Wellness Wednesday - An Under Reported Cause of Restless Legs {photo(s)}

When did I become my sweet Momma?  I went to bed one night thinking I was me.  But after trying to settle down, I realized I couldn't stop my feet from moving, which is what Momma used to call her "nervous feet". 

After my "nervous feet" started getting in the way of my sleep EVERY night, I put on my Crunchy hat.  Never heard the term Crunchy?  Me neither, but it seems to be a word to describe people who research natural ways of dealing with health issues, or baby issues (any Crunchy Mommas out there?) or.....

crunchy

adjective, crunchier, crunchiest.

1.

crisp; brittle.

2.

Sometimes, crunchy granola. 

Informal. health-conscious and environmentally aware:  ME!

The research led me to something I never thought of before:   magnesium deficiency.  We used to be able to get our daily allotment of magnesium through our diets.  But over time even vegetables in our own gardens are susceptible to lack of magnesium because the soil is lacking it.  Overuse of the soil and erosion are two reasons our home grown goodies aren't as good for us as they used to be.  In the case of processed foods, the manufacturing process itself bleaches out needed nutrients.  

In an article from HealthLine.com, it sites research that that suggests that certain types of Restless Leg Syndrome is caused by magnesium deficiency.  It is thought that magnesium makes it easier for the muscles to relax.  

"This may be because of its calcium-blocking abilities, which help regulate the nerves and muscles instead of letting calcium “activate” the nerves. If magnesium is low, calcium isn’t blocked and nerves become overactive and trigger muscle contractions."

And because it can help magnesium-caused RLS, it also improves magnesium-caused RLS insomnia.  I really wasn't getting very much sleep and was very cranky much of the time.  

I started taking a great natural supplement, whose main ingredient is magnesium, for "regularity".

 But it has helped my RLS so much!  I started sleeping through the night, only getting up once or twice for bathroom breaks.  Even if it didn't help my irregularity, I would still take it for the RLS.

If you have RLS, I would get my magnesium levels checked first.  Then if they are low, I would look into getting on a good supplement.  Here is the link to the product I am using

Sign up today and I will send you my series that goes into greater depth and detail on gut health which is another simple thing we can do which greatly impacts our overall health.

Experience the benefits of all natural supplements first hand by clicking Shop Plexus  for one of the best brands on the market. 

For more information check out this article: 

The Link Between Magnesium and Restless Leg Syndrome
Learn How Magnesium Affects Restless Leg Syndrome
4 Little-Known Causes of Restless Legs Syndrome

Wellness Wednesday - Don't Keep Your Head Stuck in the Sand!!

On a day, one like any other day, the doctor hurt my feelings and started me on a long journey of taking my head out of the sand.

The words that would eventually change my selfd view were "You are obese."

Of course I knew I was overweight, which is a nice comfortable word.  I was actually quite cozy with that concept.

But Obese.  That was a different thing.  Pulling my head out of the sand to confront the issue has been a journey I have been on for the last year.

It was quite easy for me to ignore the pounds gained through the years.  My overall health wasn't that bad, no high blood pressure, no diabetes.  I was still active.  So in the ground my head stayed.

Then my blood pressure started going up.  And I started having other nagging issues that the older people assured me just came with getting older.  My sweet husband would assure me that no I didn't look like the other overweight people.  My head popped out of the ostrich hole enough for me to see around.

Last year, I decided to start taking supplements because the drugs I needed had worse side effects than the illness it was designed to help.  With the help of these great supplements and diet/lifestyle changes, I am glad to say, I am still obese but the numbers are improving on the scale and in the blood work.  Yay!

What brought up these ramblings is an article I recently read about the different issues being overweight can cause.  Overweight, not obese mind you.  You can now imagine what other issues can come up with being obese.

The first step of getting your health back is always to look at your health with truth, not stick you

head in the sand like I did.  Your health will only get worse with age or by neglect.

• Find ways to change your lifestyle.  Start by cutting little things you won't miss from your diet.
• Find ways to make healthier food choices.
• Research healthy supplements
• Stop eating out as much
• Start drinking more water.
• Find ways to get more active.  You don't have to stay in-doors.  Get outside.  Go for a hike.  Go camping,

All of these are very simple things we can do, and I know everyone has heard them.  So get your head out of the sand and start your journey towards better health.

Your body will thank you!

Sign up today and I will send you my series that goes into greater depth and detail on gut health which is another simple thing we can do which greatly impacts our overall health.

Experience the benefits of all natural supplements first hand by clicking Shop Plexus  for one of the best brands on the market. 

For more information check out this article: 

Increased Risk of 11 Types of Cancer Linked to Being Overweight

Wellness Wednesday - Preventing Old Eyes

Well, it is official.  The doctor said it last year and its truth is still rumbling around in my brain.  I couldn't believe my ears - or my eyes.  

I am old.  The eye doctor diagnosed one of my eyes has a cataract! Only people 70ish or older get cataracts!  When did I get old people eyes?  Momma and Daddy both had theirs done when they were in their 70s.  

I am a researcher by heart, so I started digging into Google.  Isn't

that where everyone starts their searches?  I found lots of information about what happens during surgery.  That information is a little bit of "too much information."

But one thing I found was that there has been a few studies done that links LASIK surgery and early on-set cataracts.  And of course, I jumped on the LASIK bandwagon a few years after it became a trend.  Because my vision was so bad, (my husband had to find my glasses when I knocked them on the floor) I really looked forward to being able to see.  And after surgery and for a good 12 years later I was seeing well.  

The articles I was finding also listed things to do to help our eye health.  One of the things was taking Omega-3 vitamins.  Several studies have found omega-3 fatty acids protect adult eyes from macular degeneration and dry eye syndrome.  It may also help reduce the risk of glaucoma, high eye pressure and "wet" macular degeneration.  

Now the best way to obtain these is through diet of course.  Cold water fish is the best sources - sardines, herring, salmon and tuna.
The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of two

servings of cold-water fish weekly to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and many eye doctors likewise recommend a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids to reduce the risk of eye problems.

If you don't like fish, you can always take a good omega-3 supplement.  

Sign up today and I will send you my series that goes into greater depth and detail on gut health.

Experience the benefits of a Omega supplement first hand by clicking here for one of the best on the market. 

For more information check out this article: 

Eye Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Cataracts after LASIK

Network Marketing - Most Productive Activites

When I first started in Network Marketing, I knew little of what I needed to do to become successful.  I was told to post ads on Facebook and contact people about my new business.  But since then, I have learned it is so much more complex and time consuming that previously suggested.  Time consuming in a good way.

One of the things that I had to understand was that I am foremost a Marketer that happened to use the Network to advertise my products.  So I had to start acting like a professional marketer, not a spammy amateur.

The most productive activites for this step is to continually:

• Evaluate ads to see which are most effective
• Evaluate which ads groups have the most interactions
• Create graphics and ad copy that solves problems for people
• Research other methods of promotion, like blogs, web sites, capture pages and email 
• Step out of your comfort zone
• Learn your company's policies on promotion methods

Another part of Network Marketing is offering positions to other

marketers to join in a team effort to promote the same company. This is something that I need to really work on.

On this point, the best activities are:

• Learn all you can about commissions, so you can share it better
• Create graphics and ad copy to promote the business side
• Develop a duplicateable training plan so your entire team will be successful
• Research other ways to promote the business side, like blogs, web sites, emails.  Some companies do not allow outright promotion.

I do not need to:

• talk about my company all the time
• post ads all the time
• cold call people
• turn every conversation back to my company

For more information check out these out: 

Starting on Online Business Blog
How to Validate Demand for Content Before Creating It

Getting Active: Hiking for Fun

I am beginning to get Spring Fever, no matter what the groundhog who-shall-remain-nameless says. The weather around here has been perfect except on the weekends, of course.  It reminds me so much of the great times my husband and I would walk around the farm looking for animal tracks.  We would stop and examine them, estimating how old they were.  I never knew which track belonged to which animal, but Fred knew them all.  

Those memories got me wondering if our little excursions were really beneficial.  We never walked fast, enjoying the scenery and of course looking for tracks.  

I found an article that explained how our little hikes ARE beneficial.  Studies were done that explained how hiking improves our mood and in turn reduces depression.  How cool is that?  It also explained how walking indoors does not give you the same mood altering affect.  Creative problem solving improved 50%!  It reduces mental fatigue and soothes the mind.  It can also help children with ADHD.  Hiking and getting outdoors improves their symptoms greatly.

All of this got me thinking about carrying food on a long hike. Wouldn't it be great to be able to carry along good nutritious food that didn't weigh a ton?  I found the perfect thing in Thrive Life Freeze Dried Food.  Most of it you can eat straight from the package, but if you want to re-hydrate it with some water, just let it soak in some water until it is the right softness for you.  It is all pre cooked so no need to worry about cooking it, unless you want it good and hot. The food weighs next to nothing and is freeze dried at the peak of freshness.  

I have a friend (#mountainsessionswithann) that lives in Canada who goes hiking often.  She has quite a following.  Her pictures of the views are breathtaking.  Follow her to get inspiration to try hiking.

So get outside, unplug from technology and get moving.  You can really have fun and get healthier.

Sign up for our mailing list today and I will send you my series on gut health.

Experience the benefits of a good probiotic first hand by clicking here.

For more information check out these blogs: 

15 Backpacking Tips
Thrive Life Freeze Dried Food

How Speaking Encouragement Leads to Success

When I started in network marketing, it sounded so easy.  Making enough money to work from home, working from my phone: sounded too good to be true.  Then reality hit.  This opportunity isn't hard, but it takes time to do it right.  And it takes friends.  Not your warm market, but friends that understand how to market.  People who have different skills, ones who have more experience in areas you need growth.

How do you do this?  

Join spam groups.  Research people's ads.  Pick people that appear

to be genuine, who are really love their company.  Comment on their posts about how you like their choice of graphics, how you like their ad copy, or maybe a little tip on something you see they can improve on.  Encouragement!

If they respond back, and after a little amount of time, send a friend request.  

Once you become friends, talk network marketing strategy with them.  Agree to share each others ads in Spam groups with encouraging, uplifting words.  Talk about each others skills in public, carry on conversations.  Ads with many comments stand out, it draws peoples attention.  These types of interaction draws people to you, shows you to be genuine and trustworthy, unlike the ads with pictures of money or claims of instant cash.    

As your little networking team grows, so will your teams' influence and success.  This is one way to use encouragement.  But a word of

caution, do not be fake with this.  People will be able to tell and you will harm your reputation.

Start encouraging.  Stay honest. Success  will follow.

For more information check out these videos: 

10 Strategies for Success
RJS@Home

Wellness Wednesday - What is the deal with Protein Shakes?

I don't know about you, but it took me forever to try protein shakes.  My husband lifted weights for football in his younger years.  He talked about drinking protein shakes to gain muscle and bulk.  Well that was definitely not the image I was striving for!  

But after researching a little, I found that just like you need extra carbs BEFORE exercising, you need protein AFTER exercising to repair muscle.  That way you are actually burning fat, not muscle   A 2008 study in Nutrition Journal whey protein shakes helped individuals with obesity to lose weight at a faster pace than just reducing calories.

I went to the Protein section in my local grocery store, thinking it would be a simple thing to pick one.  Boy was I wrong.  Not every Protein Powder is created equal.  Like everything else, some are made up of junk or fillers.  I also never knew there would be so many different types of protein.

I never thought reading labels would apply to protein powders.  But here I was again, trying to figure out the best option.  I decided to try Designer Whey Protein Powder, mainly because it was recommended by Dashing Dish.  If you have not heard of this web site, it is wonderful.  The recipes are easy, very tasty and do not use any seldom used items.  Her shake recipes  are so good, you will think you are being bad.  I really love the shakes, but my diet really wasn't conducive to losing weight so I don't think I really gave it a good shot.

In my opinion, I wouldn't really go for protein powders that are designed just for women or men.  A good protein powder will be generic.

Sign up today and I will send you my series that goes into greater depth and detail on gut health.

Experience the benefits of a good protein powder first hand. 

Click here for one of the best protein powder on the market. 

For more information check out this article: 

Losing Weight Using Whey Protein Shakes

How to Maximize Ad Groups

To be honest, when I first started in Networking Marketing, I didn't post in Ad groups.  I looked around some, but I never saw any interaction or interest.  I saw a lot of pictures of money being flashed around and promises of outlandish income.  And I thought it was kind of hard to distinguish a scam verses a true opportunity.

If you have a Network Marketing Team, there are ways that Ad groups can be used to your benefit. What turned me off, is the exact thing you will be working to change.

• Research which ad groups you would like to participate in.  Try to pick groups that are between 20,000 and 1,500 members.  In any group of 20,000 or more members your posts will get buried very quickly.  Those particular ad groups really won't help you grow your business influence at all. In groups of 1,500 members or less, interaction is better, but not as many
  
  people will see them.  
• So now, make sure everyone on your Networking Marketing Team are members of these same groups.   
• Make a post introducing yourself.  
• Comment on others posts.  Post about how you like their graphics or their ad copy.  Try to stay more on the leadership qualities instead of their company or products.
• Post a few tips.  Post some encouragement.  Create graphics of a tip of yours or a team members.
• Establish leadership, positivity, and team spirit.
• All along, let your Network Marketing Team comment on your posts, share your posts, hold conversations in public.  Do this for all team members.  This will increase each members influence in the ad group.  Also be sure to respond to the people commenting.  Seeing these engagements should encourage others who are not in your network to start making connections to you.  
• Then post an ad.

The key to success is not how many ad groups you are a member of. It is how effective you are

within the groups you are members of.  Are you supporting your team members?  Are you interacting and share other team members posts?  Are you posting material that isn't ads?

You have to have a strategic plan in place for this to be successful.  Being concentrated in a few groups (10 or under) is like being a sniper.  If you are in too many and everyone is not being active in all of those groups, then it is hit and miss, probably mostly miss.

One important note.  If you see someone trying to post links in the comments, when your post did not request them, state in the comments about how that is not proper etiquette.  Let more of the team comment in the same way.  Show people ya'll know the proper way to do it and you are not afraid to show people the right way.

For other amazing information, check out these great blogs:

RJSatHome

Superhero Networking

IPA - Internet Information Curation Tools

Your time is valuable.  There is only so much of it to go around.  So how much time do you spend researching topics for blogs or posts that could be spent on more productive things like with family?

How would you like to have your own Social Media Assistant?

There are two apps I have found that can speed up this process in no time.  Both of these apps curate internet information based upon parameters you enter.  You can have several groups set up to pull information related to your Network Marketing Company and Network Marketing Tips or anything else you can think of.

One is Hootsuite Suggestions.  This is an iPhone app only.  I have searched high and low for an android version but I haven't been successful.  You can find it on iTunes.  Since I can't actually download this very useful app, I don't know the exact price, but I have been told it is free.  Hootsuite itself is $14.99 per month though, so you may have to have Hootsuite to get Suggestions.

By entering parameters that you use to Google a subject, Suggestions will search the internet and bring back the most popular items.  You can share straight from the app or you can schedule it to post at a later time.  The scheduling function is built right in.

The other is Crate.  Crate has the same functionality as
Suggestions, but it works on the computer with no mobile. After you set up an account, you create a New Crate.  By entering in the exact parameters that you need to look for and naming your Crate, it will build a list of the most popular items for those parameters.

Crate is built for Twitter, so you will need a Twitter account to signup.  But a great benefit is it also connects to Buffer.  You will be able to push the Crate information straight to any account linked to Buffer including Twitter, Facebook Groups, Pages, and Profiles.

Crate does have a scheduling function built it, but it will only post to Twitter.  There is a free version for you to try, but it doesn't connect to Buffer.  But it still saves a bunch of researching time. The next tier up is $19.00 a month.

Now you have two more apps to chose from in helping you automate your Networking Business.

 For more information check out these articles: 

Supercharge your Social Media – Use a Content Curation Strategy

700 Hours to Victory

Wellness Wednesday - Gut Health and Depression

Growing up, I don't really remember too much about people being depressed.  Either the people around me weren't depressed or it just wasn't talked about.  Now, it seems like everyone suffers from some form of depression.  

I ran into my bout when my husband died.  I still kind of classify myself as a functioning depressive - my term.

Did you know that depression is as dangerous as obesity?

Depression causes 1 in 5 heart deaths.

In the article Head Rules Your Heart

Lead researcher, Professor Karl-Heniz Ladwig, from the Technical University of Munich, said: “There is little doubt that depression is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. 
“The question now is, what is the relationship between depression and other risk factors like tobacco smoke, high cholesterol levels, obesity or hypertension?–– 

“How big a role does each factor play?”  
Prof Ladwig said: “Our investigation shows that the risk of a fatal cardiovascular disease due to depression is almost as great as that due to elevated cholesterol levels or obesity.”   Lizzie Parry, Digital Health Editor, The Sun

Their findings were published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis.  The risk rankings differ for men and women, but these are among the top for both sexes:

• Diabetes 
• High Blood Pressure
  
• Smoking
• Depression
• Obesity

Fifteen percent of the of cardiovascular deaths are depression related.  

Is there anything you can do to help depression?  There is research to support the belief that gut health impacts depression.  In last weeks post, I explained about Candida Yeast Overgrowth, listed a few ways that our environment can affect overgrowth and listed some of the symptoms or issues that it can cause.  

Since the medications used to treat depression can have serious side effects, many doctors try to get to the root issue before prescribing anything.  Candida ranks high on the root issue list.  

A good probiotic along with a gentle cleanse and a diet that cuts out sugar are great ways to get your gut healthy.  

Do some research on probiotics.  Choosing the right one will make all the difference.  That along with changing your diet.

Sign up today and I will send you my series that goes into greater depth and detail.

Experience the benefits of a good probiotic first hand. 

 Click here for one of the best probiotics on the market. 

 For more information check out these articles: 

The Effects of Candida on Mental Health

Depression is as Dangerous as Being Fat

Branding

When I started in the Network Marketing field, I busied myself with promoting my company.  All I cared about was making sure people knew that I was selling and what my products were.  They were the ones paying me, right?

Since then I have seen what happens when you start to become your company.  

• You start to be seen by the public as a product of your company, not as a leader.  They don't see the true leadership qualities that is needed to become successful in this market.
  
   Some people do become successful this way, but they probably already had a network in place.  Their network followed them into the company.  
• When a company dissolves, for whatever reason, there goes your name, or brand.  It will take more time and effort to rebuild you as another company.  
• If you decide to move to another company, for whatever reason, you will have to start building your team from scratch.

If you work on branding yourself and your Network Marketing Team members as leaders, you will begin to see a better outcome and more influence in the industry.  

How do you brand yourself as a leader?  It takes the work of your Network Marketing Team.  Come up with a business strategy to promote each team member as leaders, not just representatives of their companies.  Talk up their leadership skills, their heart, their skill for copy writing or graphics.   

• Make friends outside of your company.  
• Promote your Network Marketing Team members companies.
• Collaborate with your Network Marketing Team to become
  
  better at marketing your respective companies.  
• You are becoming a loose marketing firm that actually gets influence and results.

Before you know it, people will be seeing your brand instead of your company.  And your whole Network Marketing Team will be seeing the same.

For other amazing information, check out these great blogs:

Superhero Networking
RJSatHome

How to Promote Each Other to Success

I have posted quite a bit about developing a Network Marketing Team.  I do this because it is your greatest asset. Having people outside of your company commenting and sharing your posts carries more weight than if other representatives from the same company brag on the products or you for that matter.

So the first step is to make sure everyone is on the same page with this because it is a strategy in which the whole team will ultimately benefit.  Just one person doing it won't make as much of an impact.  Comment and share posts, blog posts, pictures anything that your team members create that touches you, makes you laugh, inspires you and teaches you.  Carry on conversations in public.  Let others see the conversation and join in.  Don't just comment or like and go away, at least not all the time.  If you don't have time to write a comment, you can add a sticker.  Anything.  I would discourage just clicking Like/Love, but instead write something or post a sticker.

When you share, talk about the person, not about their products.  It is the person that needs the promoting.  Sometimes you can do both, but the person is what needs to be elevated.  You can share a company ad that they post, but describe what a good representative they are of the company.

You can also look at comments they make on posts to see if they have made a good point that you can create a graphic for.  Or create a graphic of a post they did.  People love to share graphics.  It is easier to share.  Make sure to note the person being quoted in the graphic and make sure your hashtag is on the graphic.  Both of you will get credit when people share it.

The above steps are building to the next step.  Once you get used to sharing and building each other up on your own timelines, start sharing in the Ad/Spam groups.  Talk about the one being promoted as a "Great Leader", "A Rising Star" of the industry and say some uplifting words about them.  In this step, everyone on your team needs to be posting to the same Ad/Spam groups - but not neccesarily the same thing.  If you are not concentrating your efforts like a sniper, then you are shooting with buckshot.  You are hitting the target, but it is spread too thin to make a difference.

Another advanced step, which works best after the above has been in place for at least a few weeks to a few months, is to actually ask

the one to be promoted a networking question or a question about their products in the Ad/Spam groups or on their time line.  They look like a leader and they get to provide great tips to help others.

Our team found it is best to come up with a schedule of promotion.  Choosing a person to be promoted for a day, week, two weeks or longer, but make sure you rotate people to promote so the whole team benefits.  You can promote others during this time, but the "chosen" one should be promoted more.

After doing this for a few weeks, it will come as second nature and you will look forward to edifying others.  During this phase, continue to work on branding yourself and trying new things like setting up a blog. If this sounds overwhelming, take it a few baby steps at the time.  And before you know it, the whole team will be benefiting from this strategy.

For other amazing information on Branding and Blog setup, check out these great blogs:

Andrea Bunyea's Blog Andrea Dreams Pink 

Bob Swetz's Blog JRSatHome

Wellness Wednesday - There is More to Getting Healthy Than Just Losing Weight

Welcome to my first Wellness Wednesday!  I am really looking forward to discussing getting well from the inside out.

I want to start this series with a topic that is just beginning to be discussed when talking about weight loss - Candida.  Candida albicans—tiny yeast organisms like fungi and mold—may seem harmless but when it overgrows, it affects almost all bodily systems.  

Everyone has Candida.  A little bit of trivia for you, it is needed to decompose our bodies when we die.  In its right amount, it doesn't cause any problems.  But, because our environment encourages Candida growth, most people have overgrowth and don't realize it.  The following list contains a few things that can cause Candida growth.

• Taking antibiotics
• Taking steroids
• Taking birth control pills  
  
• Using chlorinated pools or/and Jacuzzis  
• Eating a high-sugar, high-carb diet 
• Using antibacterial soap   

Do you have some health issues that just won't go away?  Many can be rooted in Candida overgrowth.

• Being moody
• Depressed
• Brain fog
• Headaches
• Post nasal drip
• Rashes
• And trouble losing weight

The good news is there is help!  Probiotics can counteract the overgrowth and start healing your gut. 

Do some research on probiotics.  Choosing the right one will make all the difference.  That along with changing your diet.

Sign up today and I will send you my series that goes into greater depth and detail.

Experience the benefits of a good probiotic first hand.  Click here for one of the best probiotics on the market. 

Here is a great recipe from the blog of my good friend and blogger Melissa Lyn!  I hope you LOVE it.

Spicy NingXia Red Soup

For other amazing information on Candida, check out these great articles:

Is This the Cause of All Your Health Problems? - Shape Magazine
Yeast: The Hidden Cause of Your Exhaustion - Dr. Oz show

  

Income Producing Activities Part 2

Network Marketing is advertised as making money while putting in very little time.  "How would you like to work only two hours a day?"  But, to be successful, a lot more time and effort needs to happen.  If done right, it will push us out of our comfort zones and make us learn new skills that at first seem unnecessary.  So today, I thought I would go through one of the things that I consider Income Producing Activities that aren't taught by most companies or uplines.

Finding automation tools.  I spent a lot of time during the day doing

repetitive actions, like posting to my Facebook page.  So some days I would post a lot, and some days the only thing that I had time to post were ads.  So my timeline looked real spammy.  I am pretty sure Facebook was making sure my page and ads were not showing up in peoples newsfeeds.  Here are a few tools that I have fallen in love with, but of course there are plenty on the market to suit your fancy and all of these have free versions.

• Buffer -   Buffer is a great tool to schedule your posts.  It connects to Facebook, Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+.  It has several different levels of which one is a free version.  With the free version, you are restricted to how many accounts you can connect to and are limited to 10 posts per Social Media account.  I upgraded to the Awesome account so I could schedule more posts, up to 100.  So now I spend one day a week loading up Buffer for the next week.  
• Hootsuite - Hootsuite is like Buffer on steroids.  You can
  
  connect to the most popular Social Media accounts Their free 30 trial is limited to 3 Social Media accounts.  The price point is close to Buffer's.  It does have an added benefit of Hootsuite Suggestions. It searches the internet for content that is related to parameters that you set up.  So instead of you spending time to find articles on Candida, for example, the Suggestions will do it for you.  Cool feature.
• MailerLite - This is another one of my favorites.  If you want to start collecting leads, you have to create a Landing Page or some kind of Contact Me page.  This app makes it really simple to create those web forms and to place them in Facebook or you blog.  You can set it up to send welcome emails with links so you can offer downloadable freebies to your new leads  
• IFTTT - The anagram name stands for If This Then That.  Computer programmers understand this very well.   The basics of the program is you create Recipes.  You pick the Social Media or Blog site to connect to, tell it the action to look for (like a new blog post), and then tell it what to do (post the link to a Facebook page or your timeline).  On of the things I wanted it to do was to post to Facebook Groups.  It won't do that, but it does post to my timeline and Pages.  

When you find yourself doing something repetitive that seems like there should be a better way, it probably is.  Do some research through Google and you will find a long list to chose from.

This is Carla signing off for now!

Try my services and product.  Observe the results.  Love the Outcome.

Making Custom Graphics

Today I have two subjects I want to introduce.  The first is the benefits of creating your own one of a kind graphics.  The second is a new feature I will be introducing next week.  EEK so excited on both counts.

When you are posting ads about your company and products, you want to stand out from the crowd.  You don't want your ads to look just like every other sales representative.  You also don't want your ads to look spammy.  Either you will blend in with the crowd or friends will start ignoring your posts.  Eventually you will drop from their newsfeed entirely.

Don't be overwhelmed about trying your hand at creating.  Start off simple.  If I can't come up with something that sounds quotable, I

look for quotes in Google search.  I try to find something that pertains to what I want the potential customer to feel.  For Health and Wellness, look for healthy lifestyle quotes.  For jewelry, look for quotes on how jewelry make you feel confident etc.

Once you have a quote, look through a site that has free images to download.  There are more than you think it would be. Pixabay and Pexels are two that have a ton of pictures.  Canva and Desygner are graphic programs that have free pictures to choose from too.  Look for an image that stirs up the emotion you are looking for.  It can be more than one picture.  More on that later.  

Next go to a graphic site. There are several to use right from your PC.  I use Canva. Others are PicMonkey, iPiccy, and pixlr. There are phone apps too.  For the iPhones, there is WordSwag, Word Dream, Photophy, PicStitch, PiZap, and Polyvore.  For Android phones, there are Photofy, PhotoGrid, Instaquote, PicGrid, Polyvore, PicsArt, PiZap, and Word Dream.  There are others, but these are the most popular.  Experiment and find which is the easiest for you to use.

Either upload the pictures you picked from the free picture sites or go with one that is already in your graphic program. The graphic programs have a ton of different elements to arrange the pictures in different arrangements, add text, and some effects.  You can also crop your picture.  I have also uploaded a picture to PicsArt, used the filters to get the desired effect for the background picture, then saved it and uploaded it to Canva to use as a more unique background.  Make sure the text compliments the background but that it stands out.

I hope you are now encouraged enough to try your hand to stand out from the crowd!

Now for the next item.  Starting Wednesday,

I will be having a feature called Wellness Wednesday.  I will be posting health information, recipes, encourage- ment, diet tips and maybe even some exercise tips (those will probably be coming from someone who actually exercises LOL).  I hope you will enjoy this feature as much as I am excited to be bringing it to you.

Try me.  Observe the results.  Love the outcome!