Do you try to stay healthy and pay a lot of attention to what you eat and what you do, but still don’t feel ‘right’? By saying that, I mean you don’t feel 100% healthy? I do, and I never figured out why. One of our USANA Associates, Alan Todhunter, pointed this out to me recently – have you checked the place where you live and work? Because lots of things can ‘go wrong’ in those places and this can have an impact on your health!
Thank you Alan! And I think it’s worthwhile to bring this up – health issues are not just caused by food and behaviour, they could be caused by something else, the environment, for instance.
Let’s welcome Alan to go through the list with us:
“In our homes our bodies are under attack from chemicals on surfaces and in the air from VOC's (volatile organic compounds), airborne particulates, air quality, electromagnetic and microwave radiation.
Many health conditions and degenerative diseases could be directly linked to where we live and work. Conditions such as fatigue, depression, stress, sleeping disorders, asthma, allergies, immune disorders, heart conditions, memory loss plus many other modern health conditions are associated with our environment. To reduce the impact of our home environment has on our health we need to be aware of what is around us:
Good ventilation flushes out stale air that contains excess carbon dioxide, dust, moulds, allergens, VOC’s and other airborne particulates. There is no substitute for fresh air!
Air conditioners recycling air improves energy efficiency but can reduce air quality, so make sure the filters are clean. Be careful of carbon monoxide and other gases being emitted from fuelled indoor heating.
We all love pets but remember their fur or feathers, saliva and any insects carry allergens.
That odour of a new home, painted room or piece of furniture is a range of chemicals off gassing. Be aware of your choice of furnishings and building materials, make sure they are well ventilated to off gas.
Minimise chemicals, such as cleaning compounds, if you use these make sure you open a window. Take care in the products used in your home, look at alternatives like steam cleaners, baking soda and white vinegar.
Insecticides not only poison insects but also everyone else in a building, the dosage may be minute but it can accumulate in our bodies.
Keep surroundings uncluttered , these are breeding areas for small insects, dust and mites. Also a cluttered home is more stressful.
Keep all floor surfaces well dusted and mopped. Invest in a quality micro-fibre cloth.
Vacuum carpets regularly but take care with the filter; very small particles may get through the filter and recirculate in the air.
Do not use any plastic containers in a microwave oven; chemicals in plastics can leach into your food.
If you have water in a reused plastic bottle you may be ingesting chemicals from the plastic.
Reduce exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Avoid electrical appliances being too close to you, particularly near your head.
When renovating homes built before 1970 be aware of lead paint and asbestos. Lead dust from sanding old paint is very toxic to adults and can reduce intelligence in children.
Install a shower filter to reduce chemicals that may be found in water and steam.
Bathrooms and kitchens need to be well ventilated to reduce mould and bacteria build up.
About Alan Todhunter, Scientist, B.Sc.(Hon), M.Sc.
Alan is passionate about the wellness industry and healthy environments and is also a martial artist. He currently lectures in Materials Science, Building Science and Environmental Building at three Universities in New South Wales.
There’s no certain formula to a successful business because the formula varies from person to person. For Paula Gosney, one of USANA’s Leaders, the formula of her success in the USANA business is:
“The secret of success = An entrepreneurial mindset + making right decisions at the right time + being confident and positive at all times”
A farmer’s daughter, Paula was taught to work from a young age – she just got on with it. She got handed a really big cheque after she worked from 6am in the morning till 6pm at night at ten years of age for six days in a row, and she learned the value of effort and being rewarded for pushing herself beyond her perceived limits.
Paula left school at 17 and worked in various positions within financial sector, she then started her first business – a courier company in Wellington at the age of 20, an age that many of us are playing computer games, or chatting with friends on Facebook. After that, she moved to Sydney where she ran a marketing business before returning home to marry and start her first job as an employee, an account director for an advertising agency in Auckland. When her children were 18 months and three years old, she began to look at having her own business again, seeking something flexible, and she chose USANA.
Paula has an entrepreneurial mindset and personality, which enables her to do well in her own business. “I am not very good at working for someone else, as I have never had a manager whose job I couldn’t do better! I like to make the decisions, move fast and get things done. My team and the belief that one of those top 30 spots can be mine motivate me to keep moving forward with my USANA business!”
As a woman in business, Paula understands that her income is totally dependent on her – knowing that whatever amount of money she wants, she can make, gives her an incredible feeling of independence and self sufficiency. She always knows that she has choices.
Paula’s success doesn’t necessarily apply to everybody, but we can learn from her and form our own success formulas. The good news is she will be one of the speakers at USANA’s Women In Business 2011, and as we mentioned in our previous blog, Paula will share her tips on how to achieve business goals.
Her advice to other aspiring women throughout the world is:
“The rewards of self employment are vast – money is part of it, but independence, confidence and freedom are all part of it too. Going into business and expecting to work like an employee means you are still going to have a job. That amount of effort and vision will not create success in your business, whatever business it is. If you want the rewards of self employment you have to be prepared to work for five years like you never have as an employee, you will need to stretch, stumble, pick yourself up, hold on to your vision and not look sideways or backwards. You will know when you have got there because you will be a different person, and everything you have had to learn along the way will have positively impacted every aspect of your life.”
What is a healthy lifestyle? There are at least several ways that one can answer this question. Exercising regularly; eating right, whether from a balanced diet and nutritional supplements; getting enough sleep; and controlling stress levels. At USANA, we strive to follow a healthy lifestyle wherever we can. Staff at the Australia office take part in various exercise programs during a working week to keep fit.
Yoga to keep fit and relax the mind
You might think this is a female gym program, but it’s not. It is a Yoga class arranged for USANA employees every Tuesday. Yoga helps to relieve stress, exercise those latent muscle groups and help invigorate the mind.
USANA staff plays table tennis and basketball during their lunch breaks, these sports are an excellent way to have physical exercise, to acquire Vitamin D, and socialise with co-workers.
Staff communication to foster a healthy working environment
Regular staff trainings happen every Thursday morning. It is a dedicated 30 minutes session for everyone to sit together and go through projects that are going around that week, have open discussions and collect feedback. It is also a dedicated time for us to share interesting photos of our life, or say ‘Happy Birthday’ to the co-worker whose birthday/anniversary is during the week.
Activities to promote work/life balance
A staff photo competition held over Christmas brought to light many of our employees’ hidden talents! The framed photos displayed were the winning entries submitted by staff from both Australia and New Zealand offices.
The submitted entries had to reflect the USANA values of - Integrity, Excellence, Community and Health.
And of course, morning and afternoon teas are organised for many special occasions in the office – one held yesterday morning to celebrate David’s new title as Vice President of Pacific Region.
Maki Lerwill, our International Co-ordinator from the head office attended the morning tea as well. Welcome, Maki!
At USANA, we understand that only by having a healthy body and mind, can we create a healthy business to go with our Vision. We look after ourselves, not by just taking USANA nutritional supplements, but also by other possible ways to improve our health both physically and mentally. What about you?
Those who have read our previous blog about USANA’s Women In Business 2011, can’t wait to meet Carmen Marshall, an amazing lady who will inspire you in every possible way!
Lori Truman, USANA’s Executive Director of United States Field Development, thinks highly of her: “Carmen is an amazing leader, you will love having her there! (at USANA’s Women In Business 2011). She is a wonderful presenter, trainer and coach! “
You ask …who is this amazing woman?
Carmen is the founder and president of Live Well International, a wellness training and leadership development company that attracts people worldwide from all walks of life wanting to improve their health, lifestyles and incomes. She is passionate about speaking, coaching, writing, teaching Zumba®, a “mostly” raw food lifestyle and exploring human potential.
She is a health, business and prosperity coach as well as a fitness and nutrition expert, speaker, writer and entrepreneur. Why wouldn’t you want to hear from someone with so many credentials under their belt?
Well so did we… So we decided to ask her a few questions about herself. Enjoy!
Q: How did you come to be involved with USANA? A: When I was 27, I started my first Network Marketing company in Brisbane. I built my company for three years, was their top income earner for six months, and then sold my business before moving back to the US. After that, I researched 73 companies over one and half years, searching to find the best company in terms of product, company, compensation plan etc. USANA won hands down!
Q: What do you enjoy most about being your own boss? A: The freedom to set my own hours; to create my day and my life, to love what I do every day. The ability to not have a cap on my income or self-expression is the most enjoyable side of being my own boss.
Q: What inspires and motivates you to keep moving forward? A: Incorporating my passions into my business now rather than waiting till I have more time or money. My passions include Zumba®, nutrition and helping others in these areas. As soon as I started focusing on my passions, my business grew! As I grow and evolve, I continually bring that into my business and share this with other USANA Associates – both my team and Live Well members.
Q: What changes financially or otherwise, have you experienced in your life? A: Huge financial independence, residual income, being in the top. I love the freedom of being able to continually create.
Q: What advice would you give to other aspiring women throughout the world? A: Firstly, start a business – working for someone else will never (or rarely) help you be financially or time free. Secondly, I believe network marketing is the best business model because it sets up residual income. This allows you more time and freedom to expand what you love doing. Thirdly, incorporate what you love doing into your business. Lastly, Practise self-care (nutrition, supplementation, exercise, massage, time on your own, time with friends). The healthier you are, the better you feel about yourself physically and mentally, and as a result, the more your business will benefit.
Q: What has been the greatest challenge? A: As my business grew exponentially – duplication and teaching others became the greatest challenge. I had to develop systems to be able to have everyone trained no matter how deep they were in my organisation.
Carmen will explore more on following topics at the event:
Integrating what you love into your business
Practising self-care as a business strategy
Why every woman has it in her to be successful in USANA in her own way, with her own talents, passions and gifts
Why every woman should have a residual income business
With winter upon us, it's even more important to get enough vitamin D every day. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to certain disease risks. Your body creates vitamin D when sunlight hits your skin, and only 10-20 minutes of exposure a day will give you all the vitamin D you need.
This is all well and good, but how can we go out in the sun to get our vitamin D when there's no sun to be had?
No one wants to sit outside in the rain and wind with their skin exposed for 20 minutes a day, so over the winter months, vitamin D needs to come from other sources – foods and vitamin supplements.
Eating foods high in vitamin D will keep you feeling healthy and happy over winter. Unfortunately, there are only a few foods containing vitamin D:
Fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna
Egg yolks (small quantities)
Cheese (small quantities)
Some milk and dairy products are fortified with vitamin D.
Mushrooms, especially shiitake, morels and oyster
Alfalfa
However, obtaining the recommended dosage of vitamin D from food alone can prove nearly impossible. That's why it's important to choose a vitamin supplement high in vitamin D to keep you healthy over winter. USANA's Essentials range contains potent level of vitamin D your body needs.
Apart from getting plenty of vitamin D, there are other things you can do to stay healthy over winter:
Keep warm and dry. Your body uses a lot of energy trying to keep you warm – this decreases the efficiency of your immune system, leaving you susceptible to all kinds of bugs.
Ensure your home is adequately heated, either by installing insulation or a heat pump, turning on the heater, or making a fire. Always carry a jumper or rain jacket if you leave the house – you never know when you might need it.
Get plenty of exercise: The wet weather is no excuse for not exercising – go to your local indoor swimming pool, join a gym, or pop on an aerobics DVD.
I was talking to my friend, who recently became a new mother of twins – She thought her career life was officially over because she had to stay at home being a full-time housewife. Then I told her, “Wait a minute! I know lots of women achieve more being a full-time mother than being a career lady in their businesses. Remember, one door closes, the other opens.”
Here I have a perfect example:
Paula Gosney, Ruby Director, New Zealand, talks withthe Dominion Postabout her networking marketing business. Paula Gosney is a working mum. She works for herself and teaches others to do the same. She started her USANA business five years ago, and right now she is enjoying her self-employed life, being a mother of two boys. ‘‘I can be at the school gate for my children, I can be the mum who goes on school trips, I can be at everything the boys do and I’m still earning a lot.” Paula says.
Paula will also be one of the speakers for the upcoming USANA’s Women In Business 2011 event. She is going to share her tips on finding a balance between her career and her family life with her young children. Being an expert in developing a plan, setting goals and knowing how to achieve them, Paula will inspire you to achieve your business goals.
About USANA’s Women In Business USANA’s Women In Business was initiated in year 2010. The event was highly successful and we had great feedback from attendees. So, this year we bring you a classy, vibrant and sassy event. WIB 2011 delivers a more intimate tone for its audience. Topics to be discussed include:
• Different facets of running a business • Being your own boss • The truth about self employment • The power of and leveraging residual income • Other key areas to consider when running your own business
The event will also include a networking session where Associates will be able to have that all-important ‘business conversation’ with their guests, show them the different USANA products which will be on display, meet the speakers and chat with other Associates and Corporate staff.
Want to find out more about it? Log onto www.USANAtoday.com NOW! Or, call USANA’s Customer Service department on 1800670126 (Australia) and 0-800-370-126 (New Zealand) for more information or to purchase your ticket(s).
Who should come? Whether you are a full-time mum, a student, an office worker, or just looking for an opportunity, this event is for you. After all, running your own business is not about the stages or the situation of your life, it is about having an entrepreneurial mindset. Anyone can achieve higher levels of career success whether male, female, young or old.
If you are a male USANA Associate and you think this event has nothing to do with you, think again. You can bring your female prospects and you get the chance to expand your USANA team. Plus we guarantee you will love it too. This event provides an opportunity for almost everyone!
Speakers at the event We have a group of powerful and successful USANA female speakers who will talk about their personal stories and tips. Speakers include Diamond Director, Carmen Marshall from the United States, 2-Star Diamond Director, Fiona-Jamieson Folland from New Zealand and 3-Star Diamond Director, Mary Ma from Australia. You will connect with their stories and walk away inspired to write your own business story. Watch out for our upcoming blogs in which you’ll get to hear more about these inspiring women.
A large part of running your own home based business is giving one-on-one presentations about your products to potential customers. Many USANA Associates approach these as professional business events, while others keep up an informal, social atmosphere.
Talking one-on-one with your customers about your products allows you to establish a level of personal service not necessarily available from a retail store. When your customers feel relaxed and comfortable, they're more receptive to what you have to share with them.
For most USANA Associates, running their first business event or giving their first presentation is a daunting task. Here are some tips to ensure your USANA event is a success:
Be presentable: Even if you’re hosting a casual event or meeting a long-term friend, wear smart clothing
Make eye contact: Looking at a person when you talk to them makes you seem instantly friendlier and more approachable. If you look at the floor, at a spot behind their head, or at your notes, they’ll may feel you are not connecting with them
Perfect what you want to say: if you're shy or easily forget what you planned to say, practice at home in the mirror or in front of your partner. If you're not struggling to remember details of your presentation, you'll come across as confident and friendly.
Be honest: it should go without saying, but always be honest about who you are and what you’re offering. No one wants to be invited out for coffee only to be surprised by a perceived sales pitch!
Learn names: When you meet a person, make the effort to use their name in conversation. People like to buy from someone who knows them. One way to remember names is to repeat them when introducing yourself.
Know and love the products: people know when someone is genuine and passionate. If you use USANA products yourself, and want to help others experience the same benefits, your enthusiasm will be infectious.
Smile! Don’t forget, this is meant to be fun and all about building relationships!
Running a successful business event isn’t rocket science – and you’ll get more confident with each presentation you do.
Pictures from one of the USANA ANZ warm family meetings
Do you try to stay healthy and pay a lot of attention to what you eat and what you do, but still don’t feel ‘right’? By saying that, I mean you don’t feel 100% healthy? I do, and I never figured out why. One of our USANA Associates, Alan Todhunter, pointed this out to me recently – have you checked the place where you live and work? Because lots of things can ‘go wrong’ in those places and this can have an impact on your health! 
About Alan Todhunter, Scientist, B.Sc.(Hon), M.Sc.
