Boxes of Soap

Earlier this week, a friend shared a blog with me "bashing" our company and our products.  I wasn't surprised.  I have known from the very beginning of this journey that I would encounter "haters."  I myself was a hater, a skeptic, before I actually tried any of the products or actually took more than 2 seconds to TRULY listen to the HEART of someone selling them.  Up until I saw a DEAR friend post about the wraps on her Facebook page, I had rolled my eyes, scoffed, mocked, and ignored others who had tried to convince me to use the wraps or even join them as a distributor.  I figured it was a quick fix or gimmick.  I personally saw the wraps as "cheating," since I personally was going to the gym or working out 5-6 times a week and eating healthy.  If someone wanted to lose weight or look good in their jeans or swimsuit, they needed to put in the work - like I was.  I stood proudly on my soap box, confident my view and opinion were right, looking down on anyone who would use such ridiculous products and feeling superior to those too lazy to run or lift weights or put on an exercise DVD.

At least that's how I saw things in my mind about 2.5 years ago.
Then, my DEAR friend Melissa went and rocked my entire world.
She posted on Facebook that these wraps were GOOD for you and HEALTHY.

I immediately called her up to see if she had lost her mind!
Melissa had introduced me into natural childbirth, was my go to person for natural home remedies, and was certainly the most "crunchy" mama I knew.  Why in the world would she associate herself with these crazy wraps?!

We talked.
She informed me of the research she had done over the past YEAR.
She shared with me how she had contacted the product coach about EVERY single product and every single ingredient.  She knew how the products were made and how they are beneficial to people's overall health.

WHOA!  Hold your horses!
It Works has products plural.  Like more than just that crazy wrap?!!
They have greens, and supplements, and an entire natural skin care line?
And everything is organic and nonGMO?
They are committed to health and wellness as a LIFESTYLE, not just looking good in 45 minutes?!
I had no idea!
Really, I didn't.

Because I made assumptions and figured I knew everything there was to know about the silly wrap, based on a few pictures posted on a couple friends' pages on Facebook, I totally missed out on something absolutely amazing for an entire year!

Thank goodness Melissa helped me see the light.
I am now a PROUD member of the It Works team and feel like I belong to one of the most special FAMILIES in all the world.

So, naturally, when I read this blog basically attacking It Works and our wrap, I was a tad offended.

While I do understand SOME of what the blogger was saying, I must say that I have learned to see things from MANY sides over the past 2.5 years.

Yes, having a child is beautiful.
Yes, stretch marks and loose skin on the belly are signs your body made and carried and birthed a baby.  Such a wonderful privilege.  One I have been blessed to experience 3 times already, and am currently going through right now as baby #4 is due to arrive this fall.

Yes, being a mama changes our bodies in numerous ways.
And NONE of those ways are something we as women should be ashamed of or feel we need to hide or cover up or "fix."

Yes, we should accept our bodies and love ourselves and be proud of who we are.

BUT, telling yourself to be proud and to love yourself and to accept what you see in the mirror is so often easier done than said.  Not comparing yourself to other mamas out there who seem to lose their baby weight before even leaving the hospital or didn't get stretch marks or rock a little black dress weeks after baby is born or whatever else is also easier said than done.

While I do know women confident in their stretch-marked bellies and able to proudly and confidently wear a bikini at the beach/pool, I also know COUNTLESS others who disklike or even hate what they see in the mirror and want to "get their pre-baby bodies" back.  Why do you think liposuction and botox and weightloss surgery and other such cosmetic procedures are advertised on TV and bilboards everywhere?  Why do you think those industries are making billions of dollars each year?

If I can provide a safer, more affordable, and NATURAL solution, should I not be sharing that with anyone and everyone I can?

And it's not just about looking good or getting a "pre-baby body" back!
What about my friend who worked HARD to lose 120+ pounds and had sagging skin as a result?!  Are you going to tell her to go to the gym and eat right to get rid of the extra skin she now has and is considering surgery to remove?!  How in the world is running more miles on a treadmill going to take care of her extra belly skin?!  Oh that's right - it's NOT!!

Exercise is amazing.
I highly encourage it.
I do it myself.
BUT, it's not the solution in this case.  A wrap is.  The herbs and botanicals in the cream on the wrap DO help tighten, tone, and firm.  They do help with that loose skin. So much so that my friend is no longer thinking about surgery because she is so happy with her wrap results.  So much so that her co-workers have noticed not only a difference in her physical appearance, but in her confidence as well.  So much so that her husband came to me so thankful and happy for his wife.

Please don't tell her she should accept her body the way it was.
Please don't tell her to be confident or proud.
Yes, she should celebrate her weightloss and healthier lifestyle.
Yes, she should certainly be proud of that, but let her show off her hard work and dedication.  Please.

She was excited after her FIRST wrap, and has been wrapping her arms, legs, and belly weekly now
to help her continue to tighten up the loose skin she had after loosing all that weight!  

Or what about my friend who had 3 boys in 2.5 years?  NO twins.
She measured 4'11" from her back to the front of her belly.
People thought she was having twins.  But nope, just one baby at a time.
3 babies - newborn, 11 months, and 2 years - changed her body, majorly.
She loved her boys, but despised (her word) what they had done to her body.  So much so that one day she took a pair of scissors into the bathroom to cut off the loose skin hanging from her tummy.  Thankfully, Jesus intervened and she did not use the scissors.  Instead, she started a journey of weightloss that lead to her becoming a personal trainer to help others invest in their health too.  Well, guess what, I met this friend for the first time at an It Works meeting.  She's a top earning distributor!  Want to know why she's so passionate about the products - not just the wrap - she sells?  Because they helped transform not only her body, but her life!!  You better believe she is going to shout high and far and wide about It Works!

That brings me to another point.  We don't just have a wrap.
Yes, the wrap is amazing - and so much more than a 45 minute magic treatment!
I could share stories of how the wrap helped couples trying for YEARS to have a baby with no luck end up getting pregnant just a few months after incorporating the wrap into their weekly routine.  I could share stories of how the wrap helped women with PCOS and cysts disappearing.  I could share stories of how the wrap has helped people with back and joint pain.  I could share how the wrap has helped people meet health requirements for various military branches so they could selflessly serve our country and fight for our freedom.

It's so much more than reducing cellulite or stretch marks or loose skin, though the wrap certainly can help with that.

Let's not forget It Works is more than just this "silly" wrap.
We have over 30 products to help people reach their HEALTH and wellness goals.
We have over 30 products to help people make HEALTH a priority and then a lifestyle.

How many people do you know who eat 8 servings of organic, nonGMO fruits and veggies - every single day?
Are they getting a probiotic too?
Yeah, probably not.  At least MOST of the people I know - even the health-conscious ones - are not eating perfectly every single day of the week, every week of the year.  Sorry, it's the hard truth.

Which is why I got super excited when I found out It Works has GREENS!
Now, it is my mission in life to get everyone I know using them.
When NO ONE in my family has been sick in over 2 years, I think that is something worth sharing.
I don't care if you have stretch marks or not.  That's a personal issue and different people feel differently about them, as we have discovered.  I do care about your health though.  And so I do want you to use greens.  The nutritional benefits are amazing, not to mention the NATURAL energy they give me and how they have boosted my milk supply.

I could tell you stories about people using greens to alleviate them of daily migraines, terrible allergies, fibro pain, lupus flare ups, eczema, psoriasis, and so much more.  But you're all in a dither about how the wrap is a cheap way out.  You're too busy putting down the wrap that you neglect to realize the other products we have to help you invest in your health and feel your best from the inside out.

I would go on to tell you about our NATURAL supplements that go hand in hand with working out and eating right, that can actually help you get more from your time in the gym.  But you're too busy telling me to love my stretch marks that you don't want to listen to how these products have helped me gain lean muscle, boost my metabolism, give me more energy, help me sleep better, alleviate stress, balance hormones, and more.  You are so loud as you go on and on about me loving my body the way it is that you aren't willing to celebrate the better health I have found.

I'm going to tune you out and spend my time rejoicing with my clients who have been able to get off their blood pressure and other medications.  I'm going to jump up and down in joy with my clients who are buying smaller clothes and feeling better and able to do more now that they are healthier.  I'm going to focus on all the GOOD things It Works is helping people do rather than worrying about your narrow-minded opinion about our crazy wrap.

Sorry if I sound harsh or rude.
But, I am being honest.
And real.

I'm tired of people assuming that It Works is all about a quick fix, that distributors don't take the time to talk to their clients about their health goals and how to reach them, that we don't really care about health as a lifestyle.  I'm not going to let it go.  I will not be misrepresented.  I for one DO care about eating right and exercise and making health a priority for longer than the 45 minutes you wear the wrap.  But maybe that's just me...

I am now going to step down from my soap box to help some friends get orders in and invite a few more people to join me on this life-changing journey that has allowed me to stay at home with my 3 precious girls and make memories with them every single day.

If you have questions or would like more information about our wrap or NUMEROUS other products we have to help you look and feel great from the inside out, I would love to talk with you.  If you want to know more about this incredible opportunity and how you could earn a $500 bonus, I would love to chat with you as well!