Category: Motivation

A Young Champion and his Nikken Products

Published on by Nikken

Jack Turner is a young British athlete who has won an impressive number of awards. Jack became the English Schools under-17 2017 Octathlon champion when he won Gold in Boston, UK. He went on to represent England at the Schools International Athletics Board (SIAB) Home Internationals in Glasgow, Scotland where he won Silver for the indoor Pentathlon.

This year Jack won the under-18 British Standards decathlon competition, exceeding the European entry standard. This led to him being selected to represent Great Britain at the European Championships in Hungary, where he set a new British record. A few months later he went on to compete in his first under-20 Decathlon and achieved the gold medal and another national title. At the end of the 2018 outdoor season Jack is ranked 6th in Europe, 6th in the world for under-18 Decathlon and 4th in the UK for under-20s Decathlon. He’s aiming high for the championships next year!

A big fan of Nikken products, Jack uses them before, during and after competitions. He explains, “I found the KenkoTherm® Knee Wrap really supportive, especially since I hyperextended my knee last year long jumping. Wearing it helps me both physically and mentally. The tight yet comfortable fit meant that for a long period of time I could compete with it on.

“I found myself using the Kenko MagDuo® a lot. In preparation for the European Championships, I would use it on small muscles and joints for some release. I used the KenkoTouch® on my inflamed tendon, that I picked up during a decathlon, days before another competition. I used it at night just before I went to bed and felt that it really helped me to perform well the following day.

“I have a PiMag Waterfall® at home, so to be able to carry around PiMag filtered water in the PiMag® Sport Bottle when I compete was reassuring, especially when competing abroad.”

The young champion is clearly adhering to tried and true Active Wellness practices.

  • He keeps hydrated and drinks PiMag® alkaline water.
  • He keeps his muscles and tendons warm and supported with form fitting KenkoTherm wraps.
  • He takes advantage of patented DynaFlux® magnetic technology to massage himself with the handheld KenkoTouch® and the Kenko MagDuo®.

We look forward to hearing more about Jack Turner’s brilliant athletic accomplishments over the coming years!

Active Recovery as Part of Active Wellness

Published on by Nikken

How much exercise is the right amount to maintain optimum health? We can generalize and offer guidelines but only you personally can determine how much and how often. By the same token, how we recover from working out is also a personal choice.

There are two basic ways to recover from strenuous workouts: passively or actively. Passive recovery is resting completely and not exercising at all. Active recovery involves mild exercise; in other words, moving in a way that doesn’t stress the body or challenge those already-tired muscles. Active recovery focuses on completing a workout at a low intensity, but just high enough that it gets the blood moving and helps reduce residual fatigue in the muscle.

Active recovery may have several distinct advantages. Some believe that staying active helps prime your body’s metabolic pathways of recovery, while the psychological benefits of active recovery are apparent for people who feel better when exercising daily—movement is known to be a mood enhancer. And, many people find it easier to adhere to their diets on workout days.1 In these ways, active recovery helps the body to rest without coming to a full stop, while taking care of any self-imposed guilt for not exercising at all.

Active recovery helps mobilize the joints, which need to move through their range of motion to be lubricated. It also gets the blood flowing through the muscles, which helps bring them nutrients to build new muscle as well as helping to carry away waste products. One of the best activities towards recovering is swimming. One study2 showed that a swimming based recovery session enhanced following day exercise performance, possibly due to the hydrostatic properties of water.

Since swimming is the primary workout for many, here are some other forms of active recovery:

  • Massage. Research has proven that having a massage after exercise can speed up recovery time twice as fast as regular rest. This is due to the improved blood flow and nutrients to the body. When your bodily fluids are circulating readily, nutrients and oxygen are able to reach your muscles and other tissues. A post workout massage can unlock your muscles to help restore your original range of motion.3
  • Walking. The amount and pace of walking you do on off days should be based on your current fitness level.
  • Lighter Weight Lifting. Performing an exercise that made you particularly sore, but using a much lighter weight may be restorative. As a guide, use a weight at or below 30 percent of your usual weight, and perform one set shy of failure.4
  • Restorative Yoga. There are many types of yoga, with some forms being extremely strenuous. Restorative yoga, on the other hand, is a tried-and-true recovery activity that not only increases flexibility, but also teaches proper breathing techniques and body control. Its mild flow also promotes circulation to help repair broken-down muscle tissues.5

To help you stay motivated and consistent on an Active Wellness lifestyle, here are some tips:

  1. Eat healthy carbs a couple of hours before strenuous activities to keep your body warm and energetic. This also helps prevent fatigue.
  2. Set exercise / weight goals and write them down.
  3. Reward yourself periodically as you achieve your goals, but not with food, so you don’t associate pleasure only with edible treats.
  4. Wear the KenkoTherm DUK Tape which may help your muscles and joints stay warm and supported.
  5. Massage your tired muscles with the KenkoTouch® a device designed to help promote relaxation and relief.
  6. Support your back during and after a workout with the KenkoTherm® Back Belt that can be worn alone but is designed with a back pocket that holds the Kenko MagFlex® in place.

 

1 https://www.builtlean.com/2013/01/21/active-recovery-workout-ideas/

2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19908172

3 http://www.freshtherapy.com.au/Corporate-Massage/the-benefits-of-massage-after-exercise/

4, 5 https://www.self.com/story/best-activities-for-active-recovery-day

Commit to Your Goal No Matter What

Published on by Nikken

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning “continuous improvement through positive change.” Recipients of the Team Kaizen award exemplify the meaning of the word and have the opportunity to experience an extraordinary leadership position within Nikken.

In their pursuit of Active Wellness, 2018 Team Kaizen members had to create at least one Quality Enrollment every month of 2017 and develop four or more new frontline Silvers last year. One person who achieved this milestone was Sherri Danzig. As a Team Kaizen member, earlier this year she was treated to a trip of a lifetime to Japan. Here’s what she says about her plans to achieve Team Kaizen again in 2019:

“To qualify for Team Kaizen, you have to do one thing. You have to make a committed decision to accomplish the goal, no matter what conspires to get in your way. Beyond that, it’s helpful to have a mentor, an accountability partner, a mastermind team or even all three—to help you develop a plan, to work your plan and to revise your plan as you go along your journey. Beyond doing the work, you must nurture your belief and vision by staying plugged into company and field events. Most importantly, you must believe in the big version of yourself, what I call the Big Stick Figure (BSF), the version of yourself that believes everything you know is possible!

“I am currently working with three partners who each wish to qualify for Team Kaizen. Two of them are at the rank of Silver, working towards Platinum, and one is brand new. I also plan to support six new Consultants to break Silver this year. Together we’ll expand our online marketing success. I read affirmations multiple times daily and am making plans with family to meet me in Italy at the conclusion of our Team Kaizen trip to continue traveling!

“I am honored to represent Nikken as a member of Team Kaizen. I’m honestly proud of myself for keeping to my commitment and working through some tough self-imposed barriers. I feel empowered to keep growing as a business leader and to stay on a personal development path that is unending. My desire is to step up and stop hiding, to be recognized and embrace being a leader. With that, I will strive to have a bigger voice to make a bigger impact!”

Here is Sherri’s three-step plan for herself and anyone else who wants to be on Team Kaizen:

  1. Step up recruiting activities. Set specific weekly goals for number of new contacts and 1-on-1 appointments.
  2. Begin tracking progress on a large chart. Start with the finish and work backward.
  3. Visualize success. Write and say out loud the goal of being on Team Kaizen every day. Set a calendar event on repeat to remind yourself to smile and visualize your goal multiple times every day!

Everyone Can Use a Natural Energy Boost!

Published on by Nikken

Energy is defined as the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity. In other words, energy is integral to what sustains us and gives us vitality. Everyone needs energy but many of us lack it.

Every time something gets warm, cools down, moves, grows, makes a sound or changes in any way, it uses energy. Science classifies energy into two categories –kinetic (moving) and potential (stored) energy.1 For example, the food a person eats contains chemical energy, and a person’s body stores this energy until he or she uses it as kinetic energy during work or play.2

Energy can change between potential and kinetic. Water at the top of a waterfall has stored potential energy but as the water begins to fall, it changes from potential to kinetic energy. When we create energy from hydropower, we harness the kinetic energy of the water for our own use. 1 Radiant energy is another type of kinetic energy that includes visible light, X-rays, electromagnetic energy and radio waves.

Nikken helps you boost your kinetic energy with advanced magnetic and ceramic reflective fiber technologies. The Energy Pack is composed of Kenko (Japanese for “health”) and KenkoTherm products that incorporate these technologies. The Energy Pack is essential to an Active Wellness lifestyle and is designed to support your maximum mobility and overall physical well-being.

The Energy Pack should appeal to people in all stages of activity: from the college athlete to the weekend warrior, from people who work on their feet all day to the recovering couch potato. Whether you’re a performance-driven competitor or simply need to help soothe muscular and joint discomfort, the Energy Pack contains just the right product sampling to keep you on the Active Wellness path.

Our Wellness Home Packs are the perfect way to sponsor new Nikken Consultants and are priced at 10% below our everyday low prices!

 

1 https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1572-what-is-energy

2 https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=about_home

Sharing Nikken Just Got Easier

Published on by Nikken

Our Nikken logo is “Discover It. Live It. Share It.” We want people around the world to find out about us, to experience the benefits we offer with the Active Wellness lifestyle, and to share us with everyone else. As a reader, you’ve already found us. And we hope you’ve already experienced results with our products. But do you share us with others? Have you ever wondered how to share Nikken with others?

Sharing Nikken is not a mysterious endeavor, but we’ve made it even easier—Here’s a sneak peek of our new Wellness Home Packs. They are the perfect way to sponsor Nikken Consultants and Customers into a life of Active Wellness. You’ll see them in the shopping cart on August 1, 2018. They are:

  • 2 Water Packs
  • 1 Energy Pack
  • 6 Sleep Packs

The Wellness Home Pack Advantage

  • The Packs are a value proposition. If purchased separately, the pack items cost substantially more.
  • When you own all three types of Packs, you are on your way to maintaining an Active Wellness lifestyle with your Wellness Home.
  • You’ll never have to “guess” which products to lead with when speaking with prospects. Choose whichever Pack(s) best suit the newcomers you introduce to Nikken, and help each one build a Wellness Home!
  • We recommend starting off with the Water Packs, because no matter where you live, clean water is crucial to health.
  • Packs help you rank advance and/or qualify monthly with sales volume. For example, just sponsoring one new Nikken Consultant who buys a King Sleep Pack or selling one to a Customer, would allow you to rank advance to Executive, or if you are a Platinum or above, satisfy your monthly PGPV requirement.

Nikken. Discover It. Live It. Share It.

 

Japanese Takeaways

Published on by Nikken

Recently the 2017 Nikken Team Kaizen members were rewarded for qualifying as Active Wellness entrepreneurs with a luxury trip to Japan. Here is what Jon and Nicki Edgell, Platinum Consultants from the UK, wrote about their memorable experience.

“In addition to the regular compensation plan Nikken offers extra incentives to consultants. One of these has just seen us take part in an all expenses paid Team Kaizen trip to Japan, the original home of Nikken.

2015 CONVENTION

“Although Nikken Inc. now has its HQ in the US the company aims to visit Japan every few years in order to honour its formation and to give consultants a chance to experience Japanese culture and the people’s philosophy of service. This was certainly the case where we were constantly humbled by the people’s helpfulness and politeness everywhere we went. At each hotel on the tour lines of staff would stand and bow. If we stopped for a moment and looked confusingly at a metro map a young student with perfect English would offer help. Tokyo is preparing for the Olympics in 2020 and the people’s friendliness and the efficiency of their transport systems will ensure a successful event.

“This trip, as well as various other annual events, is also a chance to reconnect with old colleagues and meet new friends, to revive one’s purpose, to get inspired and set intentions for the year ahead. To be surrounded by so many positive and successful partners serves to propel you on to the next level of your Nikken journey. Big decisions are made at these big events.

“The trip was primarily a holiday and a reward for good work but there are inevitably chances to talk business and share best practices. By forging lasting relationships with international colleagues chances for collaboration and sharing business arise.

“The network marketing model is one of collaborative entrepreneurship. Although we all have our own teams, by sharing information about what works well the global Nikken family is able to “grow the overall size of the pie”. In practice this translates, for example, to a colleague in Canada passing an enquiry from a UK resident to us or a Mexican business leader appearing on one of our webinars to pass on knowledge and inspiration to my team.

“Another takeaway from the trip was the number of different ways one can be successful at the Nikken business – for instance through online retail or through building a network, or a combination of both. The Nikken business leaders are drawn from all sorts of different characters – it is certainly not the case that you have to be an outgoing extrovert in the stereotypical salesman mold.

“Thank you Nikken for the trip of a lifetime!”

Summer Hair Care: Get the Chlorine Out

Published on by Nikken

Most of us spend more time outdoors during the summer months, and hair takes a beating from being exposed to sun, wind and chlorine. Effective hair care requires a good shampoo and conditioner, but what about the water used to wash our hair?

Unfiltered water generally contains sediment, minerals and chemicals (such as chlorine) purported to clean the water system. None of these things is helpful in maintaining clean hair and a healthy scalp. What does make a huge difference is the PiMag MicroJet® Shower System. We normally think of water filters only in terms of clean drinking water, but the PiMag MicroJet Shower System effectively reduces chlorine exposure and makes shower water comparable in quality to filtered drinking water.

Year-round swimmers know what chlorine can do to hair. Depending on your natural hair color, ongoing chlorine exposure may transform it to various shades of yellow, green or blue while drying it out to the consistency of hay. Chlorine also tends to fade hair dye and highlights, increasing the cost of color maintenance. In a nutshell, the damage chlorine does to hair costs a lot of money to fix, and too much time if you decide to use the “grow it out and cut it off” method. It’s so much more cost-effective and practical to install the PiMag MicroJet® Shower System, which is far superior to other chlorine-reduction systems. Here’s how:

  • Most other chlorine-reduction shower filters trap part of the chlorine or add other chemicals to counteract it (fighting poison with poison, so to speak). The PiMag MicroJet uses a reduction/oxidation process to convert free-radical chlorine ions to neutral chlorides. In addition, Nikken Magnetic Technology helps condition water without salt or other chemical additives. The magnetic field assists in reducing clumping to reduce mineral buildup.
  • Even more effective filtration is achieved by patent-pending Air-Induction Technology, which injects air into the shower stream to create a higher air-to-water ratio. The result is a water stream that is less viscous and has less surface tension so it passes through the nozzle with decreased resistance, which helps maintain water pressure without requiring a higher flow rate.
    • The PiMag MicroJet® nozzle releases streams of microbubbles within the water flow, producing an effective cleansing action that penetrates surface buildup of dirt and helps moisturize skin and scalp so they feel fresh and soft.

Here are some other Active Wellness hair care tips:

  • Once you have washed your hair, try rinsing it out with cold water. The cold temperature constricts hair cuticles and makes the strands smoother and more reflective. It also prevents dirt from accumulating on the scalp and helps strength hair. The cold water rinse may leave your hair looking glossier and shinier.
  • Before swimming, wet your hair with cold water so that it has already absorbed clean water and will then soak up less of the salt or chlorinated water. (Chlorine and salt water make hair frizzy.)
  • After swimming, if you stay out in the sun or delay going to the shower, coat your hair with True Elements® Conditioner, as it will help prevent damage.
  • Use True Elements® Shampoo and Conditioner regularly all year round and wash more frequently during summer months. They won’t strip hair of its natural oils or hurt the scalp’s protective barrier. Non-irritating to sensitive skin, True Elements® Hair Care does NOT contain commonly used chemical ingredients found in many name brands.
  • Bring True Elements® Shampoo and Conditioner with you to the gym, the pool, and the beach.
  • Drink lots of water. Dehydration has a direct impact on hair growth, and lack of hydration produces dry and brittle hair. It also may decrease the rate of growth.

 

Summer Hydration for Overall Health and Glowing Skin

Published on by Nikken

Drinking plenty of water is extremely important and highly underrated even though dehydration is common and may have frightening consequences. Since 50 to 70 percent of our body mass is composed of water, including skin, tissues, cells and organs1, water is essential for Active Wellness. When dehydration occurs, the body does not have enough water for its basic vital functions.

Watch out for these symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration2:

  • Increased thirst with dry mouth
  • Unusual feelings of fatigue or sleepiness
  • Decrease or lack in urine output
  • Headache
  • Dry skin
  • Dizziness
  • Tearlessness
  • Constipation
  • Leg cramps

Symptoms of severe dehydration include2:

  • Lightheadedness that stops you from standing or walking normally
  • Drop in blood pressure (can lead to shock)
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Fever
  • Poor skin elasticity
  • Lethargy and/or confusion
  • Actually passing out or blacking out
  • Swollen hands, feet and legs

Our bodies lose water daily through perspiration, breathing and the entire digestive/excretion process. We naturally replenish these losses through the consumption of food and beverages, but depending on individual diets, may not hydrate enough. The Institute of Medicine advises men to drink three liters (101 fluid ounces) of water per day and for women, 2.2 liters 74 fluid ounces).

During the summer months, we tend to perspire more and lose even more water throughout the day. That means the skin is working harder, and we need to replenish the body’s largest organ by drinking more water. Water not only keeps the skin hydrated but also helps skin stay soft and supple, which decreases the appearance of wrinkles by plumping up the cells. Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkling.

Drinking enough water helps increase our metabolic rate and improves the digestive system’s ability to flush toxins out of the body. This in turn helps produce healthy and glowing skin by reducing breakouts and acne. Unfortunately, water will reach all the other organs before it reaches the skin3,  so it’s important to hydrate the skin on the outside as well. That’s where a great moisturizer like True Elements® Nourishing Face Cream with hyaluronic acid helps skin hold water in. Hyaluronic acid is believed to hold 1,000 times its own weight in water, thus attracting water to the skin and holding it there.4

Staying hydrated is good for the health and helps us maintain our youthful looks! And the PiMag® Sport Bottle lessens the amount of plastic we add to our overflowing landfills.

 

1http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-water-for-skin-hair-and-health/#gref

2 https://www.emedicinehealth.com/dehydration_in_adults/article_em.htm

3, 4 https://www.uwhealth.org/madison-plastic-surgery/the-benefits-of-drinking-water-for-your-skin/26334

Make Sure Good Health is Your Priority

Published on by Nikken

Men, listen up! From infancy to old age, women tend to be healthier than men. Part of it is biological but part of it is due to men’s more cavalier attitude towards health. According to webMD, men tend to avoid the doctor and are less likely to acknowledge any health challenges.

Since June is Men’s Health Awareness Month, here are a half dozen tips to maintain good health:

  1. Routine check–ups are important to monitor heart health. The top cause of death among adult men in the U.S. is cardiovascular disease. According to the American Health Association, an estimated 2.8 million men experience stroke each year and hypertension is common even in young men.1
  2. Don’t smoke. Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke, air pollution and chemicals, as much as possible. According to the American Lung Association, more men are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, with smoking as the leading cause.
  3. Limit alcohol. Imbibe in moderation, which means up to two drinks a day for men 65 and younger and one drink for those older. One drink is 12 fluid ounces of beer, five fluid ounces of wine or 1.5 fluid ounces of 80-proof liquor.2 Men experience higher rates of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations than women, according to the Center for Disease Control. Alcohol abuse increases the risk for mouth, throat, esophagus, liver and colon cancers. It also interferes with testicular function and hormone production.3
  4. Eat a healthy diet. Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, high-fiber foods and lean sources of protein, such as fish and free-range chicken. Limit foods high in saturated and trans fat, sodium and sugar. The high sugar of diabetes acts like a slow poison on blood vessels and nerves, with heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure and amputations being the fallout for thousands of men.4
  5. Maintain a healthy weight. Overweight and obesity feed the diabetes epidemic and increase the risk of heart disease and various types of cancer.
  6. Use sunscreen. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, men aged 50 and older are at the highest risk for developing skin cancer, more than twice as likely as women.5 This higher risk is attributed to more frequent sun exposure and fewer visits to the doctor.

Nikken Active Wellness supports the overall health of both men and women. Our nutritional supplements address the maintenance of health from head to toe! For men, you simply can’t get better year round support than with Men’s Kenzen® Mega Daily 4.

1, 3, 5 https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/top-10-mens-health-issues/slideshow/1369/

2 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/in-depth/mens-health/art-20047764

4 https://www.webmd.com/men/features/6-top-health-threats-men#1

The ABCs of MCTs

Published on by Nikken

No matter how much we weigh, each of us needs fat to maintain balance in our diets. Unfortunately, most of us are ingesting the wrong type of fats and far too much of it. MCTs, on the other hand, are a good source of fat that may also help reverse the effects of harmful fats.

MCT stands for medium-chain triglyceride. Triglycerides are the main constituents of natural fats and oils. High concentrations in the blood are indicators of a higher risk of stroke. In contrast, medium-chain triglycerides are composed of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. MCTs are sometimes used to counter the effects of high triglycerides in the blood.

The name refers to the way carbon atoms are arranged in their chemical structure. Typically, fats found in the diet are long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) with 20 or more carbon chains.1 MCTs range from six to 12 carbon chains.2 Due to their shorter chain length, MCTs travel straight from the gut to the liver and do not require bile to break them down. LCTs require the break down first. In the liver, fats are broken down to be either used as fuel or stored as body fat.

Since MCTs enter our cells without having to be broken down, our bodies use them as instant sources of energy that pass through the blood-brain barrier to fuel the brain cells.3 In addition, MCTs may help burn calories more effectively. In one study, the thermogenic effect of a high-calorie diet containing 40 percent fat as MCTs was compared to one containing the same level of LCTs. The thermic effect (calories wasted six hours after a meal) of the MCTs was almost twice as high as the LCTs. With MCTs, 120 calories were used, compared to 66 calories from LCTs over the six hours. A follow-up study demonstrated that MCT oil given over a six day period can increase diet-induced thermogenesis by 50 percent.4

In another study, researchers compared the effects of single meals of 400 calories composed entirely of MCTs or LCTs. The thermogenic effect of MCTs over six hours was 300 percent higher than the LCTs meal. Since the MCTs went directly to the liver, they had no effect on the blood fat level. However, the LCTs elevated blood fats by 68 percent. Researchers concluded that “long-term substitution of medium chain triglycerides for long chain triglycerides [MCT for LCT] would produce weight loss if energy intake remained constant.”5

Athletes sometimes use MCTs for nutritional support during training, to increase exercise performance, for decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass, and for weight loss.6 During exercise, rising lactate levels can negatively impact exercise performance. MCTs may help reduce lactate buildup when taken before exercising and may also help us use more fat instead of carbs for energy.7

One small Chinese study of 40 people with diabetes found that those who consumed MCTs daily had significant reductions in body weight, waist circumference and insulin resistance, compared to those taking LCTs.8 Continuing studies are being done to see how MCTs may help us control blood sugar levels.

MCTs clearly provide numerous health benefits for an Active Wellness lifestyle, but how easy are they to access and consume? Look no further than Kenzen Vital Balance® Meal Replacement Mix. Read the labels for both Vanilla and Chocolate flavors and you will see that MCTs are the second ingredients for both flavors.

1, 2 https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-915/medium-chain-triglycerides-mcts

4, 5 https://www.sharecare.com/health/fats-nutrients-diet/mtcs-and-ltcs-utilized

3, 6, 7, 8 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mct-oil-benefits?utm_source=Sailthru%20Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=authoritynutrition&utm_content=2018-05-14