Tag / healthy choices

by tessbrennan

Fighting off season Colds.

My hubby has come down with an off season cold, and he is miserable.

It didn’t help that he knew he was fighting something and chose to go camping for memorial day anyway with tons of sweet sodas and a lot of beer to help inhibit his immune system.  (At least the bloody Maries contained tomato juice) Smile

This made me begin thinking of what should I do for his (really my predicament as he will lay on the couch an MOAN until he feels better. – I love that man so much!)  For lunch, he asked for, “whatever will make my cold feel better.”  Poor guy.

First things first: Continue reading →

by tessbrennan

Working to change my own stress habits.

Thank you, Madeline Ebelini!

Here’s the back story.

Today, I drove my 5 year old daughter and I the 35 miles to the drag strip to watch daddy race.  We’ve been having some vibration issues in the Yukon, but had been unable to diagnose the cause.

It rained.  They cancelled the race, and may of us were standing around, discussing the cancellation when a friend looked at the rear tire of my vehicle.  BIG bubble on the rear passenger tire.  Here’s where my stress kicked in.  I knew I had to drive my vehicle the 35 miles home with my 5 yr old in the back. Sad smile  Continue reading →

by tessbrennan

What you eat for breakfast shapes your whole day. 2 of 2

So, yesterday we discussed how EVERYONE eats breakfast, just at different times and choose different things to consume.  We looked at the spikes in blood sugar when we eat refined carbohydrates for our first meal of the day and then throughout the day.

Today, I want to look at the difference in blood sugar levels when you choose to begin your day with a low-glycemic protein. Continue reading →

by tessbrennan

I’m never sick and I eat whatever I want!

I eat what I want

I hear this on occasion.  (from my husband as well, but he is beginning to change his tune.)  I hear this from people who eat tons of “crap” and drink a lot of sodas, “I am rarely sick.”  They feel they can eat whatever they want and its no big deal because they have been healthy to this point.  (Many of them have recently been discovering things changing, rapidly.)

T.o.  t.h.i.s.   p.o.i.n.t! Continue reading →

by tessbrennan

Decrease Weight = Increased Productivity

Obesity

According to the Centers for Disease Control, absenteeism increases with weight.  So whether you rely on your own efforts for an income, or the efforts of your employees, lifestyle and what you/they eat is an important part of your business.  Obese women with a BMI of 40 or greater missed an average or 141% MORE time due to sick leave than women of a normal BMI.

MSNBC reported in 2010 that Loss of productivity due to obesity costs as much as medical expenditures for the condition, according to a new study that pegs the cost of obesity among full-time workers in the United States at $73.1 billion per year.

A report from UCLA’s Insights Health care states:

When people don’t eat right, the No. 1 thing that happens is they become less energetic, less able to think clearly and less able to do their jobs.

Productivity will go down when you’re not eating properly and nutrition is very, very important for mental activity and to maintain productivity.

For people in business who have physical jobs, it’s even worse. Anyone who’s in a physical job requires very good nutrition or they’ll lose their muscles and possibly be injured.

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Many studies have shown that even after a life threatening illness like cancer or heart attack 90% of people refused to change their habits, what can we do to make , easy changes?Healthy Local Vegetables for Healthy Diet

What can be done to change poor habits?

All you have to do is eat a healthier diet, which means a lot of colorful fruits and vegetables.

One of the things I find very helpful for executives, which I wrote about in my book is to take a shake in the morning similar to what weightlifters used to take. (DR. DAVID HEBER)

This would be made with soy protein, nonfat soy milk and frozen fruit in a blender. This is a great way to get 25 to 35 grams of protein. Then exercise about 30 minutes a day — this should include weightlifting and aerobic exercise. The important thing is to start out gradually and get advice from an exercise specialist. 

Even walking a short distance with a gradual increase in distance and duration can make a difference!

So the next time you opt to order in for your employees, instead of a greasy pizza, consider being a good example of promoting productivity and opt for healthy salads or vegetable heavy meals!

Have a GREAT Weekend!!!

by tessbrennan

Our largest organ is the biggest entry of poisons to our body.

In the last week, it seems, we have been bombarded about information regarding the toxins we put into our bodies on a daily basis.  Last week, I presented an informational health minute to my Rotary club on personal care products and the poisons contained in many of the common choices.  Our skin is the biggest organ in our body. (Although I have had a few guys in college try to tell me otherwise.) Smile

toxins we absorb

When we put anything on our skin, it is immediately absorbed and within 90 seconds it begins entering our blood stream. This is why so many different drugs are now being offered in patch form, it is an easy delivery system.

So why the big deal about our personal care products?  The cosmetics/personal care products industry is SELF REGULATED. This means the FDA doesn’t care what they put in the products we use. They don’t ask, they don’t check, it doesn’t matter.  The industry as a whole has set up ITS OWN governing body that sets ITS OWN limits on what can or cannot be used in products.  So they set a level of an ingredient, that has been deemed a toxin and recommend that companies not go over that level.

The average woman uses 9-14 personal care products on a daily basis. The average man uses 7-9. The visual above shows us some examples.  Lets say the products YOU CHOOSE are conservative and only have 85% of that thresh hold for a certain toxin. You use 8 products a day.

8x8.5 personal care graphic

That’s 6.8 TIMES the amount of that toxin that what has been deemed “safe” by the people making it.  Now, add the other chemicals from each of those products as well and you quickly discover the amount of stress being placed on your body on a daily basis, AND YOU HAVEN’T EVEN LEFT HOME!  Smile

I feel blessed to have found alternatives to these products.  Alternatives that don’t include any of these harmful ingredients.  If you, or someone you know is interested in alternatives, please contact me.  I am happy to discuss your needs with you.

Safe Personal Care

If you would like further information on this issue, here is another web article to check out.

 

 

There’s enough stress out there, without my adding to it first thing in the morning. Begin to reduce the taxing toxins from your life and begin seeing your health improve.

by tessbrennan

Is it the Stress, or the habits we have to cope?

It has been very well documented that stress and those with exorbitant amounts of stress in their life have a greater chance of acquiring high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other dis-eases.  A couple of very intelligent friends of mine once asked me, “Is your life REALLY that stressful, or have you gotten into the habit of allowing the stress to consume you?”

stress leads to disease

I wasn’t sure what they meant, or if they were crazy at that point.

My entire life, I have enjoyed a full life; on a schedule to fit it all in.  I don’t like to sit still, I want to be moving and doing at full speed.  I’ll have time to rest, when I die, right?

Enter an entirely new thought, a new concept for me. (I am still using my calendar and my schedule, but the stress is different – for me.)

We live our lives surrounded by stressors.  Some of which we can choose to eliminate, some of which we cannot eliminate.  We live our lives surrounded by other people. Some of which we can choose to eliminate, some of which we cannot. Smile  The difference comes when we decide to look at it differently from within.

I have begun working to implement meditation into my daily life. Not an easy task when I’ve already added 30 minutes in the morning for bible study, my five year old is waking up earlier, I am training for a 60-mile walk, I have a home to maintain, Rotary, Christian Chamber, a loving husband, my personal business, Bible study classes… and life.

Many times things come up and I get frustrated and stressed because it interrupts my busy schedule. I get stressed because His plan, or someone else’s plan blocks my schedule.  Now, yesterday, an epiphany.

The story:

I was sitting on the deck in the middle of a slough being led through a meditation.  The birds are singing, the wind is blowing my hair in my face, children scream and laugh in the distance, I cough, a car squeals its tires, a plane flies over… How am I supposed to meditate when………… ahhhhhh   It’s the experience, its all a part of the experience.  It doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it just has to be a part of the thing.  I realized I can just accept it as a part of the experience. I don’t have to judge it as right or wrong, I can just allow it to be.

Take time to be mindful for your health

Thank you, Paula English, Carolyn Wightman, and Madeline Ebelini, for opening my eyes and allowing me to begin to LET GO and just let some of life happen.  I don’t have to give everything up and allow everything, but I can determine what I can not change and allow it to be a part of the experience.

Reflection walk

I have heard others say that just 30 seconds of true meditation a day can drastically improve your health.  I am committing to 10 minutes a day for the rest of my life.  I understand that I am not perfect and at times something may interfere, but I don’t have to beat myself up for missing it, just look at the experience as part of life and go on.

Everything killed by hogs yet life prevails

You can do the same. I am not saying it is easy. I committed to an 8 week class to  understand it, not even really knowing what it was about before I began, but praising God I was lead to it, just as I enrolled with a business coach to improve that part of my life. If you would like to know more about how to find a MBSR class near you or to discuss other ways to reduce the effects of stress on your body and health, feel free to contact me.

Thank you for joining me today.

by tessbrennan

Heart Disease–Cancer–Sugar–> Tolerance=increased Sugar

I don’t believe sugar is the only thing to blame heart disease, cancer and other diseases. I do believe it is a significant factor.  When we look at the typical American diet today, it is full of sugar, and not just the sugars we see depicted in these photos and videos.  Today we’ll focus on this sugar and its effects and a way to prevent disease. 

I begin with the video from 60 minutes where Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with leading experts and the effects on the body when sugar is ingested.

 

Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on new research showing sugar’s effects on the body.

 

Amazing findings! One of the findings in this report was that as the body begins to eat more and more sugar, it takes more and more to provide the dopamine results. Just like an addiction of anything else.

I think about everything my daughter is enticed to eat on a daily basis, what my HUSBAND is enticed to eat on a daily basis… Mt. Dew, donuts, candy, cookies, cup cakes, processed food loaded with sugars to make us want them.  (My daughter is enticed by sugary fruit juices, cup cakes, candy, foods labeled “healthy” with sugar listed as the first or second ingredient) Sad smile

Our beverage of choice is water, an occasional rehydration drink (Performance) and occasional fruit juice with no added sugars.  I prefer whole fruit as a treat instead so that we are getting the fiber content with the sugars.  The way nature planned it.

Rethink your drink - sugar

Because of the information on the chart below, and other research, my family and I don’t begin our day with breakfast cereal, its not even in the house.  We prefer a healthy protein shake in the morning followed by our nutritional supplements and a tasty treat of craisins or something similar.

Breakfast Cereal sugar Content

I will admit, it wasn’t an easy transition the first time I gave up sugars. I went through with drawl and it was really pretty nasty.  The last time I gave up the bulk of sugars, it wasn’t as bad.  I used a balanced diet and nutrition to curb my cravings and assist me in my trek to a healthier life.

Today, I am blessed to be back on the lead lap of life.  You can be too.  For information, a consultation, or questions, feel free to contact me.

by tessbrennan

Make Every Day Earth Day

Earth day 2012 is rapidly approaching. All of the media will soon be touting all the great things we can do for Earth Day.  My family and I work to make everyday, Earth Day, in our home.

Yes, we drive V8 vehicles, we aren’t perfect, but we do maintain them very well and track their performance to be sure they are running at optimum levels.  What else are we doing in our household, you ask.

We work at not using disposable products, as much as possible. We wash our dishes in the dishwasher to save water, we recycle everything we can. Speaking of dishwashing…

Five years ago I switched all of our grocery store cleaning agents to non-toxic options that are highly concentrated.  This means we don’t pay to transport water AND we save tons of green. $$$

get clean kit Earth Day

For additional information on Healthy Homes click the above photo for a 30 minute video on home and family health.

Let me tell you a bit about ONE of these great products.  Basic H (Household)

Phosphate Free Non-Polluting
100% Organic Non-Toxic
Biodegradable Non-Irritating
Super-Concentrated Natural
Penetrates dirt on the surface No-Residue
Streak Free No-Rinse

 

Do you pay more than $0.01 per gallon of window cleaner?

Do you pay more than $0.03 per gallon of All Purpose Cleaner?

16oz bottle

= 5,824 – 26oz bottles of Windex (that’s a lot of windows…AND $$$)
=     380 – 26oz bottles of All-Purpose Cleaner (again…$$$)

 

 

 

It’s quick, it works, its simple, & it is safe enough for my young daughter to do the cleaning of her own messes without any chance of being poisoned. 

Different dilutions for different uses.

For more information, or to get started saving $$$ and the planet EVERYDAY, contact me, Tess, and I will get you started.  (For a very limited time, I can provide you with a 15% discount on this and any other products we offer, just for giving us a try.)

Why should we spend all our money on cleaners that endanger and aggravate our health, save your money and your health.

by tessbrennan

Local Honey for Southwest Florida

honey

Allergies are rampant this year.
Many holistic practitioners recommend local honey to help combat those symptoms. Sort of nature’s “allergy shot” but instead of an injection, you just do a tablespoon or more of honey a day and allow the sweet nectar made from your local plants to do the job.  There are MANY healthy benefits of Local honey, here is where you can get some.

Today, I just wanted to provide some options for LOCAL honey in my area.

Locations where I know you can buy local honey:  (READ the labels before you buy)

More than Honey (all raw)– Fort Myers can be found:

Rabbit Run Farms in Ft. Myers, FL (Buckingham area)
The Planted Pot in Naples Florida

Walker Farms Honey of North Fort Myers can be found:

Oakes Market in Naples
Ada’s Natural Foods in Fort Myers
For Goodness Sakes in Bonita Springs
Hyatt Regency in Bonita Springs – chefs use all local honey

Naples Honey Company

This company produces bulk wholesale honey, I have been unable to locate where they can be found.

Southern Pride Honey Company, LLC

The Sweet Boutique in Fort Myers
The Skinny Pantry in Fort Myers

Harold P. Curtis Honey Co. – Labelle

Harold P. Curtis Honey Co. Store in Labelle

Alva Island Farms – Alva
Buy from them direct

My Neighbors – South Fort Myers
Buy direct from me!  $10 a pint or $20 a quart.  They’ve just harvested again. 2/27/13

Articles on the Benefits of Honey

Woman’s Health Mag
Global Healing Center
Alabama Cooperative Extension Service

As I receive additional information from my friends and other local Honey experts I will update this post!  Thank you for reading, and enjoy a big healthy dose of local honey!