The Ultimate Connector

May 8th is the anniversary of my engagement to Bruce Brown. I only knew him for 13 days when he proposed. I would have said yes even sooner, but we didn't want to be too impulsive! Even just out of college, Bruce was the ultimate connector and man of influence (lucky for me!).

In honor of our almost 44 years together, today I would like to dedicate this blog post to Bruce and highlight one of his most practical and helpful coaching books.

I've have had so many people tell me Bruce's book, 31 Days to Networking Event Mastery, 2nd Edition, has helped them develop the art of give and take at business networking events.

If you're one of those people who needs expert coaching on what to do at your next business networking event, then I highly recommend this book. Bruce Brown is known as a professional networker in the Wilmington, NC area. He would love nothing more than to have folks all over the world implement his tips to strengthen interpersonal connections and help people grow their businesses the right way!

31 Days to Networking Event Mastery 

Here is one of my favorite testimonials:

"31 Days to Networking Event Mastery" by Bruce Brown is an inspiring and powerful book that will teach you how to make the most of business social networking opportunities. The 31 tips -- one each day for a month -- teach you what you need to know to help make valuable new connections that will help both you and your business grow. This second edition is expanded with personalization and action plan pages. "Enjoyable read. No-nonsense clarity and proven things that work (when you work them)." John Milton Fogg, author of "The Greatest Networker" "31 Days to Networking Event Mastery" is a must read, especially in this day and age with so many business professionals in desperate need to reinvent themselves. There are 31 excellent tips that cost little to no money to implement." Curtis Lewsey, co-author of "Appreciation Marketing"

To my wonderful husband, Bruce Brown! Happy Engagement Anniversary!

A Real Find in George Town

On our recent Team Beachbody Cruise to Mexico and the Cayman Islands, we stopped in George Town in the Cayman Islands. During a leisurely stroll through the shops, we discovered the Cariloha shop, where you can purchase clothing and sheets made from bamboo. The fabrics are very soft and help to keep you cooler in the heat. I purchased a T-shirt and found that it's so comfortable and cool that I just want to wear it again and again.

I recommend bamboo clothing from Cariloha!

20 Secrets of Very Fit People

Chalene Johnson

Here are a few Turbofied tips. Read these tips, then print and post them so you have them as a daily reminder. Look at exercise as a pleasure and a privilege, not a burden or chore. Think positively about the changes regular exercise will produce. Rather than obsessing about your next meal, get excited about your next workout! Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6 or 7 days a week. If some days you exercise once in the morning and once in the evening, even better! If you're eating right, exercise will fuel your energy level! Create an exercise schedule the day before instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to "find" the time. If the last three Presidents of the United States can make time to work out every day, you can make time too! Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friends to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who want to feel better and have more energy. Have a neighbor who's sitting on the porch every morning when you walk by? Ask him or her to join you on your walk! Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising, or using things that keep you motivated and inspired, like new shoes or great music. Invest in the right tools—good shoes, a portable MP3 player or iPod®, fitness equipment, a new series of tapes, etc. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excess calories, even if they're from food that's fat free and high in protein, will turn to excess weight. No matter what the latest fad diet says, extra calories equal extra weight! Limit caffeine and exposure to even secondhand smoke. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water should always be your drink of choice. To kick things up every once in a while, try adding lemon, lime, cucumber, or a few berries to liven up the flavor without adding significant calories. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you're working out, if you're consuming too many calories, you'll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue. Keep a daily log of what you're actually eating. This includes every time you grab a handful of chips here or eat the crust of your kid's sandwich there, and ALL of your snacking. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) "unhealthy" treat, but never an unhealthy week or unhealthy vacation. If your diet is unbalanced, take daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health. Don't compare your body to others'. Instead, work to be your personal best. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, not some number on a scale. Get adequate amounts of sleep, but remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.

Ultimate Reset - Big Success!

For the past 21 days, Bruce and I have followed the Team Beachbody Ultimate Reset Program.

These are the reasons most people purchase the Ultimate Reset:
1. Feeling Fatigued
2. Trouble with Digestion
3. Difficulty Losing Weight
4. Chronic Illness
5. Simply Run Down

I did it to remove built up toxins from my system and to lose 5 pounds. I achieved both goals in 21 days and, like many people have reported after completing the Ultimate Reset, I feel more focused and upbeat.

Here are my Top 10 Reasons for Recommending the Team Beachbody Ultimate Reset Program.

1. It's a great way to bond with your family or housemates over cooking. Bruce and I spent many fun hours planning and executing our Ultimate Reset Program and we enjoyed every minute of it!

2. After decades of cooking for my family, I enjoyed trying the new recipes in the Ultimate Reset Program and particularly enjoyed the cooking video that's included in the Start Up material. I would like everyone I know to see this cooking video as a step towards healthier nutrition. It was well done! An example of how I've changed my cooking habits is that I took our vegetable steamer out of the back of the cupboard and now use it almost every day to steam all types of vegetable combinations. I also use the blender more for making delicious hot and cold soups.

3. We had fun shopping for all the healthy foods for the Ultimate Reset Program. We know where to get the best fresh vegetables and fruits and how to keep them fresh longer. We look forward to grocery shopping and trying even more foods going forward. For instance, I bought Bruce some tempeh on the last day of the Reset just to demonstrate that I intend to keep trying new, healthy foods.

4. I feel great and slept soundly all during the Reset phases. The supplements agreed with my system and I can assure anyone considering this program, that it will not keep you parked in the bathroom. That was one of my original concerns and it was gone by day 2.

5. I have stopped grazing or snacking at will during the day, which is difficult when you work from home. Now I have one healthy snack each afternoon, and that's it for me!

6. I did not want to give up coffee when I started the Reset. I was convinced I would get right back to my two cups a day habit on the first day after the Reset ended. Guess what? I have no craving for coffee! I can't believe it myself, but it's true! My new morning routine is to have a large glass of water when I wake up and then a Shakeology drink for breakfast. I'm completely satisfied until lunch.Wow!

7. I'm drinking a lot more water during the day and find that it satisfies occasional hunger pains.

8. Our kitchen and refrigerator are more vibrant with all the beautiful, colorful fresh foods we now keep on hand. They give us a strong feeling of abundance that is overflowing into other aspects of our lives. Not a bad benefit from eating nutritionally!

9. With the Ultimate Reset Program and no exercise for the 21 day period, I lost 5 pounds!! WOHOO!!

10. Last, but not least, the Ultimate Reset Program has established permanent  positive changes in my eating habits and for that I say, Thank you, Team Beachbody!!!

Here's Bruce's blog link on his report and here is my before and after profile.

5 Signs You Need a Reset

On October 10th, my husband and I and several of our customers,  friends and fellow Team Beachbody Coaches are starting the 21-Day Ultimate Reset program.

We invite you to join us!

Here's the short list of five signs you need a reset:

1. Feeling Fatigued
2. Trouble with Digestion
3. Difficulty Losing Weight
4. Chronic Illness
5. Simply Run Down

Read Carl Daikeler's (Team Beachbody's CEO) blog post on these signs, by clicking here

If you haven't already made the decision to join our Ultimate Reset Challenge Group starting Oct. 10th, I invite you to reconsider. We'll support each other via Facebook throughout the Reset program.

If you're experiencing any of the 5 signs that you need a reset, this is your chance to do something amazing for your wellness before the holidays!

Get all the information you need to make your decision at my Ultimate Reset Web site.

The more people we have in our Ultimate Reset Challenge Group the more support we can give each other!

Please let me know if you're ready for a reset!

Dreams DO Come True!

Dream DO Come True

This is one of the most exciting days for our family! At about 11:00 a.m. PT our younger son, Pete, is flying from San Francisco to Japan - his dream destination since he was in grammar school! He's going to a video gaming exhibit with his colleagues from work and will be there for about a week in his role as a technical journalist. In fact, he is in his dream job and going to his dream destination! 

None of this seemed possible in the past few years or even the past week. But, the lesson here is that if you don't give up on your dreams, your possibilities turn into probabilities and then they turn into realities.

Pete always had an interest in Japanese anime, which is a style of animation originally invented in Japan and used in TV, films, video games, and commercials. He used to spend many hours in junior high school and high school perfecting his anime drawing skills.

After receiving his college degree in computer animation from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, he found himself in a weak job market. After taking whatever job he could find to support himself, he finally landed a job in his field at a video gaming publication in San Francisco. Six months later, he and his entire unit were let go due to a company buyout. So he was back to taking hourly wage jobs, with no idea of what was next for him in his chosen career field. 

Four years later, thanks to a tip from his older brother, Rich, who also works in the technology journalism field in NYC, Pete  flew to San Francisco from Texas with everything he owned in his backpack to apply for a job opening at another video gaming publication. Speaking with him before he boarded his flight that day, I had the feeling that he had already claimed that job no matter what. When we arrived in San Francisco, he crashed with a friend, and walked to the building where he would have the interview the next day. He paced back and forth and rehearsed how the interview would result in his getting the job. He would not be denied!

Yes, he was hired and we were all ecstatic for him to be back in his field in a salaried position with benefits! His managers quickly learned that Pete had an immense knowledge base in his field, is good with people, and also good on camera. Before long he was making editorial videos for the company's Web site.

A few months ago, he called to let us know that he was tapped to attend a gaming conference in Germany in August, with the slight possibility that he might also be chosen to go to a gaming exhibit in Japan in September. (We were now holding our collective breaths as we realized his lifelong dream was quickly moving from a possibility to a strong probability.)

Two weeks ago, he called to let us know that yes, indeed, he was chosen for the Japan trip, and we could not have been happier for him!

With two weeks to go to takeoff, we thought Pete's obstacles had all been removed for him to fully realize his dream. How wrong we were!

Last week he called from the emergency room to tell us that he had severe abdominal pains during the night and had walked five blocks to the emergency room by himself at 5:00 a.m. for medical help. This is a parents' worst nightmare, even without a lifelong dream trip around the corner.

Luckily he was in good medical hands and was diagnosed with kidney stones. Within a few days of treatment, he was feeling a lot better and was packing for his trip with all his medications. Again, not to be denied his dream, Pete surmounted his latest obstacle and proved his determination.

We could not be more proud of our younger son or more excited for him as his plane lifts off right about as I write this paragraph. I have tears in my eyes, knowing that no matter what obstacles he faces, Pete kept going and is about to have the experience of his dreams.

Never, never, never, never, never give up on your dreams. You can do whatever you dream you can do! Just ask Pete!

 

I admit I'm a lapsed blogger. It must be the air of fresh starts this September that's inspiring me to jump into my blog again!

My life continues to unfold in very positive directions.

Our Team Beachbody Coaching business is going quite well. We now have many coaches and customers throughout the U.S., and we're looking forward to the company's international expansion. Bruce and I continue to workout with Beachbody programs on a daily basis and we also enjoy our daily Shakeology more than ever now that we have four flavors - Greenberry, Chocolate, Vegan Tropical Strawberry and Vegan Chocolate. For me, lunch = Shakeology!

On October 10th, we're joining Carl Daikeler, the CEO of Beachbody, in an Ultimate Reset Challenge. Carl wants 1,000 people total to be in the Challenge; we've committed to coach 10 at a minimum in our group. We're looking to add folks to our Ultimate Reset Challenge Group, which will be a fun experience to detoxify our systems with a healthy diet and supplements over a 21 day period. I want to be in the best shape possible before the holiday season starts and invite you to join us!

I continue to be astounded at the sales of my 31 Days to Improve Your Vocabulary book. I have a lot of fun posting vocabulary words to the book's FaceBook page each day and connecting to hundreds of fans around the world.

On a personal note, we're grateful for our health, our solid 42-year relationship, and our growing abundance in all areas of our life.

I'm especially excited to share that our younger son, Pete, who is a technical journalist in San Francisco, is about to have his lifelong dream come true! This month he is traveling to Japan for his employer. We are all ecstatic for Pete and can't wait to hear all about his experience on his return.

Our other adult children and their spouses are doing great and our four beautiful grandchildren are blossoming faster than we would like! We're always looking forward to the next time we'll see them in the flesh. Skype is wonderful, but it can't replace a hug and a kiss!

I'll be back again soon, fair blog!