Simply Inspired: Holistic Health Coach- Christa Thompson

 

It's a new year and we are setting goals to make a healthier change for 2016.  I know a lot of you are doing the same, so we have partnered up with one of our favorite health coaches to share with you some great tips and recipes. We are so excited to have Christa Thompson taking over our blog today as our "Simply Inspired" guest.  She is such an amazing and beautiful person inside and out.  Her story of how she became a Holistic Health Coach is truly inspiring! 

 

ABOUT ME 

Yoga pants, horses, fitness, cooking and my family – these are just a few of the many things that describe me, Christa Thompson. Here are some others: Christian. Holistic Health Coach. Daughter. Sister. Wife. And, my all-time favorite, Mother.  

I am originally from the beautiful small town of Osakis, MN. I now live in Alexandria with my husband, Randy, and two kids, Danza and Ryker.  To say I have a strong passion for fitness, health and nutrition is an understatement. I love helping people and in the process, I hope to build authentic relationships with them and I hope I can help them reach their goals and see their full potential.  

 

I love healthy foods that taste good and help heal the body. But, here’s a little secret...I also love sweets, too! And every now and then, I may indulge in an adult beverage or two! I am a firm believer in working to find balance. I follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time I eat very clean, but I am human, and allow myself to have those “treats” occasionally and fully enjoy them with no guilt!  

Some of my other loves:

●        Country music

●        Workout clothes (seriously, you can NEVER have too many yoga pants, right?!?!)

●        Laughing

●        Girl time

●        Goals

●        Teaching (I am a former school teacher and that is why I love helping people learn.)

●        Sports

●        Spending time with family

●        Tattoos (I have several.)

 

Also, I have to share that some people may say I am brutally honest and I have to agree. I know how to be sassy when needed and I stand up for what I believe in. I have learned to be authentic with myself. We all should learn how to do that. 

 

HEALTH AND NUTRITION 

My interest in health and nutrition stems from two major life events. The first, is that I had a severe eating disorder that controlled everything about my life and me. After many years, and LOTS of prayers, I realized that I didn’t want to be THAT person anymore. I also realized that I was the only person who could change me. So, I started to dabble in learning about health and nutrition. I started educating myself. No one else was going to do it.

The second, and most important life event, was the birth of my daughter, Danza. She was born at 23 weeks, weighing in just shy of one pound. Yes, ONE pound. She spent a total of eight months in the hospital before finally coming home. She dealt with, and continues to deal with, numerous medical issues. Danza is primarily fed through a feeding tube, but can eat real foods at times. To try and make an extremely long and complicated story short and simple, Danza has a motility disorder in her small bowel - food doesn’t move through it like it should, which causes vomiting. This in turn caused her to have trouble gaining weight and to grow. Unfortunately, the doctors had no answers except feeding her directly into her jejunum (the middle portion of her small intestine). I was told there was not a cure for her motility disorder. 

So, I took matters into my own hands. I researched non-stop and found nutritionists to help me. In time, we were finally able to feed her in her regular feeding tube, and not directly into her jejunum. There was finally no vomiting and Danza began to not only feel better, she began to grow. And, this was all due to giving her body what it needed - nourishing food that was not only good for her, but helped her to heal and grow! Because of all of this, I decided to go back to school to learn more about holistic health and nutrition. I found an online school that is known for its holistic approach - the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and from there, my whole career path changed.

A CHANGE IN CAREERS

  

My initial career path led me to be an elementary teacher, which is what I intended to do in life - teach. When Danza was born, my teaching career ended. Or so I thought. Fortunately, God showed me that he had other plans for my life. He helped me see that with the knowledge I gained through IIN, and a new super-foods nutrition program, I could still teach. I could help people and drastically change their lives for the better. I never expected to feel so passionate about what I do, or to be so rewarded for helping others reach their goals through health and nutrition. One of the ways I am able to do this is through the super-foods nutrition program, which I wholeheartedly believe in! The products are healthy, nutritious, and full of the vitamins and nutrients our bodies need and deserve. Through this program, I get to have authentic conversations with people and I get to develop amazing relationships. I absolutely LOVE what I do!

TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR JOURNEY TO BETTER HEALTH 

Here are just a few suggestions to help you in your healthy living journey:

 

●   Plan and prep your meals - I do this on Sundays and get the whole family involved.

●   Find easy family recipes - Resources are endless! 

●   Read labels - know the ingredients you are putting in your body

●   Piece together a daily plan so it works overtime, not overnight. Keep it clean, keep it simple, keep it healthy – Just be consistent. 

• Try healthier substitutes - such as almond or coconut flour instead of regular flour; using almond milk or cashew milk instead of regular milk; using plain Greek yogurt and flavoring it with fresh fruit and raw honey instead of low-fat regular yogurt; using raw unrefined honey instead or pure maple syrup instead of sugar; using coconut oil (organic, unrefined) instead of vegetable oil; using brown rice or quinoa pasta instead of regular pasta; or using almond butter or sun butter instead of regular peanut butter.

One last tip and it’s one I strongly believe in: Learn to love your body. You can change the outside all you want, but until you change the inside, how you look will never truly matter!

 

FAVORITE RECIPES TO SHARE

 

Protein Puppy Chow

3 oz Dark chocolate chips

1/4 Cup almond butter or organic peanut butter

1/4 Cup raw honey

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp Vanilla extract

4 1/2 Cup Corn Chex cereal

2/3 Cup un-denatured vanilla whey protein powder (I use Isagenix IsaPro)

In a pan on the stove, melt the first five ingredients together. Then, in a large bowl, pour the melted mixture over the cereal. Once the cereal is well coated, sprinkle the protein powder on top. I lay mine out on a big cookie sheet so it has time to cool and not clump together.

Healthy Lasagna

2 lbs grass fed beef (sometimes I use ground turkey as well)

1 box brown rice lasagna noodles (can be found in the organic section of a grocery store)

1 32 oz container of 4% cottage cheese

3 cups mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup spinach

1 jar Newman’s Own Sockarooni tomato sauce

1 can black olives

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Brown ground beef in coconut oil on low heat. Add chopped garlic and cilantro. Drain excess water. Cook pasta noodles, drain, rinse in cold water and set aside to dry. Time to layer the lasagna. Place cottage cheese in 4.8 quart Pyrex baking dish. Place lasagna noodles side by side on top of cottage cheese. Top with ground beef, 1 1/2 cups cheese, 1/2 cup spinach and half of the tomato sauce. Add one more layer of lasagna noodles and layer on the remaining ingredients. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. 

"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way; if you don't you'll find an excuse." - Jim Rohn
 

~Christa

Facebook: Christa Thompson – Holistic Health Coach

Instagram: @christajthompson

Email: kraveun@gmail.com

New Year, New Beginning

“This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.”

― Taylor Swift

 

It is crazy to think we are already into the new year! Since we had started this blog only a few months back, we have really begun to envision new goals for this coming year. One of the best things about celebrating a new year is the opportunity for a new beginning. Celebrating the new year is unlike any other celebration. While reflecting on the past, you begin to see a new outlook for your future. It's amazing to step back and be able to see all of the different changes you have made in your life in just a short year! 

A new year gives you the opportunity for a fresh start towards a better you.  Setting new goals and striving to reach new heights. Why do we do this?....Set goals with the risk of not achieving them and by the end of the year we are left with regret and disappointment?  Well, setting goals simply gives you the opportunity for a new perspective....seeing that there is hope for a new YOU, a new life, a new relationship, etc! It is such a powerful thing to know that your journey is unique and like no other. With that said, What does your journey look like?

How do you start the process of understanding how to obtain the new goals or changing previous ones that were unattainable last year?  Here are a few simple tips that have helped us achieve our goals....

1. Setting yourself up for success- Set measurable attainable goals. You don't have to try to reach the for the highest peak, but it's okay to venture outside your comfort zone. Keep in mind, that your goals are for your own personal benefit and satisfaction. You are the one that will put in the work to obtain that goal, so it is important to remember that you are making the change for you and not for others. Also, nothing has to be set in stone, life is constantly changing and sometimes you have to rework your goals to accommodate those changes.  Don't get discouraged, reset your plans, and keep moving forward. 

2. Start journaling- By simply writing ideas and thoughts out on paper, you are able to get a better understanding of what you are trying accomplish. Make lists, set times and dates, be specific and detailed. 

3. Accountability- It is nice to know who around you has the same goals, because then you are able to add in the accountability factor. Since Kelli and I are both wanting to have a more healthy lifestyle, we can encourage each other and talk with each other about our successes and struggles.  It makes it easier to see a positive outlook if you have someone that is cheering you on. 

4. Make it a lifestyle- Beyond the fact that it is a goal, what you are hoping to accomplish has to be a lifestyle change. You can change anything that you want to, but if you want a permanent result, you have to make it a permanent change. Life can throw you many curve balls, and we all have made excuses as to why we have not done something. The more you make it a habit, the easier it becomes to stick to it, and the better chances you have to reaching that goal. It is important to remember is that it takes at least a month to make something a habit! 

5. Reward yourself- Give yourself a shout out! You hit that milestone and are reaching for the next, you go girl!! If you don't reward yourself, you will find it hard to keep the drive and motivation. Simple rewards throughout your journey will give you that little push to keep on keeping on!  The important thing is to not get carried away. Make sure you are making conscious decisions that will help you stay on track.....what is a good reward to give yourself that won't cause you to back track, but instead keep you motivated? 

Whatever your goal...don't forget to enjoy the journey! 

"Have faith in your journey. Everything had to happen exactly as it did to get you where you are going next." -Mandy Hale