Copyright March 2010 by Karen Miner Hurd

I don’t think that I can remember a time in history when there was so much discussion (and heated debate) about health. The whole focus of the political debate has been on, not so much on real health, but on what happens after you get sick.

It’s the wrong discussion.

Let’s start with health. What does it really mean to be healthy? For years, the medical profession, and the general public, has defined health as “not sick” or merely the absence of disease. But is that all there is? Isn’t there more?

When you think about health, what comes to mind? What are “health symptoms”?

Let’s try these for starters:

1) Energy – Rest cycle is in balance. You wake up refreshed. You maintain good healthy
energy throughout the day.  You sleep well at night.

2) Resist infections- if something is going around the office or the kids are sharing a bug,
you probably won’t get it. If you do get sick, your symptoms are not as severe, it doesn’t last as
long, and you recover quickly.

3) Quick recovery from injuries. In some cases, recovery is 50% faster than expected. If
you’re athletic, your rate of injury is less because your body is protected and nurtured.

4) Emotional balance. Thoughts and emotions have are significantly impacted by your biochemistry.  A healthy nourished body, a fit body, is more able to cope with the stresses of life.
You will be happier and have a positive out And that annoying neighbor won’t be so irritating.

5) Purpose and passion. Health often manifests itself as a clear purpose and vision for life.

Your health status is the engine of your life. As powerful as health is, we often take it
for granted. Too many of us make healthy choices an afterthought. Like saving for retirement
in your twenties can make you a millionaire in your golden years, investing in your health
now, before chronic disease strikes will pay you rich dividends in cost savings, vitality,
quality of life and longevity.

Choose to invest in your health.  Your life depends on it. _________________________________________________________________________

About the author: Karen Miner Hurd has questioned the status quo from an early age.  She and her husband Dale live in Virginia Beach, VA  with their children and  Bomber the Birthday Dog.  Karen dedicated herself to teaching others about health after her supplement program allowed her to be symptom and medication free despite 35 allergies.  Her doctor called her results a placebo affect, so she fired him.  She recommends Shaklee products exclusively. Contact her : karen@gohealthygo.com or by phone : 757-301-1855.  Visit her Shaklee site here.

Aging is inevitable. However, the ravages of aging and disease are not.    You can slow down your biological clock – so that your biological age  is as much as 25 years or more behind your calendar age.  Here are 5 quick tips you can start doing today:

1) Liquid protection – water. Were you hoping for something more exotic?  Water is nature’s liquid protection and detoxifying agent.  Your body is over 70% water, and you lose over 1 quart a day just by breathing!  Drink at least 6 glasses of purified
water per day- 8 is better. Sorry, coffee, herbal tea, soda and energy drinks don’t count.  Flush out toxins, increase your metabolism, increase brain function and joint health too. A great anti-aging tool that is just pennies per day.

2) Getting 5 servings a day? North Americans know what to eat, we just don’t do it!  Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables a day. Make 3 of them raw. Raw veggies have extra enzymes, vitamins, and other nutrients that cooked veggies don’t. Veggies reduce cancer risk, reduce food cravings and provide precious anti-aging anti-oxidants.  1 cup of raw veggies = 1 serving.  If one of your servings is  a salad- go easy on the dressing!

3) Exercise- the ultimate anti-aging strategy. Exercise detoxifies, builds muscle, transport nutrients, relieves stress, lowers cholesterol and makes you look younger. Make sure you are doing a combination of aerobic, weight/resistance training, and stretching. If your preferred exercise is walking, shoot for 10,000 steps per day.  Even just 15 minutes of exercising  per day begins to slow down the aging process.

4) Build your  muscles! We hear alot about osteoporosis, but very little about sarcopenia, the aging and wasting away of your muscle mass. Muscle mass goes hand in hand with  healthy bones, healthy heart, and healthy blood vessels.  Along with exercise, make  sure you are getting a lot of soy or whey protein and extra leucine.  Leucine is an amino acid that helps build muscle, and resists the tearing down of muscle. Unfortunately, leucine tastes awful.  The solution? Cinch protein shakes!  A combination of soy (or whey)  protein enhanced with extra leucine, Cinch® has been clinically shown in 3 studies to build lean muscle mass on 100% of users.  If you’re using Cinch®, remember that it’s a meal replacement.  Looking for a good soy protein supplement? Try the Shaklee soy protein family.  Inexpensive, pure, acid-balanced soy protein.  GMO free.

5) Have you heard  about resveratrol? Reservatrol is what makes red wine a heart healthy beverage.  Turns out it has incredible health properties beyond your heart! Over 2,000 studies have been done recently on resveratrol.  It has been shown to increase the longevity of every organism it has been tried on, by at least 25%. In humans, that could mean an increase of life-span by about 25 years (In a perfect world.  No bungee jumping.)  It increases the effectiveness and quantity of your adult stem cells, which are important for healing and body repair.  Studies show it to be remarkably effective on a number of issues: cholesterol, brain function, DNA protection, type 2 diabetes and more.  And another great benefit? More energy and clearer thinking!

18 months ago, Shaklee introduced Vivix®- an amazing resveratrol blend that combats all 4 major agers. Vivix® is now Shaklee’s number 1 selling product. 1 teaspoon a day is the anti-oxidant equivalent of 100 glasses of red wine!   Have you tried it yet?

And the bonus anti-aging tip comes from Henry Ford -

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.