Get an accurate view of where you're at

Hey gang - I've been out of commission since Monday! I have a horrible cold and these things always pull my legs out from under me. I can't imagine how I'd feel without my IsaFood!!!

So, I've borrowed a message (below) from my friend Rick Reynolds, who is also coaching a cleanse group at this time. I hope you enjoy his message ... I know I did. - Linda

Hello Cleansers,

Before I dive into a cleanse I find it helpful to get an accurate view of exactly where I am at. One way is to weigh myself on a scale and I've found that the scale only tells a small part of the cleansing story especially on a nutritional cleanse. Over the next thirty days I'm going to release some fat and extra water but if I do the system right, I won't release any muscle and will likely gain a few pounds of lean muscle mass. That means the scale is not going to show all the changes.

Since the scale won't tell the whole story I always measure myself. For some cleansers the shift in inches will far exceed the shift in pounds and this is so different than dieting. When I've dieted I've lost muscle and bone and water and the scale weight change is more profound as is a decline in my over all health. In this cleanse I'll get healthier by the day and that can mean that there will be days where I actually put on a little weight but continue to drop inches.

For this reason it is important to only weigh and measure myself once a week. I want to make sure I have results that inspire me. A daily scale obsession has in the past left me frustrated and tempted to give up the program when I observe weight gain and if I give up I'll never reach my goals.

To help you keep track of your measurements there's a guide from Isagenix - visit www.isaproduct.com to find the Track Your Progress form.

Since nutritional cleansing is going to change so much more than the size of my body, I like to measure other things besides the inches. What I like to do is take that measuring chart, print it out and flip it over. On the back of that piece of paper I rate certain aspects of my health and my life on a scale of one to ten with one being not so good and ten being great. I then watch the changes as I cleanse. My list includes the quality of my sleep, my comfort in my own body, how I feel when I exercise, my level of joy and peace and happiness, my ability to cope with stress, my relationship health, even my financial health. It is interesting to watch how many things other than my weight also change when I cleanse.

If you're inspired, take time today to take a good look at yourself and your life; figure out exactly where you are at and document it so you can look back on today each week and see some change. If you want, take a picture of yourself. I've come to love my before picture. I was exactly as I needed to be so that I could experience the best possible cleanse and inspire so many others.

See if you can love yourself today exactly as you are. It will make a huge difference in your ability to change what you see now.