Tag / Healthy Grease Monkey

by tessbrennan

Tomorrow is 2015 – What is in YOUR Fridge?

In May of last year a reporter came to my home to report “What’s in My Fridge.”  She wanted to know what she would find in a health coach’s refrigerator.  It was an excellent opportunity to evaluate if I was actually LIVING what I teach/coach/preach.

Today, as you are preparing for the NEW YEAR, think about what is in YOUR fridge?

Is your resolution, or goal, for 2015 to become healthier, to lose weight, to improve your health statistics?  If you are setting realistic goals, You NEED to set yourself up for success. If it isn’t in your refrigerator or pantry, you are less likely to eat it.

Tips:

  1. Eliminate Soda and sweet drinks. Ramp down slowly, if you are used to drinking multiple sodas (or the gallon jug per day from the gas station) to keep from having caffeine withdrawal. You can reduce your caffeinated beverage by a cup a day until you have weened yourself off.  I switched to a natural soda for a while until I was ready to cut it out almost entirely.  (Izze)
  2. Switch to whole foods. Eliminate low fat/no fat.  Eliminate artificial sweeteners.  Look to fresh whole foods for high fiber, nutritive choices… apples, strawberries, grapes are sweet…  carrots, celery, and cherry tomatoes are crunchy… a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt and they are great!
    Stock your Fridge 1 Health Grease Monkey Stock your Fridge 2 Healthy Grease Monkey
  3. Throw out the processed foods. Our media and advertisers have done an exceptional job of making us believe that we can’t do it all and eat too unless they do it for us!  LIE!  Bald faced LIE!  It is just a matter of learning new habits.  I have done it, it is possible, and you will LOVE the difference!  I enjoy showing people ways to create tasty treats and to make sure you have healthy foods, even when time is short!  When you stock up on the Whole Foods, you should immediately eliminate all the processed to make room for the healthier options.
  4. Gluten FREE does NOT equal HEALTHY. Many companies have jumped on the “Gluten Free” band wagon.  I have news for you… Processed food is Processed food whether it has Gluten or NOT.  😉  (Also, Fat free, sugar free, or any other “FREE” does not equal healthy.)
  5. ASK FOR HELP. Not sure where to begin. Ask for help.  JUST ASK.  I enjoy helping others and assisting them in learning to live healthier lives.

You don’t need to make the change all at once!  Even One Change Counts! I have videos to help you learn, blog articles, coaching, classes, and many friends who all work to share the good news. That healthier can be done.

Happy New Year!  Make 2015 HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND PROSPEROUS!

New Year Wishes

by tessbrennan

Love Our Posts?

How to Get Notified of Your Favorite Facebook Fan Page Posts.

I learned another Facebook trick today that I thought I’d share with you.  It is useful if you have ever thought you are missing your favorite Facebook posts. (“Like” The Healthy Grease Monkey) and would like to make sure you get ALL of them.

Get Notifications

How to get notified of Healthy Grease Monkey’s Facebook fan page posts (and any other fan pages):

  • Go to  The Healthy Grease Monkey‘s Facebook Fan Page,
  • Hover your mouse over the “Like” button,
  • Then click on “Get Notifications.”

This should make sure you are notified of any new posts!  This works on any Page you’ve liked.  I am on my way to begin changing many pages settings to get notified of new posts.

Thank you, and have a HEALTHY, GREAT DAY!

Tha

by tessbrennan

What is Causing us to “Be Sick?”–Our Products at home?

Last night, in my Temple Maintenance class we were discussing choices.  All the choices we make, how many times a day we are voting with our dollars and our actions.

Our overall health is determined by our overall LIFESTYLE.  The choices we make profoundly effect our health on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis!

What choices am I talking about? Simple choices made every day.

  • —What to eat
  • —What to drink
  • —What to think
  • —How & when to move
  • —Products we put on our skin
  • —Products we use in our homes

Why are the last two choices on this list?  Let me show you. Doris Rapp is a board-certified environmental medical specialist and pediatric allergist.  She has done extensive research on the effects of allergens and CHEMICAL exposures.

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The photos I am sharing are in regard to studies done with children.  As adults, we must realize that if our children are effected, then we certainly are too!  These are some of the examples from the above book.

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We have so many children being labeled as ADHD these days.  We have them sitting in classrooms for 6-8 hours a day with NO recess, surrounded by toxic cleaners that are inhibiting their brains ability to function at its optimum potential.

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In class last night I referenced this piece, below, and the reaction the girl had to Choline bleach exposure – through the ductwork of the home.  Mom was in the basement laundry room and the girl was in her bedroom.  What effect is that bleach having on the person who is actually acutely exposed?  (We don’t use bleach in our household – we use the Get Clean line of cleaning products.)

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Below, the Teacher is commenting on the change in the student’s writing pattern.  An outsider, with no knowledge of what was going on, noticed the difference in the before and after. 

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Finally, here is an example with Pinesol.  This parent changed to the Get Clean line of cleaners for a week, didn’t believe that it could have that big an impact on her child, so went back to the Pinesol to test her hypothesis.

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The Solution? (pun intended)

Switch out the toxic cleaners in your home for cheaper, concentrated options. Vinegar and baking soda are one option.  Here is the option I choose!

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Price is something that concerns many of us. Not me, I’m saving SO much on my cleaning products, its amazing!!!  And they WORK! Just ask my skeptical husband. Smile

These products are available piece by piece if you choose to finish what you have on hand first, OR – as a kit to swap it all out at once, as I did, or even in mini kits for the different areas of  your home!

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Begin voting today with your dollars, not as many dollars as you have been using. Tell the toxic industry, we are no longer interested in what they have to sell.  We do not wish to pay them to poison ourselves or our families. 

For exhausted, busy moms… They can clean all day and we know they are safe. (So are our pets if they decide to wash them too!)

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by tessbrennan

My Biography, for those wondering who I am.

Tess is a Certified Master Life Coach through Shift & Wake Up, a Certified Personal Trainer through IMA, and a Shaklee 180 Specialist who owns The Healthy Grease Monkey and focuses on improving health, increasing energy levels, and reducing stresses on her clients’ bodies through a wholistic approach.

 

Having weighed over 200 pounds, twice, and having been prescribed to take 6+ pharmaceuticals a day for various maladies (and the side effects from the other Rx), she is now prescription free and 55 pounds lighter – for over 7 years.

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Through daily choices of nutrition, movement, thought processes, and product usage, Tess was able to gradually lose the weight and pharmaceuticals and maintain her good health, increased energy levels and has reduced the daily stresses to her body.

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Tess offers personal coaching, group coaching, muscle reset and walking classes, as well as weekly support groups for those looking to improve their health.

As a certified Training Walk Leader for the Susan G Komen 3-day 60-mile Walk events, she knows what it takes and how to train for and complete long distance events to allow for little to no recovery time, post event.

Her experience as a Public Speaker for groups of 3-3,000 and her experience as a high school teacher, Tess understands that not everyone learns or progresses at the same rate and she tailor’s her programs to each and every student.

This wife & mother of 1 daughter is very active in PTO, Rotary, has completed 5 -60-mile walks, and is training for her 6th in October. Health is her passion, helping other is her purpose.

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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?