Tim Walton

I’m a big believer in supplements, but it’s amazing what some people cram down their throats with little or no research on their part other than believing the marketing hype. Like anything else, there is use and abuse of supplements and they are effective, no good, safe, dangerous, time savers and a value, a total waste of money or any combination of the afore mentioned or others. Confused? Basically, do your research on anything you are considering consuming for any potential side effects as well as for the benefits-to-price ratio.

Consider this: Sometimes a supplement comes along and is very effective and then every manufacturer jumps on the bandwagon and puts it in their formulas. Case in point: If you are taking any product that contains the ingredient known by the following names , be….VERY…careful: Geranium Stem, 1,3, Dimeth, Geranamine, methylhexaneamine, geranium extract, MHA, 1,3 Dimethylamylamine, DMAA, and probably a couple other names that escape me at the moment. Sounds pretty innocent when they use the Geranium names.

It is a powerful stimulant that can have some side effects and consequences you do not want especially if you are a male who does not want E.D. (erectile dysfunction). Got your attention? Good. Chemically related to Tuamioheptane which is banned by the NCAA, it is also on the World Anti- Doping Agency’s prohibited list. Athletes taking drug tests can have false positives for amphetamines. If an athlete does not want to risk being banned from their sport, stripped of their medals, or losing a scholarship, they might want to reconsider using this.

Developed (and shelved) in the early ‘70’s by Eli Lilly as a nasal decongestant due to its vasoconstrictive properties, it was later “rediscovered” by supplement manufacturers as a strong stimulant. People have varying degrees of reaction to it, but some things to watch out for are: blood pressure problems, sustained rapid heartbeat, headaches, adrenal fatigue, dependency, and for you guys: impotence or E.D. Risk factors aside, is it effective? In most people (and from what I’ve seen @ the 95% mark) it is VERY much so. But is it safe? As mentioned before, there is use and abuse, but if you start to experience any of the mentioned symptoms, I’d personally drop it and quickly. If you do not experience any of the symptoms and are not a tested athlete, a typical dose would be 25 – 50 mg. Keeping in mind that I am NOT a doctor, if you like the benefits but experience some of the side effects, nitrates (Nitric Oxide) that are easily found in many formulas of supplements, as well as stand -alone products, seem to help matters. If E. D. concerns you (and who wouldn’t it concern?) just Google “Stim Dick” and you’ll have plenty to read, but just consider the sources as the manufacturers will downplay it if they mention it at all.

My take? It definately takes you up several levels and you have an overall increase in energy, focus, and power. Yes, I’ve used it and it worked very well but there was sometimes a fatigue “crash” after it wore off. Doses had to be increased as my body adapted to it. I’d cycle off it for a few weeks to clear my system and then could go back to the lower doses. I did my research and am not a tested athlete. I used Nitric Oxide (N.O.) products at the same time and had no problems with side effects. I decided to drop it as I felt I was developing a dependency on it, whether it was psychological and/or physiological, to blast me through my better workouts. I also didn’t want to risk any potential effects down the road as there are studies going on regarding long term use.

Weigh the benefits vs the potential risks. It is very effective and you’d be surprised where this stuff pops up. Check your labels on ANY pre-workout or energy supplement. I’m willing to make a prediction that this stuff will go the way of Ephedera which was banned in 2004.

Tim Walton

A funny thing happened to me on the way to growing older:  I never grew up.  By that I mean that I’ve never felt old, tired, or physically limited due to age.  Besides doing various physical jobs over the years, I’ve always worked out no matter what limitations or constraints I faced.  I viewed any obstacles as challenges, not excuses. 

There’s always people who I call “Dragons” who try to DRAG you ON down to their level where excuses such as getting older is the language spoken.  Aging is their excuse of choice because they can tie most everything to it.  “Just wait till you hit 30,  THEN your metabolism will slow down!” Nope.  And not at 40 or 45 either.  I’ll be kicking 50 in the teeth next year and my metabolism is still a blast furnace.  Strength and Endurance? Not far off my peak at all. 

What got me thinking of this was seeing two friends of mine at a funeral who I hadn’t seen in a long time.  They were both such physical wreaks, that I didn’t even recognize them.  They basically gave up after hitting 35.  One guy is barely 40 and is obese, had both knees replaced, high cholesterol and  blood pressure with a laundry list of other ailments and medications he is on.  He literally looked like he was nearing 70 in poor health.  The other guy wasn’t much better.  Now contrast them with another guy I know who is older than me but has the same mindset that age is just a number and not a limitation.  He eats clean, doesn’t do drugs or drink and hits the weights on a consistent basis.  He routinely outworks younger guys at his gym and is a physical animal.

When I hear someone, especially younger than me, say when they come up short in a physical endeavor or have health problems, “it sucks getting old!”, I think 90% of the time that it’s actually “Lazyitus”, not age.  “No time to train” is the main ingredient of Lazyitus.  Funny how most people with no time to train can not only tell you the TV programming lineups for most nights, but can also recite what transpired for about 3 hours worth of shows per night.  They should try eliminating some of the mental garbage that poses as entertainment and spend that time on their health. 

I just read an interesting blurb sourced from “The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” where they studied bicep growth of two groups of males:  18 and 39 year olds.  During a 12 week training period, BOTH groups added muscle at the same rate.  That rate continues after age 40 and levels off around age 50.  Even though muscle starts to deteriorate at around age 65, you can maintain most of it if you keep training. 

Ignore the Dragons, eat and live clean, supplement wisely, train on a consistent basis and you certainly won’t be looking or feeling as old as those who are comfortable in their ruts of excuses.

Joni Walton

My husband and I recently went out of state on a vacation.  Even when we are not working I guess we are always thinking about it, or at least I do.

We went to several establishments while we were vacationing including restaurants, stores and other entertainment venues.  It made me start to really think about how different the levels of customer service are depending on where you are. 

We are from, (New York), everything is quick and fast, get in get out.  We go to a restaurant you are greeted immediately and before your butt hits the chair they are asking what you want to drink.  Everything moves along at a quick pace for the most part and your server generally checks on you to insure you are satisfied and all your needs are met.  

When I was vacationing I noticed when we walked in any establishment we were not greeted right away.  In fact at times it felt as though we were bothering them.  Once we were finally seated it seemed to take 10 minutes or more before someone actually came to the table to take a drink order.  After another 10 minutes to get your drinks you then gave your food order and received that 20-30 minutes later.  You better hope you don’t have a problem with your meal, because you won’t see your server again until you are taking your last bite. 

It really made me stop and think about the level of service we provide to our customers.  I don’t want our customers to ever feel as though we don’t care or they are not a priority.  What was most apparent to me is that you could tell the people who were local and used to the level of service and the ones from out of town who were not.

The bottom line, I don’t want any customer of mine to just expect poor service because that is what they are used to.  Andrew Gibson says there are three main levels of customer service.  They are the expected level, (the minimum quality level you can get away with and still say you did your job) the desired level, (the level your customer wishes you would give, even if it means you to go above and beyond every once and a while) and the unanticipated level, (the one in which you go above and beyond the call of duty, do a stellar job, make your customers incredibly happy and continue to do so).  Of course the unanticipated level could go the other way – but let’s keep things positive.

What level of service does your company provide?  My staff is trained to deliver the unanticipated level and we have processes and procedures in place to insure we are meeting those standards consistently.

Deb Brown

Is Bad Morale Eating Away At Your Bottom Line?  It’s Time to End the Smorgasbord

When it comes to measuring success it’s all about performance and results.  Often employers underestimate how much workplace morale contributes to overall employee performance.  Low workplace moral is a leading cause of poor attendance, high employee turnover, lack of motivation and a disconnect between employees and management.  No matter how it manifests itself, if left unaddressed low morale in the workplace promises to negatively affect overall profitability.

So what steps can be taken to better manage the working environment?  First and foremost being able to recognize early on the signs that morale issues exist.  Often times employee wellbeing at work is overlooked because managers are either unable to identify the problems or unaware of how to handle them.  Some of the initial warning signs include:

1. Frequent absenteeism
2. Decreased productivity
3. Decreased quality of work
4. Apathy
5. Sulking and or moping
6. Backstabbing
7. Increase in accidents or injuries

Once identifying the warning signs the next step in the process is to determine the possible cause(s).  A very wise man once said “if you have a problem, find the cause, then fix the cause.  If you just fix the problem, you will end up fixing it over and over again; if you fix the cause, you only have to do it one time.”  I have always suppoted this philosophy so having the ability to identify why low morale exists is key.  Some of the common factors may include:

1. Unstable financial health of the company
2. Overwork
3. Feeling unappreciated or underappreciated
4. Demanding, rigid supervision
5. Unsupportive, weak supervision that is unable or unwilling to offer support or guidance

With the above in mind we can only surmise that there is no quick fix for changing up workplace morale, but there are some small steps that can be initiated on the part of management to turn this whole thing around.  Opening up lines of communication is imperative and encouraging employee feedback is a biggy.  It is important that employees feel that their opinion matters and that they are a contributing part of the whole.  Appreciation and recognition of employee accomplishments is also high up on the list, people should be recognized for their achievements whether it be in the form of a monetary reward or just a simple thanks for a job well done.  Teambuilding activities can also encourage and maintain high employee morale and support the effort that we are all working towards a common goal.  Lastly, providing an environment that allows employees to achieve a good balance between their professional lives and their personal lives;  flexible work hours is one example.  It is proven that employees able to better manage their personal lives are more productive when on the job so this is a benefit that should be high on your list of considerations.

These examples are just a few that have made a difference at my place of work.  Low morale is infectious and can easily spread throughout your entire organization.  We all need to be more proactive as managers when it comes to addressing low morale because if it continues to go unnoticed, we can all expect to suffer the widespread consequences.

Annette Scorzelli

At Danlee Medical Products we strive to stay in touch with our customers whether it’s a quick call or dropping a little note in the mail. When asked why I have always said “so they know we care.” I came across this great selling quote that explains it even better than I can. I am sure many of you will agree that as a small company it is always important to set yourself apart from the competition. We always try to impress upon our sales staff that we should treat our customers like we would want to be treated and they will keep coming back. See if you also agree with Brian Sullivan’s “No Pain/No Change.”

Tim Walton

Besides my wife’s heart incident I talked about before where a doctor panicked because he never saw a heart rate of 44 before, other recent incidences occurred that just make me shake my head.

Switching and adding to life insurance policies saw Joni and I taking the insurance company’s version of a physical. Already knowing about insurance companies’ infamous height/weight charts, the guy in charge passed along instructions to take my chest, waist and hip measurements. Why? Because just from a PURE height/weight standpoint, I’m considered overweight and one chart, “Obese, Class 1”. Muscle is heavier than fat. At my height of 5’8” and a weight that’s usually @ 205, I’m anywhere from 13 to 46 lbs overweight according to 5 different charts I consulted.

I was in the Armed Forces when they had come out with their latest version in the early 80’s. Myself and 2 other weight lifters were sent to the base Dispensary for review as we were considered very overweight according to their new standards. Luckily, the Major in charge was a lifting partner with common sense. I can’t print what he said exactly, but he thought it was a load of BS to put it mildly and gave us waivers. By the way, I was also the fastest runner on base in the 2 mile run. I wasn’t just a muscle head and my aerobic capacity exceeded guys half my size. (Laughingly, I’m STILL 22 lbs over their max for weight based on their latest chart.)

People can look at charts, weights, scales, whatever. The mirror doesn’t lie. You can fall within some chart’s version of acceptable weight and still be an out of shape mess. The truth stares back at you from a full length mirror as you stand in your skivvies. Not to sound narcissistic, but a mirror will tell you more than any scale you step on or any chart you consult. Be honest, would you rather have a good looking reflection and feel healthy or be within some table’s guidelines and be flabby and out of shape? Like the saying goes, “You can’t flex fat.”

So, anyways, hopefully they’ll use my measurements along with a dose of common sense to apply the rates. However, the nurse took Joni’s resting heart rate five (Yes, 5!) different times and it came out to 40 each time. She “Didn’t understand how that could be possible.” Here we go again……………

Joni Walton

I just read an article called “I Hate It’s Business Not Personal.”  This article spoke about how much this saying was their biggest pet peeve.  They believe everything about business is personal.  That may be true, but if you make business decisions based on personal feelings than prepare to fail. 

I have repeated this saying hundreds of times during my 18 years owning my own company.  This does not mean I am not “in tune” to my employees, customers and vendor’s feelings; quite the contrary.  However, the one thing I keep furthest from my mind when I am making any business decision is my personal feelings for people involved or the situation itself. 

My job is to make decisions in the best interest of my company.  This insures we are obtaining the best opportunities for growth.  This does not mean you are a heartless, horrible, non-feeling person.  It means you put your personal feelings aside and make business decisions based on facts not emotion.  When I am making any business decision, if I allow myself to take into account how much I like the person, who’s feelings might get hurt, or peoples personal struggles going on in their life than I am doing my company, customers and possibly the person/persons involved a dis-service. 

 Over the years I have had to “let go” too many people to mention.  Some people were very accepting and some were extremely upset even violent at times.  With that said; each person who left my company whether on a good note or bad has contacted me a few months or some even a few years later just to thank me and let me know I was right in my decision.  These people explained how appreciative they were because I was candid and honest with them and pointed out why they were not a fit for the position. Some of these people wanted to come back and work for me again and some just wanted to let me know by letting them go it actually made them grow as a person and it pushed them to pursue other avenues which led them to a better suited career path. 

 So I will end my letter with this statement;  It is Business Not Personal.  Whether you like the saying or not if you want to have a successful business you need to live by it.

 Joni

Annette Scorzelli

   I don’t know how many of you have read the below article by Brian Sullivan, but after 17 years in the medical sales business, I totally agree with what he has to say. I have formed some great friendships through out the years and now that we have social media we all get to put faces with names. I absolutely love what I do and I know that has a lot to do with the people I talk to on the phone everyday and the great people I work with. Check out the article  and see what you think.

  Brian Sullivan’s PRECISE Selling Quote of the Week

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
?– Bernard Meltzer

I was recently approached by a medical industry marketing director with this question, “How the heck do I get our sales channel partners to focus on our product above all others? We have a new product that works great, and I know it can make them tons of profits.” I then asked the question, “If I was the sales director of one of your channel partners, and you were going to try to sell me on your product, what would you say or do?” The marketing director went on to say he would explain/tell the partner all the reasons they need to sell the product and why it would be good for them.

But there is the problem! Salespeople, managers, directors and executives are in meeting rooms right now making too many statements, using too many words and trying too hard to get others interested in them and their solution. They need to STOP! Because despite what the doubters tell you, people would rather give money to their friends than a stranger. And great salespeople outperform others because they understand that being INTERESTED beats being INTERESTING all day long. And when you show genuine interest in others, you create friendships.

So this week make a list of prospects whose attention and business you are longing for, and then spend the next two months doing what people looking to create friendships do. Show interest, smile, listen and help them in ways that pays you nothing. And as your circle of friends grows, so too will grow your circle of influence in your industry.

Tim Walton

       It’s still in the heat of summer, so you’d better heed the advice of making sure you drink 8 glasses of 8 ounces each of water, right?  Uuhm, not so fast. Where did this concept come from?  Actually from The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council of 1945!!!   Oookkaayy.  And it was based on no actual research.  It recommended “1 Milliliter of water for every calorie of food,” which would come out to around 2 -2.5 quarts per day (64 – 80 ounces).  The problem is, is that the next sentence of the report is usually ignored, “MOST of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.” 

            Hhhmm.  Roasted turkey is 62% water, boiled chicken 71%, grapes 82%, an apple is 85%, green peppers 94%, strawberries come in at 90%, and a head of lettuce at 96%.  You can see that there is a lot of “hidden” water content in food.

            What about caffeinated drinks like coffee?  They dehydrate you, correct?  Actually, no.  A study published in The Journal of The American College of Nutrition (Grandjean 2000) used 18 healthy adult males to test this theory and proved that caffeine was not dehydrating in healthy people who were drinking normal amounts. 

            “You can never drink enough water!”  Well, actually, you can.  Water intoxication can occur if you drink excessive amounts of water.  The kidneys are unable to excrete enough water (as urine), which leads to dilution of blood sodium.  Mental confusion and death can result.

            ”You are already dehydrated if you are thirsty!”  Nope.  Thirst begins when the concentration of blood has risen by less than 2%.  Actual dehydration begins when that concentration has risen by 5%.

             Common sense (as usual) should prevail.  Drink when you are thirsty.  Keep hydrated, but don’t over do it by forcing yourself to down a “magic” number of ounces based on misinterpreted guesswork from 1945.  Strenuous work or exercise in the heat will obviously have you consuming more than if you are parked behind a desk in an air conditioned office.  One of the current ”Studies” that is not only touting the “8 X 8 myth”, but even more was found to be financed by, gasp, a bottled water company.  I wonder why?  The bottled water industry is HUGE.  Unfortunately, it’s also bogus for the most part.  The majority of them are nothing more than bottled tap water.  If you are complaining about the price of gas per gallon, figure up how much a gallon of bottled water will run you.  And you could get the same or better right from your own tap.

Joni Walton

You know how you wake up in the morning and immediately start thinking about everything you have to do?  Instead of thinking of all the things that may go right with your day you begin to think about what will most likely go wrong.  I like to think I am a very positive person, but it is easy to get caught in this trap.  I started thinking about the little things in life the other day when a certain instance put a smile on my face for the whole day. 

My son is 21 years old and home from college this summer.  When he was little I used to wake him up in the morning by sitting on the bed next to him, giving him a great big body hug and saying “time to get up, time to get up.”  He used to laugh and giggle when I did this and it started his day happy.  Well, needless to say I have not done that for some time since he has become a grown man and sets his alarm.  For some reason this past weekend he asked me to be sure he was up by a certain time.  I took this opportunity to try my “wake up process” once again.  I assumed I would get the “Mom really, what are you doing, stop it.”  Instead the sweetest smile came over his face and I knew he remembered and it made him happy.  What a small gesture, but it made me happy and have a great day. 

We so often forget the little joys in life and only focus on the hardships and negative.  I made a small list of some little things in my life that may seem insignificant but seem to make my day sunny and bright. 

• My husband making my breakfast each morning because he knows I am always running late.
• When my son says “Thanks For The Food Mom” after dinner.
• When I start dancing in the kitchen and my husband laughs and says “Don’t hurt yourself.”
• When I walk into work each day and see my son’s name on our front door;
  (Dan Lee)
• Everyone at work always seems happy and they are smiling
• Someone at the gym tells me I look great
• I can button my pants and don’t have a muffin top
• Singing in the car on my way to work
• My mom still tells me to be careful

This brings me to a final quote I saw which sums things up nicely.

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things”  – Robert Brault