Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Overall

Mental health is a big part of overall health but there has been a stigma attached to it for years. For example, if you have cancer, diabetes or heart disease, people tend to be sympathetic, but if you suffer from depression or anxiety, there are still some who express the belief that those are “chosen” and not real disorders, that people can simply choose to be happy and well. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and one annual constant is the effort to dispel those misconceptions.

The truth of the matter is that we are all impacted by mental health issues in one way or another, whether personally or by someone we know. Here are some sobering facts from the National Council for Behavioral Health1:

  • 1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness.
  • Nearly 1 in 25 (10 million) adults in America live with a serious mental illness.
  • One-half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14; three-quarters by the age of 24.
  • Approximately 10.2 million adults have co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders.

Perhaps in the year 2020, mental health awareness has become more real to virtually everyone as anxiety may no longer be something “imagined” by those labeled mentally unstable— it may have rooted itself as a daily experience for the mainstream masses. As many are being forced to practice self-care, sometimes as a solo act without being able to rely on the usual support network of friends and family, anxiety and depression may have become a reality for even some of the most stoic and resilient individuals.

Regardless of each person’s specific health concerns, mental or physical, the entire world is now jointly contemplating self-care. Even high-schoolers are already aware of the importance of health maintenance. A younger person may be more interested in having lots of energy during school hours spent entirely online and having the stamina to cram for exams. Or, those in their 20s and 30s may prioritize muscle building and weight management while awaiting the reopening of gyms. As aging progresses, the concern may transition to heart health, digestive efficiency and restful sleep. The older the individual, the more the focus may be on the range of ailments associated with premature aging of the brain and other vital organs. Nutraceutical industry leaders contend that “the age-related perspective has shifted towards solutions that are relevant throughout an individual’s lifespan.”2

There is no getting away from the fact that good nutrition and consistent physical activity are the keys to sustained health. You can cheat once in awhile but every one of us has to get back on the track of healthy nutrition and exercise. Active Wellness is important, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. This has been the Nikken approach from the company’s inception and continues. Eat well, exercise daily and stay safe!

1 https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/mental-health-month/

2 https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/issues/2020-05/view_features/the-power-of-prevention-in-healthy-agingutm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NUT_Issue+Alert+%285-13-2020%29+%28Final%29&utm_content=&spMailingID=5372229&spUserID=ODkzNTI1MTM0OTkS1&spJobID=1020627375&spReportId=MTAyMDYyNzM3NQS2

Take Care of Mom the Way She Takes Care of You!

Mothers take care of their families as top priorities and as primary caretakers, they often suffer from self-neglect. It’s up to the family to help take care of mom and to show her she’s loved! Globally, there are different ways to honor mom and various dates for Mother’s Day but in the United States, it is believed to have started in 1905 by a woman named Anna Jarvis. She wanted to remember her mother who passed away that year. By 1908, the first celebration of that holiday took place when Anna Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother.1 In North America and many other regions, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This year, it’s on May 10.

In truth, mothers should be honored every single day of the year and there are many ways to do it without spending large amounts on symbolic gifts. The little things we do every day really count, and sometimes the simplest gestures do the most good. For example, even young children can be taught how to make a shake, so why not teach them to make shakes for mom? Mom feeds the family, so every family member can contribute and help feed mom and keep her on the Active Wellness path.

With Kenzen Vital Balance® Meal Replacement Mix, two scoops in some PiMag® water and you’ve got a nutritious meal in the form of a vanilla shake. Add a scoop of Kenzen Super Ciaga™ powder to the mix and you have a berry shake! You can’t go wrong whether you serve mom at breakfast, lunch or in between meals when she’s working hard. And if mom is the type that likes a lighter meal for dinner, two scoops in some milk or PiMag® water and dinner is served!

You certainly don’t have to wait until Mother’s Day to treat mom to some TLC. KVB is certified organic, a breakthrough in the shake/meal replacement industry. It has “brain food” from organic MCTs from coconut milk, BioFolate™ added to help produce neurotransmitters and naturally-sourced plant protein to keep mom’s metabolism firing to help manage weight and burn fat.Screen Shot 2020-04-27 at 8.26.09 AM

Mom needs all the muscle she can get, and KVB helps her maintain and build a lean physique. According to HealthFocus, muscle health/tone is now the top benefit consumers associate with a high-protein diet.2 If mom’s a vegetarian, she’ll appreciate the organically-sourced protein from pea, rice and chlorella. If she’s a die-hard carnivore, KVB can help her incorporate vegetable-protein into her diet and reduce her nutritional footprint.

When you add Kenzen Super Ciaga™ powder to KVB, you really help mom power up! Screen Shot 2020-04-27 at 8.37.27 AMWith only 10 calories per serving and no processed sugar, it adds superfruit antioxidants to the protein mix. In fact, both are sweetened with monkfruit, which has no calories but carries its own range of antioxidant goodness. With a high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of 5,000, Super Ciaga helps to support a healthy immune system as well as cardiovascular health.* It’s a wonderful way to keep mom keep her defense system strong to withstand all the stress that comes with working and taking care of the whole family!

Happy Mother’s Day from Nikken to mothers everywhere! We love you and want you to stay safe!

 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

1 https://www.grammarly.com/blog/history-of-mothers-day/

2 https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/issues/2019-10/view_trendsense/getting-ahead-of-the-curve-perspectives-on-protein–plant-based-beyond?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NUT_FOCUS+%284-29-2020%29+%28Final%29&utm_content=&spMailingID=5294617&spUserID=ODkzNTI1MTM0OTkS1&spJobID=1001396080&spReportId=MTAwMTM5NjA4MAS2

Eat Breakfast on Any Food Regimen

Virtually every advice column about starting the day off right includes a section about always eating breakfast. Yet the trend recently is to skip breakfast in order to practice intermittent fasting to lose weight. Many people show compelling weight loss through intermittent fasting, but what are the long-term ramifications of skipping breakfast?

According to study after study on both children and adults, people who eat breakfast do better on cognitive and memory tests than those who skip it.1 The Journal of the American College of Cardiology also notes that “skipping breakfast could be bad for your ticker. The results found that of the nearly 7,000 people it surveyed over a period of roughly 20 years, those who didn’t eat breakfast had an increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.”2

As the name suggests, breakfast breaks the overnight fasting period. It replenishes our supply of glucose to boost energy levels and alertness, while also providing other essential nutrients required for good health. It improves our ability to concentrate in the short term, and can help with better weight management, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long term.3

The good news for those who practice intermittent fasting is that in fact, you can have your intermittent fasting and eat breakfast, too, and there is substantial evidence you’d be better off that way. The time window we choose to fast matters. Fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the day is the pattern that has the most profound benefits. “The research is clear that people who eat in the morning and afternoon have healthier blood lipid profiles and better blood sugar control and tend to weigh less than those who eat late in the day. And people who eat breakfast tend to have better overall nutrient intakes than those who skip it. Also, eating during the waking hours, when your mental and physical demands are highest, gives you the fuel to perform at your best.”4

Commonly eaten breakfast foods such as whole grains, eggs, yogurt and fruit are rich in key nutrients such as folate, calcium, iron, B vitamins and fiber. Breakfast therefore potentially provides a lot of your day’s total nutrient intake. In fact, people who eat breakfast are more likely to meet their recommended daily intakes of vitamins and minerals than people who don’t.

 However you choose to start your day, Nikken provides nutritional supplements to fill in the gap. Kenzen Vital Balance® Meal Replacement Mix is the perfect breakfast by itself or added to your other foods. Add Kenzen® Mega Daily 4 (formulas for women or for men) veggie-based multivitamins, Kenzen Jade GreenZymes® made with Mother Nature’s perfect food in the form of high-grade barley grass and Kenzen Lactoferrin® 2.0 to absorb iron and maintain a healthy gut for overall health! Eat an Active Wellness breakfast and feel the right start difference!

1, 4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/many-intermittent-fasters-skip-breakfast-heres-why-thats-not-a-good-idea/2018/10/23/976aba7e-d311-11e8-83d6-291fcead2ab1_story.htm

2 https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/intermittent-fasting-breakfast/

3, 5 https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/breakfast

 

Get Your Stress Under Control

In these uncertain times, even the most stoic of us have our moments of doubt and anxiety. We get stressed out and it only makes things worse. But how do we control our stress levels when the world seems to be devolving?

When we take a hike on a nature trail, go camping or simply take a barefoot walk along the beach, we are doing something called grounding. We’re using all our senses to experience a piece of nature. In other words, communing with Mother Nature can actually help us de-stress by getting us out of our daily box and helping to lower our escalating cortisol levels.

According to Anchorage social worker and counselor Deborah Gonzales, the solution to panic and anxiety is grounding through our senses. This consists of making use of the environment. She clarifies, “Find five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.”1 After going through this process, it has a similar effect as taking slow deep breaths or counting to 10 when feeling anxious.

Grounding is not a new concept, but as our contemporary lives ricochet between overwork at “work” and being stretched too thin at home with multi-generational responsibilities, grounding is a necessity for Active Wellness.

But what about those of us who are confined at home? There is nothing to perfectly replicate the feeling of soil underneath our feet, but there is something that comes close in its effect. At Nikken, we call it KenkoGround®—it serves as an indoor and portable way to reconnect with Mother Nature.

Feeling grounded is the opposite of feeling stressed or anxious. Realizing that every living creature is bioelectrical in nature, Nikken created the KenkoGround which made with 20% silver, one of the best known conductors of electricity. KenkoGroundKenkoGround is a lightweight, three-layered rectangular cloth that can be placed under your feet or draped around your shoulders to impart a feeling of balance and calm—it is a wonderful example of technology culled from our knowledge of Mother Nature.

Another known de-stressor is massage. Can’t leave the house to visit your favorite massage therapist? No problem. The KenkoTouch® is a handheld self-massage unit with patented DynaFlux® magnetic technology. KenkoTouchWith three settings, you control the amount of pressure.

No matter where you are, Nikken is committed to supporting you through thick and thin. Inhale slowly, exhale slowly. We are together.

 

1 deboramgonzales.com

Drink Filtered Water for Active Wellness and Reduce Bottled Water Use for Earth Wellness

For the first time in history, human use and pollution of freshwater have reached a level where water scarcity will potentially limit food production, ecosystem function, and urban supply in the decades to come. The primary reason for this shortage is population growth, which has increased at a faster rate than food production for some years and will add up to three billion or more people by the middle of the 21st century, mostly in poor and water‐short countries. Water quality degradation has also contributed significantly to a number of problems of global concern, including human drinking water supply and species survival.1

Here are some daunting facts2:

  • Today one in three people or 2.2 billion people around the world lack safe drinking water. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
  • Over half of the global population or 4.2 billion people lack safe sanitation. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
  • Approximately 50 liters of water per person per day are needed to ensure that most basic needs are met while keeping public health risks at a low level. (WHO, 2017)
  • 207 million people spent over 30 minutes per round trip to collect water from an improved source. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
  • Hygiene promotion is the most cost effective health intervention. (World Bank 2016)
  • Two out of five people or three billion people around the world lack basic handwashing facilties at home. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
  • In urban areas, for every $1 invested in basic drinking water, an average of more than $3 is returned in saved medical costs and increased productivity. For every $1 invested in basic sanitation, the return is $2.5. In rural areas, the return on investment is even higher: with every $1 invested in basic drinking water, an average of nearly $7 is returned in saved medical costs and increased productivity. And in the case of basic sanitation in rural areas, every $1 returns on average more than $5 in saved medical costs and increased productivity. (Hutton et al. 2015)

Clean water is not something we can take for granted. And for those of us who have easy access to drinkable water, now more than ever it’s our responsibility to help decrease our plastic waste and carry water bottles everywhere instead of drinking single-use bottled water. With an eco-friendly PiMag® Sport Bottle, you not only get clean pi water, you help decrease plastic waste and your personal carbon footprint!

This March, Nikken Registered Customers get a US $50 cash discount on any PiMag® Water Pack purchase as Nikken participates in World Water Awareness.

 

1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065211307950014

2 https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-hygiene/

 

See to Your Matters of the Heart

Before the 12th century, people were not aware of the true function of the heart. They knew that the heart beats faster when a person is excited or upset—so they gathered that the heart ruled emotions and feelings. Even though it has long been scientifically proven that emotions come from the brain, the heart remains a powerful symbol of love and is therefore universally used to represent Valentine’s Day.1

Since the heart pumps blood and oxygen to all our other organs, it is most vital to Active Wellness and overall good health. When the heart is unhealthy, it can lead to serious problems, including hardening of the arteries, high cholesterol, blockages, high blood pressure and cardiac arrest.bergisterol

The combination of consistent daily exercise and a low-fat, low cholesterol diet have been found to be most effective in maintaining heart health. Exercise without attention to diet or healthy eating without exercise are not as effective.2 Aerobic exercise, otherwise known as “cardio,” combined with resistance training and eating a Mediterranean diet, are found to promote heart health.

If you do not cycle, swim or run—the three forms of cardiovascular exercise that make up a triathlon—simply find something you enjoy in order to stay on a regimen long-term. For example, you may like zumba or ballroom dancing, hiking or power yoga. The key is to get a move on and to form a healthy habit that becomes part of your Active Wellness lifestyle. Trying something new—jiu jitsu or rock climbing, for example—makes it more interesting and provides a sense of accomplishment.

Researchers have found that consuming omega-3 fatty acids as part of a heart-healthy diet also reduces the risk of heart disease. OmegaDHANew_317x310Cardiac diet guidelines also include regularly consuming portions of peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. One study involving over 9,000 men and women found that increased consumption of legumes can help protect the health of your heart. Researchers tracked people over a 19-year period and found that eating plenty of legumes in the diet helped to lower the risk of coronary heart disease.3

Meditation can help lower blood pressure by putting your body into a state of deep rest. Yoga, tai chi and deep breathing are similarly effective. Using these relaxation techniques together with exercise and a low-fat diet full of fruit and veggies, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins are natural ways to stay heart-healthy. In contrast, research published in 2018 has found that sugar–laden foods and drinks pose even more of a risk to your heart’s health than saturated fats.4

It’s never too soon to take care of your heart! Wishing you and those close to your heart a Happy Healthy Valentine’s Day!

 

 

1 http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-hearts.html

2 https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/cholesterol-how-much-exercise#1

3, 4 https://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/cardiac-diet/

 

Enjoy Your Celebrations but Moderation is Best

From the holiday season of exuberant dining and imbibing, we plunged headlong into New Year’s resolutions! All that extra indulgence had to be dealt with! By the end of January, our resolve had been tested and some of us may already have fallen. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, there may be temptations galore yet again!

Staying well informed is one way to prevent excessive consumption of alcoholic spirits and sugary foods during celebrations. Many people are surprised to learn what counts as one drink. The amount of liquid in your glass, can, or bottle does not necessarily match up to how much alcohol is actually in your drink. Different types of liquor can have very different amounts of alcohol content. That’s why it’s important to know how much alcohol your drink contains.

In the United States, one “standard” drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol,1 which is found in:

  • 12 fluid ounces of regular beer, usually about 5% alcohol.
  • 5 fluid ounces of wine, typically about 12% alcohol.
  • 5 fluid ounces of distilled spirits, about 40% alcohol.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, moderate drinking is up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.2

 One way to keep yourself from overindulging is to slow down the pace of drinking and to eat something at the same time. Dietician Cynthia Sass recommends eating something that has protein, fat or both because those two empty out of the stomach slower. She explains that they create a better buffer than carbohydrates.3 She also suggests a glass of water with each alcoholic drink, then adding another glass of water before your next beverage. She adds that “mock-tails” are a great alternative to alcohol when you are staying within your limit. Mock-tails often have sparkling water, berries and herbs to make them taste delicious without the alcohol content.

Certain people should avoid alcohol completely, including those who:

  • Plan to drive or operate machinery, or participate in activities that require skill, coordination, and alertness.
  • Take certain over-the-counter or prescription medications.
  • Have certain medical conditions.
  • Are recovering alcoholics or are unable to control the amount that they drink.
  • Are younger than age 21.
  • Are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.

Most people recognize that alcohol can do serious damage to the liver when used in excess; however, your immune system takes a hit, too. Even one night of drinking too much liquor can impair your body’s ability to evade infections, for up to 24 hours afterward.4 Any individual prone to colds or sinus infections should monitor alcohol intake to avoid illness this winter. To help stay on the Active Wellness path, Kenzen® Immunity and Kenzen® Cleanse & Detox are two of our favorite organic supplements that help counteract the possible effects of overindulgence!

Wishing you a Happy Lunar New Year of the Rat—full of prosperity and moderate indulgences in a healthy life of Active Wellness!

 

1 https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/what-standard-drink

2 https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/moderate-binge-drinking

3 https://abc7.com/4767686/

4 https://www.keckmedicine.org/how-too-many-drinks-during-the-holidays-can-be-bad-for-your-health/

Are You Addicted to Certain Foods?

The effects of certain foods on the brain make it hard for some people to avoid them, even if they go against an Active Wellness lifestyle. Since food is something we need in order to exist, we don’t always think of it as an addiction; however, many of us lose control around specific unhealthy foods and that is where food may produce behaviors similar to more commonly accepted addictions, such as drugs or alcohol.

The most problematic foods include junk foods generally high in sugar, fat and artificial flavor enhancers. They’re notably bad for us, and many of us continue to eat them. Unlike drug addiction, there is no blood test to diagnose food addiction. It’s based on behavior. Health professionals assert that if we have four to five of these eight common symptoms, we likely have a food addiction :1

  1. Craving certain foods despite feeling full and just having eaten a healthy meal
  2. Eating more than intended of a craved food
  3. Eating a craved food to the point of feeling sick
  4. Feeling guilty after eating certain foods—then eating them again
  5. Making up excuses for eating a craved food
  6. Trying to quit eating certain foods unsuccessfully
  7. Eating craved foods or unhealthy foods in secret
  8. Feeling unable to control the eating of unhealthy foods

The concept of food addiction is controversial because not everyone has experienced it or even heard of it. For those who suffer from it, it can be a lifetime struggle and cause multiple health risks. These include overweight and obesity, which may increase the risk of heart problems, digestive issues and diabetes. Those who are unfamiliar with the problem often consider those with food addictions simply to lack will power. The implication is that food addiction can be easily stopped. In reality, health professionals consider food addiction to be as complex as any other disease. Once addicted, eating certain foods changes the brain in ways that make abstaining from them, very hard.2

When eaten, sugar, flour, grains and any other addictive foods, light up the brain’s reward circuit by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. This reward system motivates repeat behaviors, causing people to eat these pleasure-inducing foods repeatedly.3

Just as with any other addiction, certain people are more vulnerable than others. No single factor is predictive, but genetics play a role, as does someone’s environment. The earlier and the more we are exposed to sugar and other addictive substances, the more likely we are to become trapped into desiring them. thomas-kelley-j5DeBxBUwHw-unsplashUnlike drugs and other addictions, abstinence is not an option when it comes to eating. However, abstinence from the unhealthy craved foods is actually the goal in curbing food addictions. As difficult as it may be, here are some tips to conquer any bad eating habits:4

  • Become educated about healthful foods and try them out.
  • Be honest about why you’re eating what you know you shouldn’t. What thoughts and emotions do you associate with the food you’re eating?
  • Identify social or environmental pressures that lead to unhealthy eating. Avoid them if possible, or explain to people why you are no longer eating certain “triggering” foods.
  • Make an action plan to eat well and get moving. Create healthy menus and cook at home. Devise an exercise routine and add to it incrementally as you improve your fitness. Write down Active Wellness goals.
  • Be realistic. Abstinence from “bad” food will not happen overnight. Just like quitting smoking, it may take a few tries. Don’t beat yourself up over it. There are no options other than taking it a day at a time.

Nikken nutritional supplements are designed to help us stay on track from head to toe. Whether it’s for digestion, mental clarity, strong bones, weight loss or an energy boost, Nikken provides the highest quality of organically sourced support! Take advantage of our special “three for the price of two” on KVB® Meal Replacement Mix! It’s low in fat and carbohydrates, and has no gluten, no dairy, no GMO, no added salt, no preservatives, no sugar and no artificial flavors—all stuff that can lead to food addiction.

 

1 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-overcome-food-addiction

2,3https://foodaddictioninstitute.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAxrbwBRCoARIsABEc9sgZ8KWTI3Qf6HtR4PbLKjzmqY9JUuG6nUEXvP5pAORqSvzkY1z4lkIaAkJlEALw_wcB

4 https://psychcentral.com/blog/expert-tips-for-overcoming-food-addiction/

 

A New Way to Approach New Year’s Resolutions

Do you cringe at the thought of new year’s resolutions? In the back of your mind, do you think it’s futile and you’re doomed to fail? You are not alone! According to U.S. News & World Reports, 80% of new year’s resolutions fail and most of us lose our resolve by mid-February.1 What can we do to improve our odds for success?

Human nature rebels against being told what to do, even if we’re doing the telling ourselves. In fact, we make more unreasonable demands on ourselves than anyone else—many of us want to be someone other than who we are—perhaps we want to be super mom/dad or be the employee of the year. Maybe we want to lower our cholesterol without medication or fend off diabetes. To increase our chances of achieving our resolutions, the question we need to ask is, “Is it realistic?”

The most common resolutions relate to Active Wellness. For example, we want to get in shape, then stay fit and healthy. We therefore resolve to exercise more, eat healthier food, get more quality sleep and reduce stress. Theoretically these are good resolutions. However, year after year, we may not achieve our fitness goals. Why do we continue to make the same resolutions without a plan of attack?

Once a plan and actual steps are implemented, the loftiest resolutions become action items to perform daily, weekly and monthly—at the end of the year, chances are we will have done better at keeping our resolutions. In addition to putting together a real and do-able plan to achieve our resolutions, there’s another way to help accomplish our goals. The National Community Service reports that people who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression later in life.2

Because volunteering is service-oriented and is outside of our own regular lives, it allows us to meet a variety of people. Increasing social interactions, especially when it helps others, leaves us with a good feeling of accomplishment. This feeling stimulates a positive attitude that helps us stay on course for Active Wellness. A study conducted by Harvard University showed that volunteers experience similar health benefits to those who exercise regularly.3

Resolution of supportSome ways to volunteer can be done solo while others involve participating in a group. You can be a Big Brother or Sister, participate in many types of nonprofit organizations, work with churches, schools and clubs, become a trainee at local animal shelters and sanctuaries, serve at soup kitchens, canvas for food and clothing drives, or simply pick up each piece of trash you happen upon on a beach walk. It’s truly a win-win— do good within the community, feel good about ourselves and get healthier.

Let’s make 2020 the best year ever!

1 https://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/why-set-yourself-up-for-failure-ditch-new-years-resolution-do-this-instead.html

2, 3 https://rewardvolunteers.coop/volunteer-opportunities-for-new-year-resolutions/

 

Letter from the C.E.O.

Dear Nikken Wellness Community,

As we bid farewell to 2019, I am grateful for the many memorable experiences of the past 12 months. There was the Recognition event in Mexico City, the Nikken North America Anniversary celebration in San Diego and the Team Kaizen trip to Italy. There was the Diamond Seminar in Toronto, the European Inspire event in Paris and a North American Leadership Summit in Irvine. And finally, there was the opening of Chile. All of these activities gave me the chance to reconnect with old friends and make new friends. Every one of these events gave me an adrenalin rush!

I am also grateful for your unwavering belief in sharing Nikken Active Wellness with so many people who are in dire need of our products. There can be no more rewarding activity than introducing people to the 5 Pillars of Wellness. Your dedication to creating Wellness Homes everywhere certainly is an example of Humans Being More.

The year 2020 promises to be a very exciting year for our Global Wellness Community. Here are a few examples of what’s ahead for us in 2020:

• In Europe and North America, Nikken will rollout cutting edge IT platforms for our website, shopping cart and back office.

• We will continue to introduce new and improved products that customers will want and need.

• We will provide you with more great tools that will make it easier to sell products.

• We will celebrate 45 years of Active Wellness in New York City at our global convention.

• We will host another European event in Paris, another Diamond Seminar in North America and another Leadership Summit in North America.

• And qualifying for Team Taishi or Kaizen will offer exciting excursions in 2021.

Together we will improve the well-being of people in all corners of the world. In helping others, you can benefit directly from the various rewards that are a part of our Incentive Program. We will do all of this while being respectful of the environment.

On behalf of all of us at Nikken World Headquarters, I would like to wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Best Wishes,

Kurt H. Fulle

KurtFulle copy