Living Magazine Winter 2018 doTERRA Living Magazine | Page 12
Lifestyle Changes
FOR A BETTER LIFE
2018 SLIM & SASSY ® COMPETITION GRAND PRIZE WINNER | KEN YOSHIMOTO
Ken had struggled with wanting to lose weight for quite some time. As he started his dōTERRA business,
he decided it was time to make a change in his health and lifestyle. It was shortly after joining dōTERRA
that Ken learned about the Slim & Sassy Challenge. Ken wanted to live a healthier life so he could fully
enjoy activities with his children. He set challenging goals and decided now was the time for changes.
How do you think
the challenge of
losing weight is
different for you?
I never believed at my age
(58) I could really lose
weight. I had tried so many
times and did the yo-yo
exercise. Perhaps, I caught lightning in a bottle,
but once I started seeing improvement, my
motivation kept increasing. I actually had a lot of
fun with the Slim & Sassy Challenge Facebook
Group. I learned so much from everyone. I owe
so much to all my challenge friends.
What was your greatest motivation
to keep going during the challenge,
and after?
My Slim & Sassy Challenge Facebook Group friends
were a big motivator. My own family thought this
was a passing fad and didn’t really take me seriously
for the first month, but as I started finding success
and changing my habits, my wife started to adopt
some of my eating habits. Experiencing success is a
great motivator.
Over the last decade I have lost so many friends and
family prematurely. Health issues related to lifestyle
took many of my dear friends. I recognized that even
though I was reasonably healthy while being
overweight, when I tried to help my friends they
wouldn’t listen. Why should they? I didn’t look very
healthy. I recognize that my ongoing health journey
is just as important for my family and friends who
need to be healthier as it is for me.
Before I started the Slim & Sassy Challenge one of
my daughters and my son-in-law asked me to join
their team for an obstacle course run—the Spartan
Beast Run. I laughed that I would die, but my
12 / WINTER 2018 LIVING MAGAZINE
daughter urged “Dad, you have nine months to
prepare!” It may have been crazy, but it was a good
motivator to change my lifestyle. None of us knew
the event we signed up for was the Spartan World
Championship in Lake Tahoe. Our first Spartan Race
experience was the World Championship where the
weights are heavier and the obstacles are more
challenging. Committing to this goal helped me keep
my healthy lifestyle changes. On September 29, we
completed the Spartan Beast Run with 34 obstacles
over 14 miles and endless mountain climbs and we
had loads of fun doing it. The positive attitude
developed into my lifestyle carried me through that
event. Finishing the race was significant, because
eight years ago my doctor told me to never run
again. Armed with a new healthy lifestyle and the
wonders of essential oils, I can run and climb over
walls and obstacles and do things I couldn’t even do
when I was younger. I worried that I would have to
be carried off the course, but as we finished, we all
decided it was so much fun we wanted to do more
races. We had to be the best smelling team, too,
with the essence of Deep Blue ® Rub and Lemongrass
and AromaTouch ® !
Who are your biggest supporters and
how do they help you?
Throughout the Slim & Sassy Challenge, the
Facebook group friends were my biggest supporters.
So many people answered essential oil questions
and I learned so much. They were always there to
hold me accountable and it was such a positive
experience. Now, I am helping a few friends in their
own journeys to health. That keeps me motivated as
I help them. Many of my coworkers and friends also
keep me motivated, because they are excited that
I look 15 years younger and so much healthier.
My family is always supporting me, too, now that
they know this is my new life and they like it.