Category / Healthy Weight

Tips for a healthy lifestyle to assist in with maintaining or attaining a healthy weight. Drug free, toxin free, and craving free. Contact us for your consultation to get started living life on the lead lap and having the energy to finish STRONG!

by tessbrennan

I gained 4 pounds, YESTERDAY?????

I am one of those people who weighs herself almost daily.  I’m not obsessed about the number on the scale, I worry more about how my clothes fit and how I feel for my status quo than that silly number.

But…that silly number can tell us a lot! Yesterday, the number on my scale was FOUR POUNDS HEAVIER than the day before.  What should I do???

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What would you do?  These are things that people I know would have done.  One of them is what I do.

  1. If we Starve ourselves all day, we actually set ourselves up for a bigger failure.  Our metabolism drops into starvation mode and we will begin packing on more weight.
  2. DO NOT give up!  You can do this, remember the straight line. Sensible choices and movement.
  3. YES!!!!  A large jump in weight in a 24-hours could mean a couple of things.  a. you are dehydrated and your body is retaining water to protect itself. b. your bowels are sluggish and need to empty quicker… increased water helps both situations.
  4. Yeah, this option just costs time and money…so, NO.

Once again, my answer is DRINK MORE WATER!  Because you haven’t heard me say that before.

by tessbrennan

Are You Pregnant? — And you are NOT!!!

I was 10 years old (maybe 9) and sitting in class and the substitute teacher, who was a dear friend of my mother and a neighbor, came by my desk. I looked at her beautiful, glowing face and exclaimed excitedly, “ARE YOU PREGNANT?  WHEN ARE YOU DUE?”

She blushed a bit, and told me she was NOT pregnant! I was still young, but I remember my embarrassment, the knot in my chest, and how badly I felt for her due to my mistake.

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This weekend, my friend was the one who was asked this question by someone else.  As I read her account of the event, that familiar lump came back to my chest.  But so did a loving smile, because today I can offer her a way to never have that happen again.

I’ve been the one who could have very easily been mistaken for being pregnant and I’ve discovered how easily it can be reversed for the LONG TERM.

If you would like to JOIN A TEAM working toward a similar goal, contact me, we can talk to see if your needs match what I have to offer.  I have many different options that require different amounts of time and at different price points to help you reach your goal and STAY THERE!

Lets get you on the road to better health and a smaller waistline!

by tessbrennan

Building a Health Community-Supporting Each Other

There’s no need to attempt to do it alone!

Things are more fun when we share the experience with others.

We tend to continue doing things we enjoy and find support in challenges through others who are like minded.

For this reason, we have begun building communities of people working toward a common goal of improving their personal health, and committed to sharing that experience and supporting each other throughout the transition. And ITS WORKING!

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I currently have local teams building, who meet once a week. For quality control we have a limited number of spaces for this new community of support, teamwork, and coaching.

I also have a private community of people from all over the United States who work together, some are friends and some are new acquaintances, all are committed to building each other and themselves up through community and commitment.

The 5 pairs of shoes above represent five women in 3 different states who are currently on this journey. Contact me if you would like additional information or want to be connected with other like minded individuals.

Looking for improved health? Looking for increased energy? Looking for others who are finding it?  Check us out!

by tessbrennan

Good Nutrition? Where do I begin?

Something I typically take for granted was brought to my attention today.  What is good nutrition? Where do I begin?

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I really take healthy choices for granted. I didn’t always. It wasn’t until after I had my daughter and decided I wanted to have the energy and the ability to play with her and participate in her life that I became conscious of what choices could improve my health. (Being an “older” mom can do that to ya.)

Today, I had a new dad ask me this question.  He wants to be healthier for many reasons, but one that stuck out in my mind and I could really relate to was – to be around for my child.

A good place to begin is by journaling, knocking out sweetened drinks, and avoiding refined carbohydrates. (sugar, white flour, breads, cookies, that sort of thing)

Eliminate Sweetened drinks and Artificial Sweeteners, a common source of the Average American’s 300 calories of overconsumption.

Drink Water! – Plenty of it.

Be sensible, walk a little, dance a little, HAVE FUN! I don’t believe you have to join a gym and “do the circuits” twice a day to improve your health. I lost all my weight & gained my better health and have maintained it for 6 years now, by walking and choosing healthier options to eat.

Find Support!  Find a friend, a family member, a support group, or a coach to work with to support you and help keep you on track.  Its always more fun when you aren’t doing it alone!

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHANGE EVERYTHING all at once to gain health. Steady, gradual movements toward a healthier lifestyle, healthier, more beneficial choices can have TREMENDOUS benefits.

I love what I do, how I feel and the energy to support others. I am driven to help others find this same love! Contact me for more information.

by tessbrennan

Making Eating healthier Easier NOT more Difficult.

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I came across this article today, 10 Secrets to Cooking Healthier .  I thought it was a really good piece and wanted to elaborate on it a bit more.

  1. Use smart fats – We hear it everywhere – EVOO is your best option
  2. Go unrefined (whole grain vs processed) – This is actually one of our biggest sources of “sugars” in our diets.  We need the FIBER not the sugars.
  3. Eat more fruits and veggies – Find ways to sneak these in.  Prepare enough that you can snack for a couple of days on them. Buy them from local growers and they will stay fresh longer and maintain more of the nutrients than those purchased in the supermarket or super store.
  4. Its not all about meat – we’ve begun eating more legumes for our proteins.  The majority of our “meat” is chicken or turkey & fish with an occasional steak night for my “mainstream hubby”.
  5. Choose low-fat dairy – We choose Soy milk or Almond milk over cow’s and limit our dairy intake due to the hormones fed to the grocery store source herds.
  6. Keep portions reasonable – This one is really easy. When we eat a steak, my hubby & 6 year old split the big ole monster rather than eating one each.  when eating out, ask for your to go boxes up front, put half or more of your meal in the container and take your time enjoying the tasty food  you’ve just ordered. Most places now offer steamed veggies like brocolocoloccoli or carrots or green beans.
  7. Use sweeteners judiciously – steer clear of artificial sweeteners, they have side effects, move toward the more natural options and use them much less. (See #9)
  8. Keep an eye on sodium – When you begin making your own foods from whole sources, this becomes much easier since most things we buy in the store ready made are LOADED with the stuff!
  9. Go for flavor – We like adding sliced strawberries & lemon to our water for a tasty treat.  Fruit infused water is one of the special things our 6 year old likes since she can’t have other flavored drinks. (I’ll be adding an article soon on bold flavors with metabolism boosting properties.)
  10. Be Mindful and Enjoy  (healthy can be convenient when we think ahead) When we take the time to really enjoy what we have to eat instead of inhaling it like a vacuum cleaner many positive things happen in our bodies. A favorite book of mine on this topic is Eating with Fierce Kindness.

 

For more information, please feel free to contact me, or stop by our Facebook pages, The Healthy Grease Monkey or Feel Good Fast.

by tessbrennan

Photo Blog of Guided Walk through Bonita Bay

Thank you to my friend, Chris Griffith of Life in Bonita Springs  for suggesting this location for walking.

Bonita Bay Walking Trail Map

We arrived at 9 AM and parked at the Bay Presbyterian Church which put us right at the sidewalk entrance to the community.

Trails were clearly marked, beautiful, easy to walk, and full of friendly people.  I enjoyed the beginner’s walk trail at 1.6 miles in length. (The Yellow Trail)

I will definitely be back to try the other paths for our intermediate and advanced walks.  If you would like to be kept in the loop for our future walking events, follow us at our Feel Good Fast Facebook page where we keep our events posted and updated.

For more information on Simple Steps to Feel Good Fast, contact me.  We have something for everyone!

by tessbrennan

A Walk in the Park… Three Oaks.

Sunday, try as fate may, I was determined to get a walk in.  My back muscles were tight and hurting, I was drained and tired, and didn’t feel like getting off my duff.

Personal experience, with my body has taught me that if I didn’t get up and go do something about the sore muscles I would feel worse on Monday and the pain and exhaustion would get worse.

So, off I went on my walk. My baby girl wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t want to get too far from home, but I did want to get 3-5 miles in.  I headed to Three Oaks Park, I hadn’t walked there in quite a while.

The improvements they have made to the walking trail are fabulous!  They have markings telling you how far you have gone, which direction to keep going so you know how far you are walking, and a loop that is a little more than 1.25 miles! 

20130203_174409Small arrows point you in the correct direction to keep on the measured route.  Very easy to see and very clearly marked.  Only one area had enough pine needles on the trail to make looking for the markings difficult.  VERY well marked path.

 

I dubbed my Sunday walk the “Day of the Squirrels” I must have seen a hundred of them, sometimes 3 at a time just sitting on the path looking at me until I was almost upon them, then they would scatter to the nearby trees. 

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What I really like about this park, besides the walking path, is that there are SO MANY different things for people to do.  Even saw a couple little girls playing in the sprinklers as the maintenance team was working on the system.

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A friend recently told me that the squirrel is a sign of big changes ahead.  After seeing so many of the little critters all at once causes me great excitement to see what is ahead!

If you would like more information on local walking locations, please, contact me.

Happy Walking!

by tessbrennan

Where do you like to walk?

We are four weeks into the new year.  Better health and continued healthy living, as well as sharing it with others is my continued resolution for 2013.  In doing such, I am looking for new places to walk with my friends and family.

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My goal is to compile a list of all the places to walk in the SW Florida area so when you are ready to try something new, you can click here and find somewhere new to try.

Contact me, here or on Facebook at Feel Good Fast and let me know where your favorite place to take a stroll or an aggressive walk and why you like that location and I will add it to our database!

Thank you!  Make it a GREAT Weekend.

PS: you can join us with the Feel Good Fast Walking team at the Moving Toward a Cure for Brain Tumors walk at Lakes Park tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM! Just Look around me.  I’ll be there in a black sparkle skirt and a couple of Team Mates.

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by tessbrennan

My 2012 Resolution and the Straight Line

My 2012 Resolution was to read the Bible. The entire Bible. I had tried this before and failed, beat myself up, and given up.  This time was different.

I got a reading plan from my friend Camille, that she was using to read through her Bible, and I followed that program.

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It wasn’t always easy, and I didn’t complete the task in 2012.  It took me an additional 12 days to complete it, but I DID IT! 

My challenges were the same for this goal, as they have been for any other goal I’ve worked for.  There was a time commitment, I needed to be consistent, and I needed to commit to the goal. 

I did very well, only fell behind a couple of times, then caught up…until… October 26th.  On October 26th I stopped reading and got out of the habit, and found it excruciatingly difficult to find the time, to find the desire to complete it.  I fell a month behind and then began the usual.

Healthy Grease Monkey - Goal Straight Line 

I am so happy that I finally STOPPED, beating myself up, laying blame and guilt on myself, and just got back on that “line” toward my goal. Its been the same for any goal for me – weight loss, training for an event, eating healthy. 

I get into a great routine, its going well, then “life” happens and interrupts the routine and instead of just going back to the line I get stuck in the circle of Guilt, Blame & Shame until that goal is all but out of sight.

So, MY 2012 RESOLUTION IS COMPLETE!!!

2013 Resolutions:

  • Enroll a team for at least 1 walk/run event per month.
  • Invite those striving for better health to join me on those events.
  • Celebrate the victories, no matter how small.
  • Get over the stumbles, get back on the line, and achieve.
  • Assist others in attaining better health.
by tessbrennan

Get “Ripped” for the New Year! (How about you get healthy)

Since we’ve been home more over the holidays, we’ve had the boob tube on more than normal.  I’ve been amused at some of the… well a lot of the commercials.

“Get Ripped” “Drop 16 dress sizes in 16 DAYS!” “Look like me just by taking this magic pill”

It IS the New Year – at least at midnight it will be. It is another chance for a NEW start and a healthy new you!

I’ve noticed one thing missing from all these ads. How to stay there.  All these companies are offering magic pills, tools, foods, machines and the like to help you LOSE the weight, to get into better shape and such however… None of them offer maintenance to stay there.

I want to offer you the opportunity to not only begin to shed some pounds, if that is what you need, but also the chance to KEEP it off for the long term. 

When we say “Feel Good Fast” it’s a relative term. Relative to how fast you want to get there and how long you want to STAY there. I’ve been there done that– lost and gained, and finally, almost 6 years ago lost and maintained that loss. I’ve lost the prescriptions, the weight, the depression, the asthma, and the need to yo-yo diet repeatedly!

We’ve got the vehicle, if you have the drive.

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(Taken by my 5 yr old at Busch Gardens)

Happy New Year and Healthy New You!