My Mother's Day Gift to My Children

My very first Mother's Day was March 1st 1995. Well, not actually Mother's Day, but that was the day that my firstborn was laid upon my chest to nuzzle into my heartbeat and become my external purpose for living. From the moment that I laid eyes on him, there was a shift in my world. Somehow, it was now up to me to create an environment that would give him the best opportunity to thrive. Through prayer, books, teaching, his well-being was the center of my focus. With the addition of my sweet girl and second son, it was a full time job to ensure their growth. I do not regret a single second that I have enjoyed watching them grow.

Just a month after my daughter was born (I was 21), I suddenly and unexpectedly lost my mother to lung cancer. In the whirlwind of a toddler and a newborn, it took a while for her death to sink in. When I finally came up for air, I realized that she would never meet my second son. Ever. The hole that left in my heart was wider than I could wrap my mind around. I turned to the Lord for comfort, to ease the sorrow. I was not angry over the loss, but it did feel like somehow I was going to have to do motherhood without the help of my very own mother. I felt cheated.

Fortunately, the Lord heard my heart and brought a swarm of wonderful examples into my life to love and direct my path. I do not know where I would be without these precious ladies.

I do have to say, the thought of my children feeling that same sorrow is even heavier than the loss of my own mother. If it is vaguely in my power to prevent them from experiencing loss that deep before they need to, it is my mission to accomplish. On Mother's Day 2011, I resolved to put my health in focus. Not to be selfish, but to be here. Here when they graduate. Here when they become engaged. Here when they say "I do." Here when they welcome their first child. And when my future grandchildren graduate, for as many good long years that the Lord allows for me to walk on this Earth.

So, contrary to tradition, on Mother's Day, I hope to give my children a gift. Hugs, pictures, meals. A bike ride, a stroll on the beach. The ability to call me on the phone, or tag me in a status. We are worth it.

To your health...and Happy Mother's Day!
xoxo,
Tasha

The Road to R.D.

Over the years, The Brick House has been a place to share encouragement, tips, and how-tos, therefore, it only seems fitting to give a little info about my adventure into Dietetics that is only just beginning. As I was researching the field, I read many student blogs that were extremely insightful, so if you are considering a career in nutrition/dietetics, this may serve as a launch pad for you!

Let me give you a little background. My husband and I married shortly after I graduated from high school with honors in business and within our first year of marriage, my oldest son was born. I entered college, initially interested in computers, but then switched my focus to business. After a year, we relocated to Central Florida and soon baby #2 and baby #3 came along. I knew early on that I would homeschool them, so my days were filled with teaching them how to learn (I’d rather not fill their bucket, but rather, teach them to learn… but that is another blog post altogether). After 10 years of marriage, my husband and I began an installation business that is now in its 10^th year. In effort to assist him to the best of my ability, I took several classes through Daytona State Center for Business and Industry and Daytona State College Small Business Development Center. These resources were invaluable to the establishment of the business. A family based business offered several opportunities for our family. Aside from an income source, each of my children have been able to help their dad prepare for projects, learn a trade and be exposed to the entrepreneurial lifestyle (both good and bad). 

When the economy threatened to squeeze the life out of our business, I reenrolled in college. My oldest son began dual enrollment as a high school/homeschooler, my daughter was a freshman and my youngest was in 7^th grade, all homeschooling through Florida Virtual School. This offered some flexibility for me to study, work part time all the while trying not to lose my mind!

Initially, it seemed that the best thing for me to study was business management. During the second semester back, I took Biology (for non-science majors) with a professor who held a Bachelor’s in nutrition. He was assigned to teach this class in effort to convert non-science majors into science majors. It worked. While I always enjoyed reading about nutrition on a casual, need-to-know basis, I soon realized that I absolutely LOVED learning about the impact of nutrition on health. By this point I had begun cleaning up my diet and getting active, resulting in about 40+ lbs of weight loss. 

I quickly began researching the nutrition profession. Soon I discovered that the credentials for being able to work in the area of nutrition took dedication as well as commitment to a competitive education path. Quoting the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “All registered dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians. This is a distinction that can matter a great deal to people’s health.” The time investment of education would only be well spent in a program that would allow me to serve the public as a qualified professional.  So I was on the hunt for an accredited program that would meet all of the needs of our family.

The Academy’s website offers links to the accredited programs throughout the country and explains the different programs. One option is to enroll in a Didactic Program (Bachelor or Master’s) plus internship. The other option is a Coordinated program that allows students to complete the didactic studies and complete supervised practice hours within their Bachelor or Master’s program. There were several blogs that I read in which students who had completed the Didactic program were having an extremely difficult time being placed in an internship. Only about 50% of the applicants get placed. This seemed like a very scary position, because without the internship time, the students were unable to take the Registered Dietitian’s exam. I called into the Academy and discussed the options with an advisor, and based on where we live, there were no local programs of either kind available. They suggested that I look for distance programs, and specifically recommended Eastern Michigan University Distance Coordinated Program in Dietetics. There were some huge advantages to this program.

·         I could stay in my area and do my coursework online

·         The science pre-requisites could be taken locally and transferred in (upon approval)

·         Because it is a fully online program, out of state tuition cost do not apply

·         It allowed me to become familiar with local dietitians while I secured preceptors for the program

In a traditional internship program, the field time is already prearranged by the internship program director. This very unique program allows the student to make contact with potential preceptors and establish supervised work hour rotations. I will come back to this in a bit.

The science of food...

So, with all of this information in hand, it seemed that I had a long road of science prerequisites to fulfill, and it seemed very daunting. So many of my classmates were already on a science tract, and I’m over here with a handful of business experience. Folks, my prayer life greatly increased as I worked my way through chemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy & physiology, microbiology and biochemistry. My friends heard me cry and whine all the way through.

During the summer of 2013, I attended Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Symposium. It was so enriching. The information sessions were dynamic and I felt right at home. During a meet and greet session, a dietitian from my county gave me the number of someone in our area who was developing a local dietitian’s chapter. That put the ball in play with regard to securing preceptors for the program. She will never know how valuable that 10 minute conversation was to me.

In January of 2014, just 18 months after I set out to complete the prerequisites, I was sending in my application, which was a 3 ring binder full of requirements. At 37 years old, I was actually applying to my very first program of study, with a pocket full of life experience. The program has just 20 slots available each fall, and 82 students applied.  I was slightly nervous, but God opened so many doors up to this point, that I had a peace in the fact that I only wanted to do what HE wanted me to do, and if this was it, I would earn a spot. To be entirely honest, I am supremely humbled that He has opened so many very specific opportunities for me. It has been the sort of journey that I literally felt as if He walked every step with me, grabbed ahold of each and every door that we encountered and held it opened as I walked through... My most important task? Well, of course, it was to be WILLING to walk through the door. That required getting out of my comfort zone, breaking out of the mental box that I had myself in, and believing that He can do all things in me when I am willing to calm myself into His presence. 

Mid-March, my son trotted in with the mail and I mindlessly begin opening the letters. I look down to read the details of the letter in my hand and see that I had been accepted into the program! There was a mighty shout in the house that day!

So here I am, in May 2014, just a couple of months before I begin the program in late August, anxiously awaiting the experience of the next 2 years. While I feel like I have learned so much just in the preparation, I have not even begun yet.

Why did I choose nutrition/dietetics? Let me count the reasons:

·         I love food

·         I love nutrition

·         I love people

·         I love helping people

·         I love being a positive part of peoples’ growth and recovery

·         I love that God has created us in such a magnificent way, and that He has created food sources for us to specifically meet EVERY SINGLE nutritional need that we have.

In closing, while I am not YET an expert in the area of nutrition, I hope to share some things along the way that may spark a desire for others to take ahold of the great benefits that come from placing a priority on eating well.

Xoxo,

Tasha

Conquering Obesity!

I love infographics! 

Take a few minutes to read through and get a feel for the impact that obesity is having on our society and see what you can do to turn the tide!

Feed Your Life!

Hey, there is arugula hiding in my eggs!

I am a foodie. There is no hiding it. My step-mother, Suzi, tells me that as a kid, when we were eating breakfast, I would ask what we were having for dinner. I love the nurturing feeling that comes from food that comforts, and the crisp texture of fresh foods. I cannot tell you the number of meals that I have enjoyed at the hands of those who love me, and as such, I absorbed that love through every forkful.

As an adult, I became the food nurturer; loving those around me with food that would express the deep love that I have for them. It was the one, personal gift that I could offer to them. So when I determined that my weight was not going to improve with the way I was eating, I really had to change my motto from “I live to eat” to “I eat to live.”

Changing the mindset of eating is not always easy. Behavioral change is just as difficult. I have found that when the evidence is clear, and reason is identified, making adjustments in habits become a little easier. After spending the better part of 15-18 years fatigued, uncomfortable, irritable, and quite honestly, depressed, all of my personal research pointed to the incredibly nutrient poor diet that I was ingesting. I survived on a large portion of carbohydrates, with a small helping of vegetables and a dollop of protein. What I thought was the thrifty way of eating, cost me more in valuable years than it would have ever saved me in money.

There was an interesting cascade effect that began when I first started incorporating more vegetables and healthy proteins in my diet.

• First, I made a healthy meal choice.
• Then, my mind recognized that a good choice was made, and the happy “reward” hormone said “atta girl!” in my head.
• This sweet little happy hormone encouraged me to make more and more good choices, and even gave me the nudge to get active.
• The activity, of course, rallied in weight loss, as well as the occasional ravenous hunger spells from the calorie deficit.
• Remembering that happy feeling when good food choices were made, it kept me from digging into the former food habits.

All of these things help in the course of sustainable weight loss and increased health.

But be aware: If an indulgence creeps in, these things all work in reverse! Unless you quickly jump back on the program and keep trucking forward.  I say this not to be a downer, but to remind us that we will have times that we allow ourselves the occasional splurge, and when that happens, we can take control of the situation and resume the path that we are headed on.

As I transitioned into a healthier eating pattern, my mission was to eat no less than 5 servings of vegetables and fruit (combined) per day.  If I had a day that I was more hungry than normal, I tried to train my brain to think of a veg or fruit that I could eat, rather than the normal filler foods like crackers, chips, etc.

One thing that I am super thankful for during the last 3 years is that I have not been ill, even once. Not a cold, flu or anything (thank you, Lord). There have been a couple of times that it felt like something was trying to set in and I would quickly make a batch of Ginger Tea (hot water, 1 inch hunk of ginger, wedge of lemon & a tsp of honey), and whatever it was would leave.  This is truly evidence that nutrition will assist the body in promoting wellness. When our cells are given the proper macronutrients, vitamins and minerals, the chemical reactions within the body work in proper fashion, building new cells, tissues and fighting off invaders as well as getting rid of dead or bad cells. All of these things take place without any acknowledgement on our part; the nutrients from food simply do their job.

So, no longer is there a huge desire to consume food based simply on taste. Food serves a function, fueling the body, so that life is so much richer. Physical, mental and emotional health improves by eating whole foods.

If your food comes from the Earth or ate from the earth, eat it. If it has undergone any form of processing besides washing, freezing, grinding or drying, you will do yourself a favor by limiting them to only about 1/5 of your total food consumption or less. Each step of processing removes another layer of nutrients, which your body desperately needs to stay in tip-top, disease-fighting state.

The Blue Zones, Second Edition: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, by Dan Buettner is a fascinating book that details the 9 common factors among the population of individuals who live to see 100 years of age. While that may seem like a lofty goal, these individuals seem to do it effortlessly with simple rules for life. I had the privilege to hear Dan Buettner speak at the 2013 Florida Dietetic Symposium and his research bolstered my insistence on making nutrition a priority.

Eat fresh foods. Often. Don’t get discouraged if you try something for the first time and do not like it. Our palettes need the need the opportunity to acquire a new taste. The first time that I ate arugula I thought it was too pungent. It took about 3 times of trying it with different dishes before I finally decided that I LOVE it. Especially with balsamic vinegar!

Challenge yourself the next time you go to the grocery or the market, to buy something that you have never eaten before and keep an open mind to it. Look up the nutrients of that food, and remind yourself that you are FEEDING YOUR LIFE!

Xoxo,

Tasha

My Journey to Better Health!

 

If reading real life experiences help you, then this is for you... Three vital points to my journey can be found in the previous posts regarding the Spiritual, Emotional and Physical aspects of health and weight loss. There is an abundance of information here!

Good, healthy food was never a foreign substance for me.  I believe my mother was the seed of the original health nut. I remember some of my youngest years being part of a mostly vegetarian household.  There wasn’t a plant product that I was foreign to me. So how did I allow myself to rollercoaster through every weight on the scale between 138 and 220? Quite simply: lack of focus and discipline.

There have been seasons when I held fast to a diet and other seasons when I have banished the scale like somehow IT was the problem. I always cooked with elements of the healthy background from which I came; I also allowed too much of the unhealthy non-food in as well. Sometimes I would say, “Oh, you only live once.” Other times I would say, “It is cheaper to buy the boxed stuff.” I could look around at all of the other people, eating what they want and staying slim, and being completely oblivious to their inner health and think, “There must be something wrong with ME.” 

Now I see things completely different. The fact that my body showed the weight that I gained as a result of eating poorly was actually a GIFT! How many times have we come across someone who we think is getting away with something that is really not good for them (physically, mentally, emotionally), only to find out that their misdeeds catch up with them all at once, with vengeance?  That is exactly what happens inside our bodies when we neglect to nourish ourselves as we were intended. Some of us can get away with eating junk for years with no external signs of trauma, but then suddenly, with very little or no warning, a diagnosis of a preventable illness or disease! The fact that my body was my “tattle-tale” helped me to see that what I was doing was poisoning instead of strengthening this vessel that I’ve been given.

My eye-opening, about-face, get-serious-about-being-a-healthy-adult moment came in May of 2011. I was too embarrassed to step on the scale and admit how far out of control that I allowed myself to get. My best guess is that I was about 195 lbs. I was talking to my sister, who is a physician, and a healthy lady herself, about what in the world could be hindering my weight loss. I was praying that there may be a safe pill or a wave of a magical wand that could solve my problems. Without specifically saying it, she helped me see that there were 2 things hindering me: my fork and my couch.  She suggested that I check out Sparkpeople.com. I dug in and read all kinds of articles. I set up a profile and began tracking every morsel that went into my body.

The first realization was that I was consuming way too much of the wrong kinds of foods, and my activity level left too many calories at the end of the day that had not been burned.

I reduced my allowable carbs and increased my proteins primarily because I understand enough about my body to know that the carbs stick with me too long and the proteins help me stay full when I reduce the carbs. Something that I always kept in mind though is that vegetables and fruits have carbs, but I treated those carbs different than I treated grain and potato carbs. I ignored the carbs from veggies and fruits in effort to persuade myself to eat at least 5 of them a day. I never wanted the fear of their carbs to prevent me from eating those fresh foods. Another trick that I implemented was one that my grandmother (who was a little bitty lady) used with great success. On Friday nights, I would allow myself to eat anything that I wanted, without any guilt. A strange thing happened though. While I would indulge in chips and salsa, I no long desired the fatty, fried, super sweet stuff that I was once drawn to.

Making this simple change created some momentum in the weight loss area. I began implementing some exercise in here and there and reading about how some people who were never runners were able to successfully begin a Couch to 5k program. Me? A runner? Never! I was the girl in school who always went to the nurse’s office if we had to run mile in gym! But something bit me…I suddenly wanted to conquer this! Perhaps it was the encouragement of a bit of weight loss, or maybe seeing others who were older than me, and perhaps even heavier than me do this without backing down.  So in June of 2011, I downloaded the Couch 2 5k app on my iPhone and set out to “run” my first workout.  I think I prayed the entire running portion that I would not die on the pavement and some stranger would have to call my family and tell them. I imagined the look on my children’s faces when they heard the news that their mother croaked on the last leg of a 30 second run interval. Then to my surprise, the workout was done and I in fact had completed the first day of the program.

The weirdest thing happened.

I came home and wanted to do the 2^nd day right then. OMYGOODNESS. My 7^th grade gym teacher would be so proud!  For the next few weeks I stuck to the schedule and progressed through the program to run (without stopping!) a full 5k on September 4, 2011 (happy early birthday to me!). Running gave me the biggest bang for the smallest time investment. At this point, I was happy to see my scale hit around 168 lbs. That means, in 4 months I had shed almost 30 lbs, fair and square. No pills, not gimmicks, just breaking the magnetic pull from the couch and changing my food choices a bit. Next goal was to conquer the 10k, which was met by January 1^st, 2012.

Somewhere in this time I discovered the SparkStreak theory: choose a new habit that you would like to begin and each day in a row you do it counts towards your streak. If you skip a day you begin at 1 again. So I began my first fitness streak in August of 2011. My first streak was 120 days in a row. It was so exciting to keep it going. My friend Shaneka was my buddy and we cheered each other on. My next streak lasted over 100 days. And currently, my friend Angel and I have a 728 day fitness streak going. The best part of the streak is that it is motivating to others as well! That is the whole idea: to SPARK someone into changing their life too!

All of this created a newfound confidence. I had been feeling the nudging to go back to school, but never felt that I could muster the energy required to maintain a household of 3 teenagers, a struggling business and college. Even so, in October of 2011, I jumped in with both feet.  Success with maintaining discipline in body trickled over to success in maintaining discipline in the mind. In the spring, my biology professor (who held a bachelor’s in nutrition, among other things) helped me put together some missing pieces in my weight gain/loss mystery. He went into great detail of the impact of sugar and manufactured products on the cells in our body. He challenged the class with a 30 day sugar/artificial sweetener fast. He promised that there would be weight loss and a reduced bloating, along with increased energy. He explained that there are so many toxins in the manufactured foods which actually CREATE food cravings. It is like how tobacco companies manipulate the nicotine in cigarettes to ensure future customers.  I took the challenge, and saw great success! Within the first month I lost approximately 10 lbs and saw a difference in my waistline. Additionally, food tasted so much better and I no longer craved the treats that I had been allowing myself sparingly.

This set me in the direction to visit the idea of a lifelong love of food and nutrition. Instantly, I knew the direction I should go with my education and I began to turn my attention to the field of dietetics. It was like I had been reunited with an old friend.  The more I refreshed myself with the healthful attributes of God-given foods, the more I began to remove processed foods out of my diet, and saw even more weight come off without much effort.

Consciously adding natural foods into our diet does so much more for the body than just the circumference of our waistline. It is the most effective way to build our innate ability to fight off sickness and disease. A strong immune system is to the body as the Coast Guard is to our shores. Invaders may attempt to invade, but when we build the cellular response to attack the foreigners, the result is as we were divinely designed.

Today, my weight rests somewhere in the upper 130’s. My body is stronger from the inside out than it was 36 months ago. More than anything, my spirit, my body and my mind all come together in a balance of a disciplined lifestyle that can better reflect the life that the Lord desires for me to live.

The key components of my current lifestyle are comprised of:

·        Morning quiet time praying and reading The Word each day. A life built on Jesus is the core of a balanced life.

·        Drink my first glass of water for the day while my coffee is perking and eat something small shortly after awakening (whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter most days)

·        At least 10 minutes of exercise each day (sometimes it is an hour run, sometimes it is 10 min of yoga/stretching)

·        ALWAYS eat at least 5 vegetables/fruits each day (less hungry when these are eaten)

·        5-6 mini meals or 3 moderate meals w/2 snacks

·        Have a protein source at each meal/snack. Chicken, turkey, lean pork or red meat, tuna, nuts, beans, tofu, cheese (small amount), Greek yogurt.

·        Drink at least 3 liters of water per day

·        If sweetener is needed, honey, or pure stevia or raw sugar. This is used very sparingly as it creates cravings. Zero white sugar, zero sugar substitutes.

·        Choose whole grain, brown rice, quinoa, and whole oats. Zero white flour.

·        Read labels, and choose items that have food closest to its original form. Frozen vegetables are a more stable form than canned. Look for items with no additives, starches or syrups. Check things that you would not suspect. Dry roasted peanuts can contain sugar and starch. Canned beans sometimes are packed in corn syrup.

·       Stick to “Clean Eating” methods of food choices and preparation

This story is mine, but it is not anything that anyone else could not experience with a hearty portion of stick-to-it-tiveness... I hope this helps you find it! You can do it!

*Disclaimer: Please consult your physician before beginning any weight loss or exercise regimen. This information is offered as suggestions and encouragement.

The Emotional Side of Health and Weight Loss

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Part II of III

Go here for Part I
and here for Part III

The initial days and weeks of my health journey were filled with intention, motivation and even discouragement. Human nature fails at times, and it is vital to have an anchor on the goals to keep from drifting away during the first storm. Our emotions are all over the board, and the purpose will hold you firm. When your purpose is resting squarely on improving your health for longevity and vitality, you are focused on the right direction.

In an initial assessment, ask yourself an important question:

Do I have the ability to improve my health,

or do I feel like outside forces influence my ability to lose weight?

Of course, as a Christian, I believe that Jesus is in control when I ask Him to fulfill His will in my life, but we play a huge role in the success of our lives based on the choices that we make. This simple question identifies what is called your locus of control. It describes who we mentally put in the driver’s seat of our lives. Do we have excuses like, “I cannot afford to eat healthy,” “My work keeps me too busy to exercise,” or “My kids take all of my energy”? The daily excuses (though I say this with all the love in my soul) keeps us trapped in a “victim of my fat genes” mentality. Believe me, I wore them (in every size and color availableJ). I recognize that it is very inconvenient to work hard for weight loss to develop a healthy lifestyle, but so is the emotional toll that diabetes, cancer, and heart disease can take on you and your loved ones. You may hate me now for saying this, but on the other side of your success, you may love me. Even when we experience issues with our health, there are always actions that we can take that would be more positive or more negative to our condition. When we commit to take an active role in the outcome of our health and weight loss, we are positioned for a breakthrough.

When we are in pursuit of weight loss, it would be impossible to not give some attention to the scale. It is one of the ways that we benchmark our progress, however, it is not the only way. The numbers on the scale can serve as our momentary statistic to reflect the work you are investing in your health, BUT, it should not be used to discourage you on your journey.

Believe me, I fully understand the emotional trauma that the scale can bring. We can avoid mirrors, cut the tags out of our clothes, and blame the shrinking clothes on the drier, but the scale brings us face to face with the effort, or lack thereof in the area of nutrition and activity. During the years that I weighed the most, I avoided the scale like the plague. It was a reminder of all of the things that I was not doing to correct the problem and only brought about guilt and shame.

On the journey to greater health, my personal opinion of the scale is that it should be used as a method to learn more about your body. For myself, I check my weight at least 5 times per week. This has done several things for me: it allows me to recognize how my body will react to certain foods, levels of activity, and even check my monthly cycle; additionally, if I allow myself to have a cheat meal, or day, it becomes easier to jump back on the clean-eating wagon before the train leaves the station. In the beginning of weight loss, sometimes I got discouraged when I did not see the scale move as quickly as I thought it should, but I worked diligently to press out the negative emotions of discouragement and focus on the fact that I already lost ____ amount of weight since the beginning of my journey, and I was still a work in progress.

I want to talk about the emotional battle with food. From the moment that we are born, there is a deep seated pleasure that is gained surrounding our nourishment. As a baby, we were likely cuddled and cooed on as we filled our tummies. As we grew, we recognize that celebrations were surrounded with food and treats. Sometimes, well-meaning loved ones would reward us with food for getting good grades, or being good in the grocery store. Often, we become those well-meaning adults who listen to the begging of our children for the Little Debbie’s and the cycle continues. There is nothing inherently wrong with feasting for special occasions (the Bible refers to many such joyous occasions), however, the reason that they were so greatly enjoyed was because it was a special occurrence, and they were treasured as designated times to celebrate.

Today, if we are stressed, we reach for the chocolate. If we are sad, we reach for the potato chips. When we are happy, we indulge in extra desert. If we are sick, it could be hot cocoa and marshmallows. We have an indulgence for any emotion in the psyche. However, we can turn this emotional crutch into a positive experience when we begin to make choices that promote our healthy lifestyle. When we recognize that every forkful of whole foods is actually strengthening, and healing our body, an amazing thing happens in our minds. Eating beautifully colorful vegetables and fruits send a message to our brains that promote a message of wellness in our minds. If you think I am lying, ask anyone who commits to eating whole foods for more than 30 days and they will tell you, the mental feedback that they receive from their brain when they sit down to eat a healthy meal reinforces their good habits and encourages to maintain those healthy choices. After a certain point in time, when I have allowed myself to indulge in a cheat meal or dessert, I tend to be very selective. It has to really taste good, or it simply has no appeal to me. This has not always been the case. Before, I could not understand if someone said that a dessert was too sweet; I wondered if there was even such a thing! We can retrain our brains and our emotions to reflect a healthy relationship with food!

Milestones and goals are supremely important during the weight loss process. We can get bored, lose focus, and become discouraged so easily. Building new habits require daily effort and devotion. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge advocate of the most positive incentive I have ever come across: the Spark Streak! In the beginning of my journey, I used the website Sparkpeople, where the Spark Streak comes from. In essence, you set a goal (like drink 8 glasses of water per day, or exercise at least 10 minutes per day) and each consecutive day that you meet your goal, you continue your streak. This physically builds a new habit, but it also develops a significant emotional boost when you are able to maintain this new habit. With every passing day that you are able to check off on your streak, you are casting off defeat, and claiming a brand new handful of triumph! There is an almost magical effect that occurs once you make it passed the first 2 weeks, and then a month, 6 months, a year. You become more willing to take on new challenges and start to understand that every journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. In fact, I will go into this more when I discuss the physical side of weight loss, but using some form of diet and fitness tracking (like myfitnesspal and mapmyfitness) will encourage you to reach monthly goals. Seeing the miles stack up and the days that you have met your calorie intake goal without splurging will prove to yourself that, yes indeed, you are capable of creating new habits.

One emotional aspect of weight loss is our personal self-image. We may look in the mirror and see one person, but the actual physical attributes we hold may be very different. As we lose weight and we begin to replace our wardrobe, we have to remind ourselves to select a different size. It may shock us as we try on new styles that we have never worn before. Becoming aware of the changes in our physique is an ongoing process, and just remember to love the skin you are in every single day. Be thankful for the working limbs, organs and tissues that house your soul and allow you to love your people daily. You may find that you have a kinder self-image, and that is a great thing!

Warning: once you begin setting and attaining new goals, expect a newfound boldness to success in other areas of life. For me, five months after I set out on my journey, I gained the courage to go back to school. At the time, I thought I was going back to finish my degree in business. Within the 2^nd semester, I feel like God directed me to pursue a degree in nutrition and dietetics. This was in complete opposition of my former path, which meant I would have to spend almost 2 full years completing the science prerequisites for the program. Always being afraid of any form of science in school, I knew that it was a God thing, and somehow, coupled with the success that I gained in improving my health, He would see me through the process. Today, I have completed the perquisites, and have been accepted in the competitive distance Coordinated Program in Dietetics through Eastern Michigan University. I am telling you right here and now, there was a direct connection between the emotional strength gained on my journey and the path that I am beginning this fall in the program. This journey that began as a personal one has now become a passion to assist others in rebuilding their health.

If this has encouraged you, leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you!
xoxo,

Tasha Brickhouse

 *Disclaimer: This information is offered as encouragement and should not be substituted from advice offered from trained medical providers.

The Spiritual Side of Health and Weight Loss

Part I of III
Look here for Part II of III
and here for Part III

So often, we set out on a new adventure in life and at the onset, we have absolutely no idea just how much that we DO NOT know about the direction that we are going. The first few years after I turned my life over to Christ was a constant trial and error as I learned more about His Word and the direction that He designed for me. The same thing was true in the first years of marriage and motherhood. I kept looking for the book or the person with the tried and true formula for success. I found a vast amount of advice and examples to guide me along the way, but in the end, the best teaching that I received was when the Holy Spirit spoke into my heart. It was at those times that I knew very specific instruction was etched in my heart, and it was there to guide me along as I navigated unfamiliar territory.

The University of Maryland Medical Center discusses the historic connection between the health of the body and spirit, and how the scientific revolution sought to treat with medicine alone for some time, but is now acknowledging the research supporting this vital connection between body and spirit.  Understanding that it is God who designed these vessels, I believe that we can learn how to manage our health, weight and physical strength. If we first begin with the spiritual aspects, we gain control of our emotions and bring our physical being into order. I seek to offer some encouragement and direction in this area, so that you can begin to see progress in all three of these areas. I will begin with the area of the spirit.

Our physical flesh is a rowdy rival of the spirit. At times we feel like the flesh rules us, and other times we feel “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” –Matt 26:41, but the beginning of that verse says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation…” This is the very key to overcoming the flesh. You may ask, “How is my health/weight related to prayer?” It is deeply connected to the source of power that we draw from. During the years that my weight registered in the obese category, it was never my intention to be that weight. I did not wake up wondering how I would maintain my grand stature, nor did I rejoice over the fact that I was winded with every flight of stairs I had to climb. I did not actively pursue that condition, but I allowed my flesh to drag me around like pony on a leash. But there is an amazing thing about the Holy Spirit: it contains the power to overcome any adversity or addiction. The Holy Spirit gives us eyes to see and ears to hear. With the Holy Spirit, the purpose for the changes in our lives become a part of your “character DNA,” creating long-term, life-enduring progress.



Nov 2009

While I was not a habitual “dieter” in terms of programs and such, seeking weight loss always seemed to be something that I had on my mind. At one point, in my early 30’s, I was fairly successful with the Adkin’s diet, and lost around 80 lbs. I will come back to this in a future post, but what I do want to point out about this time period, is that I did not see things from a spiritual perspective or from a long-term health perspective. I simply saw the program as a vehicle to lose weight. So as you can imagine, as some of my old habits (some principles I tried to hold on to), I gained back 40-50 of the 80 lbs that I lost.


In 2011, when I first experienced the “Mom Moment," I knew that I could not make a lasting difference in my health unless the Lord gave me strength. It was no different than an alcoholic putting down the drink, except, complete abstinence of food is not an option, we have to eat to live! At this point in my life, the economy was causing a severe hardship for our family, and there were often days that I was not sure if I could mentally endure the struggle that we were experiencing. If I ever had a good excuse to crawl in a hole and cry, it was during this particular time. I often had to step carefully around the pit of depression and discouragement, and learn to catapult myself over walls that tried to block me in. But I did not do this alone.

Daily, hourly, and minute by minute, my prayers included whispers of, “Lord, show me how to develop temperance, endurance, consistency and give me a greater desire to honor you by placing value on the things that are lasting, my faith, my family, my loved ones and my health.” When the funds were very limited, I asked God to teach me how to provide healthy meals for my family on a limited budget. When my flesh did not want to get outside to exercise, I prayed for a spirit to overcome the old habit of laziness. I asked God to give me a vision for an active lifestyle that would include the ability to keep up with my kids and other little loved ones and enjoy the days and years that I have with my husband. When I set out to complete my first couch to 5k program, one part of my mind could not comprehend how I would complete it, but by praying through the running intervals, I was amazed that each and every time that I did it without quitting. I would pray, that God would teach me endurance during adversity, and I dwelt upon this passage:



Jan 2014

"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." -1 Cor 9:24-27 NLT

This verse is specifically referring to the Christian’s walk and call to their faith, and as an integral part of honoring the life that He has given me, I was able to draw great strength from these verses. The verse that says, “So I run with purpose in every step” is a golden nugget! This is the type of reminder that should be written on the bathroom wall, stuffed in workout shoes, and repeated several times a day. When God gives us that purpose, He allows it to be the fuel for our journey!

Let me tell you how this translates in my life.

From the time that I first set out to serve the Lord, there has been a tug on my heart to minister to the needs of the body of Christ. Specifically to women, mothers and wives. It is so easy for us to stay busy caring for those around us and we forget the fact that we lead others by example. As mothers, our children, though they do not always do as we say, they often do what we do. In many ways, we set them up for success or for failure, based on our own actions. It is far more important that we model habits and a lifestyle that will foster good spiritual, emotional and physical health. Experiencing spiritual breakthrough in this area gave me the faith in God to step into new areas, areas that I would not have previously had the courage to do alone. Understanding that He is the perfect way-maker (not that things are always perfect, but that He makes a perfect way in all things), I began to trust that His vision is grander than mine could ever be. When we are willing to turn our stubborn flesh over to the Lord, and allow Him to breathe purpose in our lives, the results are astounding! I will share more about how this experience has opened doors to new areas that I never would have dreamed of before.

Stay tuned! In another post, I will share the emotional side and the physical side of health and weight loss. These three things come together to offer a full, healthy perspective on lifelong weight management as a natural side effect of good health. If I can do this, so can you! 

xoxo,

Tasha Brickhouse

Welcome Home!

Clearing out the cobwebs, moving stuff around, giving things new color... Pretty soon The Brick house will be up and running. It's been a while, and that is a story in itself. The Brick House will share motivating, encouraging, healthy ideas and tips. I'm excited to breathe some new life into this old place! Welcome home!

- Posted on the fly

By Tasha Brickhouse