Life Equals Blog

Omega-3 Helps to Lower Blood Pressure

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, in the midst of a weekly meeting, Chris Thowe, Life Equals co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, mentioned that for the first time in years his blood pressure was under control and he thought it was primarily from taking LIFE= Omega-3 regularly. We were pretty blown away, so we asked him to tell us a little more:

My mom gave me many things in life, including her family's high blood pressure. A decade ago I was grinding through college when I found out from the family doctor that I had high blood pressure. Knowing that it was hereditary, he presented two choices: take a pill every day for the rest of my life or begin a strict <2000mg of sodium diet. Since I was in my early 20's I wasn't ready to embrace the 1 pill a day forever concept so I tried the low sodium diet. The sodium diet is nearly impossible, especially on a college budget!

So for the better part of 10 years I've been taking prescription medicines to control my high blood pressure. It started with 1 pill, then bumped up to 2, and was heading to 3 pills per day until I started taking LIFE= Omega-3 Fish Oil. I recently went to the doctor and she was blown away with how well the numbers were! In fact, over the last year my blood pressure has been nearly perfect.

In good health,

Chris Thowe

There are several studies that suggest Omega-3 improves heart health, including lowering blood pressure and decreasing hypertension. If you're currently taking blood pressure medicine, pleas check with your physician before taking Omega-3; they know best!

Cheers,

KCIM: One of KC's Healthiest Employers

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:25:00 GMT

We've posted a couple times about our partnership with Kansas City Internal Medicine and how our products are doctor-recommended. We're really thankful to be working with them and have a blast every time we stop by, so when we saw this announcement we thought we'd brag on them a little bit:

(this posted was originally posted on the KCIM blog on March 20th, 2013.)

KCIM Wins Healthiest Employer Award

Everyone knows that a healthy employee means a happy employee. At Kansas City Internal Medicine, we have dedicated ourselves to creating a work environment that influences healthy decisions, behaviors, and a culture of health and wellness.

As recognition of this commitment, KCIM was recently recognized by the Kansas City Business Journal as one of Kansas City’s healthiest employers!

Studies have shown that employees are more productive at work when they’re healthier, happier, and staying active, so implementing wellness initiatives at KCIM was a no-brainer.

The task of creating a culture of health and wellness, on the other hand, was difficult at first, but the continuing effects have been remarkable. We’ve had employees lose weight, lower their blood pressure, eliminate the need for condition-specific medications, and they are now living healthier lives.

Each and every day we motivate our patients to make healthy decisions and live a healthy lifestyle. Winning this award is proof that we practice what we preach!

Instilling a culture of health and wellness within KCIM was not an overnight fix. It took time, dedication, and the support from each and every one of our employees.

So if you’re coming in for a visit at one of our offices, please congratulate our employees for their continued efforts in making KCIM a great place to work!

Jacob Wayman

Project Manager, Corporate Medicine & Wellness Division

Kansas City Internal Medicine

We hope to start incorporating blog posts from KCIM staff in the upcoming weeks and months, but just wanted to celebrate them first!! Congrats KCIM.

Cheers,

Free Logo Crew with Purchase of Men's Multi!

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:23:00 GMT

Today we're launching a special promotion: for the next 11 days, we're giving a free Men's Logo Crew with every purchase of LIFE= Men's Multi. It seemed like the right thing to do.

It's really simple:

1. Add LIFE= Men's Multi to your cart as either a one-time or subscription purchase.

2. Add LIFE= Men's Logo Crew to your cart with your size.

3. Enter the shopping cart & insert the coupon code "freeshirt" in the discount blank.

4. Free Shirt & Men's Multi are shipped to you!!

Pretty easy & pretty awesome. Let us know whether you have any questions. Otherwise, wear your shirt with pride! Promotion ends on May 9th so jump on it!!

Cheers,

Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer

Let Us Love

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:37:00 GMT

Last night I drove from Kansas City to neighboring Lawrence to see NEEDTOBREATHE. The show was great, of course, full of energy & passion (wouldn't expect anything less from a South Carolina rock band, would you?). To me, this picture pretty well exemplifies the show:

(NEEDTOBREATHE with openers Drew Holcombe & the Neighbors covering "Stand by Me")

As often happens the day after a show, I circle back to listening to the band's albums. What stopped me in my tracks this morning, and why I'm even writing this post, are the lyrics to their "Let us Love"

Let us love

Like we were children

Make us feel
Like we're still living

It just hit me this morning that's what this is all about. Certainly it is with Life Equals: Love your life. Live fully & alive. Love others.

We hope today you can embrace that Love within you and share it with those around you.

Cheers,

Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder

200,000 Children's Multivitamins Donated!

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:24:00 GMT

Earlier this month (April 4th to be exact), we quietly announced that we had just passed a bit of a milestone: donating over 200,000 children's multivitamins through our Vitamins that Give movement.

I say quietly because I literally think it was a facebook post that went out making the announcement.

We had grand aspirations of sending out an eBlast about it, making a banner on our homepage, renting a plane to write it in the sky, and hopefully we'll still do a few of those. Accomplishments like this need to be celebrated! We want to celebrate with you.

Understandably, this got me in a reflective mode and I started thinking about the journey of Life Equals. For those of you who don't know the story:

In the summer of 2010 we were in the early stages of working on what would become Life Equals. We had developed our first product, LIFE=Focus+Energy, a specialty supplement that helped with physical energy & mental clarity, but were still working on our mission. We knew that we wanted our company and products to do social good, but hadn't decided how that would work.
At church one Sunday, my friend Justin began to talk about his experience living at an orphanage in Mozambique. The church was focusing a giving campaign for the orphanage and had asked what they practically needed. Their simple reply: children's clothes & children's multivitamins.

In that moment it all came together for me. I was familiar with the one-for-one model of TOMS and others, but had never considered it for our company. As I thought through all of our research on the global supplement market, I realized that this was an area that one-for-one giving really does fit: supplementation is a huge need in developing countries, especially amongst children, but has to come from developed countries. Most developing countries don't yet have the infrastructure to produce supplements and when they do the quality is questionable, price is high and distribution poor.

The next day, I came back to the rest of our team and pitched making Life Equals a one-for-one supplement company. They took to the idea and we've been giving ever since.

It still blows me away that a decision our team made 3 years ago has resulted in over 200,000 children's multivitamins donated. That's just under 550 malnourished children receiving the vitamins they need for a year!

Frankly, none of this would be possible without you. Vitamins that Give is just an idea unless you take the idea and run with it. Unless you decide to align your choice for high-quality vitamins with our products.

We can't thank you enough for believing in our products and giving. We look forward to reaching more milestones in the upcoming months. 250,000 multivitamins will be amazing. 500,000 even more. We can't wait to get there with you.

Onward!

Chief Strategy Office & Co-Founder

More Reasons to take CoQ10

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:59:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, we wrote a blog introducing CoQ10 and why it's important. We had a ton to say, but for the sake of brevity we thought we'd break it up into 2 parts.

In the first blog we explained what CoQ10 is and a little bit about its antioxidant properties. This post expands why CoQ10 is so important, specifically for maintaining a healthy heart and energy production:

Engaging a Health Heart

Studies suggest that CoQ10 supplements may prevent or help treat the following conditions:

Heart Failure — Heart failure often causes blood to pool in the lungs and legs, as well as causes shortness of breath. Clinical studies suggests that CoQ10 may help reduce swelling in the legs, reduce fluid in the lungs that in turn makes breathing easier, and increase exercise capacity.
High Blood Pressure — Several small clinical studies suggest that CoQ10 may lower blood pressure. However, it may take 4–12 weeks to see any change.
High Cholesterol — There is some evidence that CoQ10 may reduce side effects from conventional high cholesterol treatment with statins, which reduce natural levels of CoQ10 in the body. Taking CoQ10 supplements can bring levels back to normal. Additionally, studies show that CoQ10 may decrease the muscle pain associated with statin treatment.
Diabetes — Studies show that CoQ10 supplements may help manage blood sugar level and high blood pressure in people with diabetes. Two studies found that 100 mg of CoQ10 twice daily improved A1c levels, a measure of long-term blood sugar control.

Energy Production

CoQ10 provides energy in the body on a cellular level in the mitochondria where energy production takes place. As CoQ10
is fat-soluble it is mobile within cellular membrane and plays a unique role in the electron transport chain; it acts as a mobile messenger link between the various enzymes necessary in the chain. Without optimal CoQ10 in the mitochondrial
membrane, the cell cannot produce optimal energy; this happening across the entire body causes a decrease in energy overall.

Why LIFE= CoQ10?

LIFE= CoQ10, in easy to swallow softgels, uses only 100% natural CoQ10 blended with natural vitamin E and organic flaxseed oil to ensure the best absorption and availability without the need to accompany with food.

If you're interested in learning more, we have research on CoQ10 (and all of our products) that we're happy to share with you. Please email us at info@life-equals.com to get that information or ask other questions!

Cheers,

Why our Omega-3 is Doctor Recommended

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:25:00 GMT

We've been posting a lot about Omega-3 lately simply because of how important Omega-3 is and how, frankly, the average Americans doesn't get enough in their diet. Most of what we've shared is educational: why Omega-3 is important and how to avoid fish burps (plus, a followup).

We also think it's important for you to know what makes our LIFE= Omega-3 worthy to be doctor-recommended (it is).

In considering an Omega-3 Fish Oil supplement, there are two main differentiators you want to look for:

Source — the source of the fish is incredibly important. Wild caught fish have higher natural levels of Omega-3 than farm-raised. Additionally, smaller fish avoid bio-magnification and are more environmentally friendly (populations propagate quicker).

Potency — most Omega-3 supplements have low potency in terms of the DHA & EPA you get in each capsule (these are the two Omega-3 acids that are most important to your health). Many store-bought capsules are only 30% DHA/EPA; in a 1000mg capsule you only receive 300mg DHA/EPA. That isn't great. You have to take upwards of 4 capsules to get the daily recommended 1000mg DHA/EPA.

Look out for supplement facts that don't list the source of the fish specifically or the exact potency of DHA/EPA. It matters! If they don't list one or both most likely it isn't a high-quality supplement.

Here's how our LIFE= Omega-3 stacks up:

Source — our LIFE= Omega-3 is sourced from Wild Caught Norwegian Sardines & Anchovies, both of which are small fish.

Potency — one dose (2 capsules) of LIFE= Omega-3 has 1200mg of DHA/EPA (400mg DHA & 800mg EPA). To get 1200mg DHA/EPA, 200mg more than is what's normally recommended by dietitians, you need only take 2 capsules rather than 4 or 5 with most low-quality store-bought brands.

In fact, our LIFE= Omega-3 is of such high-quality that we took the time to compare it to one of the industry leaders, Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega:

Is it any wonder that our LIFE= Omega-3 is doctor-sold and recommended?

Oh, and every bottle of LIFE= Omega-3 donates 60 children's multivitamins to malnourished children.

Check out our LIFE= Omega-3 today or feel free to reach out with any questions: info@life-equals.com.

Cheers,

CoQ10: an introduction

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Apparently the word is getting out about the benefits of CoQ10. With our friends and family we're known as "the guys who know about vitamins" so whenever a vitamin becomes popular, we start to get a bunch of questions about it... So, what's the deal with this CoQ10 thing? ... CoQwhat?! ... Why should I take CoQ10 again?

To help answer some of the questions, especially since we just launched our own CoQ10 product a few months ago, I thought I'd write a quick blog post that explains what CoQ10 is all about:

CoQ10, what is it?

Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is found naturally in the body in almost every cell. It helps convert food into
energy and serves as a powerful antioxidant. CoQ10 is found in red meats, particularly organ meats. Regardless
of the amount of meat in your diet, CoQ10 deficiency can be caused through a variety of reasons:

Missing Nutrients — to effectively utilize CoQ10, your body needs vitamins, particularly B2, B3, B6, B12, vitamin C, folic acid and pantothenic acid. Without enough of these vitamins in your diet you may not have enough CoQ10.
Drugs — CoQ10 is reduced through the use of some drugs, particularly statins, beta blockers, and diabetic medication.
Energy Drain — CoQ10 is used up in periods of inflammation, which is often caused by obesity, overexercising
and severe shock.

CoQ10 has been intently studied for over 40 years and has been shown to support a healthy cardiovascular system, slow the effects of age related diseases, promote healthy gums and aid energy production on a cellular level.

Antioxidant Properties

One of things CoQ10 is most known for is its antioxidant properties. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant fighting free radicals, which damage cell membranes, tamper with DNA, and, in some instances, cause cell death. Free radicals are also linked to a number of health problems, including heart disease and cancer. CoQ10, and other antioxidants, neutralize free radicals and may prevent or reduce some of the damage free radicals cause.

Why LIFE= CoQ10?

We'll have more information about CoQ10 shortly, but thought we'd start with this short introduction. As always, reach out with any questions: info@life-equals.com is our best email!

Cheers,

the Scoop on our New Multivitamins

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:40:00 GMT

Just a few weeks ago we launched 7 new products, including our 3 premier multivitamins: LIFE= Men's Multi, LIFE= Women's Multi & LIFE= Prenantal. These products were all formulated in our partnership with Kansas City Internal Medicine to create top-of-the-line daily vitamins.

The success of daily multivitamins is ultimately dependant on the body’s ability to receive the vitamins and minerals. To achieve successful absorption and utilization these products have been formulated with bioavailability as an emphasis and priority. We accomplish this in three ways:

Highly Absorbable — the individual ingredients have been chosen to be the closest form to what is already present within the body. This means that the body can more readily accept the vitamins and minerals without having to convert them to a form they can accept.

Additionally, where appropriate, the ingredients have been sourced from one of the recognized world leaders in mineral amino acid chelate nutrition, Albion Labs. All Albion Labs chelates are highly bioavailable nutritional mineral forms and are validated by third-party research and clinical studies4-9. These chelates combine minerals in an organic molecule, which the body can more readily assimilate.

More Complete Nutrition — the Whole Food and Herbal Blend promotes absorption of vitamins and minerals, as well as digestion of co-nutrients without upsetting the stomach.

Easier on the Stomach — the Digestive Enzyme Complex provides the final step to maximum absorption and nutrient availability with plant based enzymes that support healthy digestion and further reduce stomach discomfort.

Check out the multivitamins yourself or connect with us at info@life-equals.com if you have questions. Remember, each are available through our subscriptions for 15% Off & Free Shipping.

Cheers,

Fish Burps SUCK... revisited!!

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post about Fish Oil and how often dreaded fish burps are a side effect, especially for those just starting to take them.

Of course, right afterwards, my girlfriend Ashley started taking our Omega-3 and testing out my suggestions. Oils normally upset her stomach, so understandably she's prone to fish burps. Here's what she found works for her:

Freeze the pills (don't forget to take them then)
Take with dinner
Two bites in she takes her two omega-3 capsules and then finishes her meal. She finds that she can't take them in an empty stomach but doesn't want to take them last either.

What have you found works? (If nothing, try Ashley's recipe)

Cheers,

Switching over Subscriptions

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

With the release of our new vitamins, we've had some questions regarding subscriptions. Mostly we're being asked how easy it is to switch your existing subscription of LIFE= One-a-Day Multi for our LIFE= Men's Multi, LIFE= Women's Multi or LIFE= Prenatal.

The quick answer: Super easy!

To change your subscription, all you need to do is email us at info@life-equals.com or give us a call 816.875.6248 (M-F 9a-5p CST). It'll take 5 minutes to get your subscription changed over and you'll start to receive your new vitamin the following time your subscription is shipped.

Remember, all of our products are available on subscription. Free shipping & 15% Off. It's a pretty sweet deal.

As always, reach out if you have questions!

Cheers,

New Products Now Available!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:07:00 GMT

Did you know that our family of Vitamins that Give has grown?! Throughout the fall, we worked in our partnership with Kansas City Internal Medicine to formulate 7 new products and bring them on.

As always, these products give! Each and every one donates an equal amount of children's multivitamins to malnourished children worldwide. Be confident that your choice for daily health gives health to someone who needs it.

As always, feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions (info@life-equals.com). We'd love to hear from you!

Cheers,

Fish Burps SUCK!

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:12:00 GMT

Yep. The infamous fish burps. They suck. You take a fish oil supplement for all it's amazing health benefits & notice a fish aftertaste or burps 15 - 30 minute afterwards.

So what's the deal? Where do they come from?

Fish burps are a common side effect of taking a fish oil/Omega-3 supplement. They are caused in the normal digestion of fish oil; your stomach breaks down the softgel and then begins to work on the fish oil itself. This breakdown process is good, of course, because it allows your body to absorb the Omega-3 fatty acids, but one side effect is that gas is created in your stomach. This gas is a naturally byproduct of digestion, especially common in digesting milk, beans, fats and oils.

With the build-up of gas, you sometimes burp the gas. Since the source of the gas is the fish oil, you get a little taste of the fish. It should be mentioned that all of us create a different amount of gas in digestion; some people will experience fish burps more severely than others.

Does the type of Fish Oil I take matter?

Sure does. Here's a couple things to look for in your fish oil supplement:

Enteric-Coated Softgels — this means the fish oil softgel is specially coated to pass through the stomach and breakdown in your lower intestines. Once there, you can't burp up the oil. (again, we're all different: your stomach may break down the softgels quicker thus overriding the enteric-coating). Yes, our LIFE= Omega-3 is enteric-coated.

High Concentration — in taking a fish oil supplement, you are looking for EPA/DHA, the two most beneficial strands of Omega-3 (most doctors & dietitians I've spoken to recommend 1g EPA/DHA per day). If you have a higher concentration of DHA/EPA per softgel then you can take less softgels to get what you need; less softgels means less fish oil to digest, less gas created in digestion and less fish burps. Most store-bought brands are ~30% DHA/EPA. LIFE= Omega-3 is 60% DHA/EPA. 2 softgels to get 1.2g DHA/EPA rather than 4. I'll take that.

Fresh Fish Oil — be sure to check the expiration or manufacturing date of your fish oil. More fresh means less propensity for fishy aftertaste or burps.

Anything else I can do to avoid them?

Yes. Definitely. Here's a couple more best practice tips:

Start with a Low Dose — fish burps tend to be more common with those just starting to take fish oil supplements. Your body isn't used to digesting a high concentration of fish oil so more gas is created. Start with taking 1 capsule/day (the recommended dose for LIFE= Omega-3 is 2 capsules/day) for 2 or 3 weeks as your body gets used to digesting and absorbing the fish oil. At that time, increase the 2 capsules/day.

Eat with Food — I take my fish oil in the morning before coffee and breakfast. This puts it the lowest in my stomach and helps to reduce the burps, or masks the fishy taste.

Freeze your Fish Oil — seems surprising, but it works and won't hurt your fish oil supplement. Freezing causes your fish oil supplement to be digested more slowly, thus prolonging the period in which any gas is created, and decreasing any fish burps. Just don't forget to take your fish oil!

Take it at Night — I've never done this myself, but it's an interesting idea: take it at night so you have fish burps while you're sleeping. Guess I'll just need to try it sometime.

I'll end with this:

A couple months ago I was meeting with the head dietitian of a Kansas City medical practice and we began to talk about fish oil. After talking about the importance of Omega-3 and how beneficial fish oil supplements can be, we ventured into fish burps and how annoying they are. Her response was generally: "there are things you can do to lessen them, but sometimes they're unavoidable. Stick with taking your fish oil supplements because the fish burps should decrease over time; even if they don't, Omega-3 is so good for you learn to live with it. It's worth it."

If you're looking for a high concentration, high quality fish oil do consider ours. As with all our products, each bottle gives to malnourished children worldwide.

Anyone else found tips or practices they found helpful to decrease fish burps?

Cheers,

What's the deal with Fish Oil? An Overview

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:24:00 GMT

So you've heard you should take Fish Oil and have no clue why.

Fish Oil?! Why would I put little capsules full of fish oil in my mouth?

It's all about Omega-3

In taking a fish oil supplement, what you're really getting and wanting is Omega-3. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid, meaning it cannot be synthesized by the human body but is vital for normal metabolism. We need it, but have to receive Omega-3 through either diet or supplementation. Omega-3's are found in both plants and animals, but the richest form and most easily absorbed are from oily fish.

You need both Omega-3 & Omega-6 (but we normally have enough Omega-6)

Ideally, your diet should have an even 1:1 blend of Omega-3 and Omega-6, but due to changes in the western diet we get adequate Omega-6 (found in poultry, eggs, avocado, plant oils, etc), but inadequate Omega-3. We simply aren't eating enough fish. Some studies suggest our ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is closer to 15:1 or 20:1. We're pretty far off track.

So why does it matter?

Omega-3 has been shown to support healthy joints, skin, and tissue; promote cardiovascular health; and support mental health. Additionally, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), one of the components found in Omega-3, serves as an anti-inflammatory important for the everyday user and, in higher quantities, for those engaged in intense athletic activity (all our CrossFit athletes: this means you!).

Ok. Sold. More Omega-3. What can I do?

To begin, eat more fish. Though we're a supplement company, we always recommend "Food First" — change your diet to get your proper nutrient; supplement afterwards when necessary. Doctors and dietitians recommend 1g Omega-3 per day or ~7g/week. A 3-oz serving of Alaskan salmon or herring contains approximately 2 grams of Omega-3, while 3-oz of sardines has about 1.3 grams. So, that would be eating fish 3-4 times per week.

You can also consider taking an Omega-3 supplement.

What should I look for?

When choosing an Omega-3 supplement, be sure to look at the amount of EPA & DHA content. Those are the key Omega-3's you're looking for. You want 1g of EPA & DHA combined per day... not just 1g of Fish Oil (big difference; more on that later).

If you're in the market, do consider ours. We recommend 2 softgels per day for a total 1.2 g EPA/DHA. As with all our vitamins, our LIFE= Omega-3 donates 2 months (60 days) of health to malnourished children worldwide.

We'll have more to say about Omega-3 in the future, but thought this was a good start.

Cheers,

Life Equals Products now Doctor Recommended!

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:25:00 GMT

It's been an exciting time of growth for Life Equals.

... in September we announced 7 new products: Men's Multi, Women's Multi, Prenatal, CoQ10, Probiotic, Calcium/Magnesium w D3, and Vitamin D3 (they'll be available on our website soon).

... in October we held the largest CrossFit competition that Kansas City has even had. We had a blast!

... In November our donation count reach over 170,000 days of health given to malnourished children worldwide.

Now, we're pleased to announce that Life Equals products are officially doctor recommended. We recently started a partnership with Kansas City Internal Medicine (KCIM) so that our products will be available in their 5 Kansas City locations. KCIM is one of the premier medical practices in Kansas City winning the prestigious Ewing Kauffman Small Business of the Year award in 2009.

Dr. Andrea Arvan, Internist and Integrative Care Specialist at KCIM, said of the partnership: "Each of these products have an important place for the overall health of our patients (although should never replace a true focus on eating whole foods!), and the product quality is excellent."

Kansas City Internal Medicine's mission statement is to serve as "ambassadors for a healthy Kansas City." We love that by partnering with us, KCIM now are ambassadors for a healthy Kansas City and the world!

(one of our new stands at a KCIM location)

Things just keep getting better & better with Life Equals — thanks for being a part of our movement.

Cheers,