Help your child achieve greater health for a brighter future!
Written by, Carolyn Waygood, Certified Natural Health Professional & Plexus Ambassador
Most people are familiar with the quote “Health is the greatest gift”, but statistics have shown that America’s health is declining. This begs me to ask the question “Why are people who reside in one of the most socially and economically developed countries in the world not giving themselves ‘the greatest gift’?” According to a recent report published jointly between the United Health Foundation and the Partnership for Prevention, “the prevalence of obesity in the United States has climbed 132% over the past decade” which has contributed to an epidemic of diabetes in America. Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes. But now it is becoming more common in children and teens, due in part by escalating rates of obesity in this age group.
Facts and statistics are alarming, The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that overweight teens have an 80% chance of becoming overweight adults. Obesity is now the 2nd most common cause of preventable death in the U.S., with deaths linked to being overweight exceeding those from alcohol, drugs, firearms, and motor vehicles…. combined! As children grow fatter, their chance of developing heart disease, diabetes (and associated complications, like blindness, kidney failure, neuropathy, etc.), arthritis, gallstones, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain cancers (including breast and prostate cancer) also increases. Excess fat in children not only creates a self-esteem issue (if that isn’t enough reason to help your child make a change), it often leads to a life of challenging, and possibly deadly, health issues.
Your choice here, as a parent, is to either shake your head and blame the growing waistline of our children on video games, TV, school lunches, or the internet, or you can realize obesity is completely preventable and help your child improve their health by reaching healthy weight levels. If you’re relying on your pediatrician to solve your child’s weight problem, good luck. Most doctors only have time to record your child’s growing height and weight, chart it on a BMI graph, and caution you that the curve is going in the wrong direction. When you realize optimal health isn’t given to you by your doctor – but rather a choice you and your child make – you’ve made the first big step toward a healthier and happier future. What a wonderful gift to give your child! The gift of a healthy future!
When it comes to excess weight, we have to understand the cause before we can define our “personal cure”. Any weight loss program that addresses only the obvious, such as reducing caloric intake (“diet”) and increasing caloric output (“exercise”), will never truly solve the problem today. “Focusing on what your child eats or doesn’t eat, and becoming a drill sergeant emphasizing exercise may create an unhealthy aversion to food and fitness”, cautions Ms. Waygood, also a Certified Pilates Instructor. “America’s growing weight issue is no longer just linked to oversized food portions and under-activity, although they indeed play a role. Excess weight can be caused by a variety of different issues, such as a developing resistance to insulin.” America’s weight problem is not just about calories, carbs, or cholesterol. You or your child’s “personal cure” might also need to address a slow metabolism, insulin resistance, inadequate digestion, nutritional deficiencies, poor elimination, an imbalance of intestinal flora, an acidic body pH, or any combination of these. Believe it or not, when considered individually, each cause can be clearly and easily understood (even by children!), and may be resolved fairly quickly.
Is Your Child Insulin Resistant?
We can no longer assume, for example, that insulin resistance is an issue seen only in adults. We know years of elevated sugar levels triggering high insulin production lead to insulin resistance (when the body’s cells don’t respond as well to the hormone insulin and glucose is less able to enter the cells and be used for energy) , and thus the body’s inability to adequately utilize blood sugar and, instead, store it as fat. Previously diagnosed only in adults, most people mistakenly think children’s bodies can adequately process all the sugar it consumes and, therefore, a decrease in insulin sensitivity can’t be the issue behind their child’s weight challenges. According to a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) entitled Obesity, Insulin Resistance, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Risk in Children, “There is an increasing amount of data showing that being overweight during childhood and adolescence is significantly associated with insulin resistance”. This same report sites recent studies in children clearly associating insulin resistance with obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), and elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in children as young as 5 years of age.
A Natural & Easy Weight Loss Solution
While most weight loss programs involve complicated activities, such as counting points or measuring food portions, that are difficult for children and adolescents to integrate into their lives, the Plexus approach to healthy weight management is easy-to-do, and effective. “I consider the Plexus approach to weight management the most complete approach to weight loss on the market today”, explains Ms. Waygood, “because it addresses the faulty body processes that contribute to excess weight such as metabolism, nutrition, insulin sensitivity, body pH, appetite control, and more!” Plexus Slim is a tasty powdered drink mix originally formulated to help Type 2 diabetics better manage blood sugar. Now available to the public, and still safe for diabetics, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world are not only balancing blood glucose and insulin levels naturally, but also losing weight and reducing their risk of weight-related diseases.
“Plexus Slim is a wonderful weight-loss solution for children because they love the taste”, explains Ms. Waygood, “and it’s easy! All you do is mix a powder packet into a bottle of water and drink it each morning, and take an optional daily vitamin.” Plexus Accelerator or Boost, a daily supplement that can be taken with Plexus Slim, contains important B-vitamins (a catalyst for energy metabolism in your body), calcium (proven to help the body’s cells burn fat), chromium (a trace mineral that enhances insulin’s action in the body), and a proprietary blend of phytonutrients, which all work together to improve energy and metabolism, and burn fat and calories to yield
weight loss. While this powerful weight-loss product set is safe and effective for children, it’s also popular among adults and seniors. “Whether you are 10 years old or 80”, notes Ms. Waygood, “Plexus Slim may help you rebalance your body, and help it shed the excess fat it’s accumulated.”
Is Your Body pH Too Acidic?
Dr. Robert Young, author of The pH Miracle for Weight Loss, associates much of America’s excess weight problems to excess acid in the body. “The body retains fat as a protection against the overproduction of acids produced by the typical American diet”, writes Dr. Young. “Fat is actually saving your life. Without fat protecting the cells, tissues, and organs of your body from acids, you would be dead.” Acidity and alkalinity are measured using a 14-point pH scale, with zero (0) being most acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being most basic (alkaline). Children eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) most likely have a body pH that’s too acidic (consistent pH readings below 7.0).
“In the same way body temperature is meant to be maintained at 98.6 degrees”, explains Dr. Young, “your body is programmed to maintain a pH balance within very narrow parameters. Just as with temperature, your pH can vary slightly without causing much concern, but a range too far away from ideal can result in serious consequences.”
The human body will do whatever it has to in order to maintain pH balance, including building cholesterol plaques, storing fat, and leaching calcium out of bones and/or magnesium out of the heart and other muscles to act as buffers. In an attempt to protect itself from high acid levels, a child’s body may start storing fat at a very young age. “People can’t avoid acid production in the body because acids are naturally formed as by-products of digestion, respiration, normal metabolism, and cellular breakdown”, explains Ms. Waygood. “However, there are ways we can reduce the intake of acids into our bodies, neutralize internal acid levels, as well as better eliminate acids in order to maintain healthy pH levels. A healthy body – at healthy pH levels – naturally maintains its own ideal weight.” Plexus addresses healthy pH levels naturally by addressing intestinal balance, regular elimination, and restoring alkalizing mineral reserves. “The pH levels of the fluid in our bodies is directly linked to our current state of health”, explains Ms. Waygood, “just as pH determines the health of a swimming pool. You wouldn’t want to go swimming in a pool filled with green, algae-ridden water, would you?”
Rebalancing the body’s pH may be the first important step in healthy weight management.
Preventing Disease & Providing a Brighter Future
There’s no better time to teach your child about health, encourage them to take responsibility, and guide them to make healthy lifestyle choices than now, when they’re living at home and parents have some level of influence on daily routines and meals. However, most parents don’t have the health knowledge necessary to adequately address children’s weight issues alone. Because type 2 diabetes is a relatively recent problem in adolescents, society doesn’t have a well-known plan to address this growing threat. This is where medical professionals, as well as natural health and fitness professionals, can make a lasting impact. “Establishing optimal health at a young age”, notes Ms. Waygood, “is truly a gift that can last a child their lifetime.”
For FREE information on…
€ Common Causes of Excess Weight
€ Natural Weight Loss Tips
€ Excess Weight & Your pH
€ Excess Weight & Poor Digestion
€ Blood Sugar, Insulin, and Your Weight
…email Carolyn@BetterBreastCheck.com today! Or contact her for a FREE natural health consultation at (941) 713-3767.
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FREE Health Seminar
on Saturday, August 23rd, from
10 AM – 11 AM in the meeting room
of Ancient Ways Martial Arts Academy
located at 3405 Cortez Road West,
Bradenton FL, 34210.
Please r.s.v.p. to Jamie Brown at (941) 720-7075, or Carolyn Waygood at (941) 713-3767.
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Disclaimer: All information provided in this article, particularly any information relating to specific medical conditions, health care, preventive care, and healthy lifestyles, is presented for general informational purposes only. It should not be considered complete or exhaustive and does not cover all disorders or conditions or their treatment. The information provided is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or health care provider, and may not necessarily take your individual health situation into account. The author assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of this article. The statements regarding any products included in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
For more information about the health benefits associated with the Plexus products, visit www.WAYGOOD.MyPlexusProducts.com. Ms. Waygood provides FREE health education seminars to groups of all sizes. Contact her today to schedule a health seminar for your organization, church, or office!