Half of All Americans Take Supplements- Why don’t You?

According to Harvard University’s Men’s Health Watch Newsletter roughly half of all Americans take at least one health or vitamin supplement on a regular basis. So…for the half of you doing so…ask yourself are you sure of what you’re putting into your body? Or could you do better with better products from more reputable suppliers?

For the other half not taking any health supplement to improve your nutritional intake, why are you? You realize you probably don’t get the best health benefits from your diet, right? You realize that even if you are very conscientious about your diet you still aren’t getting all that you need, because food no longer contains as many nutrients as they used too.

In its 2012 report Harvard reports that over $28-billion dollars were spent on supplements in 2010. The figure is considerably higher now.

Since 1993, AdvoCare has been a world-class nutrition company specializing in health and wellness, weight management, vibrant energy and sports performance. AdvoCare submits more of its products to independent testing than any supplement company in the world. AdvoCare also has more professional and Olympic athletes endorsing the products than any other company. And NONE of these athletes is paid by AdvoCare for their endorsement (the lone exception being our national spokesperson Drew Brees). And AdvoCare offers a money back guarantee. How many nutrition and/or supplement companies can say that?

Remember these fact when you buy your health supplements. You could be doing a lot better for yourself, and for your wallet.

This author has been a regular user of AdvoCare products since June 2012. Since beginning their regular use I’ve lost 45-50 pounds of fat and gained 5-10 pounds of muscle. My cholesterol count has dropped below 180. I’d never measured below 210. My pre-diabetic blood sugar levels have collapsed back down to safe levels. And I’m wearing a pant size I’ve not been able to wear for nearly 30 years. I simply feel and look better than at any time in my 50 years of life.

Products my family uses includes the following (just click on the pictures to be taken to a link in which you can order and try the products):

24 Day Challenge

Meal Replacement Shakes

Snack Bar

Spark Challenge

 

Thanks for visiting. Comments are welcome.

Go to our website, read our story and try some AdvoCare. You won't regret it.

Go to our website, read our story and try some AdvoCare. You won’t regret it.

December 17, 2013
Categories: Business, Washington State, Weight Loss . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Michael Schuett . Comments: 1 Comment

Obesity is a Disease? Only if a lot of Other Human Problems are Disease As Well.

American Medical Association

American Medical Association

The American Medical Association has voted to label obesity as a disease. At its annual meeting in Chicago, Tuesday (June 18, 2013) they issued the following statement:

“RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association recognize obesity as a disease state with multiple pathophysiological aspects requiring a range of interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention.”

Forbes reporter Bruce Japsen writes that before the voice vote Hershey, PA obstetrician Dr. Virginia Hall said, “insurers can stop ducking their responsibility” in paying for obesity treatments. And therein lies the truth behind this decision. Money. More money will flow into the bloated medical community’s pockets with obesity labelled a disease. In the future you will have those who are diagnosed as obese eligible for counseling and disability payments once they’ve been seen buying more than three Big Macs over a week’s time. Doctors will bill their patient’s insurance coverage for the doctor’s trips to Burger King. Calling such trips patient research into disease prevention.

In this article by NPR “AMA Says It’s Time To Call Obesity A Disease” sociologist Abigail Saguy correctly states “People think that being obese means being sick, and there are some health risks, but risk is not the same thing as illness,”

There is no question obesity in the United States is a problem. Obesity rates have tripled since 1980. 72-million people in the United States were obese in 2010. In 2010 nearly 60% of the entire populace was overweight or obese. But a disease? We have lots of things in this country that are a problem. But is poverty a disease? Is unemployment? Unemployment or underemployment has been at or near 15% for at least four years. Fewer Americans work today than at any time since the 1970s. Should health insurance pick up the tab for that too?

Obviously unemployment and poverty will never be labelled diseases. But if obesity is a disease how about the root causes of obesity? Can procrastination be a insurable disease? How about laziness? Can we receive an insurance check for spending all our waking moments lounging on a couch? It’s important to solve these personal responsibility problems in this country so let’s make sure Obamacare provides coverage for buying Captain Crunch, Fruit Loops, and Cocoa Puffs.

The author 6-19-13 at 205 lbs.

The author 6-19-13 at 205 lbs.

June 18, 2012. 48 years old 241 lbs.

June 18, 2012. 48 years old 241 lbs.

For all the fat people out there, you have my sympathy and empathy. I know its hard to lose weight. Been there, done that. I’m forty-nine years old and have basically spent my adult life obese. Currently I’m 10-15 pounds overweight. Though one year ago I would never have dreamed that I could weigh 205 lbs. as I do now. Given that I was 210 lbs. as a 23 year old, newly married man who was pretty active I thought getting to 210 at my current age, with greater muscle development was extremely ambitious. But thanks to AdvoCare and its 24 Day Challenge I’m down 40 lbs and my wife is down 50 lbs. It cost me a relatively small amount of money. It cost me the pain of changing some long practiced eating habits. And it worked. After losing my Uncle from a heart attack at age 61, my Dad at 64, and my Grandpa at 65 I became scared for my life expectancy. Anyone who is obese should have that fear. Because you will die young. You will not live long while carrying around more than 30 extra pounds. In my case, I love my kids and eagerly await loving grandkids some day. I decided life is too precious to piss it away merely because of bad habits. Habits that can be changed, and replaced with new habits. AdvoCare has shown me that.

So that’s what we’re talking about. Personal responsibility or lack of it determines your physical condition. The AMA is making a money grab and should be recognized for their greed. Grow up America. Take control of your life. Nothing is guaranteed, but if you can change habits, fill your body with proper nutrition like what AdvoCare provided my family, you increase your odds of a longer, healthier, and happier life.

Thanks for visiting. Comments are welcome.

Click to go to our AdvoCare website.

Click to go to our AdvoCare website.

June 19, 2013
Categories: Business, National Politics, Weight Loss . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Michael Schuett . Comments: 1 Comment

You Too CAN Afford the Expense of Losing Weight

Me at 203 lbs. the day ending my last 24 Day Challenge; down from 245lbs.

Me at 203 lbs. the day ending my last 24 Day Challenge; down from 245lbs.

Since my wife and I happily became Advisors with AdvoCare the most frequent objection to trying the products has been “I can’t afford it”. And I get this objection because of my failures in properly explaining AdvoCare. I’ve trained many sales people in my 20 year sales career as owner of Total Broadcasting Service, radio advertising and video marketing; and with my previous employers. When someone tells you “they can’t afford” your product or service you are guilty of one of two things. Either you have failed to build in the mind of the customer enough value for your offering, or you have failed to show them how they CAN AFFORD your products or services.

My wife and I have enjoyed tremendous benefits from using some of AdvoCare’s more than 80 different products. The benefits are so great we’ve made them a priority in our regular spending. And that’s what potential customers need to do. They need to make their health and appearance a higher priority. And they need to do some simple math. As an AdvoCare Advisor-Distributor its my job to help them with both. So here we go…

According to a January 2013 Gallup Poll only 35.9% of Americans are a “normal” or healthy weight. Of the remaining 64.1% of you, 40.6% are obese. BTW- that’s about 1% higher than when First Lady Michelle Obama started her “Let’s Move” physical fitness campaign in 2008. So things are getting worse, not better (in more ways than one. But THAT’s another blog). That’s over 86-million Americans with considerable motivation to find the finances necessary to get into shape. And in case you were wondering, if you are 30-40 pounds heavier than when you graduated high school you are probably obese. And it’s costing you money.

Obesity leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. Obesity may not lead to arthritis and joint pain, but I can tell you from personal experience it does make such conditions worse. According to the website diabetes.org, they surveyed medication use and cost of 128 patients (75 women, 53 men). The average patient took between 4 and 5 medications per day. The monthly cost of these drugs ranged from $80 to $115. These estimates did not include the cost of syringes or home glucose monitoring supplies. These two items increased monthly drug costs by at least $55. Thus, the total estimated monthly drug cost for these patients ranged between $115 and $170. That’s over $1380 per year. Also, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) if you have blood pressure and are prescribed one of 18 different medicines you’re spending between $65-$195 per month, $780-$2340 per year. And how much do you spend on pain medicine, for aching backs and joints caused by your overweight?

AdvoCare AffordabilityWhen you do the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge you will spend no more than $7.91 per day and you’ll need to give up a few unhealthy food choices you’ve been making. When you give up morning coffee, fast food, soda, and maybe a breakfast sandwich or other daily snack you will be saving between $12-$15 per day, which is between $288- $360 over the entire 24 days of The Challenge. Add to your savings the fact that you will probably be eating less, and healthier, and THAT will also save you money.

Even when not on the Challenge my wife and I save money with AdvoCare products. For instance we drink Spark daily as a source for energy, mental clarity, and as a morning wake-up drink. We no longer drink coffee, which we used to drink daily. As Advisors with a 40% discount on the retail price of AdvoCare products we spend about $0.75 on each Spark drink or $1.50 per day. Compared to just a $3.00 latte; that saves us $45.00 per month. We were never “energy” – drink people, like Red Bull. But a lot of people are, and if you are…you’re spending over $4.50 on every drink. Spark contains no sugar and 21 vitamins and minerals and costs 1/3 of what you’re spending.

Spark is loaded with 21 different vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It contains no sugar. And it works!!!

Spark is loaded with 21 different vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It contains no sugar. And it works!!!

We also enjoy AdvoCare’s Meal Replacement Shakes daily at breakfast or lunch. We enjoy the chocolate flavor, as well as the mocha chocolate. Others like the Berry or Vanilla. The Shakes cost us $1.93 each meal. Any meal at any restaurant or fast-food sandwich is going to cost you at least $3.00. Yes, a bowl of Cheerios is a little cheaper. But it’s a lot less nutritious and far less filling. If you’re like me, when you eat a bowl of Cheerios or any other breakfast cereal you’re hungry again in an hour. That danish or donut you buy adds to your cost. Doesn’t it? And Meal Replacement Shakes contain:

Meal Replacement Shakes

* Only 220 calories
* Balanced meal for optimal nutrition and weight management
* 24 grams of easy-to-digest protein
* High in dietary fiber (5-6 grams)
* 50% of the Daily Value of calcium
* 26 vitamins and minerals
* 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbohydrates

And my family loves AdvoCare Snack and Meal bars. They have quite a variety. The new RAW flavor is a favorite. It’s a less-processed snack bar high in fiber and other nutrition. It’s great for eating on the run. And our cost is only $1.60 per bar. Snack Bar

I guess with the Snack and Meal bars, the Meal Replacement Shakes, and Spark my message is these are not expenses. They’re replacements for what you would otherwise spend your hard-earned money on and in most cases they’re far less expensive. So don’t think of AdvoCare as an additional expense. Think of it in most cases as a substitute expense, and less of it.

Lastly, most people get started on AdvoCare with the 24 Day Challenge. 24 Day ChallengeBut if you feel you can’t spend the $190 retail price (less with AdvoCare membership) then you can do it gradually. The first 10 days of the Challenge includes the Herbal Cleanse, Spark, and Omegaplex. Get those three outside the typical bundle and you only spend $76.40. Order the remaining Meal Replacement Shakes, MNS MAX, and additional Spark one week later when your next paycheck comes. You can do that for your health, your future, maybe your children. Right?

See? You can afford it.

Thanks for visiting. Comments are welcome.

Since June of 2012 to May 2013 Sonja is down OVER 40 lbs.

Since June of 2012 to May 2013 Sonja is down OVER 40 lbs.

May 23, 2013
Categories: Business, Washington State, Weight Loss . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Michael Schuett . Comments: 2 Comments

Proper Weight for Height and Age

About 10 months ago I got on a weight loss program that actually worked. But a strange thing happened on my weight-loss and fitness journey. My end-results goal kept changing. And, it still does today.

I’ve lost 40 pounds in the past 10 months and am now at a weight I’ve not been since I was 21-22 years old. It never occurred to me that I would ever approach what actuaries call the “ideal weight” for a 6′ 1″ 49 year old man with a medium build. Interesting to note that prior to this weight loss I would have said I have a large build. Shortly I’ll share ONE suggested way of determining whether YOU have a small, medium or large build.

The link below takes you to  a site that helps you calculate the “ideal weight” for you.

Proper Weight for Height and Age.

At 20 yrs old I weighed maybe 195 lbs.

At 20 yrs old I weighed maybe 195 lbs.

In High School I was my full height and at graduation weighed 185-190. I played football and basketball, and was generally very active. I absolutely possessed a healthy, if not ideal weight at that time of my life. In the thirty years since that time I’ve worked-out with weights regularly, including religiously over the past ten years. So its fair to say I’ve added muscle and so I’ve added muscle weight. Subsequently I would expect my “ideal weight” to be somewhere at or near 200 lbs.  But as of this morning I hit a new low of 203 lbs. and am quite certain I could easily lose another 10-20 lbs. and maintain a healthy body. Now we’re talking about a better more solid, healthy, muscular body than when I was a high school athlete, or in college.

When I started on THIS weight loss program I honestly had a goal of losing 10-15 lbs. and getting under 230. I honestly thought that would be great for me since I was unwilling to give up the food and drink I liked, and I was unwilling to expand my workout routine beyond the 1 hour-5 day per week schedule I’d long-ago established. But I got that weight ten days into my Challenge. So, then after realizing how easy it was for me to lose weight I set my sites on what at the time I thought would be an “ideal weight”. I was 210 pounds when I married my bride at age 23 in 1987. My program got me to 211 only 3 months later, and there I sat for 3 more months (The holiday season), never reaching 210 on my scale. Still, at 211-213 lbs. I could look at myself and know that getting below 200 pounds for the first time since I was a teenager was not only possible but necessary. I wasn’t going to come this far and stop. Why would I? I thought, I have in my possession a vehicle that can give me what anyone and everyone would constitute an ideal weight and ideal body for a man my age. It’s not vanity. It’s practicality. I can be the best I can be.  Not someone else. Me. And I’m going to do it.

And here’s a big, big, big surprise for me and I’m betting for you too. I haven’t given up anything that I enjoy eating and drinking. Pizza is still my favorite and I usually have it once per week. I still eat my wife’s delicious spaghetti and pasta meals. A piled-high cheeseburger with bacon, ketchup, mustard, and mayo is still part of my life. And I still ONLY work-out for 1 hour every morning Monday-Friday. My point is…anyone can do this if they decide to do so.

When I was 245 pounds I thought, I’m not THAT bad. I’m just a big guy. I have a large physique. And something the actuarial tables never factor into weight is hat-size. I’m serious. The head is the heaviest portion of the human body. I got a 7 5/8 hat size. So I got a real big melon. I was fooling myself.

Now that I’m within 14 lbs. of what the Center for Disease Control considers the ideal weight for a 6′ 1″ man I wanted to know how to determine whether I was of small, medium, or large build. I know I am not “small”. I thought I was large. But now I’m not so sure. Ehow.com has this article that says to determine your build measure your wrists. The smaller the diameter, the smaller your bones are. Smaller bones are usually less dense and therefore lighter. Consider your frame size because it can affect your measurements; a person with a large frame might mistakenly think she’s overweight. For an approximate idea, if you wrap your thumb and index finger around your opposite wrist, you can estimate your frame size. If your fingers overlap, you have a small frame; if they barely touch, you have a medium frame; if they don’t touch, you have a large frame.

Me at 203 lbs. the day of this blog's writing.

Me at 203 lbs. the day of this blog’s writing.

Based on this means of measurement I have a medium build. I’ve always known I had small arms. HA!

Cynics will read this blog and call it a vanity exercise. So be it. My sincere hope is that people can be inspired by a former fat guy who is now not only much much healthier but well on his way to what might be near perfect health for my age, height and size. Wish me luck….and join me.

Thanks for visting. Comments are welcome.

Read more: How to Figure My Ideal Weight for My Age | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7514339_figure-ideal-weight-age.html#ixzz2R8xMvCZW

Go to our website, read our story and try some AdvoCare. You won't regret it.

Go to our website, read our story and try some AdvoCare. You won’t regret it.

April 21, 2013
Categories: Sports, Washington State, Weight Loss . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Michael Schuett . Comments: 2 Comments

My Weight Loss. How I did it.

Me

Me

I am proud to say I stand as a living breathing example of how you can lose weight and not dramatically change your life in doing so. If I’m right that there are a lot of people who are overweight because they don’t think they can lose weight, or haven’t reached a stage yet where they feel the need and don’t want to change eating, drinking and exercise habits in order to make it work have I got the solution for you.

As of this morning I weigh 208-pounds. I’m 6-foot 1-inch tall. And I have a 32-waist. Since I’m 49 years old and was 185-pounds in high school and know that I’ve added muscle mass since that time I’d say I’m doing pretty good. Nine months ago I wasn’t doing good. I was 245-pounds and had a 40-inch waist, a big ol’ pot belly.

46 years old, 240 lbs.

Me at my worst- about 245 lbs.

I thought a blog on specifically what I’ve done since my great weight loss adventure began would be helpful. So, here is what’s typical.

(With the mention of each product I use I provide a link for you to go to the website and see and read, purchase and try-out said product)

I wake at 5:30am, weigh myself and immediately have my AdvoCare Spark, Prostate Support, and Bio Tools.

At 6am I’m in my exercise room to begin my workout Mon-Fri. I was a member of LA Fitness for the first 6 months of this journey. But since I have much of the workout equipment already in my home I decided not to pay the monthly fee at the gym and just continue what I’ve been doing for 10 years at home.

The first 20 minutes of my workout consists of vigorous stretching.

In following a plan devised by a fitness trainer I conduct resistance training (weight lifting) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday its cardio workouts, or simply treadmill work.

Monday’s are “core” days. I do three sets of 60-second planking. Sit-ups. And most everything else on the universal weight machine we bought years ago. I do lat-pulls, bench press, and butterfly presses. I frequently do an exercise in which I hook on a single handle to the weights, hold it with my arm stretched fully down my side, and then I bend sideways at the waist lifting the weights while doing so. With all lifting I do 3-sets of 10-to-15-reps. Muscle building is not a goal. Thus the high reps. At this point I’ll then put in ten minutes on the treadmill to wrap up my hour.

Wednesday are “legs” days. And I hate legs days. After stretching I do 3-sets of 60-second squat-and-holds. Did I mention that I hate this? I do leg extensions, leg curls, and toe raises by clicking the lat-pull bar to the weight pulley near the ground. I grasp the bar behind my back and with my arms fully extended and NOT shrugging my shoulders I rise up on my toes and lift the weight simultaneously. I do 3-sets of 20-reps of this exercise. As with Monday and Friday I close-out with 10 minutes on the treadmill. But on legs day instead of jogging I wear 10-pound ankle weights and walk the treadmill with a steep incline. By the end of my hour on Wednesday’s my ass is kicked. Did I mention I hate “legs” days?

Whenever there is only 10-20 minutes left in my workout I take my packet of AdvoCare MNS pre-breakfast supplements.

Friday’s I work on arms and shoulders. Arm curls, arm extensions, and fly weight lifts (arms fully extended to the side. Raise weights up from legs to shoulder height, keeping arms straight and locked). And I also have a 10-pound weight tied to a dowel with a long shoe-string. I roll the dowel in my hands, lifting the weight. I do this palms up and palms down. Three-sets each exercise.

On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I put in 40-minutes on the treadmill, after stretching.

Breakfast comes after my workout. Since my weight loss began breakfast 4-5 days per week is an AdvoCare Meal Replacement Shake; Chocolate. When I’m doing the 24-Day Challenge I don’t add anything to the shakes. When not doing the Challenge I might add something to the shakes like peanut butter, a banana, strawberries,  black berries, or raspberries. I’ve done the challenge three times, or every three months. And I have my breakfast MNS supplement packet, which usually contains OmegaPlex Fatty Acid pills.

About 3-4 hours after breakfast I have a late morning snack. It’ll either be a piece of fruit, nuts and seeds (unsalted), or an AdvoCare Snack Bar or Fruit and Fiber Bar. Love ’em. Sometimes I’ll have a celery stick with Adam’s All-Natural Peanut Butter (no salt, no sugar).

30-minutes prior to lunch I enjoy another Spark, AdvoCare Catalyst, and my MNS pre-lunch supplement packet.

I eat a late lunch so that I can watch one of my favorite TV programs, Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. At lunch I frequently eat dinner-left-overs. Lately, that’s included a lot of fish, and chicken breasts. The food items that are most frequently missing from my diet now, that were regular before, are cheese and bread and condiments loaded with sugar and salt. Also I have my lunch-time AdvoCare MNS supplement packet.

To help one’s metabolism nutritionists recommend eating 5-6 times per day. I never did this before beginning to lose weight. And now the meal I’m most likely to miss is the late afternoon snack. Since I eat lunch so late I often am not hungry, and merely forget to eat something. When I do it’s usually a piece of fruit, nuts and seeds (think trail-mix), or celery and peanut butter.

Throughout the day I have a glass or bottle of water with me at all times, and I drink it at all times.

Around 6pm I’m having a cocktail, usually rum and coke. Usually 2.

Dinner comes around 7pm. On Friday’s it’s almost always pizza. My wife will fix-up some pasta recipe most weekend days. But usually its something quick and sensible; again lots of chicken and fish. I don’t eat out often. I might have a fast-food meal once every 1-2 weeks. Salads are part of my dinner 3-4 nights per week. I use spritzers now instead of the italian or bleu cheese dressings I used to always pour over my greens. If I don’t have a salad I have vegetables of some kind.

I don’t avoid hamburgers, or other junk food any more than I used to. I still enjoy a fat, juicy burger, beef steaks, spaghetti with meat sauce and parmesan and lots of other “bad” stuff. I don’t think I eat as much as I use to eat. And if I had a big-bad lunch I have a very light dinner. And vice-versa. I don’t think I was previously as conscious about eating light during one meal because I had or was going to have something heavy in another.

About 2-3 times per week I enjoy a dessert; usually about 2-hours prior to bedtime. Dessert could be a bowl of ice-cream or 2 cookies.

How does this differ from the time when I was 40 pounds over-weight. Honestly? Not much. I added AdvoCare. Other than that most of what I just described I’ve been doing for at least 10 years. The only major difference is AdvoCare. And now I weigh less than I have in nearly 30-years. It’s the truth. You figure it out.

Sonja's lost over 30 pounds and even more since this pic was shot in July 2012.

Sonja’s lost over 30 pounds and even more since this pic was shot in July 2012.

Thanks for visiting. Comments are welcome.

Go to our website, read our story and try some AdvoCare. You won't regret it.

Go to our website, read our story and try some AdvoCare. You won’t regret it.

March 6, 2013
Categories: Washington State, Weight Loss . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Michael Schuett . Comments: Comments Off on My Weight Loss. How I did it.

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