Bad vs. Good side of the Supplement Industry

The Bad:

I saw this video yesterday and I had to share it with you as a warning. This is why I choose USANA Health Sciences as my supplement company of choice. I toured their facility and saw first hand the way they manufacture their supplements. It's a good feeling to know that they voluntarily take so many precautions during the process. Check out the following video to see why I trust my health to USANA.
The Good:

There's only one small difference - a smart one!

I recently came across a posting by Tim Sales where he describes what MLM is in a 30 second conversation with a friend of his while on the golf course. I couldn't help but admire the illustration that was provided and wanted to share it with you all. Here's a short excerpt from his post.

"Knowing his background and knowing that he owns a few companies I said to him the following while sketching it: “In a traditional company you have a building – same with a network marketing company.” I did this while sketching a building. “You also have a president, vice presidents, middle managers and staff to run the company – same with network marketing.” I did this while sketching an organizational chart. “But here’s where it’s different, in a traditional company if you have 50 million dollars to advertise and promote your product – who do you give that money to? You spend it on TV, radio, and print ads, often with celebrity endorsements.” Then I wrote a couple of celebrity endorsement fees.
Then I explained, “In Network marketing we spend that same 50 million dollars but on ordinary people who master the product and master how to sell it. A celebrity never masters the product – they just shoot a couple of ads.”
His reply was, “Wow – I never knew that… but it makes perfect sense. That is not the way I understood MLM. Maybe I should use Network Marketing in some of my companies.”

I've learned from this that my explanation was too long and too in depth before. This really breaks it down to simple terms and gives the true definition of MLM. It's not what a lot of people think it is and this helps clarify.

Robert Allen and USANA - Changing Lives

I have read his books and heard him speak a few times and if there is anyone out there that knows about multiple streams of income, it's Robert Allen. Watch this short video and learn about which stream of income is his favorite. USANA has changed his life as it has mine! http://tvidal.usana.com

The Story Behind USANA - Dr. Myron Wentz

Dr. Myron Wentz is a man of true vision and the founder of USANA Health Sciences. I have a deep respect for him and his life's mission to rid the world of pain and suffering. I'm excited to part of the USANA family and share Dr. Wentz's vision with everyone I meet. Contact me if you have any questions or want to know more. tvidal@usana.com

The only Supplement Company I Trust - USANA Health Sciences

I decided to take USANA supplements for many reasons and this video tells why. I've personally toured the facility and can tell you that USANA stands behind their products quality and potency. USANA supplements are the only supplements I recommend to my clients because of the difference they've made in my health. Contact me for samples. tvidal@usana.com

6 Ways to Earn with USANA!

Check out this Usana video!

Network Marketing vs. Pyramid Scheme - Know the Difference

Different states define pyramid schemes in different ways. However, in general:

* A marketing network (The GOOD) is an organization that uses direct selling as a way to market products. The people in a network earn their compensation, or commission, from selling products and services. An exchange of goods/product or services for money.

* A pyramid or pyramid scheme (The BAD) refers to an illegal network operation where participants are rewarded substantially for the recruitment or enrollment of other participants rather than for selling products or services. There are no goods/product or service, only a promise of a return on the investment.

Know the difference when looking into a potential business opportunity. I did my research on USANA and it has been a life changing experience so far. Contact me if you want to know more about it.

International Growth

I've got my eyes set on building my USANA business internationally and with the list of countries that USANA ships to, there are no limits to my teams success. It's only a matter of when. See the list below for full details.


USANA is open in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Caribbean Islands*.

*The Caribbean Islands consist of the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, the Federated States of Micronesia (also known as Carolina Island), Marshall Islands, North Mariana Islands**, Palau, Guam, and America Samoa.

**USANA is not open for business in the following islands of the North Mariana Islands: Farallon de Pajaros, Moug Island, Asuncion Island, Agrihan, Pagan, Guguan, Sarigan, Anatahan, and Farallom de Medinilla.

Shipping Info
All markets have their own labeled products and warehouses. Each market has certain regulations, and the products shipped from their warehouses are labeled in accordance with those regulations.

Products labeled for the United States are shipped to the United States, Caribbean Islands (NFR only), the Netherlands (NFR only), and Puerto Rico.

NFR stands for Not For Resale. Associates may only purchase U.S. labeled products for their personal use in these markets. Associates in these markets may participate in the compensation plan, but all sales requirements must be met through the Preferred Customer program.

Some markets may purchase select U.S. labeled products on an NFR basis in addition to those labeled for resale in that market, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan.

RESET day 5 (Final)

Here's my final weigh in from Saturday night. I wasn't able to post the photo until now due to that fact I had family over for the weekend and it was non-stop fun. So in the end I lost a total of 5 lbs in 5 days with the USANA RESET. My stomach feel flatter, my skin feels and looks great and my metabolism is on track. I recommend the RESET cleanse to anyone that wants to lose weight or just get their digestive system back on track after years of bad eating habits.

I will be continuing with the transform phase of the RESET program. My goal is to get down to 170 lbs.

RESET day 4

Things got a little busy last night with family coming into town to visit, but I did take my daily photo. I'm down to 179.8 lbs and feeling great. I don't feel bloated, my stomach is flatter, my skin feels and looks better than before. I love it. I plan on doing this ever 3 to 4 months for regular maintenance.

Today is my last day and I'll be taking one last photo tonight and posting it.

RESET day 3

Another successful day of my RESET. I did walk through the food court at the mall today and didn't even flinch. I had eaten my nutribar just before going in and there was no temptation at all. As you can see, I've dropped another pound. Woot!
2 more days to go.

RESET day 2

At the end of day 2 I have lost another 1.2 lbs which takes me down to 181.2 lbs. The weight loss is great, but as I wrote before, I am more excited about the detox that is happening along with it. I am still feeling good with no cravings or hunger pains. The 12oz. nutrimeal shakes are holding me over (3 hours) until it's time for a snack. I could get used to eating all these fruits and veggies.
Today my exercise routine consisted of an upper body plate workout and 45 minutes in the pool doing laps. I feel AWESOME!
I will be back tomorrow evening for another post.

Just a little Wednesday morning motivation from some professional athletes about the USANA products and business.

RESET day 1

I started my RESET this morning and I am feeling pretty good. The nutrimeal shakes, nutribars, fresh fruits & veggies have taken good care of me today. I also drank plenty of water to keep myself hydrated. I haven't felt hungry at all today. The only difficult thing at this point has been breaking the habit of grabbing whatever snack are nearby and eating them.

I just ate my vegetable dinner before jumping on the scale and have lost 1.2 lbs weighing in at 182.4 lbs

I'll have another post for tomorrow night at 9.

Let the RESET begin!

Since I'll be starting my 5-day RESET tomorrow, I wanted to jump on the scale tonight to show you all my before weight. As you can see in the image to the left, ignore the hobbit looking feet, my starting weight is 183.6 lbs. I hope to lose a few pounds, but I will also be letting you all know how I feel.

I will keep you all posted every evening at 9 pm PST.

USANA 5-day RESET

I just ordered a RESET pack from USANA Health Sciences for myself and will be starting it once I get it. I will be keeping you all updated with photos and letting you all know how I feel during the process. For those of you that don't know what the RESET is, it's a 5-day cleanse system. It comes with everything you need for the 5 days which includes - meal replacement shakes, nutrition bars, daily supplementation, literature and a DVD with instructions and tips.

Some of you may be wondering why I am doing a cleanse. For me, it's not so much a "losing weight" thing. I view the human body as the most important machine/vehicle we have. Just like a vehicle that needs an oil change at certain intervals to keep it running smoothly, we need to flush our system or change our oil every so often to keep our body running clean and at optimal levels.

All my training clients that have done a RESET have lost anywhere from 5lbs to 12lbs during the 5-days and the weight loss wasn't the only benefit. It helped them to get rid of cravings and gave them a much needed energy boost.

Check back to see my RESET experience and see my USANA blog or website for more information.

The Apple Test - Final Results

I am only going to post one photo for the final results. This is the side of the apple slice that was submerged in the "nutrient rich" water. Each apple slice is next to the container they came from - USANA wins!. There's an old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
Click the image for larger view.

Thanks for following. I had to put up with the smell for a few day - my daughter better get an A+ for this.

The Apple Test continued - day 4

We're almost done. 1 more day and we'll be taking the apple slices out of the water to show them side by side. I honestly can't wait, because the smell of the mold is getting to be too much. Here are the photos from 96 hours into the experiment.

There is now mold on the surface of all the apple slices. It took the mold almost 96 hours to finally affect the USANA apple slice.  Nonetheless, the USANA apple slice is by far the healthiest - especially the portion of the apple that is in the vitamin rich water. If you click on the images below, you'll see that the immersed portion of the other two apple slices are black in color. Not quite sure why, but surely it can't be healthy for you. Makes me wonder what happens to the inside of your body when you take them. Here are the close up shots:

Tomorrow's final photos will be taken with the apple slices out of the water and next to each other. Just be glad that smell isn't transferred through the computer screen. LOL

The Apple Test continued - day 3

Here's the photos at 72 hours into the experiment. You tell me which one you think is holding up the best.

Without a doubt, the USANA Healthpak apple slice is still looking the best. It has started to grow little spots of mold on the part that is exposed to the air, but nothing like the Kirkland and prenatal vitamin apple slices. They have really started to deteriorate all over. The part of the apple slice in the water was the first part to turn black...and that was the part exposed to the dissolved vitamins. Makes me wonder what's really in those vitamins. Here's the close up shots:

Stay tuned for two more rounds of photos.

The Apple Test continued - day 2

05/02/2010 at 4:30 p.m. - 48 hours into the experiment. The control apple isn't looking so great any more. It appears to be saturated and ready to fall apart and something is starting to grow on top of the water. The two contenders, Kirkland's brand and the prenatal are getting more and more discolored. The USANA apple still seems to be fine with slight oxidation on top where the apple is exposed to the air. Here are the photos:

 Another post later today to show 72 hours into the experiment.

My daughter's 6th grade science project - The Apple Test

My 11 year old is doing her 6th grade science project and she decided to do the USANA apple test. She had all seen the youtube video's and read some of the comments on there and she wanted to see it with her own eyes and make a grade by doing the experiment. She is comparing the USANA HealthPak to Kirkland's brand multi-vitamin (Costco) & a prescription Prenatal Vitamin borrowed from a neighbor who just had a baby. There is also a control container with only water in it. This experiment will run for 5 days to see which apple gets the most nutrients from the vitamins. Enjoy!

So here's a photo log of her results so far. It's been 2 days already and we're coming up on the 3rd. I will be helping her update the images on my blog each day.

The Start: 04/30/2010 4:30 p.m. Filled the containers with filtered water, dropped in the vitamins and then the apple slices. The USANA vitamins have already started to dissolve, while the other two are still solid.

 2 hours later the vitamins have dissolved in the water and are starting to affect the apple slices. Can you tell which apple is getting the best cellular nutrition? Keep in mind, all living things have living cells...just like our own bodies:

 05/01/2010 4:30 p.m. Day 1 - 24 hours later there are some strange things happening to the Kirkland's brand and prenatal vitamin apple slices. They are growing some sort of funk on them. Even the control, which is just water, looks better than those two. The USANA apple still looks healthy and seems to be holding up the best.

05/02/2010 Day 2 - Almost 48 hours into the science experiment and the funk just keeps getting worse for the two contenders. USANA is holding strong with the control in 2nd place. Now don't get grossed out, but here are some photos. I will do another post after 4:30 p.m. to show the full effects after 48 hours:

To be continued.....

Elements of a successful business

I've been thinking about what it takes to have a successful money making business. What do you think it takes? Go ahead and make a list of all the elements of a successful business. Think about existing companies and what it is that they have.

Here's my list:
• Product
• Management
• IT
• Human Resources
• Employees
• Customer Service
• Shipping
• Advertising
• Marketing
• Accounting
• Research & Development
• Sales Team
• Warehouse
• Office

You may have come up with a longer list than mine, but the point of this exercise is to show you how extensive it can be to do this on your own. Now think of what it costs to run it all. From personal experience in starting my own t-shirt company, I know the costs and inventory just kept building up. Just ask my wife about all the boxes of t-shirts in my garage. What we don't need, especially in this economy is stagnant business.

Now here's the real reason for this blog post. Are you ready?
USANA provides all of these elements for you to help you build your own business. They offer amazing products, have an awesome management team, top-notch customer service, shipping department, R&D and the list goes on and on.

 Here's where it gets even better if you're ready to start your own business.
• NO OFFICE!
• NO INVENTORY!
• NO EMPLOYEES!
• LOW START UP COST!
What could be better when it comes to owning your own business? Don't just take my word on it, research USANA for yourself. If you're ready to take control of your financial life and feel great while doing it, do the research, contact me and let's get you started. This is the real deal!

Support, support and more support!

One of the most important elements to any home business is knowing that you are backed 100%. It's so important to have that support and tools available as you learn the ropes of your new business. I have learned from personal experience about the top-notch quality of customer service USANA provides to its associates. They have literally bent over backwards to help me out. The other is the availability of tools to help me build my business. I'm so impressed with the online tools, from downloadable files and videos to the BDS eApprentice that, along with my sponsor, have helped train me to run my business and meet my goals. Having all this at my fingertips really does make a huge difference and makes USANA standout above the rest. So, if you're considering a home-based business, you really need to research USANA.
I love being able to log in each morning and see the progress and growth of my business. True Health and Wealth are in my future.

The Recession-Proof Formula

This is a great video by Robert G. Allen about the USANA opportunity in this time of economic difficulty.

The USANA compensation plan

Here is the USANA compensation plan presented by Jeremy Stansfield. He does a great job at laying it all down for you, but I have to admit that it took me a few times of watching it and experience with it to really see the power behind it. Let me know what you think.

Just a little taste of the good life

Being self employed has been a huge step to take. It's really all about training yourself to think differently. I used to commute 1-1/2 hours each way to work, worrying the entire way about getting to the office on time. I'd stay late to get the job done, making sure I performed to the very best of my ability to make someone else filthy rich. I felt accomplished at times, but then I lost my job completely out of the blue and realized exactly how uncertain my career was in the hands of someone else. Luckily, I have a good friend and neighbor, Zak Ross, that shared with me a little secret about residual income, a company called USANA Health Sciences and about being my own boss.

I still work as hard, but the beneficiary of my efforts is now ME. My future now lays in my own hands. What I do with my time now fully benefits me and my family. I am here charting out my course for the future I want. One of the best parts of it is helping others to see the benefit of self employment or at the least, the benefit of another stream of income, residual income. It's not an overnight phenomenon as some may assume, it's a path of hard work and determination. You have to believe in yourself and put lots of hours into building your business. I have found myself day-dreaming about the lifestyle I see in my future and have been indulging myself with small tastes of it now and then.

So this morning I decided to take the morning and live out the lifestyle I WILL ultimately have. A lifestyle with a healthy family, time to spend with my family, no financial worries, NO long commutes, NO rush to beat the traffic, NO boss. I woke up a little later than usual - 6:00 a.m. - did a little bit of reading, ate some breakfast, drove the kids to school, came home and did my hill sprints followed by a 4 mile hike with my beautiful wife. It was such a relaxing and stress free way to spend the morning. The whole time knowing that my efforts to build my own business are taking root and growing. I know it will only get better from this point.

 Here's a view from the hike this morning. Enjoy!

2010 USANA Las Vegas Regional Celebration

First off, I am so glad to have made the decision to attend the 2010 USANA Las Vegas Regional Celebration. This was my very first one and you can bet that I'll be attending more. Besides, who wouldn't want to spend a few days in Las Vegas, right?

My time at the celebration was well spent and well worth the road trip. I learned so much from the top associates and even more from the corporate management team. I witnessed a large group of young entrepreneurs from northern California walk across the stage because they had reached new benchmarks as USANA associates and was inspired to reach those same heights with my company. Most importantly, I learned that USANA is an enormous, healthy family that has embraced the vision of it's founder Dr. Myron Wentz. What an amazing man he is. He is driven by his dream of a world free from pain and suffering and after hearing him speak with such conviction in Las Vegas, I know USANA was built upon a FIRM foundation and it's an honor to part of it.

I have a new found focus to spread Dr. Wentz's dream and while doing so, dreaming big for me and my family! I believe in the integrity of USANA and the USANA products. If I had to sum up the celebration to one word I would have to say Inspirational!

This short video says a lot about USANA as a company, what they've accomplished and the direction they're heading.

Dumped my Monster for Rev3

So, I finally dumped the occasional Monster energy drink I was having for a Rev3 and I'm not going back. The Rev3 was refreshing and packed that same energy punch - minus the crash. Here's some info about it:
Rev3 EnergyWhy not energize with something that is good for you? Cleaner. Smarter. Stronger. Rev 3 Energy is all the power of an energy drink—refined. Rev3 is a great alternative to crash-and-burn energy drinks. What makes Rev3 Energy unique is that it contains a significant amount of L-carnitine. This ingredient offers two important functions in energy production: first it shuttles fatty acids into the mitochondria where they can be turned into energy, and secondly L-carnitine helps transport the toxic byproduct of energy combustion out of the mitochondria to prevent accumulation. Rev3 is also distinguished by its low-glycemic formula. The total glycemic load from Rev3 is three to four times lower than traditional energy drinks. Typical energy drinks spike your blood sugar levels for a quick burst of energy, but lead to a crash soon after, leaving you feeling drained. Rev3’s proprietary formula creates more of a sustained feeling of energy. Rev3 Energy—join the healthy energy revolution.

The other thing I'm loving even more is the Rev3 Energy Surge Packs that you mix with water. It's a natural energy drink without the fizz of carbonation that keeps you going. Here's some info from the website about it:

REV3 Energy Surge PackWhy not energize with something that is good for you? Cleaner. Smarter. Stronger. Rev 3 Energy Surge Pack is all the power of an energy drink—refined. With antioxidants and caffeine derived from green tea, Rev3 is a more natural energy drink that actually works as a dietary supplement. Rev3 Energy Surge Pack is also a great alternative to crash-and-burn energy drinks. The convenient, ready-to-mix stick pack lets you take it anywhere, perfect for when you need a quick and refreshing pick-me-up. It is low in calories (10 calories per serving) and hydrating. You can keep it in your water bottle for sustained energy throughout the day or get a quick boost for that long walk or bike ride. Rev3 Energy Surge Pack—join the healthy energy revolution.

It Really Works - Part II

It's been a while since posting on here and so much has happened in the past few months. My mom and brothers asked me about my USANA business - the products and how the business worked. After sending them some products to try out and sharing with them my success so far with my USANA business, they've decided to dream big and join in the USANA family. Not only are they in love with the daily supplements, but the skin & hair products too.
Since receiving my very first check that I blogged about back in November, I'm now receiving regular checks in the mail. For the past 3 months now I have not paid for my products out of pocket. The checks coming in cover the cost of maintaining my business and I've made extra money. We all know that extra money is good.
One thing that I know from experience as a personal trainer and believer in living healthy, is that living a healthy lifestyle is a little costly. So by building my USANA business I have been able to cover those costs and then some. That is truly one of the amazing benefits of a USANA business and I'm focused on making it grow this year.

Exciting New Year!

I still can't believe another year has gone and left me wondering where all the time went.
2009: I am thankful for life, health and the ability to make good decisions in my life. I am thankful for great family and friends. I am thankful for opportunity. I am thankful that I was introduced to USANA and joined the family. I am thankful for the growth of my USANA business/family in 2009 - it's been phenomenal and the timing was perfect. I am excited at what 2010 will bring as I focus my goals at growing my USANA business/family.
Other great news: celebrity trainer Kathy Kaehler joined the USANA family and is on my team - How exciting is that?
If you're ready for an amazing opportunity, feel free to ask me about USANA.