Category / Feel Good Fast

by tessbrennan

Could Snacking make you skinny?

Many people, who want to lose weight begin by cutting WAY back on what they eat. (calories)  This method usually sets that person up for failure on many different levels. (Many, we have discussed before.)

One of the issues that occur when we starve ourselves is the feelings of hunger and for many the resulting binge.  (Like a whole bag of Oreos or an entire pizza by yourself)

This is where healthy, proportionate snacking could actually assist you in your efforts to lose the inches, increase your energy levels and improve your overall health.

If we look at hunger on a simple, 5-point scale…

Hunger Scale Healthy Grease Monkey

How do YOU know when you are hungry?  Are you even aware? What are your signs?  Rumbling belly, dizziness, ANGER, grumpiness, exhaustion, headaches, etc.

Therein lies the issue.  If your symptoms of hunger are those listed above, you have waited TOO LONG to eat!  You are at the “I could eat the ENTIRE ass end of that cow” end of the scale.

Your body has passed the rational judgment point about food  and your ability to distinguish the signs of satisfaction, BEFORE you reach the other end of this spectrum is most likely null & void.

So, my suggestion to you, pay attention to your body’s signals, keep healthy snacks full of protein and healthy fiber on hand or near to keep you between that I’m hungry and I’m satisfied levels.  This is also where our metabolism functions at its best and we can keep the inches from calling in friends around our middle.

Have a great day and perhaps, an apple with some organic, natural peanut butter for a snack!

by tessbrennan

Healthy, quick Snacks–Chase the Grumpies away!

The blood sugar has dropped, the mood pendulum is rapidly swinging, the cravings set in, as does the temper.  This is a common occurrence for many people, especially our children as they are released from the classroom – or we are released for a 10 minute afternoon break from the doldrums of our work lives.

Quick snacks on the go Healthy Grease Monkey

Providing our kids, or ourselves, with prepackaged snacks may SEEM like a great idea, but when we get down to it we are setting them up for a serious drop in blood sugar and a case of the grumpies.

Although rice crispy treats may be their favorite, (and a weakness of my hubby) the sugar content is detrimental to their health, their immune system, and their moods.  How do we satisfy the hunger, the need for nutrition and a kid’s sweet tooth?  A tasty, natural alternative paired with some protein!

It needs to be quick as time is of the essence, so here are some ideas to have ready at the office or to haul along when waiting in parent pick-up lines – not just for the kids, but for Mom & Dad too!

  1. Peanut butter and apple slices
  2. Greek yogurt or cottage cheese & pine apple chunks &/or strawberries (really, any sweet fruit will work)
  3. Fruit smoothee with protein powder. (I keep over ripe bananas in the freezer to use in these, awesome nutrition for myself and my daughter
  4. Protein bites (one of our favorites and super simple to make)
  5. Protein bars – you can alter your optional ingredients here to keep things mixed up a bit
  6. Fruit Pizza – you can do this with Peanut butter in place of the creamy base as well.
  7. Chopped, leftover grilled chicken with chips and pico de gallo 
  8. Apple Fiber Bars (for when its been a truly hectic week, I keep these on hand)
  9. Humus as dip for carrots & celery, or a few pretzels
  10. Whole grain crackers with natural peanut butter & preserves

HealthyGreaseMonkey snackFeel Good Fast Protein Bites

Here are a couple of links with other ideas. Protein is an important component of this afternoon snack.  I will explain more, later in the week. 

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/830799/22-healthy-high-protein-snacks

http://www.aupaircare.net/blog/5-high-protein-snack-ideas-for-kids/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/419514-protein-complex-carb-snacks/

For more information about healthy alternatives, protein powder sources, or to sign up for this month’s cooking prep class, contact me!

by tessbrennan

Avoid the Afternoon GRUMPIES

School opens next week… Schedules become more routine with homework, sports, after-school programs, quality time, bed time, dinner time…  (the list goes on and on as the days get shorter)

As parents, our time is valuable, we want to spend HAPPY time with our kids, especially when that time is limited. 

THIS is where a little preparation and even a little planning can make a BIG difference, healthy snack choices can GREATLY improve our own mood and the moods of our children!

I know that my child needs an immediate snack of substance as soon as I pick her up from school. She’s just like me.  Not that she begs for one, but her blood sugar, at this point, has dropped to “the grumpies” and she is argumentative, weepy, whiny, and generally disagreeable UNTIL I can get that blood sugar elevated a bit and SUSTAINED.

Let me explain a bit with an excerpt from “Why Do I Feel This Way?” by Gaber & Day:

Though most of the body can use stored fat for energy, the brain only “runs” on glucose. It, therefore, needs a constant supply.  Without it, symptoms such as dizziness, faintness, moodiness, irritability, weakness, fuzzy thinking, etc. may result. The brain will then put out signals of hunger, or cravings for glucose containing foods to alleviate a potential crisis.

What this means for our kids and OURSELVES, is that we need to pay attention to what we are eating throughout the day, and provide a healthy, sound snack option to offset this issue.

Imagine: Your kids come home, are better able to focus on completing their homework, they are less argumentative and even a bit less whiny.  hmmmm

This month I will be offering ideas to combat the AFTERNOON GRUMPIES.

Today, I will tell you, think protein and fresh fruit…  An example:

Filling_Pair_PB_Apple_Healthy_Grease_Monkey

Enjoy!  May the traffic, the change in routines, and the force be with you!

For more information or to find out about local cooking preparation classes contact me.

by tessbrennan

“Natural” products GRIPE MY BUTT!

Score a point for the courts and consumers!  One line of products will be a little less falsely advertised.  Check out the article here, on how Naked Juices have to remove “Natural” from their labels per a class action lawsuit and judge’s ruling.

I’ve taught classes on label reading and I frequently get comments like, “I don’t have time to read the label,” “I don’t know what have the things on the label mean,” “The print is too small.”

Relying on what the FRONT label says for the value of your product, may not be the best bet! It may say “Vanilla Cream” when in fact it has NO vanilla and NO cream – just artificial ingredients with side effects that can compound their effects when we add in the other things you are exposed to.

Don’t have time? When would you like to schedule your next bi-pass or biopsy?

Don’t know what the ingredients are? – DON’T buy it.

The print is too small? – They have “cheaters” at the grocery store, pick up a pair, heck even borrow a pair and put em back when you are done!

The only way to know what is in the product is by reading the label on the back. In some cases, that won’t even help.

Don't_let_the_Label_fool_you!

When I compound all the artificial things I eat, slather on, and breathe, I’m not giving my body a chance to fight off and avoid those debilitating diseases that are so rampant in our society today.

Give yourself a break. Go au natural and STOP buying things just because the label makes a false claim.

(Please know, I’ve been lured in to this trap as well, just getting much better at being aware and making different choices today.)

If you’d like more information on label reading, or healthy choices, please contact me.  I offer personal coaching, group coaching, and love writing on healthy topics.

by tessbrennan

So, Medical Marijuana Cures Diabetes???

I have a friend with Type 1 diabetes.  I often keep my eyes open for any articles or studies involving diabetes and cures and such to send his way.

This week I saw the article title “Medical Marijuana May Lower Blood Sugar, Help Diabetics Control Disease”

IMG_20130614_201613

I thought it was an entertaining title so I emailed the link to him immediately as a joke. Didn’t even take time to read it… But he did.  What follows is HIS perspective on this article and how Marijuana may or may not help lower blood sugar. 

Enjoy this “guest” anonymous post! (bold emphasis is mine)

Really enjoyed that article.  Thanks for sending me diabetes updates all the time!

The funny thing about this, is I actually told my endocrinologist, when I was about 17, that when I smoked weed, my blood sugar lowered without insulin correction.  Which it did, but I was VERY good about checking my blood sugar.  Like, model poster child for Type 1 diabetes. 

Plus I was a three season athlete, so I REALLY had to keep an eye on my blood sugars.  I didn’t tell him it made me hungry as shit and absolutely retarded, but I asked about the reality of medicinal marijuana, and he said, "Don’t count on it."  What actually happened, is once I got to college, is that I smoked a lot of weed and never checked my blood sugar anymore.  Which, of course, resulted in awful blood sugars.

It’s funny to me that this article is so political.  The above comment to my doctor was because I wanted to smoke weed – legally.  It didn’t have anything to do with control. That whole article doesn’t address the fact that you get lazy as hell, and don’t even want to check your blood sugar. It’s like being a "functioning alcoholic."  The purpose of this article is to legitimize marijuana since some 25% + of Americans have one form of diabetes or another.

The other thing this article doesn’t address, is that if you want to control your blood sugar, you can.  Weed isn’t a miracle drug for diabetes.

It never addresses the fact that personal responsibility, which you know, is SO much more important. 

People are always looking for the easy way out, like a miracle pill to lose weight, as opposed to dedicating yourself to a diet or exercise.  I decided, once we had our child, that I really needed to get on top of my diabetes… so I bought a pound of weed.

Just kidding.

I went to a new doctor, and with his help, my hbA1C (3 month blood sugar reading) went from 8.9 (really bad) to 6.1 (pretty close to what your hbA1C probably is).  And I don’t think that has anything to do with me smoking weed for 5 years or whatever, as this article would have you believe.

Anyway, awesome article.  I sent it to a bunch of my buddies that were diagnosed with diabetes after me, and they’ll get a kick out of it because they all used to smoke weed too.

Isn’t it unfortunate that personal responsibility is always left out of the equation today?

Thank you, to my High School classmate who offered up photos of his medicinal marijuana for this post!

IMG_20121105_192501IMG_20130614_201552

by tessbrennan

There isn’t enough time to Eat HEALTHY.

Time and Money… The two things that keep most people from making a change, a different choice than they have made in the past.

Today = TIME: Jobs, Families, Homes to care for, cars to keep running, shopping, paying bills, a little ME time, kids activities, second jobs, COOKING… The list seems to go on forever.

A friend and trainer of mine, Paula English, once asked me if my “being busy” was actually a bad habit I had developed over the years. I was furious when she insinuated such a thing. How could she say such a thing, I REALLY WAS BUSY.

Then I took a look at everything I was doing in a day. I took a class, Mindful Based Stress Reduction, taught by Madeline Ebelini, who showed me, through 8 weeks of classes and learning the secrets, skills, and benefits of being mindful in my everyday life. What did I find? (yes, that is me in her video)

Paula was right. I had gotten so STRESSED out about everything I had to get done, the schedule, the TIME, the quality, all of it, that I had lost site of loving life and enjoying what life is about. Enjoying my family, friends, my career, and in prioritizing what I did need to do and choosing to leave other things behind. (Even saying NO to some things.) *gasp*

In recent weeks, while teaching a Waist Line Reduction, introductory class, we discussed obstacles in the way of people’s healthy choices. One of the BIG things was TIME.

“Time to prepare healthy food, time to shop for healthy food, effort to prepare healthy food.”

Enter: A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO FAST, HEALTHY FOODS!

Cook Chicken in bulk Healthy Grease Monkey

When cooking on the grill, cook extra to use the rest of the week.  We only ate 2 of these tonight, which leaves 3 to use for lunches or in a meal later this week.

Fresh Veggies are fast Healthy Grease Monkey

Tomato is slice and eat, salad is quickly rinsed and placed in a bowl, chicken was cooked in bulk, green bean casserole (from scratch – NO canned soup harmed in the making of this dish) also made in bulk to enjoy later in the week, on another night.  Beans were crispy tonight, so they will not be overcooked when reheated.

Mashed taters are from whole potatoes – not as quick, but doesn’t take me any longer than it used to when I made the boxed kind… maybe 5 minutes.

Pico de Gallo

Salsa is one of our main staples. I make a HUGE batch once a week and eat on it all week long. Burritos, egg scrambles, topping to chicken or other meat, hamburger topping, as dip with a chip or a spoon.

Quick snacks on the go Healthy Grease Monkey

By keeping fresh produce in the fridge, it makes quick snacks and such a breeze.  Here is a snack I’ve taken to work with me.  Throw in a little of a few things and go.

Stock your Fridge 1 Health Grease Monkey

Here is one shelf in my fridge tonight.  These are fast foods for myself or my daughter to enjoy with a quick grab.  Watermelon, fresh pineapple, blanched broccoli, Greek yogurt, grapes (that need washed yet), chicken boobs… all tasty stuff.

Stock your Fridge 2 Healthy Grease Monkey

My produce drawer is a bit empty tonight, was a “busy” weekend of running around, being the weekend of the 4th and all.  But again, quick easy foods.  Carrots, sliced bell peppers, organic sweet peppers, & romaine lettuce.  (My baby girl says the “OOOOH, THEY SQUIRT SWEET CANDY IN YOUR MOUTH!” when she eats the organic mini sweet peppers.  Love that she loves them. 

Bottom line:

  • Be mindful of what you are going to stock in your home.
  • Prepare foods in bulk to save time. It takes just as long to grill 6 or 10 chicken boobs as it does to grill 2.
  • Keep handy snacks ready.  Prepare several things at once on those days you are already in the kitchen. If I have to be in the kitchen while baking bread, I may as well be productive and get some salsa (pico de gallo) made as well.
  • Wash your veggies/fruits when preparing a meal for something else, again, use that time wisely.

I hope these tips help you in your quest to live a healthier life and to make healthier lifestyle choices, daily.

If you would like additional information on healthy eating or simple steps could improve your life left in your years, contact me.  Thank you, for reading!

by tessbrennan

Lemongrass Tea

I know that adequate water intake is important when looking for health through our diet. I understand that water flushes the system, hydrates to keep things moving smoothly, and is 75-80 of our healthy bodies.

Sometimes I want a little flavor in my water.  Here is a flavored water recipe or tea that I drink quite often.

Ingredients:

  • Filtered Water
  • Lemongrass
  • Cinnamon Stick

Instructions:

  1. Cut about 10 leaves off your lemongrass.  Here is part of my lemongrass patch.
    20130626_074758
  2. Wash the leaves and cut them into about 3-4 inch lengths & place in a pot of about 3-4 cups of water. 20130626_075147
  3. Stir in the lemongrass with a cinnamon stick.  Break the stick in half and drop it down into the water.
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  4. Boil water on the stove for 5-10 minutes depending on how strong you would like your tea.
  5. Strain out the leaves and cinnamon stick.
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  6. Top off with filtered water, chill and enjoy!
    20130626_081455

For more of a flavored water (less of a tea) dilute it with filtered water and enjoy the fresh flavors!

by tessbrennan

Watermelon-Mint-Lemonade

Summer is upon us. Hot temps are the norm now in Florida, so my daughter has been begging for Watermelon-Lemonade.  This tasty treat is good for her and yummy too!

20130618_151020

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups of fresh watermelon
  • 1 lemon
  • 10-15 fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • water to top off pitcher

Directions:

  1. Scoop the Watermelon into a blender or blender cup
  2. Drop in your fresh mint leaves
    20130618_145419
  3. Blend until it is all a smooth consistency
    20130618_145555
  4. Pour into a small mesh sieve
    20130618_145913
  5. Allow watermelon mixture to separate
  6. Squeeze juice from 1 lemon
    20130618_150040
  7. Use a rubber spatula to work all the liquid left out through the sieve
  8. Pour the lemon juice into the pitcher
    20130618_150414
  9. Top pitcher off with water & add sugar
    20130618_150637
    (note to self, 6 yr olds like to spill sugar so they can lick it up)
  10. Stir thoroughly
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  11. Pour over ice and enjoy!  Stores in the fridge for up to 4 days – if it lasts that long!
    20130618_150948

Her big glass of lemonade was gone before I could even sit down to write this up! Smile

For more ideas on how to improve your health, or kick the health up in your favorite recipes, contact me!

by tessbrennan

How to Find the Time in Your Own Life

My friends teach me quite a bit.  I like to tie it all together.  I, personally, have been having some difficulties finding the time to… Work out, spend time with my family, make phone calls, schedule a meeting with a philanthropic group, and a few other things.

I was making myself crazy! There just weren’t enough hours in the day.

Then, I remembered something my friend Lynne had told me.

There are two things that paralyze people from making changes in their lives.  Time and Money.

This phrase resonated with me. I know that if there is something I really want to do/go/see/have… I will work to earn or find the money to do it.  I’ve done it.  Shopped in thrift stores, found super efficient and inexpensive household cleaners, begun coloring my own hair… all so I could afford other things that were more important to me.  I just never thought about time as the same.

Enter last week.  This was my busy schedule last week.

First_week_of_June_Calendar

As I looked at this calendar and began wondering how to fit it all in and still be a mom and exercise… it hit me.  LOOK AT ALL THAT TIME!

How much time was I “spending” with TV, phone/iPad games, Facebook, just thinking – “what should I do next?”  So I made a shift.

I did some squats whenever I had 2-3 minutes to spend. I made meals in bulk on the weekend so my family could just heat and eat while I was gone. I scheduled the calls I needed to make so they would happen.

Enter my friend Rita who then said this next phrase and it all fell into place.

Feel Good Fast - Make the Time

I had a retreat this weekend and we were in meetings or together for meals from breakfast until after dinner each day.  Here is how I managed to “make time” for my health.  Just little things that add up to big results.

  1. At breaks I took the 3 flights of stairs down to the restrooms on the main level then back up to the meeting room.
  2. At dinner each night, I left food on my plate and ate all my salad/veggies.
  3. At breakfast, I scraped all the scrambled eggs off the crescent and ate a TON of fruit. Lots of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.
  4. Drank water and green tea throughout the day.
  5. At one break rode the elevator up to my room on the 18th floor and then took the stairs back down to the 3rd floor.
  6. Relaxed and enjoyed my quiet moments and short bursts of time outside on the balcony.
  7. I ATE MY DESERT – only part of it(a few bites) but I was MINDFUL OF IT and enjoyed the flavors, the taste, the textures, the sweetness of the carrot cake the size of the Sear’s tower.
  8. I brought soy milk and protein powder for morning smoothies to keep my schedule/routine.

We can work it in! It may take a bit of time to pay attention to what is going on in our lives, explore the possibilities, create new means, and then adapt to what life throws at us…

(I learned that at my retreat.) SmileIf you would like assistance working health into your own busy life, contact me.  I am happy to help.

by tessbrennan

Overcoming Obstacles to Weight Loss – What are they?

In a recent meeting with coaching clients, we discussed what obstacles prevent them from succeeding in improving their health and reducing the size of their waist.  They provided me with several answers.

Feel_Good_Fast_Obstacles_to_Success

These are the main obstacles that 4 women came up with to their challenges with weight loss/waist line reduction.

Eating with Fierce Kindness, by Sasha T. Loring, lumps all obstacles into THREE categories. (I want to discuss “Celebrations” separately)

  1. Loss of Heart – This occurs when we set an “end Point”, we become overwhelmed by what it will take to get there.  We give up and say things to ourselves like: “I’ll never get it right,” “I’ll be like this forever,” or “There is something wrong with me.”
  2. Laziness (don’t stop reading here) – This is many times a result of Losing Heart.  The task just seems too monumental, too daunting.  We assume a things must be “ALL OR NOTHING.”  We have made making “comfort” number one in our life as a habit.  This is when we need to think, “Does turning to food cause more problems that it will solve right now?”
    Are there more effective ways to cope?
  3. Lack of Self Worth – Being self critical, unforgiving of our personal mistakes, not feeling worthy of self care, or feeling ashamed or guilty of our actions.  Many times we find ourselves in a sea of others needs – We care for others  and avoid caring for ourselves.

If we begin to categorize our obstacles, we can see that Ms. Loring has an excellent point.  When you think that the average American will “diet” at least 4 times this YEAR, it is evident that what people are trying isn’t working for the long term.

When we begin to look INSIDE ourselves as the beginning of a new way of eating, living, and treating ourselves, long-term or permanent success is within our reach.

For more information on the topic of Obstacles to weight loss/Waist Line reduction or coaching options, contact me.  I am happy to talk with you to see how best to assist you in adding more life to your years!