats as their primary energy source. Fat stores are utilized to fuel the cells that can use fat.
  • Brain, red blood cells, and a few other tissues still rely solely on glucose as their energy source.
    • Liver glycogen stores are broken down to keep blood glucose levels constant and provide energy for these tissues. (Muscle glycogen stores are reserved for high intensity exercise).
    • As liver glycogen stores are depleted, the body starts breaking down protein and converting it to glucose.

Starvation – The Problem: If the fasting state were to continue for more than a few days, we enter what is called starvation. At this point we have a serious problem. Fat stores and carbohydrate stores (liver glycogen) exist for the sole purpose of providing fuel during the fasting state. Protein, however, is unique. There are no separate protein stores in the body. All protein in our body is serving essential functions.

To make matters worse, our brain is metabolically very active. It consumes glucose at an alarming rate. Thus, large amounts of glucose are needed even in the fasting state. If protein continued to be converted to glucose at the same rate as during an overnight fast, our essential protein reserves would rapidly be depleted. Irreversible damage to heart muscle and other essential organs would occur. We would be dead in a few weeks.

Starvation – The Solution: Fortunately, at this point a miraculous adaptation occurs. Our bodies start to convert some of the fat to ketones.

All tissues that use fat as an energy source during fasting can also use ketones as an energy source, sometimes with greater efficiency.

Over a period of several days, the brain adapts to ketones as its primary energy source. This greatly reduces the depletion of cellular protein to supply blood glucose.

However, red blood cells and a few other cells still require glucose as an energy source. Essential protein reserves are still being depleted, but at a far slower pace.

With these adaptations, humans can survive months without food if necessary.

There are a few other adaptations that make sense if we think about the dilemma of going long periods without food.

Appetite decreases.

Metabolic rate decreases, which helps preserve both protein & fat stores.

What Is The Ketogenic Diet?

Proponents of the ketogenic diet advocate achieving a permanent state of ketosis without starving yourself. That is achievable because the real trigger for ketosis is low blood sugar, not starvation.

The starting point for the ketogenic diet is low-carb, high-fat diets like Atkins. However, ketogenic diets go beyond traditional low-carb, high-fat diets. They restrict carbohydrates even further to <10% of calories so that a permanent state of ketosis can be achieved. Basically, the ketogenic diet:

Eliminates grains and sugars.

Eliminates most fruits.

Eliminates starchy vegetables (root vegetables like beets, corn, peas, beans, squash & yams).

Reduces protein intake. That’s because dietary protein will be converted to glucose when blood glucose levels are low.

You are left with a highly restrictive diet that allows unlimited amounts of fats & some vegetables and moderate amounts of meats, eggs, and cheeses.

The Ketogenic Diet Is Not For Wimps

#1: You have to be committed. You will have great difficulty following it when you eat out and you will have to give up many of your favorite foods.

#2: The transition is rough. Physiological adaptation to the ketogenic diet will take anywhere from a couple of days to a week or two. During that time, you will have to endure some of the following:

  • Headaches, confusion & “brain fog”
  • Fatigue
  • Hunger
  • Lightheadedness and shakiness
  • Leg cramps
  • Constipation
  • Bad breath
  • Heart palpitations

#3: There are no “cheat days”. On most diets, you can have occasional “cheat days” or sneak in some of your favorite foods from time to time. A single “cheat day” will take you out of ketosis. You will need to go through the transition period once again.

Is The Ketogenic Diet Effective?

Mostly True Claims:

Reduced hunger.

Improved mental focus and increased energy. Contrast to the “brain fog” and fatigue of the transition phase. You have also eliminated all foods that can cause blood sugar swings from your diet. Blood sugar swings can affect both mental focus and energy levels.

Rapid weight loss. If we focus on short term weight loss, this is true because:

A lot of the initial weight loss is water. Glycogen stores retain water. As glycogen stores are depleted, the water is lost along with them.

Most people inadvertently reduce their caloric intake on a highly restrictive diet like this. For example, fats are often consumed along with carbohydrate-rich foods (butter with toast, sour cream with potatoes, cream cheese with bagels). Less fat intake.

The weight loss with the ketogenic diet is because you are burning fat stores. You burn fat stores when fat intake is not sufficient to meet your energy needs. “Calories in” are less than “calories out” as in all diets.

Reversal of type 2 diabetes. Because carbohydrates are restricted in this diet, blood sugar and insulin levels will be low.

Half true claims:

Improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Some studies show an improvement. Other studies show them getting worse.

Increased physical endurance. This is only true for low-intensity endurance exercise. It is not true for any exercise or event that requires spurts of high intensity exercise. Because:

The muscle fibers used for low intensity endurance exercise utilize ketone bodies with high efficiency. You can run for miles as long as you don’t care how fast you get there.

The muscle fibers used for high-intensity, short-duration exercise cannot adapt to use of ketone bodies because they lack sufficient mitochondria. They require glycogen stores, which are depleted on a ketogenic diet. Even in events like marathons most people want to sprint to the finish line. They won’t be able to if they are on a ketogenic diet.

Mostly False Claims:

Long term weight loss. Some long-term success has been claimed in a highly controlled clinical setting. However, most studies show:

People regain some or most of the weight after 6 months to a year.

After 1 or 2 years, there is no difference in weight loss between high-fat/low-carb diets and low-fat/high-carb diets.

The reduction in metabolic rate and the reduction in muscle mass associated with the ketogenic diet make it difficult to keep the weight off long term.

It is a healthy diet. To a point……

This is a healthy diet only from the point of view that it eliminates most fast foods and processed foods.

However, any diet that eliminates 2 and a half food groups (grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables) is setting you up for long term nutritional deficiencies. It is possible to cover some of those deficiencies with supplementation, but supplements can never provide all the nutrients found in real food.

Is the Ketogenic Diet Safe?

For most people the ketogenic diet is likely to be safe for short periods, maybe even a few months. However, I have grave concerns if the diet is continued long term.

This diet is likely to create nutritional deficiencies which could have severe health consequences.

Long term reduction of protein intake will result in a gradual depletion of essential cellular protein reserves which can weaken heart muscle, compromise the immune system, and damage essential organs.

Ketones can damage the kidneys.

The problem is the ketones, not the protein.

Long term ketosis has the potential to cause osteoporosis.

Try the Mediterranean Diet for a healthier way to achieve your goal weight and stay there.

If you disagree with Dr. Chaney’s analysis and conclusions, I recommend you go to his web post and read the thoughtful objections and criticisms people posted and his responses. Some number of people have had excellent results with the Keto diet.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

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Be Well health tips

the Krebs cycle: who cares?

Dear Ones,

I’ve been unpacking the challenges we face when we try to change our lifestyle. We want to achieve certain health goals. What prevents us from making those changes?

It isn’t easy. I talk about these challenges is on www.fb.com/betsybellshealth4u live steam at 8:30 Thursdays, Pacific time. In case you are not a FaceBook person, here are the first two videos unpacking challenges to life-style changes.

In the first live stream, I talk about my own struggle with sudden weight gain and the ineffective, in fact, detrimental steps I took to get the weight off. A good friend is approaching sixty and complaining of aches and pains, higher cholesterole and persistent belly fat. He called me to see if I had a pill for any of that. Here’s what I had to say.

To better understand how our cells metabolise the food we eat, I gave this short talk on the Krebs cycle, the process by which the food we eat is used to produce energy.

In plain English the process involves the interaction of the food that we consume and the biochemical processes within the body. These interactions produce energy that our body uses to do its work. The Krebs cycle is at the center of the many processes at work in the cell.

Knowing how this cycle works, we can change our diet, and change our behavior or activity to maximize results. The Krebs cycle is closely tied to our diet, and is directly involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats and its conversion to energy. Understanding what is going on in the body may help you with your eating and exercise –lifestyle–decisions, and help you to better control your body metabolism.

Focus on the 3 major sources of substrates or fuel molecules, carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Here we go:

What is the Kreb’s Cycle?

*This is the biochemical hub of the cell.

*It is thru this cycle that energy precursors are converted into ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which is the then processed to produce the energy that the body utilizes.

*This pathway is the final common pathway for the oxidation of fuel molecules, namely – amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates.

*These molecules undergo processing and enter the cycle in the form of acetyl-coenzyme A.
Normally during aerobic conditions (or states wherein oxygen is available for utilization by the body), the body converts carbohydrates into glucose which is processed to form acetyl-CoA.

*The Krebs cycle allows the harvesting of high-energy electrons from fuels that we take in.

*The Krebs cycle forms the first stage of the cellular level of respiration. In this process, acetyl-CoA, coming from multiple sources (glucose, fat, and protein metabolism) is processed to produce ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) which is the primary resource of most energy consuming processes in the body.

*The Krebs cycle is closely related to other metabolic cycles and can explain how we utilize energy substrates we derived from our diet.

*Fatty acids and amino acids can both be converted to materials that the cells utilize as sources of energy.

*Most of the time, the body utilizes glucose, but in specific conditions, the body turns to other sources.

*Fatty acids, coming from fat, are shuttled into the metabolic pathways, and conditions that have high energy requirements tap into fat stores in the body for extra energy to perform the exercises or movements we want to complete at that time. Using fat energy is much faster than our typical glucose utilization.

This is good news. It is through this mechanism that we burn off the excess fat in our body. However fat did not create the excess fat in your body in the first place. It’s far more likely that excess sugar in your diet contributed to your fat gain. This is because your liver can’t keep up with all that sugar and eventually turns to storing it as fat as a means to deal with it.

Have you been eating low- fat, no-fat, processed foods, with loads of added sugar (so they taste good) for years to lose weight and had little or no success? These foods are the real culprits as to why you are fat. They have next to no nutritional value. All calories are no created equal. If that were the case you could eat 200 calories from sugar and 200 cals from protein and you’d get the same result. The problem being, you DO NOT get the same result.

The Metabolic Pathways Involving The Krebs Cycle

Glucose plays a major role in the generation of energy via the Krebs cycle. Other materials may be used to produce energy: fatty acids and amino acids. Fatty acids come from fat, and amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Though they all end up in a common path in the Krebs cycle, they are being processed by different mechanisms in the body.

Glucose metabolism undergoes processing by way of glycolysis. The end product — pyruvate is converted to Acetyl-CoA, that then goes into the Krebs cycle. Fatty acids are broken down via Beta-oxidation,which forms acyl-CoA, and is then processed into Acetyl-CoA.

Amino acids follow a different process. Protein is broken down and later on forms amino acids, which undergo transamination. In their new form, these amino acids are storaged as fat or glycogen, are made into new protein in the body, or are oxidized for energy.

The body utilizes these different pathways to provide you with adequate energy for every scenario and state possible. Knowing about these pathways and states helps us tailor our diet and physical activity to maximize our health benefits.

Exercise and Energy Metabolism

Now, under normal conditions, wherein we don’t exercise, and are just doing normal daily activities, we utilize materials coming from the metabolism of glucose from our diet. Anything in excess is converted into energy stores. Anything we eat that is beyond our energy requirement is stored by the body in different forms, primarily fa. That fat will remain as such until our body enters a state of high energy requirement (e.g. increased physical activity).

We limit the intake of glucose or carbohydrates to an amount that matches our caloric requirement, hence preventing the accumulation of fat stores. Also pay attention to the sugar you are getting daily.

Pay attention to the balance between carbohydrates (fresh fruits and vegetables or processed goodies), fat (dairy of all kinds and fatty meats, sausage, lunch meat, cheese) and protein (animal protein or plant protein which can get tricky). It all becomes glucose eventually.

Know how our body utilizes glucose for energy and how it turns to stored fats as extra sources of energy when we exercise. Then change the process through changing the fuel. Exercise uses our fat stores for extra energy, resulting in weight loss and less fat in the body.

I hope this is helpful and makes sense. Don’t try to memorize this. There is no quiz. Just use the information so that when you are putting something in your mouth you take note: will this bite become glucose quickly leaving the roll around my middle just where it is? Or will this bite require work to produce energy and therefore reach for to burn fat? Munch a carrot. Eat nuts. Have a bowl of rice and beans. Calories are not all the same. Keep the amount of calories equal to the energy required for your day’s activities.

Questions?

Above all, be well, do well and keep moving,

Betsy

And if you want to get a good start toward a new lifestyle, take advantage of the Shaklee Cleanse package. If you follow it to the letter, you will see results. If you’re like me and grow faint without protein, order a cannister of one of Shaklee’s sugar free shake mixes and add just a little to keep you on your feet during this week of vegetables and fruits.

www.HiHoHealth.com My Shaklee shopping site.

 

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Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Protein and Muscle Mass

From the heart….
There seems to be a gulf between elderly people with good, strong muscles and those whose muscles have wasted away, even when they are visiting the gym and working out several times a week. A friend who is in his nineties called to see if I could suggest something to help him rebuild muscle mass as his gym workouts don’t seem to be enough. In the same week, I received an email from my trainer, PJ Glassey, which rather embarrassed me. I’ve decided to reproduce our exchange for you because I have such a heart-felt passion for what PJ has helped me achieve in my old age.

The idea of building muscle strength is not new for me. When my oldest daughter became pregnant for my first grandchild, I was fifty-seven. I wanted to be able to carry an eight pound baby around without hurting my back, shoulders or arms. I began lifting weights. For me, weight training has always been about daily living functions and the ability to keep doing them.

After a recent workout session: I had a hard workout over Skype today [4/28/2019] with trainer and owner of the Xgym method, PJ Glassey. After we were done, he sent me this email:

Hi Betsy,
I just gotta say how proud I am of you and the incredible strength you’ve produced. Your lunge switch squats are better than 70% of the X Gymers -regardless of age! Your mental strength is better than probably 90% of the X Gymers because you never offload.
You totally rock and even border on superhuman. You should do the wall sit contest at your [60th college] reunion, but have someone else suggest it (and judge form) because when you win, it would make you look like you conned everyone. Hahaha! 😂
Thanks,
PJ Glassey, CSCS
Founder, X Gym xgym.com

My response: Ah, shucks. I’m embarrassed by your comments. I just love being able to carry a full basket of wet laundry up the basement stairs and hang it out to dry, to haul the lawn mower around the yard, to lift my set of stainless steel pots from a lower cupboard to the counter, and to twist the frozen lid off my Ninja food processor, plus go for a 6 mile hike with my 50 year old daughters and not cause them to slow their pace too much. Xgym makes all that possible. I’m grateful, and not necessarily superhuman, just a lover of an active life. my brand and motto: Be well, Do well and Keep Moving. Love ya and all your fabulous trainers. You and Shaklee! Betsy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PJ took these pictures of me during a recent training. Pushups and bicep curls. I’ve still got skin that sags just like every other 80 year old!

So, what is going on here?

Protein

You can’t generalize from a sample of two people, both over 80 and both working out, but I will offer some macro observations.

Protein is a major factor in retaining and building muscle mass at any age, but particularly in our older years. Most older adults do not eat as much protein as they did when they were younger. We don’t have the appetite for it; it’s harder to digest; lean organic meat, poultry, and line caught fish are expensive grocery items and we may not include them in our budget.

Nothing happens in the body without protein. We have to have it every day for growth, repair, and maintenance of all body tissues. Protein makes enzymes – the stuff we have to have for every single thing that happens in the body. Protein keeps our fluid and electrolyte balance where it needs to be.

Without protein, we have no Energy. Protein fights off disease and heals wounds.

Our body makes protein’s amino acids, except for nine essential ones. These nine are not stored in the body. No new body tissue can be built without it.

Protein Sources

Not all protein is equal: fish, lean meat, poultry and soy have all nine of the essential amino acids and do all the things I mentioned.

If you rely on a low meat/poultry/fish diet or are vegetarian by eating nuts, grains, beans for your protein sources (none of these sources have all nine essential amino acids), you would be wise to study up on the combinations you need in a 24 hour period to get those 9 essential amino acids into your body. It can be tricky. Incomplete balance of the missing 9 could leave you depleted in certain important ways. We all know the classic beans and rice protein diet, a combination that creates a synergistic balance of  all nine of the needed amino acids.

To prove my point, I will share a study conducted by Dr. Richard Brouse at his clinic in Clackamas, Oregon.
January 2003
Re: Shaklee Physique and the Elderly

As you know, the nutritional needs of mature individuals is unique. Digestion, muscle mass and hormonal regulation tends to decrease. Body fat and blood cholesterol levels tend to increase. Cardiovascular efficiency, blood sugar regulation and energy levels tend to decrease.
This observation seems to be related to the aging process and made us ask the question “What factor seems to have the greatest effect on aging?”

After several years of recommending Physique to 210 elderly patients (men and women between 65 and 84) at this clinic we noticed some amazing results that we would like to share with you.

*1) 72% of people over 65 years of age who began using Physique daily had an increase in energy and
* more muscle mass after 6 months.
*2) Sugar regulation in those who had been hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic returned to normal in 56% of the cases within 3 months after starting daily use of Physique.
*3) 60% of all elderly patients following our recommended exercises had less muscle and joint symptoms within 3 months after daily use of Physique.

These findings can only suggest that Shaklee Physique is a very useful addition to the nutritional program of the elderly population who are physically active and taking positive steps to maintain their health. When maximizing the diet and regularly supplementing, significant benefits can be gained by the elderly using Physique. We are very excited about these findings and hope that mature people and not just young people will take advantage of this outstanding product.

Richard Brouse, M.A., D.C, DACBN, CCN

Physique is a whey protein based product. Since this study, Shaklee has a line of soy and other plant protein with and without added sugars (the protein powders without sugar are sweetened with stevia). These protein powders when mixed as smoothies have the same result as Physique.

I personally get most of my protein from plant based powders made by Shaklee, often having more than one serving a day, completing my meal with a huge bowl of salad or steamed vegetables. I believe my highly digestible 60 grams of protein per day (1/2 gram for every pound of body weight) is the cause of my well-developed muscles.

Be sure to pass this information along either in this form or via my facebook video at

. Your friend will thank you. And if you’d like to get the monthly posts from www.grandmabetsybell.com, fill in the form below.

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving,  Betsy

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]

Betsy Bell’s Health4U

4455 51st Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116

206 933 1889 12/7 Voice mail

 

 

 

 

 

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Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Lower your blood pressure naturally

2 Comments

My friend called urgently asking for just one pill to take care of her increasing blood pressure. Her doctor had doubled her medication and she didn’t like that. She doesn’t like taking pills and only learned to swallow medication at age 75! She chews her Shaklee Vita Lea and  Calcium Magnesium. I shook my head. She could try Shaklee Blood Pressure tablets made from spinach, beet, quercitin and magnesium. I have successfully lowered my blood pressure (it was high normal). On the bottle it says “for people with healthy blood pressure”. In other words, it is an herbal recommendation for someone who is trending upward in blood pressure or has a family history of elevated blood pressure. Shaklee herbals and vitamins are not medication. They are prevention.

My next question was about her day. What was she doing in the evenings, watching the news? “oh, yes, we watch a couple hours of news every night and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Forget the news, why don’t you?”

“But I’ll miss something.”

“There is no emergency. Someone will tell you the important new thing. .. . Look outside into your garden. Beautiful, isn’t it? Spring blossoms and seedlings sprouting. All is well in your corner of the planet in this moment, right?”

I recommended meditation. It helps me. Perhaps it would help you, Dear Reader. My preferred meditation leader is Tara Brach, a Zen Bhuddist teacher in Bethesda, MD whose meditations and teachings are available wherever you get your pod casts. www.tarabrach.com to sign up.

How low should blood pressure go? A recent article in the NY Times indicates that the number has changed over time: Successive guidelines have since decreased the recommended threshold for what constitutes high blood pressure, from 160/95 millimeters of mercury in 1973, to 140/90 in 1997, to 130/80 in 2017. The article urges caution about trying to get your blood pressure lower than 130/80. In fact, the author suggests that the diastolic blood pressure (the second number, which is the pressure as the heart relaxes) might be healthier at 85. Low blood pressure can have negative effects like dizziness: Lightheadedness, particularly lightheadedness that occurs upon standing, is the cardinal symptom of low blood pressure. At its extreme, lightheadedness may result in fainting. Fainting may be a sign that blood pressure is dangerously low and requires prompt medical attention. Other possible symptoms of low blood pressure include nausea, fatigue and blurry vision.

My friend had a blood pressure taking machine and was told to take her pressure every day. Now, I’m not a doctor, but wouldn’t worrying about your blood pressure so much that you went to your machine to test it drive it up?

Chill, everyone, chill.

Be well, Do Well and For Heaven’s sake, Keep Moving. It could be the best answer there is.

Betsy

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