Category / General Health & Well Being

by tessbrennan

Attention to Prevention–Water and other Drinks

The beginning of a healthy lifestyle does NOT begin with a prescription or something man has invented… it begins with the simple, life-giving, pure water.

I talk a lot about water, but it is so important in our day to day lives let alone in our attempts to avoid the major degenerative diseases. It’s the starting point when beginning a weight loss program, or a lifestyle change toward better health!

Our daily goal should be to drink the appropriate amount of water.

(Your weight in pounds/2 = your daily goal in ounces of water)

Life giving Water

The goal of drinking fluids is to hydrate your body. (not dehydrate)

Water Does many, many things for our bodies.  It flushes toxins our bodies, assists with digestion and metabolism, keeps our kidneys healthy, and even enhances brain function.  Amazing cool clean water.

When choosing what to drink, here’s a helpful chart.

Hydrating (in order of value)               Dehydrating

Purified Water

 Coffee
Tap Water Caffeinated tea
Bottled Water Beer
Juice –fresh-squeezed better Wine
Herbal teas, non-caffeine All other alcoholic drinks
Milk & non-milk(soy,rice,almond) Carbonated soda w/ caffeine
Carbonated soda w/o caffeine  

(information from Treasures of Health Nutrition Manual by, Reeder & Dr. Couey)

For more information on ways water could assist you in improving your health, please contact me.

by tessbrennan

Sadness is NOT Hunger

My Grandmother is 95. She’s led a full life of serving others, making memories, and loving all of us.  Her body and mind are beginning to fail her, rapidly. She needs constant care and assistance and I am 1700 miles away.

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Grandma’s 80th Birthday party.                       Grandma snuggling in 1975.

My tendency is to take charge of a situation & handle it. I am not in a position to do that with my Grammy this time. Distance is the challenge. Emotions are seemingly overwhelming but my need to reach for comfort food, finally, is not.

I am comforted in the acceptance that it hurts, that she may be gone very soon, and that she knows I lover her and she loves me. Instead of needing a grilled cheese to cope today I allowed myself to feel the grief and found comfort in a hug from my husband and some sunshine.

The results of my acceptance allow me to enjoy my desire for a healthier lifestyle and the knowledge that I am capable of feeling the emotions without the harmful choices to cope.

Today I will celebrate my small victory over “sadness not hunger” and reminisce on the many amazing memories of my Grammy and thank God for the chance to talk to this confused, precious woman.

I will strive to maintain my health and quality of life so MY grandchildren may have as many memories of a vibrant, grandma able to care for, love, and participate in their lives.

by tessbrennan

Just cuz ya eat it, doesn’t mean it will nourish your body.

People in the US consume more food, per capita, than any other nation.

We also are top contenders for the most coronary/heart disease, stroke, cancers, diabetes, and hypertension.

 

Food Not Nutrition

 

Its not too late to make a change.  Once we begin feeding our body what it needs to build healthy, happy cells the body begins getting stronger and better able to correct issues that lead to those top, silent killers.

by tessbrennan

Gluten Free Banana/Zucchini Bread

Delicious, healthy, gluten free bread recipe.  It stays moist and so very yummy!  My family and co-workers LOVE it!

 

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INGREDIENTS

3 eggs 1/2 cup instant protein
1/2 cup applesauce 1 cup Buckwheat flour
1/4 cup grape seed oil 1 cup rice flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup white sugar 1 TBSP ground cinnamon
2 med. grated zucchini 1 tsp nutmeg
3-4 med ripe bananas 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

PUT IT TOGETHER

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease & flour two 8×4 inch bread/loaf pans.
  2. In large bowl, beat eggs until frothy & light yellow. Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined. (My kitchen aid mixer works well for this.)
  3. In a separate bowl mix instant protein, flours, spices, baking powder, baking soda, & salt.
  4. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients in big bowl.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared loaf pans.
  6. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes with our oven.
  7. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on wire racks before removing & serving.

Enjoy this tasty treat! It stores nicely in plastic bags in the fridge, or freeze a loaf to enjoy in the future.

 

by tessbrennan

7 Tips to Healthy Weight Loss and Attaining Your Health Goals.

No matter what system you choose to use, there are 7 tips to attaining your health/weight loss goals.  They sound easy, they are easy, however, the trick is in maintaining all 7 tips at the same time for an extended period of time.

It can be done. I’ve done it, my friends have done it, and others are doing it too.

The tips I will mention here will be specific to the Shaklee180 Turnaround Plan, but are basically the same for other balanced systems.

7 Steps to Weight Loss

  1. Know your why. (Here are some examples from my clients.)
    — To fit on the roller coaster with my kids
    — To get healthy so I can play with/coach my kids in sports
    — To eliminate my type 2 diabetes
    — To get my “sexy” back
  2. Make a PUBLIC commitment. (When others support you, the challenge is easier to maintain.)
    — Tell your family
    — Tell your friends
    — Tell your co-workers
    — If you tell a friend & they don’t support/back you – FIND A NEW FRIEND!
  3. Get an accountability partner. (Its always fun to work with someone along side you.)
    — Someone to join you in the journey
    — Someone who also wants to improve their health/get sexy back
  4. Exercise 30 minutes each day. (The more you exercise, the more you can eat!)
    — Walk briskly
    — Train for a 5K or other event
    — Find a Yoga class
    — Find a High Intensity Interval Training Program (HIIT)
  5. Follow the plan as it is DESIGNED. (Shaklee180 Turnaround is designed to be complete and work as a system.)
    — Science backs the program
    — It is proven to work – when you work it
    — Complete nutrition is a must – the system provides it
  6. Keep a food journal. (Many times my clients find they eat more than they thought in a day.)
    — Everything you eat AND drink
    — Trouble shooting is easier when we know where to begin
    — Many times we find the lips are very busy during the day
  7. Don’t get complacent. Don’t Give up. Don’t be mean. (Attitude makes a difference.)
    — Set the goal – reach for the goal
    — If you have a set back, move on from there
    — Don’t beat yourself up for mistakes you make

For additional information on the Shaklee180 Turnaround or how we can work with you and coach you to reach your goals for your why, contact me.

 

by tessbrennan

Ignorance is NOT bliss when Nutrition is considered.

Nature's Court

Nutrition is how we feed our cells.  If we feed our cells crap, they don’t have much to make quality new cells.  When we provide a balanced diet of whole foods and quality supplements, then quality cells are built and our health is better.  We are then better able to fight off illnesses or degenerative diseases.

For more information on how you can come out of the dark and begin working toward better health, contact me.

by tessbrennan

Sound Nutrition is the Best way to Build up your Resistance to Illness

How to build resistance

It sounds so easy, and it is when you begin working toward better nutritional choices for your body, one step at a time.

There are many factors that contribute to a compromised immune system. AKA: the reasons some people get sick much easier than others.

 

Here are 5 steps to help improve your immune system.  We will look closer at these 5 topics in the future.

  1. The nutritional content of the foods they eat – better nutrition=better cells in the body=stronger immunity
  2. The stress levels you allow to build up in your body – try a Mindfully Based Stress Reduction course, or the monthly massage to help melt some of those stresses away.
  3. Reduce the amount of poisons you are exposed to on a daily basis
    1. Cleaners in your home that you inhale or absorb through the skin
    2. Products you rub on your body & absorb through the skin
    3. Air fresheners that basically numb your sniffer.
  4. Exercise AT LEAST 10 minutes a day, 30-40 is preferred
  5. Keep a positive attitude

For more information on these 5 steps or other topics we discuss here, feel free to contact me.

by tessbrennan

Have you Found the key to your health success?

Honing in to success

by tessbrennan

Get Back onto the Road to Better Health!

Just like everything else in life, improved health can be attained by taking one step at a time.

You choose what size steps you want to take. Big? or Small?
You choose your pace. Fast? or Slow?

You may stumble, just get back up.
You may veer off track, follow the map to get back on the road to better health.

I am excited to be working with people who want to be on the lead lap of life, people who want sustained energy without sugar & caffeine laden energy drinks. You can do it, I would be happy to work with you.

I am Grease Monkey Marketing, contact me and we can map out what steps could be most beneficial for you. Whether your first priority is increased energy, improved health, or weight loss/weight management we can work with you to map it out and then guide you on your journey!

For more information, contact me.

by tessbrennan

Is Cleaning House Making YOU Fat?

Cleaning ladyDo you gasp for breath when scrubbing the tub or shower? The unknown ingredients in commercial household cleaners, laundry detergents, & dish soaps are full of environmental toxins that can accumulate in your body and contribute to weight gain and diabetes.

These toxins mess around with the body’s ability to balance blood sugar and metabolize cholesterol, increasing the risks of insulin resistance.

I, personally, have found ways to eliminate and reduce my family’s exposure to these toxins while still keeping a clean home. (So to speak – I do have a 5 yr old.)  I have also made easy switches and changes in my daily life to eliminate what I’ve been and around and to counteract the potential damages of things I may be exposed to.

Some of the things I have done, include but are not limited to:

  1. Drink filtered/purified WATER to flush toxins out through sweating and the bathroom visits. (
  2. Eat extra helpings of Fresh/Lightly steamed fruits and veggies to move toxins through the digestive system faster, allowing fewer to be absorbed. (I add Pico de gallo to my breakfast and try to snack on them throughout the day.)
  3. Use Non-Toxic Cleaning products. (Some people prefer to make their own from things like vinegar and baking soda. I prefer something simpler that doesn’t smell like vinegar.) Smile
  4. Breathing clean air. (Belly Breaths)
    1. Air out your home for a minimum of 5 minutes per week with FRESH air.
    2. A GOOD Air Filtration system.
  5. Swap out your personal care & beauty products for those without questionable ingredients. (Slathering on 9 different products all just barely under the company standard threshold could be putting you well above that safe level of said “questionable” ingredient.)

Go ahead, blame it on your cleaning house, BUT THEN, do something to change it and get back on the road to better health!

For more information, feel free to contact me.

Here’s to your return to the lead lap of your life!!!

Sources:

How do Toxins Make You Fat?

5 ways your house is making you fat, sick, & toxic

Do Toxins Really Make You Fat?