Month / January 2014

by tessbrennan

How strong is Your Foundation?

So, as I have embarked on my “reading plan” for 2014, He sent me the text from Matthew 7:24-27.  It immediately stuck in my head.  Thoughts were flying at me.

If WE are HIS temple, then we MUST WORK to build a solid foundation to allow that Temple to remain strong, stable, and available as a testament to others.

So many people I know are so STRONG in their faith, their love of God, and their work for Him, yet their health is failing due to their lacking a sound nutritional or the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Local Vegetables for Healthy Diet

As my friend, Camille says, “Its all about the choices we make every day.”  Sure, I can choose chocolate cake or actions that don’t support a healthy life. I am also CHOOSING to face those consequences – whatever they may be.

My thoughts on Temple Maintenance and a Strong Foundation.

I do have a Temple Maintenance class beginning February 11, 2014 at Estero United Methodist Church.

Plans are in the works to begin a Lifetime Waist Reduction Class – where you learn to make the lifestyle and nutritional choices that shrink your waist and help you maintain that health for the long term, as I have.

I am currently accepting new coaching clients as well.  Contact me for more information!

by tessbrennan

A Strong Foundation Makes a Difference

When building anything, the quality of the materials  determine the quality of the structure, the maintenance required, and the longevity of that structure’s life.   Humans aren’t any different.  Garbage in = compromised health…  Without quality building materials it is impossible to build a strong temple that can endure and weather the storms thrown at it.

Old Church-WH

If the body doesn’t have the nutrients it needs to build a healthy body, it will do the best it can with what it has, and may open you up to more sickness or degenerative diseases like cancer, stroke, diabetes, heart attack & arthritis.

People frequently ask me, “Where do I begin?”  when wanting to improve their current health issues/state.  My answer is almost always the same – with a healthy foundation of healthier choices.

The issues:

Your body NEEDS many different nutrients & vitamins to build or rebuild a healthy body.

Very few people actually consume the right foods in the correct amounts to provide the body with that “complete” fuel. For this reason, I usually recommend to begin with a solid supplement base/foundation.

An option to correct:

Today, I will outline three levels of foundational nutrition supplementation. “Good – Better – Best” My personal use of supplements goes beyond the “Best” outlined here as I have discovered I have specific needs – so I work to keep those holes filled. These are packages that most of my clients use on a daily basis.

Good: (the most basic)

VitaLea – Multivitamin
Energizing Soy Protein – Protein Smoothee mix
Nutriferon – Immunity Booster

ESPNutriferonvitaLea

My father uses this combination to stay healthy in the Northern climates, after years of being sick multiple times per year – he’s been healthy since beginning this.  ($3.18/day)  I’ve seen results without the Nutriferon, but so many of my clients swear by it and it is a necessity in my household!

Better:

Lean & Healthy Kit
Nutriferon

Lean_&_Healthy_imageNutriferon

The L&H kit offers the most comprehensive supplement package money can buy.  ($6.29/day) I like that different nutrients are delivered where your body needs them so other parts don’t destroy them before they arrive where needed.

Best:

Rx for a Healthier Life

Rx for Healthier Life

This is the most complete foundation.  ($8.13/day) This is my daily  start. Even if I am way behind schedule and running crazy late in the morning, I am SURE I get this foundation into my body for the day.

I’ve seen people spend more than this on sodas, junk, and other bad habits all my life.  I just decided it was time to invest in my own health rather than the destructive habits of my past. SmileIn the long run, I’ve saved tons of cash because I am not needing to run to the doctor all the time with colds and sickness.  Those office & prescription co-pays add up quick.  I pay less for my supplements now than I used to pay monthly on my prescriptions.

I recommend this line of products. After much research and personal experience I’ve had better results, and I trust the company more than other companies who have suffered mandatory recalls and reports of tainted products.

This brand has Never had a recall and is not afraid to pull a product from their line if the quality it demands cannot be met.

I’ve tried other brands and could not tell a difference. When I use the Shaklee supplements I feel better… and I’ve seen others notice significant improvements in as little as 48 hours of starting them.  I’ve seen RLS dramatically improve within 48 hours, energy levels of a thyroid patient skyrocket in the same amount of time, type 2 diabetes quickly eliminated and so much more.. 

The company provides plenty of evidence based research and a lot of peer reviewed journal articles, but that didn’t have the same impact as seeing my family and friends feel good that fast!

Contact me to start firming up your foundation for a Healthier Life!!!

(church photo is an Uncle Walt Haste image – thank you, Uncle Walt!)

by tessbrennan

Why I don’t care if you are skinny!

I actually HATE the word skinny!  I hate it as much as I hate the word fat. I always have and most likely always will.  Let me explain.

Growing up, I was very active.  I participated in multiple sports, FFA, F.I.L.E., my Church, and many contests for public speaking. At one point my father or mother tracked my caloric intake during the peak of my junior year.  I was eating 10,000 calories a day!  Literally. I don’t know how my family kept from going broke.

0108140201081403

Breakfast was usually some hot cereal with butter and brown sugar, a glass of juice and a glass of milk, a multi-raw egg smoothie (because dad was doing it for his running and such, so would I), two large school lunches, mega snacks right after school, a HUGE dinner, and whatever else I could find.  I was a PIG… and I was SKINNY!

When I say skinny… I mean NO CURVES, NONE. (Well, I did have some lovely calves.)  No butt, no hips, no chest (even with a padded training bra), nothing.  A skinny girl with short hair and braces!  To the point that during long jump at a track meet, a classmate thought it would be funny to register me as one of the boys… The track official didn’t even notice the different uniform!  I hated to buy clothes because nothing fit and it all fell off because of how I was built. (My dad would go shopping for clothes without me to save me the frustration.)

Everyone used to comment how “skinny” I was! Meanwhile my mom was struggling with weight in the other direction, wishing she had my metabolism.

Fast forward to grown-up life. Post college and all its intermural sports, the walking to class, and the dancing the night away. LIFE… and 200+ pounds.

 BeforeJingle Jog 2013

I want to tell you, you can be healthy, look great and be happy and NOT be skinny! 

Today, I am at 145 pounds. I’ve been told that my ideal weight is 135, but I am comfortable, happy, and healthy at 145.  The extra 55 pounds didn’t make me fat… they made me sick and unable to function. 

By making smart choices, healthy choices, by choosing foods and supplements that SUPPORT my health and eliminating the poor choices… many of the aches and pains, the need for my prescription meds, the inability to participate in things all went away and all the extra weight went away too!

I am thankful for friends who showed me healthier ways. Thank you Betsey for guiding and teaching. The research I am seeing today states that losing just 10% of your body weight (when overweight or obese) could GREATLY impact your health!  Its time to get started!

Contact me, when you are ready to begin making healthier choices! We can discuss the best route for your needs!

As my dad used to say, all. the. time. “Zig Ziglar says, Keep on, Keepin’ on!”

by tessbrennan

Could your Gut be making you fat or sick?

Do I think your “gut” could be making you fat and sick?  Fat –Possibly? Sick – Very Possibly.

Obese couple

 

Our bodies are miraculous functioning gifts.  They are complex machines that need many things in balance to keep functioning properly. Our bodies were created by God (Genesis 1:27).  They were created to function as a whole entity, complete and perfect.  Our bodies were created with mechanisms to keep us warm, cool us off, fight off disease, heal from injuries, and in the case of our skin and bones, regenerate when broken.

The problem: Our digestive system is under attack from many different directions!

Our “gut” or digestive system is very, VERY important.  We get all of our nutrition (fuel) through the digestive system but it isn’t just a transport system, it also includes our immune system, and everything else.

Today, everything we see advertised on the television is meant to KILL germs and bacteria. The soap most use has the antibacterial component Triclosan along with many of the items we buy.

When we get sick, they give us anti-biotics to kill all the bacteria in our body. Unfortunately it kills the bad AND the good bacteria in our bodies.

The foods many choose to consume on a large scale, feed the bad bacteria which then can overtake the good bacteria and begin to cause havoc on our system as well. (2)

In the news today, they mentioned the fact that the microbiota in your system could even contribute to obesity.  (The key here is contribute – there are many facets to consider when looking at obesity.)  (1)

A solution: Add a quality probiotic to your daily routine/diet.  Remember that your stomach acids can kill 85-95% of the good bacteria moving through, so eat your probiotics with a good sized meal, (like dinner) to improve its chances of making it safely through OR choose a probiotic supplement from a trusted source.

ALSO, avoid excessive sugar intake. This includes refined flours, sugars, sugar substitutes, and highly processed foods and juices. 

Eat a balanced diet INCLUDING LOTS of Fruits and Vegetables. A recent study showed that those who ate a diet HIGH in Meat & Dairy caused the microflora in the digestive tract to change rapidly, and not necessarily for the good! (2)

Veggies - LifeInBonitaSprings

You always want to be sure that the supplements you choose are from a company that guarantees their product, that what it says it contains is REALLY what is in there and that nothing unwanted will be in the supplement as well!

There is a LOT of research going on right now involving the gut and the microbiome in our bodies. The hope is to understand more and to be able to help more people stay healthier to start with. (3)

For more information in regard to digestion and how it can affect our health here are some links.  An audio recording of Digestion Is the Key to Health by Dr. Frank Painter (43 minutes long)  and a video presentation entitled Protecting The Most Important Organ in Your Body. (40 minutes long)

For more information on healthy eating, healthy weight loss, and improving your health, contact me!

(1) http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/predicting-2014s-top-medical-innovations/ (beginning at 1:55)

(2) http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/10/250007042/chowing-down-on-meat-and-dairy-alters-gut-bacteria-a-lot-and-quickly

(3) http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/03/12/microbiome-health-blaser

Photo of vegetables courtesy of Chris Griffith, LifeinBonitaSprings.com.

by tessbrennan

Happy New Year from the Healthy Grease Monkey

Happy New Year! 

Like most others, I have been focusing on the new year, my goals and plans for the year, and strategies for making it all work together.

I was drawn to scripture, this morning, regarding new beginnings.  I began to think about how everything in the United States seems to focus on the New Year as sort of a baptism into better choices.

Many of you know that I look upon 1 Cor 3:16-17 as my inspiration for life, food, and activity choices.

While many people I know are waking up this morning wishing the sun wasn’t so bright, the dogs didn’t bark quite so loud, and wondering where the bottle of asprin is, I woke up refreshed, ready to greet the new year and make a difference, due to the choices I made.

This morning, I thought how fitting Romans 6:1-6 is to the whole “theory” of New Year’s in our country.

Romans 6:1-6

6 1-3 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!

3-5 That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.

I’ve been baptized twice in my life.  The first time was when I was 13 or 14. My friends and cousin were all doing it and I didn’t want to be left out.  I took the classes, understood what it all meant, but didn’t really accept Him into my heart.  Didn’t make choices to support Him.

In 2006, while teaching kids at Church Camp, I came to the realization that I DO ACCEPT Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  I DO want to be HIS hands and feet. My father baptized me in the lake at the camp, and I accepted Him as I should, because I wanted Him in my heart, rather than doing because everyone else was.

Five years ago, I also realized my desire to listen to His calling for me and to reach out and help others who also are ready to listen to his call.

Many of my goals for 2014 involve reaching more people and assisting them in learning to care for their Temple.  Just as I knew all about the process of baptism and what was involved, I wasn’t ready to accept it and follow His path until a later realization. 

Many of clients feel the same way about their failing health. They KNOW, or they think they know, what needs to be done to improve their health, yet when they have tried to “implement” the steps in the past, they found they weren’t ready or something caused them to stumble.

Today, we work together, to get over and past the road blocks, to understand our thought processes, the correct steps for each person, the love for yourself and Him, and it all begins to fall into place.

Thank you, to all my current and past clients!

To those of you ready to begin your own journey to a Temple with a stronger foundation that allows you the opportunity and even desire to be His hands and feet, I am here, ready to serve, guide, coach, and celebrate your successes with you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR – Make the choice, Make the change, Be the difference!

New Year's Eve 2013

~Tess

For more information on Estero Weight Loss, Bonita Springs Weight Loss, Fort Myers Weight Loss, or Simple steps to improve  your health and quality of life, contact me here!