XanGo ranks first in taste test!

Another XANGO First By: Dave Webb, VP of Communications in: Featured, In The Media, News & Information, Press, XANGO Juice, XANGO Products Published on: April 10, 2012 … Another first-place finish, that is: An independent group called MLM Corporate Network recently performed a blind taste test of six network marketing juices, and (do we even need a drum roll?)… XANGO® Juice took top honors! The judges on the tasting panel had no previous juice-supplement experience, and they rated things like appearance, aroma, taste, etc. The judges were given 3-oz servings of each juice, in a generic container, so they couldn’t even be influenced by our awesome bottle and our bowl-you-over nutrition facts. Just the juice, baby! Congratulations to us! Click here to read the actual report. WAY TO GO, XANGO! Read more at XANGOSPHERE: http://blog.xango.com/products/another-xango-first/#ixzz1wHjUjPo7

Increase your Productivity

Our Guest Blog was written by Michael Zipursky | Website | Other Articles

Michael Zipursky is the co-founder of Business Consulting Buzz, a leading blog on consulting and FreshGigs.ca, Canada’s #1 jobsite for qualified marketing, communications and creative professionals. He is also the author of 5 business and consulting books. His work has been featured in FOX Business, the Financial Times, HR Executive and other media.

A search on Amazon.com for books on Productivity returns 45,960 titles. If you’re having trouble being productive at work you may find it difficult to make the time to read a book on productivity cover to cover.

For that reason, I’m going to share with you 5 proven tactics that you can start implementing today that WILL enable you to increase your productivity and help you to get more done.

5 Proven Tactics to Increase Your Productivity

1. Wake Up Early

The morning provides a calm that is often hard to find at any other time of day. Phones aren’t ringing, emails are only starting to trickle, and not gush in, as they do later in the day. This is your time to get ahead. Use this time to exercise, read or study, and to get a jumpstart on your most important task of the day.

2. Start with Important Work

Our most meaningful and impacting projects are often the hardest and require the most time and attention. That’s why they often end up getting pushed lower and lower on our to-do list throughout the day. Take a new approach and start your day by focusing on your most important work first. You may find it hard to get going, but once you do you’ll be working on tasks that have meaning and provide a real impact to your business and career. Plus, once you get through your most important item you’ll feel liberated and can move on to the less important work that so often clogs the day.

3. No Interruptions

Robin Sharma points to research data that says workers are interrupted every 11 minutes. Every distraction reduces your productivity and derails your focus and energy from the task at hand. Value your work and value your time by saying NO to interruptions. Close your door, create a “Do Not Disturb” sign if you need one, and block your calendar with work times so your assistant or co-workers know not to bother you. There are so many interruptions around us each day. Find what they are in your life and start removing them.

4. Avoid Meetings

Daily and weekly meetings can be critical to keep the flow and rhythm in a business. But meetings where several people need to spend 20, 30 minutes to an hour or more need to be avoided like the plague. Not only do these meetings often result with few actionable ideas, the topics they cover can usually be dealt with over a 5 minute phone call. In fact, Seth Godin goes as far as saying he won’t attend meetings (at least in the typical sense) but prefers conversations where a decision can be reached. If not, meetings simply become events. Think about how much money is “invested” into a meeting when you have 4-5 employees sitting around a table for 30 minutes or an hour.

5. Disconnect the Internet

Stop swearing at me! Seriously, I know you NEED the internet. In a CNN survey many respondents said they would take the Internet over Sex any day. I digress. While the Internet does increase your productivity and allows for access to information in unimaginable ways, it continues to lower the productivity of many workers. How often do you get a notification of a new email? Engaged in research and come upon a Youtube video that you just “needed to watch”? Had to update your Facebook or Twitter status because you just found the cutest cat picture ever? You get the point, right? Unplugging yourself by taking your work offline provides a level of focus that you just can’t achieve online with all the potential distractions it presents.

Start by implementing one of these tactics today. You’ll start seeing positive results and will quickly move to implementing more of them.

To a more productive you!

How do you increase your productivity? We’re curious to hear your tips!

Photo by David Castillo Dominici.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

I am sharing this wonderful post by Written by Sharon Palmer, RD and Briana Austin, Dietetic Intern

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Tomato Products!

May 1, 2012 by tomatowellness

What’s Cinco de Mayo all about?  It’s a celebration held on the fifth day of May to commemorate Mexican heritage and pride; though, specifically it’s traced back to the Mexican’s remarkable victory over French forces on May 5, 1862.  In modern times, we make Cinco de Mayo a celebration of Mexican culture, in particular the delicious Latin-inspired food that we’ve come to crave.  One of the most popular cuisines across the nation, Mexican food is guaranteed to be a dish that all will enjoy.

Flavor Fiesta

Fresh garden vegetables, warm tortillas, a medley of beans, the kick of spices, tango tomatoes, and creamy avocado all smothered under hot melted cheese—such are the flavors of Mexican food.  Burritos, tacos, chimichungas, tamales, fajitas, enchiladas, guacamole, tostadas, and quesadillas are examples of some of our favorite dishes. And all of these classic Mexican dishes just would be the same without the punch of tomato products—an essential ingredient in Mexican cuisine.

Say “Hola!” to Tomato Health!

Tomato products such as canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, and of course, salsa, are all consistently incorporated into Mexican dishes.  Providing rich color and flavor, tomato products also provide valuable nutrition.  Tomato products are rich in the powerful antioxidant lycopene, which has been shown to inactivate free radicals, protect against cancer, and slow the development of heart disease.  Further, lycopene in processed tomato products is better absorbed than that of fresh tomatoes.  Regular intake of tomato products has been associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease and improved blood cholesterol levels.  Eating more tomato products has also been linked with bone protection, prostate cancer prevention, glucose control, and protection against sun damage.

So, on this Cinco de Mayo, treat your family, friends and yourself to a healthy flavor fiesta by serving an authentic Mexican dish.  The options are endless, so don’t choose just one.  Start with our very own simple and tasty, hand-crafted guacamole recipe.  You’ll find that it will be a great appetizer, side dish, or condiment for your Cinco de Mayo meal.

    Spicy Guacamole

6 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and peeled

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup prepared salsa

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Mash avocados with lemon juice in a bowl.  Stir in salsa, green onions and garlic powder.  Serve immediately.

Tomato Inspiration for Cinco de Mayo

Open a can of tomatoes or salsa to use in these following Cinco de Mayo dishes:

Chicken Tostada:  Layer a crisp tortilla shell with beans, cheese, lettuce, cooked chicken, and prepared salsa

Turkey Tacos:  Fill taco shells with sautéed ground taco meat mixed with tomato paste and chili powder, lettuce, cheese, and prepare salsa.

Cheese Enchiladas:  Fill corn tortillas with cheese, roll them tightly, place in casserole dish, top with enchilada sauce, and bake.

Bean and Cheese Burritos:  Fill a large tortilla with Spanish rice mixed with canned tomatoes, beans, cheese, lettuce, and prepared salsa.

Shrimp Nachos:  Layer tortilla chips with beans, salsa, onions, cheese, and shrimp.  Bake and serve with guacamole.

Mexican Tortilla Soup:  Create a hearty tomato-based vegetable soup; add shredded chicken, top with tortilla chips and cheese.

Written by Sharon Palmer, RD and Briana Austin, Dietetic Intern