Charlotte Nutrition Company

Secure Your Own Oxygen Mask First, by Darren Hardy

2010-04-07T10:11:00.000-04:00

A great article by Darren Hardy. Click here to visit the webpage, or I've copied the article below.

Recently, I was on a flight traveling with my 6-year-old goddaughter sitting next to me. To set a good example, I told her to listen carefully to the flight attendant’s safety instructions. While talking about the oxygen masks, one flight attendant made a point to come to me to reiterate: “Make sure you secure yours before helping with hers.” I smiled politely, but inside I sneered, “Yeah right. Think of myself first before helping her? No way.”

Then I looked at the elderly couple across the aisle and the child traveling alone in the row in front of me. I visualized needing to assist all these people in the event of an emergency (it’s amazing how the mind starts dramatizing a scenario). I realized if I couldn’t breathe, I might not be able to help anyone around me. I then realized that securing my own oxygen mask was the most selfless and helpful thing I could do for everyone else. But this is too often not how people live their lives. Instead, they run around helping everyone else with their oxygen masks (errands, requests, obligations, etc.) and eventually run out of oxygen themselves, becoming stressed, tired, unfit and unhealthy.

When I ask people the order of their priorities and core values, I often hear an order like this:

1. God

2. Family and friends

3. Business, customers and employees

4. Well-being, personal interests, etc.

This order will eventually cause you to run out of oxygen. You are no good to God, your family, your company or anything/anyone else if you are rundown or you get sick or drop dead of a heart attack.

You cannot give what you do not have. If you want to give more, serve more, contribute more, build more, create more, you have to be stronger and more vital, have more stamina and vigor.

You need to make you your first priority so that you can give more, be more and do more for others. Jim Rohn put it this way: “You take care of you for me, and I will take care of me for you.”

My suggestion is to take out your calendar and schedule you first. Schedule your exercise, meals for proper nutrition, enough sleep, mental relaxation and recreation for recovery. Then go down the rest of your priority list and start adding family, business and social obligations.

What’s your order? Do you practice putting your own oxygen mask on first?

Distractions Cause Stress; Stress = Not Healthy!

2010-03-25T17:10:00.000-04:00

This article from Entrepreneur Magazine was an eye-opener. I have seen the information before, but this article helped me really "see" it, and understand its implications.

Why is this being noted in a health blog? Because, as the article documents, distractions increase stress. Stress impacts health. A stressful person is more likely to seek comfort food, more likely to lay awake at night, and more likely to skip important things (like eating right and exercising) because they feel there is "too much to do."

Click here to read the article. Have a great weekend!

Obesity Prevention is Focus of Global Nutrition Transition Conference

2010-03-15T18:51:00.000-04:00

The Charlotte Nutrition Company LLC proudly promotes Herbalife products as one of the health resources within our nutrition line. This is a recent news release on the "Obesity Prevention is Focus of Global Nutrition Transition Conference" happening now in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla., Mar 15, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Physicians and nutrition scientists from around the world gathered today in Orlando for the opening of the Global Nutrition Transition Conference
in order to discuss emerging trends and grass roots solutions to the
global obesity epidemic employing balanced nutrition and teaching
healthy active lifestyles.
The conference is addressing what is termed the Nutrition Transition -
the effect of the globalization of the Western diet which is changing
dietary patterns and the incidence of overweight and obesity throughout
the world. Conference presenters focused on the dramatic increases in
the incidence of overweight and obesity in countries where, until
recently, obesity was virtually unknown.

Today's speakers included Dr. Adam Drewnowski, director of the Center
for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington, Seattle;
Dr. Anoop Misra, director of the Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases
department of the Fortis Group of Hospitals in New Delhi, India; Dr.
Nataniel Viuniski of Unimed Hospital, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Dr.
Linong Ji of Peking University in China; and Dr. Marion Flechtner-Mors
of the University of Ulm, Germany.

As developing countries become more prosperous, they begin to share some
of the health problems of the industrialized world - including huge
increases in the number of adults and children who are carrying excess
weight. In countries such as India and China, the recent migration to
cities from rural areas and the increase in personal incomes has been
accompanied by an increased incidence of overweight and obesity.

"While America and Mexico currently have the highest rates of overweight
and obesity worldwide, rates are skyrocketing in Asia, particularly in
India and China," said Ji.

Current trends in the global diet have led to rising consumption of high
fat, high sugar foods, which can displace local eating habits. As the
food supply shifts, calorie intake goes up, but nutrient quality
suffers. And activity levels are dropping, too. "As a result, China has
seen its obesity rates nearly double since 1989, and 20% of India's
citizens are overweight or obese," notes Ji.

At the same time, the incidence of obesity-related diseases is also on
the rise. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
predicts that between 1998 and 2025, the number of people with type 2
diabetes worldwide will double - to 300 million - and that the majority
of the increase will be in the developing world. Moreover, 80 percent of
all heart disease in the world in the next 10 years will be due to
diabetes type 2 associated with overweight and obesity.

The benefits of a total nutrition solution - one which encompasses the
inclusion of a range of plant foods, and an emphasis on low fat proteins
and healthy fats - is a cornerstone in building new dietary patterns.
But the challenge will be to improve the nutritional quality and
diversity of the world's diet, while meeting demands for taste,
convenience and value.

"One consequence of globalization is that the world's people are
consuming more foods that are energy rich, but nutrient poor," notes
Drewnowski. "And while convenience foods save time and money, restoring
the nutrient balance of the global diet should be top priority. As long
as there is limited access to healthy, affordable foods, nutrient
supplements will be needed to help fill nutrient gaps," he adds.

The Global Nutrition Transition Conference aims to explore the impact of
this dramatic shift in diet and exercise patterns on world health, and
to present insights into combating what is now a universal concern.

The two-day Conference is being sponsored by Herbalife. Drs.
Flechtner-Mors, Ji, Misra, and Viuniski are members of Herbalife's
global Nutrition Advisory Board.

About Herbalife Ltd.

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) is a global network marketing company that
sells weight-management, nutrition, and personal care products intended
to support a healthy lifestyle . Herbalife products are sold in 72
countries through a network of approximately two million independent
distributors. The company supports the Herbalife
Family Foundation and its Casa Herbalife program to help bring good
nutrition to children. Herbalife's Web site contains a significant
amount of information about Herbalife, including financial and other
information for investors at http://ir.herbalife.com.
The company encourages investors to visit its Web site from time to
time, as information is updated and new information is posted.

SOURCE: Herbalife Ltd.

Imagine a world of healthy people

2010-02-25T19:41:00.000-05:00

Imagine a world full of healthy people.

Seriously. Stop and think about it. Think about what it would look like. Perhaps people are rarely sick. They have energy. They are not tired all the time. People have passion for life. They feel good. They feel great! They fall asleep quickly, sleep soundly, and wake up roaring for a new day. They don't have back pain. They don't have head pain and foot pain. When they get athletic injuries, they heal quickly. They don't have indigestion, or heartburn, or stomach aches. They don't feel sluggish and just want to veg on the couch. They don't feel "stuffed" after big meals.

They simply go about their days in a full state of health, with no ongoing physical ailments or hindrances brought on by poor choices. They live life to the fullest, enjoy each day, and look forward to the next.

Imagine you are one of these healthy people.

If your imagination does not align with reality, what are you doing about it? The choice is yours.

Persevere through struggles to find success

2010-02-18T20:18:00.000-05:00

My 3.5-year-old wanted to build a puzzle. It was a 100-piece puzzle with a 5-year-old age appropriateness. Seemed like a simple enough task, so I got the box and we spread out the pieces. Three seconds later, my son lost interest and thought it was more fun to jump over the pieces than to create the picture we had set out to reconstruct. But I figured I would show him how it was done.

Maybe I'm just dense, or maybe I don't do puzzles enough, but it was tough! I looked for end pieces, and try as I might, there were two pieces I couldn't find (I eventually found them). Then I started into the middle. I tried option after option. Occasionally I would find a connection, but mostly I just grew more frustrated that I could not figure this 5-year-old puzzle out quickly.

When I got about half way done, which took far longer than it should, things started clicking a bit easier. There were less pieces, less options, and it made sense. By the final quarter of the puzzle, I was cruising! I picked up a piece, looked at it, and knew exactly where it went.

The whole experience caused me to stop and think.

My first thought? "I better not let my wife know how long it took me to do this puzzle."

But my second thought was that this is an analogy for many of the challenges in life. We start off struggling. Not making much progress. Not really knowing if we are ever going to get going. But we keep moving forward. Keep trying to put different pieces together to find the right formula. Piece by piece we move forward, sludging along wondering if we'll ever get done. Then... things start to click. It makes more sense. We can see and feel and experience the progress. Until, all of a sudden, we are cruising along, getting results, feeling great. The thing that seemed so difficult a short while ago now seems easy and its actually fun!

Persevering through the struggle is the tough part. But the reward of success is worth it!

Stay the course.

40 percent of cancers preventable

2010-02-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

Caught an interesting article in the Observer the other day. You can view it here.

"About 40 percent of cancers could be prevented if people stopped smoking and overeating, limited alcohol, exercised regularly, and got vaccines targeting cancer-causing infections..."

So for every 10 people that got cancers, 4 of them could have been prevented with some basic changes. Wow.

We can help. If you are already a client, we appreciate your referrals to help people prevent this nasty disease. Check us out at www.CharlotteNutritionCompany.com.

Super Bowl: What to eat?

2010-02-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh... the fantastic festivities of our newest national pastime... NFL and, ultimately, the Super Bowl!

It seems to be just tradition and expectation that we all must eat the absolute worst foods possible on this evening. Kind of like we just HAVE to eat multiple slices of pies (or even entire pies) on Thanksgiving!

But everyone has a choice. And that choice can include enjoying the evening, the game, and your health long afterwards. Here are some ideas for better snacks during the game.

Vegetable Quesadillas
Fruit Salad with a low-fat yogurt dip
Vegetable platter with a low-fat dip
Baked corn chips and salsa (baked is always better than original)
Salsa instead of dip - usually a better option!
Popcorn - light butter or 98% fat free
Trail Mix - Create your own! Get almonds, walnuts or other unsalted nuts, mix with various types of dried fruits, throw in some small pretzel bites, and then complete it with high-fiber cereal like Wheat Chex, Fiber One, or something along those lines.

This may go against the traditional snack fare, but it will be much better for those trying to reach health and weight goals.

Of course, a great way to prep for snacking is to get some great nutrition in your body before the fun starts. Start your relaxed evening with a great tasting Meal-Replacement Shake/Smoothie. You'll be less hungry during the game, so you'll eat less, but still enjoy your favorite foods!

Go Colts!

Monday: Movitational Tip of the Day

2010-02-01T11:33:00.000-05:00

Today is Monday. Let's begin the week with a "bang" on Monday with a great meal plan. If you're on my plan and focused on losing weight, start the week with your 2 shakes today, and be sure to get your supplements with all 3 meals. At a minimum, be sure to get 1 shake in today. The shakes have a ton of nutrition, taste great, and help your body function at peak levels. And when that happens, your body sheds pounds!

Maintaining your health is about being intentional. Someone once said, "Success is not a matter of idle chance, its a matter of making the right choices." Make the right choices today to consume the right foods. Don't worry about what will happen in 2 or 3 weeks or months.

Today is what matters. Make a good choice today! I appreciate your commitment to yourself and your health! Keep on keeping on!

The Power of Focus

2010-01-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

Unsuccessful people don't understand or appreciate the concept of "time." They don't approach things with a mindset that there will be a starting point and a finish line.

Let's be honest... We all struggle with focus. Life's "demands" pop up and push out the things we know are great for our well-being.

When it comes to our health, many of us in this country really struggle to make this a priority and to focus on getting good results (statistically, the number is about 68% who are, unfortunately, either overweight or obese). We tend to take the "long" approach to good health. In fact, someone once told me they did not want to be on my health plan because they were afraid they would lose weight too quickly. Wait.... what?! Yes, you read that correctly... that's what she said.

Folks... if someone tells you losing weight quickly is a bad thing, run the other way. That would be like saying I'd like to earn a million dollars, but I'd like to do it as slowly as possible.

Of course, if I'm being fair, the issue with quick results is that people often don't know how to handle it. If it's money, they don't know how to handle a million bucks so they spend it and its gone. With quick weight loss, they often have not established the habits to keep it off long-term, so the weight comes back. This, of course, highlights the huge importance of having a health coach and being on a great nutrition plan... but I shamelessly digress. :) Back to the point of this post!

I was in a training recently when the trainer was giving a list of reasons why people were often unsuccessful at what they were trying to accomplish. One reason was because unsuccessful people don't understand or appreciate the concept of time. They don't approach things with a mindset that there will be a starting point and a finish line.

For example, in sales, let's pretend I know I need to make 500 cold calls to be successful in something. But let's also pretend I really don't like making cold calls (which is not really pretending, because I don't like doing that...). I can choose to drag out the 500 calls over 6 months, or I can finish the job and do it in 2 weeks. It's my choice. But the sooner I get it done, the sooner I'll reap the rewards of my labor.

It's no different with losing weight. A successful person gets the job over with. Focus. Get the weight off and reach the finish line... as quickly as possible. You can deal with the issue of "keeping the weight off" after you have lost the weight. But don't worry about something that is not even an issue yet. Why drag it out? Why take 9-12 months to do something you could finish in 2-3 months?

Focus. Have a timetable. Take control of your life. You can do it!

People eat less junk food when less is provided

2010-01-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

I converted my vending company to a healthy focused vending because I believe that when people are standing in front of a vending machine and the only choices are healthy, healthy, and healthy, the odds are very high that they will choose healthy!

An article I stumbled across supports that! The article was speaking about students in schools, and follows the logic that if you remove junk food from schools, kids will eat less junk food. Yup, that makes sense and I'm building a company around it.

Check out the article here! Article link.

While you're at it, check out my refreshed website at www.CharlotteHealthyVending.com. If you know of someone who would like to see healthy vending at work, school, or church, please encourage them to give us a call!

A Great Protein Snack!

2010-01-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Someone asked me once, "What is a great protein snack?"

They did not like my answer. One of the best protein snacks out there is low fat cottage cheese! Personally, I'm not a huge fan. Neither was the person who asked me. But when we are trying to reach our weight goal, we do what it takes. After all, for many it was the choices of great taste that led to our health issues, so there may need to be some choices of "not so great" taste to get us back where we belong.

But does it have to be all that bad? I found a little trick that keeps things healthy but vastly improves the taste. Try this out!

Get a small bowl of frozen fruit - preferably berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Defrost them in the microwave, then heat them a little past defrost they are lukewarm, or perhaps even hot (sort of like the temperature of a hot pie!).

Now mix the heated berries with the cold low fat cottage cheese. Be sure to get the juices mixed real well. Game changer! Don't get me wrong, it won't taste like a pie, but you get the sugar taste of the fruit, plus the fiber and nutrition, mixed with one of the best protein snacks available.

Not sure if this picture will tempt you or turn you away, but here was my morning protein snack today to aid my healthy living! Enjoy!

US failing to meet health goals

2010-01-01T10:43:00.003-05:00

The Charlotte Observer printed an article in today's paper entitled "U.S. failing to meet health goals." These were goals the US set up 10 years ago to help fight poor health in America.

One of those goals was obesity. 10 years ago, the percentage of obesity in this country was about 25%. The goal of the US was to lower it to 15%. Instead, today its over 30%.

I can't help but think that the problem is not the goal. The problem is the methods employed to reach those goals. While there is greater awareness of nutrition and health than ever before, and more healthy living companies popping up every day, the nation's health still continues to spiral downward.

People must take responsibility for their own health and be willing to implement the steps necessary to get healthy. They need to recognize that they probably can't do it completely on their own (or they probably would have done it already). They need good nutrition, they need a health coach, they need accountability.

To those who have taken those steps and are moving in the right direction, congratulations! To those still holding out, thinking good health will come whenever you are ready, I encourage you to think through how its been working for you to go it alone.

Read the article from the Observer.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T16:19:00.002-05:00

We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. May you not forget the true meaning of the season, and may you enjoy time with family and friends, recalling the blessings you've been given in 2009.

Thank you for your commitment to your health. Finish the year strong and let's get ready for 2010!

Hard Work? Ewww! Not those words!

2009-12-20T20:24:00.003-05:00

I've been impressed recently by a number of books and articles I have read that talk about people achieving something only after "hard work."

I've read about sports figures, entertainers, business people, and more, and the one thing about their success that seems to stick out for all of them was that they were hard workers.

It got me thinking about people who have health or weight goals. So often, we hear about systems and methods that are supposed to be "easy." The claims are endless... "it's easy" and "the results come quickly and in abundance."

A goal worth having is rarely "easy." The process may be "simple" in terms of what to do, but the act of actually doing it is usually quite hard. Otherwise, everybody would just do it.

That is where having a coach to help you through the process can be so valuable. All successful athletes, entertainers and business people have coaches. They have people pushing them to the next level. Someone to keep them accountable.

If you are trying to reach your ideal health on your own, I truly hope you succeed. But if you have been struggling on your own, and are tired of trying the latest trick or fad and not finding success, I encourage you to reach out and ask for help.

Getting Past the Comfort Zone

2009-12-15T08:36:00.003-05:00

I laid in bed this morning, not wanting to move. It was 6:30am, the time I had agreed the prior night that I would wake up the following morning. I wasn't tired. After all, I had just received a solid 7-8 hours of sleep. My issue was that laying in bed, half awake, yet half asleep, felt so amazingly good! My body was relaxed. The pillow felt perfect under my head. My bones, muscles, nerves and even my skin were in a complete state of comfort.

Yet I knew I needed to get up and start my work out. I didn't want to. Why not skip it? The present moment felt so perfect. I should enjoy this moment for as long as possible. The day would bring enough challenges on its own. Why start now?

I remembered a goal I made for myself, which is to achieve 10% body fat. The goal is an aggressive one. After all, my current body fat percentage is approximately 16%, which most organizations classify as "fitness" level. Ten percent is "athlete" level.

As I laid in bed, I started thinking about my reasons for wanting this goal. What could possibly cause me to leave this state of complete comfort and relaxation to put myself through a grueling 1 hour work out at 6:30am? Why do it?

I remembered that I set the goal to be an example. I am a Health Coach and provide nutrition products. I help people reach their ideal weight, which I finally achieved a couple years ago. Exercise is helpful, but not essential for meeting that goal. But to achieve my body fat percentage goal, exercise is necessary. So I want to set the example.

I want to feel great, and I knew that if I spent this hour working on my body, I would feel great for the rest of the day, not just for the few minutes I had left to lay in bed. I want to look the part. I want to look in the mirror and know that I worked towards something and accomplished the goal.

In other words, even though I felt great in the moment, I knew there was a way, with a little time and effort, to feel great for the rest of the day, and to take another step towards reaching a very worthy goal.

After having this conversation in my mind, I threw back the covers, tossed cold water on my face, got my work out clothes on, and started my work out. Once I got going, it started feeling great. I knew it was worth it. I knew I had made the right choice this morning. And now, two hours after finishing the work out, I still feel great. My body is relaxed as the muscles are now resting, a bit sore and tired, but thanking me for treating them right.

And I know I am one step closer to my 10% body fat goal!

Setting Goals for the New Year

2009-12-14T15:14:00.002-05:00

It's the time of the year where people start thinking about their New Year's Resolution! Losing weight, making more money, start a good habit tend the rank at the top of the list.

But all too often... after a few months... or a few weeks... or a few days... or perhaps a few hours... the goals tend to disappear and we forget the goal for another year.

When it comes to healthy living, we would be honored to help you reach your goal... and keep it! We are health coaches who not only provide great nutritional products, but personal health coaching and accountability. Work with us to set your goals, decide a plan of action to reach those goals, then walk with us each step of the way as we reach those goals together!

Our First Post!

2009-12-11T14:25:00.003-05:00

I am exciting to introduce our first post for this blog. We've talked about doing this long enough, and its time for action. We will provide many points of discussion, motivation and information. Some posts will be about learning. Others will be designed to create discussion. This blog is all about healthy living. In today's age, with so much information and technology, our population seems to struggle more than ever with their health. We are a nutrition and health coaching company and we are doing our part to help people win this batter. We hope you enjoy!