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10 Ways to Figure Out What’s Important to You

What’s Important to You

Tips, such as being aware of how you spend your time and reflecting on what makes you happy, can help you assess your life and make changes to find happiness again.

What you think is important to you might not align with how you spend your time and what you prioritize. You can use proactive ways to help you determine what’s most important to you, allowing you to find fulfillment and meaning.

Figuring out what’s important to you can help you address what you prioritize now. It allows you to make changes that improve your life and help you find meaning. Taking the time to reflect and consider what you want to spend your time doing can help clear up your priorities.

How to determine what’s important to you

Your priorities will likely shift multiple times throughout your life, so repeating these steps every few years is worthwhile. It can help you make beneficial changes and embrace the important aspects of your life.

1. Rank the meaningful areas of your life

You can’t pour all of yourself into every area of your life. If you try, you won’t be able to focus on the important areas of your life.

You can determine which areas you should focus on most by making a list and ranking the most important aspects. Consider focusing the most on your top-ranking areas and putting less time into the others. Some areas on your list may share equal importance, and that’s OK.

Below are examples of the things you may consider adding to your list:

2. Reflect on what you talk about the most

The things you talk about the most can give insight into what’s most important in your life. This exercise isn’t about what you should say but what you want to say or what naturally flows in conversation.

Behavioral relationship expert Tracy Crossley suggests considering why you’re motivated to discuss the topics you reference. She explains, “There is an importance that you may not realize.”

You’re on the right track if you discuss the things you want to prioritize. Frequently talking about other things shows that you’re not focusing on what’s important.

3. Consider the most important people in your life

The people you care about most can help you determine what’s most important to you. Thinking about these people can help you value and prioritize those relationships.

Psychotherapist Abby Wilson explains, “The people you surround yourself with will immensely influence your beliefs and behaviors. If you spend time with people you admire and respect, and people who are in touch with their purpose and their why in life, you’re that much closer to finding it.”

The important people in your life play a larger role than you may realize. They can bring happiness and fulfillment to your day.

4. Identify what you enjoy doing most

Figuring out what you enjoy can help determine which hobbies and activities are important to you. Identifying these things can encourage you to act on them more often.

5. Think about your qualities and what you’re good at

Your natural strengths can help you determine what’s most important. The areas you excel in often indicate what you’re passionate about, showing what you subconsciously prioritize.

6. Look at how you spend your time

How you spend your free time can tell you quite a bit about what’s most important to you. No matter how you spend it, this time shows what you prioritize. If what you do doesn’t align with what you think is essential, you can make a shift and spend your time in more fulfilling ways.

7. Pay attention to what you think about

Paying attention to your thoughts when you’re not doing anything to keep your mind busy can give you insight. The things you think about indicate what’s important to you.

8. Think about the part of your life you want to be better in

You can determine what’s most important by considering the areas of your life that need improvement. Frequently thinking that you want to experience growth in an area of your life helps identify areas of importance.

9. Consider how you want to describe yourself to others

Thinking about what you want to say you accomplished can help you identify what’s most important. How you want to be remembered can help you recognize how you want your life to turn out.

10. Reflect on when you were last happy

When you think about the last time you were happy, you can identify the areas of your life you should focus on more often. If it’s been a while since you were happy, you’ll acknowledge that it’s time to shift your priorities.

Why it’s important to determine what’s important

Figuring out what’s most important can help you refocus your priorities and make the most of your life. These exercises encourage you to spend more time doing what makes you happiest.

You can take an honest look at how you’re living and assess whether it aligns with what’s important. If it doesn’t align, you can consider how to make changes to refocus and find fulfillment.

Therapist Kelly Neupert explains that thinking about how you spend your time can help you determine what you want to focus on. The two aspects don’t always align, and recognizing what needs to change can make a difference.

When you live your life focusing on what’s essential, you can live a life you can be proud of later. It allows you to reflect on your life and find meaning in how you engage your time.

Next steps

Figuring out what’s most important to you can help you recognize areas of your life you can improve. Life gets busy sometimes, and it can lead to focusing on unfulfilling tasks.

By finding ways to identify your priorities, you can adjust your life to align with what you want. You don’t have to go through your life feeling uninspired and unfulfilled.

Change is possible, and you can find everything you want and need. You can use these ideas to help you refocus on the most important parts of your life.

Source: psychcentral.com ~ By: Kaitlin Vogel ~ Image: Canva Pro

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How to Focus on What’s Important, Not Just What’s Urgent

Focus On What Really Matters

Do you get to the end of the day and feel that you’ve met your most pressing deadlines but haven’t accomplished anything that’s fundamentally important? You’re hardly alone. In a series of studies recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research, people typically chose to complete tasks that had very short deadlines attached to them, even in situations in which tasks with less pressing deadlines were just as easy and promised a bigger reward.

It’s natural to want to get deadline-driven tasks squared away and off your mental to-do list. A paradox many people face is that our most meaningful tasks are less likely to have deadlines than tasks that are relatively unimportant. Your important priorities might relate to:

  • enacting your values (for example, volunteering or spending more time with your children)
  • achieving public recognition (getting invited to sit on industry panels or writing a book)
  • improving vital skills (upping your knowledge of statistics or learning a new language)
  • averting disasters (scheduling an annual checkup at the doctor or creating a crisis management protocol for your business)

If you’re like most people, these priorities slip to the back of your mind while you work on low-importance, time-specific tasks, such as booking a hotel room for a conference, clearing out your email inbox, or writing a monthly newsletter.

So, what can you do? I’ve put together a list of practical strategies and tips, but know that none of these suggestions is going to lead to your making perfect choices. Aiming for perfection is what causes people to stay stuck. Instead, implement strategies that will incrementally move you in the right direction but don’t require much effort.

Schedule Important Tasks, and Give Yourself Way More Time Than You’ll Need

Research shows that scheduling when and where you’ll do something makes it dramatically more likely that the task will get done.

For very important and long-avoided tasks, I like a strategy that I call “clearing the decks,” which means assigning a particular task to be the only one I work on for an entire day. I recently used this strategy to get myself to set up a password manager, something I’d been putting off for literally years.

Unfamiliar but important tasks often have a learning curve that makes how much time they’ll take to complete unpredictable. Working on them often feels more clumsy than efficient, which is another subtle factor in why we don’t do them. The “clear the decks” strategy of allowing yourself a full day, even when that seems excessive, can be useful in these cases.

So that you don’t put off important personal care, try having a designated time slot once a week that’s available for you to make a personal appointment during work hours, should this be necessary. This can help ensure you get medical issues investigated early. Most weeks the slot will go unused, but keep it walled off for when the need arises.

Isolate the Most Impactful Elements of Important Tasks

Big tasks often require incremental progress. Coming back to the password manager example, my initial goal had been to create new, strong, and unique passwords for all my online accounts, but this wasn’t absolutely necessary. It made most sense to start with my 10 to 20 most valuable accounts.

If you habitually set goals so lofty you end up putting them off, try this: When you consider a goal, also consider a half-size version. Mentally put your original version and the half-size version side by side, and ask yourself which is the better (more realistic) goal. If your task still feels intimidating, shrink it further until it feels doable. You might end up with a goal that’s one-fourth or one-tenth the size of what you initially considered but that’s more achievable — and once you start, you can always keep going.

Anticipate and Manage Feelings of Anxiety

Many important tasks involve tolerating thinking about things that could go wrong, which is anxiety-provoking. Examples: making a will, investigating a lump, succession planning for your business, actually reading your insurance policies, or creating that crisis management plan.

Even when tasks don’t involve contemplating catastrophes, those that have the potential for large payoffs in the future commonly involve tolerating anxiety. General examples of important but potentially anxiety-provoking tasks include: developing new friendships, doing something challenging for the first time, asking for what you want, having awkward conversations, facing up to and correcting mistakes, and chipping away at large, multi-month tasks where you need to tolerate fluctuating self-confidence and doubt throughout the project.

Broadly speaking, working on important things typically requires having good skills for tolerating uncomfortable emotions. Here’s a personal example: Reading the work of writers who are better than I am is useful for improving my skills, but it triggers envy and social comparison. Acknowledging and labeling the specific emotions that make an experience emotionally challenging is a basic but effective step for reducing those emotions.

You’ll be better able to pursue goals that involve going outside your psychological comfort zone if you have top-notch skills for managing your thoughts and emotions.

Spend Less Time on Unimportant Tasks

Unimportant tasks have a nasty tendency of taking up more time than they should. For example, you might sit down to proofread an employee’s report — but before you know it, you’ve spent an hour rewriting the whole thing. In the future, you might decide to limit yourself to making your three most important comments on any piece of work that’s fundamentally acceptable, or give yourself a time limit for how long you’ll spend providing notes.

Having strategies for making quicker decisions can help too. When you’ve got a pressing decision to make, it can be better to make a quick decision than a perfect one that takes more time.

Prioritize Tasks That Will Reduce Your Number of Urgent but Unimportant Tasks

In modern life, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being “too busy chasing cows to build a fence.” The sorts of scenarios you most want to avoid are fixing the same problems over and over or giving the same instructions repeatedly. To overcome a pattern of spending all day “chasing cows,” you can outsource, automate, batch small tasks, eliminate tasks, streamline your workflow, or create templates for recurring tasks. Look for situations in which you can make an investment of time once to set up a system that will save you time in the future, such as setting up a recurring order for office supplies rather than ordering items one at a time as you run out.

One specific strategy I cover in The Healthy Mind Toolkit is retraining the “decision leeches” in your life. Decision leeches are people who defer decisions to you. For example, you might ask someone else to make a decision, but instead of doing it, they email you a list of options for you to look at, putting the responsibility back on you. Instead of automatically answering the person, ask them to make a clear recommendation.

Pay Attention to What Helps You See (and Track) the Big Picture

When we’re head-down in the grind, it’s hard to have enough mental space to see the big picture. Pay attention to what naturally helps you do this. Something that helps me is travel, especially taking flights alone. There’s nothing like a literal 10,000-foot view to give me a clearer perspective on my path. Spreadsheets help me see the big picture too. As much as I hate bookkeeping and taxes, doing them helps me pay attention to and optimize my overall situation. Taking more breaks can help stop you going down the rabbit hole of spending a lot of time on unimportant things without realizing that’s what you’re doing.

Another thing that helps keep me focused on my important goals is catching up with colleagues I see every six months or so. Invariably this involves giving each other an update on what we’ve been doing and what we’re trying to get done. Likewise, when it comes to money, there are certain personal finance bloggers I like to read from time to time to help me stay on track.

Tracking your time use can help too, but the downside is that tracking itself takes time and willpower. I use the RescueTime app to effortlessly track how much time I’m spending on different websites (including Gmail). Then I take a quick glance at the report each week. 

Whatever helps you see the big picture, don’t skip those things. Also, give yourself time after those activities to figure out how you’re going to translate your insights into specific plans and actions.

If you’re struggling with prioritizing the important over the urgent, don’t be too hard on yourself. The number of deadlines and decisions we face in modern life, juxtaposed with the emotionally (and cognitively) challenging nature of many important tasks, makes this struggle an almost universal one. I’ve written entire books on how to focus on the big picture and stop self-sabotaging, and I still find it difficult. I consider success as taking my own advice at least 50% of the time! This is a reasonable rule of thumb that you might adopt, too.

Source: hbr.org ~ By: Alice Boyes ~ Image: Canva Pro
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How To Focus On What Really Matters

Focus On What Really Matters

Life is incredibly fast-paced, full of ups and downs, and can sometimes feel overwhelming. We spend our days jumping from one thing to another and longing to catch a break. When there are so many different things that urgently seek our attention, it can be challenging to keep in mind what matters. Let’s narrow that down a little, shall we? It can be hard to focus on what TRULY matters. Sure, we know which of our tasks, commitments, and goals are the most time-sensitive. But do we know which crucial things we should stay focused on because they REALLY matter in life?

The bigger picture can be harder to grasp if you’re used to hustling your way through life. It’s easy to get caught in the daily grind hamster wheel. But today, we’re here to remind you to think BIG PICTURE. Because let’s face it, if we don’t focus on what really matters, our whole lives turn into an autopilot mess. When you know what truly is important for your future, your daily tasks become less burdening and more motivating. It helps you shift your mindset and stay focused because you know what you’re working towards! That’s why we decided to dedicate this post to our favorite tips to keep in mind what’s actually important. Keep reading to learn how to focus on what really matters!

How To Focus On What Really Matters

Expand your thinking and gain perspective.

So many times we get caught up in things that don’t really matter or serve us. These can be emotions, relationships, work environments, or even habits. So think bigger to gain perspective. When something happens that impacts moments in your life but have no real long-term consequences, remember that and keep your emotions in check. For example, if someone cuts you off, in the span of your life is this really something to be upset over? Did it impact your life? Or just a brief moment? In this episode of TSC Him & Her, Ed Mylett shares some really great tips for expanding your mindset to gain perspective.

Think about the things you can’t live without.

Sometimes in order to be able to focus on what matters, we need to think about what would truly impact us if we didn’t have it. The pandemic put this in perspective for a lot of people. For everyone it’s different, but the main ones that might come to mind are your health, family, friends, a roof over your head, food, & having things to do that you enjoy. So think about the things you absolutely cannot live without, and there you go! Those are the things that truly matter. Prioritize them above all else.

Listen to stories of trauma and triumph.

Something that really helps put things into perspective is to hear stories from people that have had both serious trauma and overwhelming success. We obviously recommend podcasts for hearing interviews from inspiring guests. But you can also read autobiographies, and biographies, watch documentaries, or read novels. The goal here is to expose yourself to stories that help put your life and the things you care about into perspective. To help you focus on what truly brings joy and pain in the world and hopefully bring gratitude to you as well.

Eliminate distractions.

You can’t focus on what matters if you’re constantly being pulled in different directions by time-sucking, waste of energy platforms, people, and situations. So do your best to eliminate distractions. Does seeing every single post on Instagram really matter? Do you need to watch every TikTok dance video? Should you refresh your email every 30 minutes to see if someone needs you. Or is that a waste of your time? Find a way to eliminate distractions for specific periods of time so you can focus on what really matters.

Learn how to prioritize important tasks and work towards big goals.

As much as we’d like to pretend that daily to-do’s aren’t a part of the big picture, they are. There is something to be said for chipping away little by little to enhance your career, business, or brand, you get the picture. So remember that those little things do matter long term, and just get better at prioritizing what truly moves the needle. Each day, week, & month it’s important to know exactly what needs to get done to move you toward your big goals! Pick three time-sensitive tasks to tackle in the morning or as soon as you start work. Have a few larger goals for weeks, months, and years. Keep in mind that these tasks don’t have to be work-related. You can always dedicate the mornings to your passion project or other personal goals. Just make sure this doesn’t force you to pull an all-nighter later on!

Dedicate a day to spending time with your loved ones.

It’s no secret that spending time with your friends and family benefits your mental health and overall well-being. Studies show that family relations have a direct impact on an adult’s health. And everyone can tell that time with friends makes you feel so much happier! If you want to listen to a show that has a huge emphasis on family bonds, head over to THIS episode of With Whit where Whit is joined by her sisters for an emotional rollercoaster. You can start by dedicating a day of the week to seeing your loved ones. Though if you have more time, try to find micro-moments throughout the day to connect with friends and family!

Have a crystal-clear version of the future you’re working towards.

You will never be able to focus on what really matters if you don’t get clear on your goals for the future. Where do you want to be in life? What are some tangible goals that can get you there? Ask yourself these questions if you want to understand what matters moving forward with your life. Make a vision board, write it down, have reminders of your vision strategically place in your home, in a work binder, calendar, etc. You can get creative with this. But making sure that you know exactly what you’re working towards allows you to have the motivation to focus on getting there.

Ignore what doesn’t really matter.

Knowing what matters isn’t enough if you want to stay focused. You also need to know how to push away anything that doesn’t serve you and your goals. Try to eliminate as many distractions as possible to be able to dedicate most of your time to what matters! Get out of your comfort zone and embrace growth. Yes, you’ll have to make some sacrifices. But your future self will thank you for it! If you have a little voice in your head telling you you’re not good enough or deserving, work on giving that voice less mental attention. You can also listen to THIS episode of Because Of Life about feeling deserving of the life you want.

Set aside at least half an hour of the day just for yourself.

Remember, YOU matter. So setting time aside just for you is absolutely something you should focus on if you’re trying to focus on what matters in life. You need to show up for yourself each and every day! Otherwise, you’ll forget about what’s important to you, and the tips above won’t be as useful. If you don’t focus on what matters the most, you’ll have trouble achieving your goals! So set aside at least half an hour for you to recharge and reset every day. Maybe this is part of a morning routine. Maybe it’s just setting aside time to read a book. You pick what works best for you!

How do you focus on spending time on what really matters?

We hope this post helps you learn how to focus on what really matters! We know it’s tough to ignore all the noise and distractions and stay grounded on the things that will move you forward. But if you follow these tips and get clear on what you want to accomplish, you’ll find yourself much more in-tune with the life of your dreams. Remember you can always check the rest of our Dear Media blog to find more personal development tips and inspirational posts. Now good luck focusing on what really matters. You’ve got this!

Source: dearmedia.com ~ Image: Canva Pro

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Nutritional Cleansing with Cleanse for Life

Nutritional Cleansing

You may cringe when you hear the word, “cleanse,” if you’ve ever experienced other cleanses that often involve questionable ingredients and harsh methods. Rest assured; Cleanse Days are different.

Concerns with many typical cleanses include extreme dietary restrictions, days spent drinking nothing but sugary juices, or the use of potentially dangerous ingredients that act as laxatives or diuretics. These approaches can leave you feeling depleted and dehydrated.

An Isagenix Cleanse Day is a method of nutritionally supported intermittent fasting. Cleanse Days are centered around natural ingredients and gentle methods that support your body’s internal systems of renewal and detoxification. There are no laxatives or diuretics involved. This method of nutritional cleansing is designed to help you feel nourished and energized while tapping into the benefits of intermittent fasting that support weight management and metabolic health.

Isagenix products and systems offer an approach to nutritional cleansing that is supported by published clinical studies (1-7). This system combines intermittent fasting on Cleanse Days and calorie control on Shake Days while providing thoughtfully balanced nutrition for weight loss, improved health, and overall well-being.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting on Cleanse Days

Intermittent fasting describes an eating pattern that involves periodic abstinence from normal meals with the goal of enhancing health and wellbeing. Many different styles of intermittent fasting  gained popularity in recent years, but Cleanse Days were a key component of the Isagenix system from the beginning.

Weight loss (or weight maintenance) is often seen as the main benefit of intermittent fasting, but there are plenty of reasons beyond weight loss to fast. For example, intermittent fasting is an effective strategy for reducing visceral fat (or deep belly fat), and as a result, improving insulin sensitivity and overall cardiovascular health (8, 9).

Additionally, research shows that fasting initiates the recycling of old and dysfunctional components of cells. This process happens through enzymatic pathways known as “autophagy” (10). Autophagy is a cellular self-cleaning mechanism that affords important benefits for overall health.

Cleanse for Life: Your Cleanse Day Companion

Cleanse for Life is a key feature of intermittent fasting with Isagenix. It defines Cleanse Days and separates them from ordinary fasting that restricts you to just water. It contains a blend of natural ingredients including botanical extracts and nutrients to support the body’s natural detoxification systems, carefully selected for use in conjunction with intermittent fasting.

Cleanse for Life has been shown to influence antioxidant and detoxification pathways in cells (11). As part of the Isagenix Weight Loss System, Cleanse for Life contributed an increase in toxin elimination and a decrease in oxidative stress compared to a heart-healthy diet in a 12-week clinical study (12). Including Cleanse for Life as your Cleanse Day companion provides a better, more complete cleansing experience.

How to Use Cleanse for Life

Cleanse for Life is available in both liquid and powder forms. It can be consumed as a concentrated shot or diluted with water. Additionally, it can be served chilled, poured over ice, or mixed with hot (but not boiling) water to make a warm herbal tea.

Cleanse for Life can be enjoyed daily for general wellbeing and on Cleanse Days for intermittent fasting support.

Daily Cleansing – As a daily supplement, consume two fluid ounces or one level scoop of Cleanse for Life each day. While there’s no wrong time to take Cleanse for Life, many people prefer to have a daily serving in the evening since the body naturally experiences a “mini-fast” during sleep overnight.

Deep Cleansing – For nutritional support on Cleanse Days, drink 4 ounces (or 2 level scoops), four times spread evenly throughout the day: one serving morning, noon, late afternoon, and evening.

Nutritional Support for Intermittent Fasting

Unlike so many other cleanses, Cleanse Days are focused on natural ingredients and gentle methods that support the body’s process of detoxification and renewal. Cleanse for Life offers a blend of nutrients and botanical ingredients designed to provide nutritional support for intermittent fasting and is an integral part of a nutritional cleansing system backed by years of scientific research.

Source: isagenixhealth.net ~ Image: Isagenixhealth.net

References

  1. Kroeger CM, Klempel MC, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Tangney CC, Varady KA. Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012 Oct 31;9(1):98.
  2. Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women. Nutr J. 2012 Nov 21;11:98. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-11-98.
  3. He F, Zuo L, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Serum Polychlorinated Biphenyls Increase and Oxidative Stress Decreases with a Protein-Pacing Caloric Restriction Diet in Obese Men and Women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Jan 10;14(1):59.
  4. Zuo L, He F, Tinsley GM, Pannell BK, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Comparison of High-Protein, Intermittent Fasting Low-Calorie Diet and Heart Healthy Diet for Vascular Health of the Obese. Front Physiol. 2016;7:350.
  5. Arciero PJ, Arciero KM, Poe M, Mohr AE, Ives SJ, Arciero A, Boyce M, Zhang J, Haas M, Valdez E, Corbet D, Judd K, Smith A, Furlong O, Wahler M, Gumpricht E. Intermittent fasting two days versus one day per week, matched for total energy intake and expenditure, increases weight loss in overweight/obese men and women. Nutr J. 2022 Jun 4;21(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s12937-022-00790-0.
  6. Arciero PJ, Edmonds R, He F, Ward E, Gumpricht E, Mohr A, Ormsbee MJ, Astrup A. Protein-Pacing Caloric-Restriction Enhances Body Composition Similarly in Obese Men and Women during Weight Loss and Sustains Efficacy during Long-Term Weight Maintenance. Nutrients. 2016;8(8):476.
  7. Mohr AE, Jasbi P, Bowes DA, Dirks B, Whisner CM, Arciero KM, Poe M, Gu H, Gumpricht E, Sweazea KL, Arciero PJ. Exploratory analysis of one versus two-day intermittent fasting protocols on the gut microbiome and plasma metabolome in adults with overweight/obesity. Front Nutr. 2022 Oct 26;9:1036080. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1036080.
  8. Harvie MN, Pegington M, Mattson MP et al. The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women. Int J Obes (Lond) 2011;35:714-27.
  9. Heilbronn LK, Smith SR, Martin CK, Anton SD, Ravussin E. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1):69-73.
  10. Harvie MN, Pegington M, Mattson MP et al. The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women. Int J Obes (Lond) 2011;35:714-27.
  11. Gumpricht E, Kumar R, Hussain A, Sabarwal A, Ramteke A, Cho S, Deep G.  A Natural Herbal Beverage Exhibits Significant Cytoprotection and Promotes Nrf-2 Activation in Cells April 2015 FASEB J 2015;29 (Supplement) Abstract # 607.1.
  12. He F, Zuo L, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Serum Polychlorinated Biphenyls Increase and Oxidative Stress Decreases with a Protein-Pacing Caloric Restriction Diet in Obese Men and Women. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(1), 59; doi:10.3390/ijerph14010059
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Cleanse Your Way to Longevity

Healthy Lifestyle

Nutritional cleansing has always been a unique part of Isagenix. Routine Cleanse Days are truly at the heart of some of the greatest health benefits attributed to weight loss with Isagenix.

Now, recent research at Skidmore College increasingly suggests that Cleanse Days—in combination with Shake Days—could increase the chance of a healthier, longer life. They do so by improving metabolic and cardiovascular markers including insulin sensitivity and arterial health.

If there’s one takeaway from the most recent two-phase Skidmore study it’s this: Isagenix has made it easier for you to achieve a healthier lifestyle and age well.

Cleanse Days (an intermittent fasting day primarily comprised of drinking detox-promoting Cleanse for Life) and Shake Days (an example of calorie restriction by exchanging two meals a day with high-protein IsaLean Shakes) were key to this success.

Signs of Better Aging

In the initial 10-week weight-loss phase, all of the 43 men and women on Isagenix products lost weight. With that weight loss came significant drops in visceral and total body fat along with improvements in metabolism and insulin sensitivity (1).

These findings give further validation for Isagenix product use related to weight loss. Previously, another study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago had come to similar conclusions that the Isagenix system was superior when compared to a heart-healthy diet (2,3).

In addition, in the Skidmore College study, subjects had a 10 percent improvement in arterial flexibility and blood flow suggestive of better cardiovascular health (1). It’s an excellent finding considering that, as some scientists say, “you’re only as old as your arteries.”

The Skidmore study went further. It was one of the first studies to ever measure an increase in circulating toxins as a result of an intervention combining calorie restriction and intermittent fasting. The noted increase in the circulation of toxins is an essential first step in detoxifying and eliminating these harmful compounds from the body (1).

Long-Term Success

By extending the trial for a full year, the Skidmore College researchers became the first to evaluate the long-term benefits of Isagenix. It’s this type of research that most other companies only dream of and rarely decide to invest in.

As part of the second phase of the study, the Skidmore College researchers divided the original weight-loss subjects into two groups. One they allowed to continue using the Isagenix system with less stringency for a more “real life” compliance scenario. The other group was assigned a heart-healthy diet. Both groups were counseled by registered dietitians.

The final results from the study (still currently in progress) are months away. However, hints from the preliminary findings at six months shared at Isagenix Celebration by the study’s lead author Paul Arciero, Ph.D., show that, so far, results are no less impressive for Isagenix than what they were at 10 weeks. The study’s findings are to be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals in the future.

Sneak Peek at the Results

One of the key findings is that the metabolic and cardiovascular improvements observed during the weight-loss phase were either maintained or improved. Moreover, the results suggest that individuals using the Isagenix system maintained a higher metabolism deemed essential to prevent weight regain. In addition, these subjects continued to improve both their arterial flexibility and also continued to release more stored toxins from fat tissue.

As far as optimizing health long term, all the evidence suggests that Isagenix promotes weight loss, followed by long-term weight management and cardiovascular improvement. And once again, cleansing is key.

What is it about cleansing that allows for successful weight loss and maintenance, and improvement to overall health? Scientists are only beginning to understand the power of this dietary practice that does everything from activating longevity genes to stimulating pathways in the body that increase autophagy (the body’s way of clearing out old cells to make room for new), to enhancing the activity of the energy-producing centers in cells—which leads to improvements in circulation, cardiovascular health markers, cognitive health, and reduced oxidative stress (4-9).

By incorporating Cleanse Days and Shake Days on an Isagenix system there’s no need for deprivation as with many mainstream diets. Regular healthy eating patterns, even including indulgent meals and favorite comfort foods here and there, can still be followed. Cleanse Days allow for real-world living, and when performed on a regular basis will help to maintain a healthy weight and improve health to increase longevity.

Source: isagenixhealth.com ~ Image: Canva Pro

References

    1. Gumpricht E, et al. Effects of a high-protein low-calorie intermittent-fast diet on plasma toxins and oxidative stress following weight loss. FASEB J 28 (supplement) LB435.
    2. Klempel MC, et al. Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women. Nutr J 2012 11:98.
    3. Kroeger CM, et al. Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations. Nutr Metab 2012;9:98.
    4. Winett RA, et al. Developing a new treatment paradigm for disease prevention and healthy aging. Transl Behav Med 2014;4:117-23.
    5. Brown JE. Can restricting calories help you to live longer? Post Reprod Health 2014;20:16-8.
    6. Froy O, Miskin R. Effect of feeding regimens on circadian rhythms: implications for aging and longevity. Aging (Albany NY) 2010;2:7-27.
    7. Mattson MP. Dietary factors, hormesis and health. Ageing Res Rev 2008;7:43-8.
    8. Anton S, Leeuwenburgh C. Fasting or caloric restriction for healthy aging. Exp Gerontol 2013;48:1003-5.
    9. Martin B, et al. Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting: two potential diets for successful brain aging. Ageing Res Rev 2006; 5:332-53.
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