Tag / SW FL Weight Loss

by tessbrennan

6 Tips to Make Time for Health

As a mom, wife, health coach, entrepreneur, PTO member, Rotarian…  I find that my “time” is limited. (or is it?) 

The calendar on my “smart”phone is often filled with lots of running and back to back appointments across the county. It is very easy for me to get “so busy” that I forget about the things that are important – LIKE MY HEALTH!

Many times, as a mom & wife, I get so wrapped up in taking care of the needs of my family, that I forget what it is that I need to do for myself. 

I can remember my mom’s 30th birthday, when Dad took us all to Lafayette to celebrate HER birthday, but when we got there we spent all the time shopping for my sister and I and before we knew it, the time was up and we hadn’t done anything for mom. Sad smile  Her 30th birthday was a BIG sacrifice for us! (It happens – my 40th was a bit like this too, but that’s a story for another day. LOL)

Today, as Moms, it is SO important that we remember to take time to support our personal health and that we don’t get distracted by the little things (like Candy Crush & Facebook) and that we get the important things in there.

So, what is a busy mom supposed to do to make time for a healthier YOU?

  1. Dump list & Daily 4: List out all that you need to do for the week, then create the FOUR most important things to accomplish THAT day… (maybe 5… but NO MORE)  If you accomplish the first 4, then you can move on to other things on that list.  (At the end of the day, do yourself a favor and write down all you accomplished – then list the FOUR things for you to do tomorrow)
    Dump List
  2. Work on the 30 minute “FOCUS” time system:  As you begin to work on things from that list, remember the 30 minute rule.  SET A TIMER (your smartphone has one)  Focus on that one task for 30 minutes.  (Yes, you can answer your kids, redirect them, etc. but remember to return right back to that task.)   I am frequently amazed at how much I can accomplish in a 30 minute time frame when I put my mind to it!
    30 Min Focus
  3. If you are going to cook anyway, make it worth it! Prepare multiple meals at once. I don’t like to waste time in the kitchen, so if I need to be in the kitchen to make dinner/lunch/breakfast I like to prepare foods for future meals. Make the most of the time I am in the kitchen and save time in the future for food prep.
    Silly mom in kitchen shoes
  4. Remember your supplements! When my immune system is weakened due to holes in my daily nutrition, I tend to succumb to whatever crap is floating around.  It took me a while to learn to remember to take my morning supplements. I created my routine by using my smartphone alarm app.
    Schedule it in
  5. Squeeze in some workout whenever you can: I am NOT above doing squats in the bathroom whenever I need to “go”. Add a few extra steps when you head to the store. Be active WITH your family. Park a bit further from the store and walk a few extra steps.  (This is my daughter’s new favorite thing to do.)
    Adding steps is an easy way to improve our fitness

  6. Take time to rest! Our kids aren’t the only ones who need rest. By rest, I don’t mean 20 minutes sitting in the recliner playing Bubble Witch2 or scanning FB from your phone.  I MEAN, 20 minutes of quiet.  I have implemented a 30 minutes a day reading requirement for my daughter (she’s 7 now).  That is my time to reflect, pray, meditate, or read something to provide myself that needed recharge time.
    Reading child with momReading child

I have other tips, but these seem to be the most important for my daily sanity and health.  A few simple focused minutes now can set me up for easier, quicker, healthier sailing later on!

Make it a GREAT day!  For additional information, personal coaching, or events happening in your area, contact me.

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.

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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

Could your Gut be making you fat or sick?

Do I think your “gut” could be making you fat and sick?  Fat –Possibly? Sick – Very Possibly.

Obese couple

 

Our bodies are miraculous functioning gifts.  They are complex machines that need many things in balance to keep functioning properly. Our bodies were created by God (Genesis 1:27).  They were created to function as a whole entity, complete and perfect.  Our bodies were created with mechanisms to keep us warm, cool us off, fight off disease, heal from injuries, and in the case of our skin and bones, regenerate when broken.

The problem: Our digestive system is under attack from many different directions!

Our “gut” or digestive system is very, VERY important.  We get all of our nutrition (fuel) through the digestive system but it isn’t just a transport system, it also includes our immune system, and everything else.

Today, everything we see advertised on the television is meant to KILL germs and bacteria. The soap most use has the antibacterial component Triclosan along with many of the items we buy.

When we get sick, they give us anti-biotics to kill all the bacteria in our body. Unfortunately it kills the bad AND the good bacteria in our bodies.

The foods many choose to consume on a large scale, feed the bad bacteria which then can overtake the good bacteria and begin to cause havoc on our system as well. (2)

In the news today, they mentioned the fact that the microbiota in your system could even contribute to obesity.  (The key here is contribute – there are many facets to consider when looking at obesity.)  (1)

A solution: Add a quality probiotic to your daily routine/diet.  Remember that your stomach acids can kill 85-95% of the good bacteria moving through, so eat your probiotics with a good sized meal, (like dinner) to improve its chances of making it safely through OR choose a probiotic supplement from a trusted source.

ALSO, avoid excessive sugar intake. This includes refined flours, sugars, sugar substitutes, and highly processed foods and juices. 

Eat a balanced diet INCLUDING LOTS of Fruits and Vegetables. A recent study showed that those who ate a diet HIGH in Meat & Dairy caused the microflora in the digestive tract to change rapidly, and not necessarily for the good! (2)

Veggies - LifeInBonitaSprings

You always want to be sure that the supplements you choose are from a company that guarantees their product, that what it says it contains is REALLY what is in there and that nothing unwanted will be in the supplement as well!

There is a LOT of research going on right now involving the gut and the microbiome in our bodies. The hope is to understand more and to be able to help more people stay healthier to start with. (3)

For more information in regard to digestion and how it can affect our health here are some links.  An audio recording of Digestion Is the Key to Health by Dr. Frank Painter (43 minutes long)  and a video presentation entitled Protecting The Most Important Organ in Your Body. (40 minutes long)

For more information on healthy eating, healthy weight loss, and improving your health, contact me!

(1) http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/predicting-2014s-top-medical-innovations/ (beginning at 1:55)

(2) http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/10/250007042/chowing-down-on-meat-and-dairy-alters-gut-bacteria-a-lot-and-quickly

(3) http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/03/12/microbiome-health-blaser

Photo of vegetables courtesy of Chris Griffith, LifeinBonitaSprings.com.