Tag: health

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Creating a brand within a brand

Both a blessing and a curse is creating a brand within a brand. For myself, I have two brands that I fit my Health Coaching within: Herbalife and Derbalife.

Huh?

Yes. Herbalife is the large face of Nutrition that I work under. I am a Health Coach and I utilize the Herbalife nutrition and resources. Herbalife has been promoting health and wellness since 1980 and are the top nutrition company in the world. I have a strong brand to stand with.

Derbalife is a brand within the brand. Kristen Adolfi created the brand “Derbalife” three years ago when she began focusing on the health and fitness of the roller derby community. It started as a joke within the LA Derby Dolls and now has expanded to a worldwide recognizable name within the derby community.

So, in the everyday community I must create an image of Kristie Grey, Herbalife Health Coach. Then, in the derby community I must create the brand of Merry Khaos, Derbalife Health Coach. It sounds redundant, but it is necessary. The regular person at the gym is not going to recognize Derbalife (or may feel alienated by it). Something similar will happen with derby folks – they recognize Derbalife. They may think Herbalife is something different so I may have to work twice as hard to get their attention.

It is an interesting balance to work within two brands of the same company. Creating my own image as a Health Coach is reliant on the brands I work within, but then I must create my own path. Sports nutrition? Wedding parties? Weight loss? How do you tell people that you do it all without seeming to spread yourself too thin?

Primary audience and secondary audience are in the works. For now, I will work on getting every client I can and helping them get the results they deserve. The branding will have to be balanced as I go. So far, people who who have contacted me about getting results are not as concerned with the logo on my business card. I hope that continues!

See my Herbalife website here and have me as your own health coach!

 

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Commitment

The word brings many connotations to mind: commitment to a cause, to a person or to a moral code. I have noticed recently that our society makes one commitment very difficult – a commitment to ourselves.

We have so many distractions around us. We have so many reasons to not do something – whether it is eating healthy, workout, do homework or spend time with our family. There is always something else we could do. There is always a reason to say, “I’ll check it out”, “I’ll let you know tomorrow”, “I’ll be good starting Sunday”.

The easiest thing to do is to say we are going to commit to something. The hardest thing to do is to follow through with it.

Since I have started my Herbalife journey, there have been a lot of reasons to put off working out or to bust my calorie count. There have been lots of excuses as to why I should have another glass of wine or not care about the Stromboli I am eating.

No more.

Too often I have heard potential health clients say any of the following:

“I really want to do this! Let me ask my husband.”

“This sounds great, I’ll look into it.”

“This information is awesome. Maybe I’ll do it in November.”

This is not about weight loss. This is not about beauty and fashion. This is about your health. The hardest thing to do is to admit that you could be healthier. It is hard to admit that they only thing holding you back is you. You can put up defensive walls all you like, but when it comes to it you have to make the decision for you.

And the commitment is not easy. You may fail. You may struggle. You have to believe you will be successful though. Giving up is not an option. Make the choice to get stronger, or leaner or faster and then do anything you can to do that.

Do squats at your desk. Lunge through your house instead of walking. Plank as you watch commercials. It is the little things that make the difference in the long run. Buy a water bottle and drink water instead of soda. Pack your food for the day instead of buying at the cafeteria.

There are so many ways to be better. The question is not “Can I do it?” the question becomes, “Will I make the choice to improve?”

I didn’t get to pack my food ahead of time for my 13 hour day. So I put everything in an Herbalife bag and am making it as I go.
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Attention brides and grooms!

I am beginning to attack the bridal market with Herbalife.

Having spent time in the bridal industry previously, I know that there is a lack of personal health and wellness offered for bridal parties and grooms. Everyone thinks about looking great on their big day, but often a membership to LA Fitness just isn’t enough.

I am looking for help building a portfolio!

I am looking for five brides and five grooms who are interested in getting on an Herbalife plan. Those first five of each will get a special opportunity to use the products for an especially discounted rate. In return, I would love to get before and after photos, testimonials and maybe even a bridal blog or two.

Contact DerbyAmerica@gmail.com for more information on the promotion. Pictures and testimonials will be featured at promotional tables and also on blogs and websites.

Brides and grooms need to have a wedding date of December 10, 2012 or later.

Look fantastic in your dress too!
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Breaking the boundaries of food

Always I hear that eating healthy isn’t easy. It isn’t fun, and it isn’t delicious. However, there are plenty of great recipes out there that are just as wonderful as your favorite 1000 calorie meal. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of opening your perspective up and sometimes you have to … *GASP* try something new. Here are some of my favorite foods that have gotten a bad rep in the past. All the ways of preparing I’ve included here are easy enough for even me to complete them!

Asparagus

For too long, asparagus was presented to the public as sad, limpy masses of grey-green mush that we get from a can. With an overbearing level of salt and acrid flavor, it is no wonder that children grew up ‘knowing they hate asparagus’. Recentely, this wonderful vegetable is growing in popularity because of how beautifully packed with vitamin C, vitamin K and anti-oxidents they are. On top of that, fresh asparagus is downright tasty.

Instead of popping open a can of asparagus, buy it fresh! (If you can get it from a local market, that’s even better) My favorite way to cook asparagus takes three simple steps: Put on foil. Add a dash of sea salt & extra virgin olive oil. Put on grill. The result is a bright green, crunchy, sexy side dish.

Yams

Also known as ‘sweet potatoes’ (though the two are different… want to know how and why? Visit The Library of Congress for the answer), this is a seriously misunderstood tuber. Most people think of this food stuff as covered in sugar, syrup and marshmallow. However, I come to you with a different option.

Thanks to the health revolution, there have been more sweet potato fries and mash popping up in main stream food. Take your yams and slice them up (make sure you have a good, strong knife) and bake them. Put them in a glass pan with some olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Cover with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until crispy. Everyone likes their fries to different levels of done-ness, so this ones on you.

Or, sautee them: use some olive oil, some sea salt. If you like the sweetness of your holiday yams, do discs of sweet potatoes. Begin by cooking them in olive oil. After they are not quite brown, flip them. Sprinkle some sea salt or herbs on this side. When the other side of the discs are browned properly, flip them again. On this side, sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar! Flip them again, just long enough to get that brown sugar to melt in. You have salty and sweet and healthy!

(Look at all that Vitamin K!)

 

Ground Turkey/Chicken

NOOO!!! NOT MY HAMBURGER!

Let’s face it, for as much as good ground beef burger really hits the spot now and again, they are simply bad for us. No matter how hard we try to justify it, the calorie, fat and bad cholesterol count is just too much for a healthy body. However, subbing in ground turkey or chicken is a great way to get the textural quality of ground beef without the all bad stuff.

The hardest part about working with these products is that they do dry out quickly, because they are low in fat. When you cook it, make sure you cover your pans so that the moisture stays trapped. When making meatballs or burgers, use egg whites to help bind the meat together (yes, I know, the yolk… the fat.. is the binder. Trust me, the whites work pretty well too).

Use the ground beef in tacos, on salads or mixed into sauces. You’ll boost your protein without denting your saturated fat.