Category / Motivation & Success

by tessbrennan

Find a Friend–Lose Fat 4 Life

I have seen many people struggling to improve their health and lose weight, but seem to fall off the proverbial wagon. These people seem to have tried everything out there… alone.

Research has shown us time an time again that working with a partner or a team of like minded individuals increases the success rates and can also provide that “little something” needed to keep you on track and help with long term success too.  I have included a few articles with the information at the end of this blog article.

TEAM

Having fought the weight monster and won, I understand the battle, the challenges, as well as many different techniques work for different people.  My goal, as a Lifestyle Coach is to provide you with ways and means to reach YOUR GOALS and then maintain them.

For this reason I offer many different options to provide you with the synergy of a group.

I am now offering Group Coaching on a weekly basis. Tuesdays in Bonita Springs and Fridays in Fort Myers at lunch to provide my clients with the support of my coaching as well as others also looking to improve their own personal health.

I am also offering a Walking Club 2x per month through Your Life Enrichment Center – 2nd Thursday of the month at Estero Community Center Park & the 4th Thursday of the month at Lake’s Park in Fort Myers.

I will be offering 2 3-day 60-mile training walks per month in order to ramp up to an October event date.  We will begin with shorter walks and tips for staying healthy and ramp up the mileage as our event date approaches.

I am offering a Muscle Reset Stretching class twice a week. Today’s lifestyles don’t allow for our muscles to be stretched and moved as our bodies are designed.  Hours at the computer, on the couch, or driving places do not allow our muscles to be worked as they were designed and can cause a lot of pain in our bodies.  By focusing our attention on specific stretching techniques we can discover greater relief and move easier on a daily basis.

For more information you can contact me or check out my Facebook Page The Healthy Grease Monkey. 

 

How social support can help you lose weight – American Psychological Association

Among those recruited with friends and given SBT plus social support, 95% completed treatment and 66% maintained their weight loss in full. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)”

Two-thirds of those who enrolled with friends had kept their weight off six months after the meetings ended. In contrast, only a quarter of those who attended on their own had achieved that same success.”

Choosing a Weight Loss Buddy,Teaming up is more fun, and it may even help you shed more pounds. – Web MD

Shafran, who also hosts Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy, an Internet radio show focusing on weight loss, says people fail not necessarily because they’re following a bad weight loss plan, but because they lack a good support system.

"It can be the deciding factor that makes a diet work — or not work," say Shafran.”

Could friends and family hold the key to successful weight loss? – Yahoo Health

Better yet, the results seemed to stick. At a 16-month follow up, a majority of the group participants had kept the weight off and their blood pressure down.”

How your friends make you fat—the social network of weight  – Harvard Health Publications

There are, of course, many reasons why people gain weight, and the Arizona State study provides only one possibility. But it also provides another motivation for each of us to make healthy choices—they help not only our own waistlines, but those of our friends and family, too.”

by tessbrennan

Upcoming Classes Lunch4Health & Walk4Health

As I am wrapping up the Estero Introduction to Temple Maintenance Class at Estero United Methodist Church I am amazed at how quickly 7 weeks has passed.  We covered so much material in a mere 7 classes, WOW!

As April rapidly approaches, I am pleased to be offering some new classes as well.

Lunch4Health

Lunch4Health is a brown-bag lunchtime coaching group to provide community with each other in daily healthy choices and challenges.  This group is meant to support each other through the difficult challenges as well as celebrating the victories-no matter how small. 

This weekly group will provide educational information useful to improve health, increase energy levels, and even in reducing fat!  We will provide a safe environment to share, grow (or shrink), learn, and be accountable for our daily choices.

Bonita Springs – Tuesdays 11:45-12:45 in Bonita Springs at Integrative Mindfulness – 3372 Woods Edge Circle, Suite 102, Bonita Springs (Beginning April 1, 2014)

Fort Myers – Fridays 11:30-12:30 in Fort Myers at Shift and Wake Up! – 8359 Beacon Blvd, Suite 403, Fort Myers (Beginning April 4, 2014)

This class will meet on a weekly basis, cost is $20 per class.

 

Walk4Health Logo

Walk4Health is an opportunity to learn the benefits of healthy walking. Ramp up your energy levels one step at a time.

This program is for beginner to intermediate walkers. Those looking for improved health, but not sure how to begin – this gathering is for you! We will cover the basics and include some techniques for those looking to “step it up a notch” as well.

I am a Certified Personal Trainer and a long distance walker who has walked 5 60-mile walks and logged approximately 3,000 miles training that are so important to be able to, not only finish a 60-mile walk, but also to finish pain free and without any recovery time. She has walking down to a science.

Join us for a quick warm-up, geared to your own level, and an easy walk through the Estero Community Center or Lakes Park. There is a cement walkway around the park, for an even surface and a great place to begin the basics of walking. We will get some walking in as well as learn about what goes into safely ramping up your activity levels.

These classes are offered through Your Life Enrichment Center and available:

Estero – Tuesdays 8:30-9:30 AM at Estero Park, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd. Estero , Fl. 33928 April 1 & 15, 2014.

Fort Myers – Friday 8:30-9:30 AM at Lakes Park, 7330 Gladiolus Dr, Fort Myers, FL 33908 Meet at far left parking lot when you first come into park. April 4 & 18, 2014.

These classes will continue beyond April, however, beginning in May they will switch days.  Cost is $10 per session unless you are a member of Your Life Enrichment Center.

For additional information, feel free to contact me here or call 239-246-9488.

by tessbrennan

Where to begin? One step at a time–Exercise

In 1998 I was miserable, I was over 200 pounds, I was depressed, I was on 6+ prescription medications, and I knew I needed to do something.

I began walking with a friend. We would walk up to 6 miles at a time, once we got our bodies acclimated to the movement.  This was the very beginning of my journey to better health and increased energy.

Today, I am much smaller than I was back then, but more importantly – I am off the all prescription meds, I don’t fight with depression any longer, and I know what to do to keep my energy levels up and my health in tip top shape!

I begin by walking.  I have shared my walking stories here before.  How I got started with the 60-mile walks and the amazing things I have learned.

Today, I realized I have walked over 3,300 miles JUST for these 5 events alone. Through training and the actual events, I’ve logged some serious miles.   I am now developing some classes to begin teaching others how to improve their health and increase their energy levels through walking.

Walk4Health Logo

Beginning April 1, 2014, I will be offering training classes to assist those looking to improve their health and increase their energy levels!  (Even drop some inches around the waistline, if you choose!)

For more information on the SGK 3-day 60-mile walks, visit their website: http://the3day.org

For additional information on how I train for a 60-mile you can find those articles here: http://tinyurl.com/n2fs9tz

For information on location & other details of these walks, contact me.

Make it a GREAT day!

by tessbrennan

Hungry? Nutritious Tip — Try the Apple Test!

When attempting to make healthy choices, many times people feel challenged when they begin to feel hungry.

If you feel hungry:

  1. Drink an 8-16 ounce glass of water and wait 20 minutes.
  2. If you are still hungry after the 20 minutes, grab an apple.
  3. Look at the apple, study the apple… Do you want to eat the apple?
  4. If the answer is YES! GREAT eat the healthy, organic apple.
  5. If the answer is NO! You are not really hungry.  Go back to what you were doing before your subconscious distracted you. Smile Apple Test HealthyGreaseMonkey

Many times, we mistake thirst for hunger. 

Step 1 allows us to assess whether we are really hungry or if we were actually thirsty.

Step 2 then addresses the issue of mindless eating, that so many suffer from.  When we take the time to look at the food, think about the food, assess our actual state of hunger…

I may find that I was not hungry at all, just had a rogue thought or a bad habit that was trying to rear its ugly head!

HEALTHY EATING!

For more information or helpful tips & personal coaching, feel free to contact me.

by tessbrennan

Gluten Free Success Story–Guest Blog by Jess

With so many having issues with gluten these days, it is getting easier to find gluten free options.  I have many clients who ARE gluten free due to intolerance issues, and feel as if the “task at hand” is just too daunting for them.

I wanted to share a school mate’s journey over this past year as HOPE to those of you just embarking on the path as means of inspiration. I will attach a link for information regarding a Living Gluten & Wheat Free-First Steps Teleconference to be held monthly at the end of this blog.  Enjoy!

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1 Year Gluten Free!

One year ago today, if you told me I would be where I am today, I would have thought you were crazy. February 10, 2013 began my gluten free journey; one that I thought there was no way I could survive. But when you feel as miserable as I did, I was willing to do whatever I had to in order to feel better again.

photo 3

My first step was to research what had gluten in it and get it out of my house. I was shocked when all I had left was half of one cabinet shelf with food on it and two things in my freezer. If I had thought it was going to be hard to cut out gluten before that, I was very overwhelmed now. It was time to restock the kitchen so I did some more research and found what I COULD eat and made a list. I started with simple things that I knew I would enjoy and started there. Trying to restock and entire kitchen in one step is not only overwhelming, but costly. Over time, I was able to replenish what was lost with gluten free options.

By the time I was at the point where gluten free was next on the list to try, I was beyond miserable. My body was trying to tell me something that I did not understand, nor wanted to hear. The thought or smell of food made me nauseous, my belly was bloated and painful to the touch, and the only thing I could stomach to eat was Cheerios (which doesn’t make sense since they are full of gluten). So what I was eating to feel better was only making it worse. I was looking for instant relief, only to find out that switching to gluten free was not a quick fix. The first week without gluten seemed to last forever but I made it to the end, yet still felt miserable. I didn’t realize it would take a couple weeks to get the bad out of my system, but I kept pressing on. And finally, day 16, I felt like a brand new person. I couldn’t remember that last time I had felt so good but it was definitely the motivation I needed to keep moving forward. How could I go back to putting that poison in my body, knowing how bad it made me feel?

My doctor had told me to eliminate gluten for 30 days then eat something that had gluten in it to see how I felt. That was going to determine if that was the issue. Well, after 30 days, I thought she was crazy. I already had my answer at day 16 so I was not about to put anything back in my body. I was just going to continue living gluten free and feeling great. If only it were that easy. Time passes and cravings happen. It began to get harder and harder to resist the gluten goodness that I once loved. So began a new group of struggles.

After a couple of months, I couldn’t resist things that I was craving. I would allow myself to eat a gluten “treat” now and then. Sometimes, I would feel fine and other times, I’d be sick before I even finished it. I’ve learned what I can and cannot put in my body through trial and error. I’m human though and sometimes, I just want what I want. However, I’ve learned in the last year there are ways to have the things that I crave but in a gluten free version.

Thankfully, gluten free items are popping up almost everywhere!!! Even in the short one year since I made the switch, it’s so much easier to go to the store (and slowly they are getting cheaper too) or to your favorite restaurant and find gluten free options. This makes it easier to still enjoy a meal out of the house without stress, something I really dreaded at first because I didn’t feel I could go out to eat with friends and still be able to eat a real meal. As time passes and the more common gluten free eating is, the easier it is to stay on track!

With such a significant change in life does not come without challenges and struggles. How could it not when so much of what we once knew, grew up loving, or craved now had to be removed? Change is hard, no matter the reasoning behind it, but nothing is impossible! Personally, I struggled with knowing what to eat, not wanting to spend time cooking, and not being able to eat my favorite foods. But knowing this was going to be my new life, I had to find ways to be successful.

photo 1

Looking back over the year, it was with the help of 3 P’s that I was able to succeed: planning, perseverance, and Pinterest. Without these three, I might be right back where I started.

Planning is crucial to most anything in life, and key to the gluten free life. This is most important from day one. I was lost when I went to the grocery store if I hadn’t planned out ahead of time what brands I could buy or what ingredients to look for. I found an application for my phone that was able to scan barcodes and tell me if there was gluten in it; this helped tremendously as reading labels can be tricky. The more I went, the easier it was to find what I could eat, rather than what I couldn’t.

Meal planning also helps me to succeed. After a long day at work, the last thing I want to think about when I get home is what I can eat. Having those decisions made ahead of time helps deter me from wanting to grab something I shouldn’t be eating. I often cook meals on the weekend and put them in the freezer for my lunches during the week or have things started for quick prep on a week night. I have a lot of room for improvement here but it’s definitely a work in progress. I’m always learning new ways to plan ahead.

The second P, perseverance, is key in any aspect in life. There are going to be days that are more challenging than others, and there have been plenty in the last year, but if I give in and eat something gluten, I try to think about what I could have done to prevent it and move forward. I could beat myself up about what I ate (sometimes my body does that for me), or I can learn from it and keep on going. I’ve learned that this is not just a sprint; it’s a marathon for a lifetime of health. I haven’t had my last slip up, but I know I will not give up; I will persevere!

And lastly, the final P, Pinterest. Where would I be without this amazing tool full of gluten free goodness? I had never used it prior to becoming gluten free but it’s been a lifesaver! We all know cookbooks can be helpful but they are usually full of more of what we don’t like versus what we do. I’d much rather go to the internet or Pinterest to find a recipe than a cookbook. Plus, we tend to have them at our fingertips more often than not. I use Pinterest the most to satisfy my cravings typically, but it is handy for crock pot meals and new ideas to add to my meal planning. My first search was for donuts, a weakness of mine, and I have since tried a couple recipes that I love. I am not sure I could have made it through the fall without all the pumpkin goodness recipes I found and tried. Birthday and holiday treats are other hot topics to search for ideas. I’ve learned too that finding these recipes to satisfy the cravings I have for foods I once thought I could not eat again has lessened my cravings for them. Knowing I can’t have something naturally makes me want it more, but now I know there are alternatives I can have, which allow me to just eat them every once in a while, as I’m not deprived.

photo 2

Looking back over the last year, I can see how far I’ve come. My health has dramatically improved and I’ve begun to see food in a new light. I spent so many years using food as comfort and enjoyment, rather than a means to fuel my body to live and be healthy. I still have much room for improvement and am constantly looking for ways to eat better. Becoming gluten free once seemed truly impossible to me, just thinking about the possibility of having to eliminate it from my life was overwhelming. However, taking the process one meal at a time, one day at a time made it much more manageable. As with anything, there will be setbacks, but that just sets me up for an opportunity to persevere and comeback! And my one final tip before I sign off, positive thinking is a POWERFUL tool! Believe you can, and you will!  ~Jess

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The Living Gluten & Wheat Free – First Steps is offered the 2nd Thursday of each month as a way for those just learning to be Gluten Free to get information and strategies for success! Suzie Sunkel is an amazing woman who is an EXPERT on GLUTEN FREE!

For additional information, please feel free to contact me!

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

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

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!

by tessbrennan

Nehemiah–An Example of Prayer, Commitment & Action

As the beginning of the Temple Maintenance class draws near, I continue to pray and listen and write out my class outlines.  I have compiled information, questions, statistics, and resources for my students.

The one thing, that every student needs, I cannot provide. This one thing must come from each and every student, from within.  Commitment must come from the individual.

It is one thing to pray for healing when you are sick or tired or just run down.  When we add to that the prayer, the willingness to make a change, to make a different choice to assist in facilitating that improvement.Choosetosoar-net_man_on_cliff

There is a story of a man who is dangling precariously from a cliff who prays to God to have Him save the man.  A scout passes by and offers to help the man up, but the man says, “No, God is going to save me.”  Another passes by and reaches down for him but the man replies, “No, God is going to save me.”  After a third offers and is again sent away the man plummets to his death.  Upon reaching the pearly gates he asks God, “why did you not save me?”  God replies, “I sent 3 people to help you but you wouldn’t reach out your hand”

We have to be willing to reach out and take some action. God put us on this planet to work, not sit around and let him just do everything for us.  He gave us FREE WILL.  We must take the Will to survive, be better, and work toward a better outcome.

My thoughts have again been pulled to Nehemiah as I’ve thought about the role of commitment and action in our daily lives as it has to do with our Human Temple.

My thoughts on Nehemiah as compared to working on ones individual health.

If we purchase a home in disrepair, we work to rebuild it, make it safe, make it strong, make it OUR home.  But the work doesn’t stop once the home is repaired…we must continue to maintain the house.  Clean it to keep out insects and varmints, reroof on occasion to keep rain from entering our home and molding and making us sick, repainting to maintain the integrity of our structure. 

If we don’t maintain our home with the right tools and supplies, it begins to crumble and fall down around us.

Our health is the same way.  If we don’t care for our body and provide it with the proper nutritious supplies.  If we fill it with garbage, sickness and disease can begin to move in and we have no defense.  If God has healed your of a disease or sickness, how long can your body continue to fend off the return of that disease if you don’t feed it and care for it correctly.

My goal is to provide you with tools and resources to rebuild and maintain your Temple… But first, you must bring the ladder of commitment and the hammer of action to get to work and make it happen!

God Bless, and make it a GREAT day!

by tessbrennan

Globesity and Nehemiah..

For those of you awaiting the completion of the 3-day, 60-mile series, it is coming… I am awaiting a shipment of things for my photos for the blog.

RebuildingHealth

Today, 1 in 3 adults is overweight or obese. 1 in 4 is ineligible to join our armed forces or to apply for Public Service positions. This means we have fewer people available for these services, potentially very good candidates, except for their weight. (Weight of the Nation Series – HBO)

Heart disease, Cancer, Stroke, Diabetes, and other degenerative diseases are on the rise and the percentages of people being affected are increasing too. We are in the middle of a perfect storm of health crisis for our country and our world with this horrible Globesity issue. It seems as if it has spiraled out of control and there is no way to correct it. In an ancient, well known, text there is a story of a man who took on a monumental task of rebuilding a protective wall around a city.

There was a LOT of work to do, many of the citizens in the area had no idea how to repair a wall, yet they banded together, worked together, prayed together and replace the ENTIRE wall around the city in a mere 52 days.

The Globesity issue isn’t just about being overweight, it is about the disease and discomfort that accompanies it. This isn’t about being sexy or beautiful, because WHO you are makes you beautiful, its about being healthy and enjoying life and not suffering with disease, and reducing your susceptibility to those diseases.  Here are a few thoughts I jotted down over the weekend, while on a retreat.

Text of my monologue is below.

For more information on the class, Temple Maintenance, Wellness based on Biblical Principles, or for a personal consultation, contact me.

Text:

We hear a lot about the globesity issue, of the decline of the health of America as a whole. It seems like a monumental task: almost as if the sanctified city of health and wellness has been broken down. There is a monumental task ahead of us to rebuild our nations’ health. To begin reducing the numbers of those being attacked by degenerative diseases, we need help, big help, but the task isn’t as monumental as we may think… if we count on Him for assistance.

I would like to parallel this with the story of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was one man, with a vision of the revitalization of Jerusalem. Just as Nehemia used many to rebuild the City of Jerusalem—we need many tribes to rebuild the health of our country and world.

The system you choose to use (tribe you work with) isn’t as important as completing the work, one brick and choice at a time, one gate at a time, one step at a time.

If we each do our personal part to improve our personal section of the wall, our own health, we become a wonderful example for those around us, it becomes contagious and doesn’t seem as daunting a task. It doesn’t seem as impossible to attain when we see others we know doing it and succeeding. Others begin to realize that, they too, can have success and join a different pool of statistics. (We are all a statistic – just a different group).

The globesity epidemic isn’t something that one person can change. This epidemic is domething that needs cooperation from one house to another to the next until the walls of good health and quality of life are rebuilt stronger than before, and our children will then understand the importance of maintaining this wall of health.

The recurring theme throughout Nehemiah is that each person in Nehemiah rebuilt a section of the wall adjacent to their home. THEIR HOME. ~Be the change you want to see.

In Nehemiah 4 we see opposition to rebuilding the wall. VS 2B “Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?”

I hear: Will they restore their health? Will they trust in His Sacrifice? Can they restore their health in one day? Can they regain health when they’ve spent years and decades tearing it down and failing before?

Not everyone in Nehemiah was as “excited” about rebuilding the wall, but they did their part.

(MY PARAPHRASING BELOW)

NEH6:12-14 (paraphrase)

“Wherever we turn there are easy choices to attack us and cause us to fail. 13 Therefore we station people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them as families to support each other and build each other up. 14 Don’t be afraid of those tempations. Remember the Lord, who is great and Awesome, and FIGHT for your families, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and homes.

We are fighting a war against obesity and pour health. The Air Force tells its airmen that Wars are won by 2 strategies, Hope and Belief. This is true in Spiritual Warfare AND Nutritional Warfare.

We build communities, tribes and families to support each other and build each other up, to celebrate even the smallest of victories together and to support each other in the difficult times.  Together, we can fend off those who try to destroy our health.

(Think marketing, cheap “food”, fast “food”, and other products that tear down our health as opposed to building it up.)

~Tess