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Denise Sultenfuss

The Place to Restore And Manange Your Health-Wellness

Sleepovers: Rethinking This Potentially Unsafe Childhood Pastime

June 12, 2017 · In: Family, Motherhood

sleepovers

 

Sleepovers are woven into the fabric of American childhood.  In today’s world, an invite to a sleepover may likely outrank the wonderment and anticipation of waiting for the tooth fairy.

Writing an article about the inherent dangers of sleepovers is as popular as pillaging honey pots from Winnie-the-Pooh.  Why would I try to discredit what all believe to be a magical childhood milestone? Because sleepovers aren’t what they used to be, we need to unravel the sleepover pastime and alter the tradition in some ways.

If your child asked your permission to peddle his Huffy bike into an unfamiliar neighborhood late at night, what would be your response?  Most responsible parents would emphatically answer “no, absolutely not” to this seemingly absurd request.

Then suppose your child came to you and asked permission to stay the night at a friend’s house, what would you say?  Most likely, you would answer “yes” with as much enthusiasm as though she made it the finals on “The Voice.”

We should rethink our “yes” to the second scenario as quickly as we blurt out our “no” to the first scenario. Simply by delaying or denying this favorite kid activity, you will not relegate your child to a life of wallflower status.

When we consent to a sleepover without thinking through the potential danger, it’s as though we’ve granted our child permission to meander through that unknown neighborhood on his bike, late at night, without the protection of nighttime biking gear.  Our kids need and expect our protection.

Sleepovers aren’t the Same as They Once Were

Personally, I recall fond memories of pre-teen “slumber parties.” We were a nest of girls who transformed into nocturnal creatures.  After noshing on pizza from the neighborhood store, Lucky’s Superette, we gorged on endless bowls of generic brand ice-cream scooped from a plastic container with a lid the color of Brach’s cinnamon red heart candy.

During adolescence, I coasted through the sleepover phase unharmed.  As I glance back, I remember only one slippery sleepover incident.  A friend’s creepy father drained my comfort level for sleepovers with his slithery words fueled by too much vodka.

By then, the thrill of sleepovers paled in comparison to getting my first job and Friday night football games.

1. The Reality of the Dangers

There are unavoidable circumstances where parents relegate the protection of their children to others.  Daycare providers and educators protect your children in your absence.  Typical sleepover parties don’t qualify as one of those unavoidable situations.

The shocking reality is that children are most vulnerable to Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) between the ages of 7 and 13, prime sleepover years and 90% are abused by someone they know, love or trust.

If those statistics don’t have you reconsidering the modern day sleepover, then this Facebook post by pediatrician and mom, Dr. Tobi Adeyeye Amosun might:

“Slumber parties: I wanted to address this separately because of it being a sensitive subject. My daughter is allowed to go to a select few friends’ homes (like five families) for sleepovers. Never parents that I don’t know extremely well, which means she doesn’t get to sleep over at school friends’ homes. Never large groups of kids, where one kid being separated might not be noticed. That said, I can’t tell you how many times patients tell me the first time they were touched inappropriately or the first time they saw pornography was during a sleepover. I only get one chance to raise my kid, and I’d rather be a mean parent who is no fun than have the other possibility.”

For my kids, invitations to sleepovers began to trickle in at the age of four.  Something deep inside the cavern of my mommy-heart felt unsettled about the prospect of a pre-school sleepover.  At first, we sheepishly declined invitations for sleepovers hoping that friends didn’t receive the decline as an insult towards the friendship.

Serving in church ministry and hearing the real life stories from victims of CSA empowered my husband and me to boldly yet politely communicate our stand on sleepovers for our kids.

2. Formulate a family policy

I am not advocating a helicopter parenting style or suggesting that you unleash your inner Tiger Mom talons, just seriously consider the facts and devise a family plan for sleepovers.

For our family, the paralyzing reality that Child Sexual Abuse could take place anywhere is debilitating enough for parents, so establishing a “no sleepover policy” until age 13+ reduced the chances of a perpetrator annihilating our kid’s innocence.

sleepover

The Logic to Our Family Sleepover Policy

We decided that at age 13+ our kids developed enough reasoning and analytical skills to debate and challenge an authority figure, whether it is a friend’s parent/older sibling/uncle or an older neighbor about inappropriate talk, “safe-touch” versus “bad touch,” or pornography.

By the teen years, we trusted that enough fireside family conversations regarding the magnitude of child sexual abuse, the dark side of technology, and our hyper-sexualized society cultivated an awareness about the reality of these issues.

During the teen years, children flourish in argumentative and debate skills, questioning everything from political boundaries to elections, and even, parental rules.  Rather than squelching this natural tendency in teens, we mentored our kids to debate respectfully with clear logic and reasoning.  Were these conversations with our teens without the occasional robust, right-on-the-edge of a disrespectful tone? Of course not.  These fundamental communications skills could serve them well in a potentially dangerous situation.

Each one of our kids reached this stage of teen development at a different age.  One of our children had an expressive language delay, so we waited a year or two beyond 13 years old before granting this child the privilege to do sleepovers.  A few years later, this particular child voices great relief that we didn’t push her into a situation that she just wasn’t ready to handle.

The Sleep under/Half-sleepover

My caboose kid participates in a sleep under with families that we know well and trust.  At ten years old, she packs her overnight bag with her favorite mermaid PJs, her beloved glittery stuffed mermaid and has fun with her friends until 10:30. Then, we pick her up and bring her home.

On occasion, she erects a little resistance to the policy.  Is it hard not to cave?  YES!  But my job as a parent is to protect my kids even at the expense of their social calendar.

And let’s be real, when all the younger chicks are tucked in the nest, everyone gets a better night sleep. Except for the long awaited trip to grandma and grandpa/ aunties and uncles, sleepovers can wait.

3. Rehabilitate Your Sleepovers

Sometimes we need to adjust. We don’t build homes the same way we did fifty years ago, birthday parties are now mini receptions, and if something breaks, we buy new.  Few things in life are the same as they once were.  The reality of this is somewhat dismal but accurate.

The same logic applies to parenting and the myriad of childhood circumstances that come with the job.   Sleepovers are one of the childhood pastimes that we need to modify to protect our kids.

With the sleepover conundrum, we are dealing with a far more serious issue than “am I a terrible mommy if I give my kid sugared cereal in the morning?”  This subject should be a topic of discussion within families long before your sweet child receives his first e-vite.

Deciding how to handle sleepovers doesn’t require parenting wizardry.  It does demand a new outlook and possibly a different approach to a ritual that seems to be a favorite tradition in Western culture.

We want our children to be as cunning as the narrator eventually became in Dr. Seuss’ I had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew:

So I said to myself,

“Now, I’ll just have to start

To be twice as careful

and be twice as smart

I’ll watch out for trouble

in front and back sections

By aiming my eyeballs

in different directions.”

 

Do you have a sleepover family policy?  If so, please share what works or didn’t work for your family?  Do you have any tips?

Don’t Cram Your Kid in a Curriculum Box

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By: Denise Sultenfuss · In: Family, Motherhood · Tagged: christian living, homeschooling, parenting

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maggie Milker says

    June 13, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    Agree, we need to be careful with sleepovers. For me, I also consider gun safety....Are guns left out or locked away? But, most of all I trust my gut and check in with myself before giving an answer.
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 13, 2017 at 8:28 pm

      You are so right about gun safety! Yes, taking that minute to pause and think the situation through is wise.
      Reply
  2. Becky Hastings says

    June 14, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    This is such a tricky topic. The necessity to protect our children is obvious to us, but how to best do so is tricky. I think we also need to pray. Pray about each child and situation. It may be different for different kids (which makes it very hard!) I also don't want to live in fear. Finding the balance is difficult and it is worth having these hard discussions to do so.
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 14, 2017 at 3:22 pm

      Definitely a call to prayer with this subject matter as with everything! You are right about handling the situation differently with each child.
      Reply
  3. Na'omi Keith says

    June 14, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    Hello, I really like the idea of having an age for sleepovers. I remember being a 10-year-old 4th grader going to a sleep over but going home when it was time to go to bed. I was not ready by any means and not comfortable with the situation. Also, I like to compromise of half sleepovers. The kids get the experience of a sleepover without the actual sleeping over. These are great suggestions. Our culture has changed so much, we need to too. Thank you, Na'omi @ RoyaltybyGrace.com
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 14, 2017 at 3:20 pm

      I couldn't agree with you more about how our culture has changed which means we must reevaluate. Thanks for stopping by.
      Reply
  4. Dani | Free Indeed says

    June 14, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    I definitely plan on being careful with whose homes my daughter is allowed to visit and sleep over at, because I want to be cautious with what she's exposed to. The statistics about abuse was eye-opening concern that I hadn't really considered before! I also though it was neat you helped your children learn to engage in conversations with wisdom and conviction.
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 14, 2017 at 5:12 pm

      You are wise to consider the "being careful" option. I believe that God gifted me with children of varying strengths and abilities, and of course, weaknesses. We weighed all of those as one unique God ordained package.
      Reply
  5. Jen says

    June 15, 2017 at 12:58 pm

    I get it! this is a great topic, and one I don't think I've read many posts about, but we definitely have a policy. I love that you said that you job as the parent "is to protect my kids even at the expense of their social calendar." I too have no problem with saying no and sticking to it, especially when it comes to the safety of my children, Anybody could be anything, you just don't know and can never tell sneaky or evil people by their looks. So err on the side of caution. I'm definitely sharing this. Oh by the way, our policy, typically if a flat out NO. just recently we let our son sleep out at a family friends house for a party. this was something that my husband and I came to an agreement on after deliberation and deciding that we knew the friends very well. Even then, I think there will always be a scare factor.
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 16, 2017 at 8:46 am

      Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to ready and comment. We battled the issue with very little information out there available to parents. For the next generation, it must be different because the world is different.
      Reply
  6. Donna Reidland says

    June 16, 2017 at 9:53 am

    Denise, this is such an important issue to consider and pray about. I think your "rules" are wise in today's world. Like one of the other commentators, there may be individual situations and maturity levels, but sadly, things are not like they were. And even then things happened. Thanks for addressing the issue.
    Reply
  7. Cynthia Trejo says

    June 16, 2017 at 10:00 am

    Until a couple years ago, I had never even given this much thought. I remember sleepovers growing up with fond memories, but they were only with a few friends I was allowed. I haven't had any issue with my children asking yet, but I planned to say no. I like the "sleep under" idea. So it isn't quite a no, but it keeps them safe.
    Reply
  8. Sarah says

    June 17, 2017 at 10:11 am

    We have said no to so many sleep overs and just started saying yes to a few. We have also done a few half sleep overs. I want to know the families and like them. The girls are disappointed with no, but they get over it!
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 18, 2017 at 4:43 pm

      Good to know that you have a strong resolve for this topic!
      Reply
  9. Jennifer | www.feastingonjoy.com says

    June 17, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    I so much agree with this post. Those stats are staggering. From day one we have a no-sleepover policy. These days, there is just so many things that can happen. From technology to trafficking and more. It's scary. When we partnered with O.U.R (Operation Underground Railroad) and followed more and more of their journey rescuing children from sex trafficking it further confirmed our resolve. The reason we just say no to all sleepovers is that it gets too complicated on a case by case basis. It prevents a lot of strife that our kiddos know not to even ask. Thanks for sharing this well-written post!
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 18, 2017 at 4:41 pm

      Thanks for the information about O.U.R.! I will follow their journey as well.
      Reply
  10. Mary Carver says

    June 20, 2017 at 11:06 pm

    Hi Denise! Thank you so much for this post. My girls are still too young for sleepover invitations, but I'm sure the issue is just around the corner for us. I appreciate your perspective and how much you shared with us. I'm a fellow Hope*Writer, and I also work for ForEveryMom.com, a Christian parenting site. I believe our readers at ForEveryMom.com would appreciate this post, too - so would you allow us to republish it on our site? We'd give you full credit as author, link back to the original post here, and include your bio and head shot. Please let me know if you have any questions and if you're interested. Thank you!
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 21, 2017 at 3:05 pm

      What an honor it would be to show up on your site. Let me know if there is anything else that you need from me! Again thanks for the opportunity to minister to more families.
      Reply
  11. Halee Anthony says

    August 28, 2017 at 12:04 am

    We don't let our kids do sleep overs either! As a pastor's family, we have rules about almost everything that we discuss at length with our kids. They understand our reasons, and even when they disagree with us, they know that we always have their best interest at heart. Great article!
    Reply
  12. Michelle says

    May 29, 2018 at 10:30 pm

    Good points made Denise! At one of my first sleepovers as a child, my friend's brother woke me up to "hang out." He was also a friend of mine, so I went to the living room with him. When I realized WHAT he meant, I said, "No way!" and went back to bed. Another time I had an experience with a friend's dad, much like your experience-he had too much alcohol and was too "close" while talking... YUCK! CREEPY!! Providing a safe environment where our kids can be kids and can build HEALTHY friendships is imperative. Setting boundaries and having a plan is called GOOD PARENTING. And these days people are aquiessing to co-ed sleepovers!! Not in a million years would that happen in my house or would I allow my children to attend!
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      May 30, 2018 at 6:01 am

      Michelle, thanks for sharing your thoughts here on sleepovers. I concur with you; we need to set boundaries and have a plan. We aren't saying NO to every single sleepover, but we aren't saying YES just because an invitation came our way. Build awareness and don't let kids engage in this pastime too soon.
      Reply
  13. Andrea says

    June 3, 2018 at 10:07 am

    My children are grown now, but I was astonished at how young was my daughter when her schoolmates sleepovers began. I was definitely against them until she was 12 and I saw that she was mature enough to handle herself. My experience with risky situations included living near the Sears mall where Adam Walsh had been abducted and having an uncle living upstairs from us who asked me to pull down my pants when we were alone together in his home. I said no to him and ran downstairs to my mother at the age of 9 after he said he was only testing me to see if I knew to say no! I also would let my daughter stay until 10 PM at a party and pick her up. We lived in a densely populated townhome community where units were often rented out by owners. I wouldn't let my children ride their bikes to a friend's townhome on another block because of so many strangers moving in and out. For my daughter, this rule was at any age!
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 4, 2018 at 9:26 am

      Sounds like you have a plan installed and active! Great job! Sad to read about your frightening childhood experience but glad to know that you made something positive out of a scary circumstance. Keep up the vigilant work.
      Reply
  14. Elaine says

    June 4, 2018 at 6:24 am

    I've been browsing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It's pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.
    Reply
  15. Tyree says

    June 14, 2018 at 1:20 am

    Hello there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same subjects? Appreciate it!
    Reply
  16. Colleen says

    June 23, 2018 at 3:02 am

    Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I had written and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I'm still new to everything. Do you have any recommendations for inexperienced blog writers? I'd genuinely appreciate it.
    Reply
    • Denise Sultenfuss says

      June 23, 2018 at 6:58 am

      Thanks for commenting here. I would love to chat about blogging so use the email address on the "contact me" page. Also, subscribe to my blog to get my newsletter which is full of ideas and inspirations.
      Reply
  17. Tisha says

    July 1, 2018 at 12:52 am

    Excellent way of explaining, and nice post to obtain facts on the topic of my presentation subject, which i am going to present in academy.
    Reply

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Why we are afraid of that first step… The fear Why we are afraid of that first step…

The fear of falling or failing.

Social media makes it easy well paralyzed us from making changes.

If you just hang out in the social media periphery as a perpetual follower of health-wellness accounts just watching and never changing your lifestyle, then you are scrolling.

Anytime we take a bold step or make an inaugural voyage fear looms large.

We watch our babies take their first step, knowing that they will tumble.

With a mixture of joy and trepidation, we witness our teens and young adults taking maiden voyages or etching out a journey.

It’s taking that first step and moving past the “what if I fall , fail, or relapse?”

So we continue perpetuating our problematic health habits until we face a health crisis.

Everyone falls, fails, and relapses. It is part of figuring it out. It’s okay. No one gets it down right away. Mastery takes time and requires change.

Rather than avoid change, invest in change. 

We willingly take risks and invest in our financial life and so many other areas of our lives, but we tend to skip over our health.

What holds you back from taking your first step?❤️
Don’t declare a cheat day, Especially if you ar Don’t declare a cheat day,

Especially if you are combating a health crisis!

Instead decide to exchange the celebratory foods that, in truth, don’t support your health or your health goals for foods that nourish your body and are festive as well.

If you declared a cheat day for every holiday, you could cheat multiple times per month per year.

Think about it. The word “cheating” implies something forbidden or sinister.

Why is it okay for us to “cheat” with food yet in other areas of our lives cheating would be prohibited?

The foods you eat should never be considered part of a sinister or underhanded behavior or choice.

After all, a generous God created perfect foods that nurture and nourish your body.

So why the need to “cheat?”

Especially if your health depends on maintaining and managing a specific eating life.

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You can keep using these reasons NOT to change you You can keep using these reasons NOT to change your negative health habits, but

your God-designed body deserves better.  If you continue with making excuses for not taking care of your body then chronic disease will continue to challenge and deteriorate your health {tough ❤️}.

Your body will continue to break down unless you do something to change.

So it’s up to you to change your lifestyle, which you are totally capable of doing even if it takes some coaching.

Finding out why you are reluctant or afraid to change will help you with your next step.

These questions will help you look inward:

What will happen if you don’t make changes?

Who will your poor health affect?

Do you have the confidence to change your lifestyle?

Does your health prevent you from engaging in activities?

What is holding you back from changing?

Share you reflections in the comments😌

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3 ways to become the expert of your body and manag 3 ways to become the expert of your body and manage your health!

You can’t rely on your doctor/PA/NP or practitioner to manage your health.

The first step is to maintain a log of every supplement/vitamin or pharmaceutical you take. Record dosage, conditions (with or without food) and suggested time you take them. 

The second step, keep a symptom log. Write down any physical or emotional symptom that you experience, how often it occurs (acute or chronic), and pain/ discomfort level (0-10 scale).

Finally, as often as possible, keep a health journal to record moods, sleep, food, stress, goals, exercise, etc. 

Doing this helps you do the detective work by determining whether maybe mood is affected by hormones, lack of sleep, or weather, headaches are because of dehydration or sleep deprivation, etc.

To get these resources, you can enroll in 1:1 coaching  and we can work together to make the changes you need in your health and wellness.
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If you have a chronic disease you can’t eliminat If you have a chronic disease you can’t eliminate your participation and responsibility in making  lifestyle changes.

No one volunteers for chronic disease or a health crisis 🙋‍♀️🙋

I didn’t excitedly wait in line to be bit by a tick and contract a horrific disease.🤒😷

When I received my diagnosis of chronic Lyme, I had two choices:
1. Make significant lifestyle changes that would restore my health
2. Watch my health drastically decline

So I changed my eating life (like crazy), rested, followed a carefully crafted supplement protocol, and detoxed (something I never did prior to my diagnosis).

Facing a health crisis means that you will need to ask lots of questions, advocate for yourself, and do research.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, Hashimoto’s, or any other chronic disease, chances are that lifestyle changes are inevitable.

Do you need to alter or consider your :
➡️ eating life
➡️stress
➡️ sleep routine
➡️ protocol
➡️ body therapies (massage, chiropractic, acupuncture)

Or other areas of your health and wellness?

Take the time evaluate your health to decide on your next step.
#healthcoach #healthylifestyle #habits #chronicillness #chronicdiseases #chronicdisease #lyme #lymecoinfections #lymediseaseawareness #stressmanagement #sleephealth #exercise #bodytherapy
You have a responsibility to manage your chronic d You have a responsibility to manage your chronic disease or health with lifestyle changes.

Western medicine  enables you by handing out prescriptions rather than insisting on lifestyle changes.

Regardless of which chronic disease you manifest, you are responsible for making essential behavioral changes:

➡️ The food you eat/food habits/food choices

➡️ The exercise you do or not do

➡️ How you manage stress or ignore stress 

➡️ How much sleep you get or not get

➡️ Who you get to support you

➡️ The time you devote to your spiritual life

➡️ How you manage your supplement protocol or believe that supplements erase and compensate for poor food choices.

➡️ How you manage gut health 

Your daily choices, habits, and practices affect your physical, mental, and spiritual outcome.

Just like any other disease, you can readily participate in your recovery or demise,

To get help. DM me for a free 1:1 consultation.

#healthcoach #healthcoaches #healthcoaching #healthcoachingtips #chronicdisease #chronicdiseasemanagement #chronicdiseases #chronicdiseaseprevention #chronicdiseasewarrior #chronicdiseaseselfmanagement #lymedisease #lymediseaseawareness #lyme #lymewarrior #lymelife #lifestylechange #lifestylechoices #habitchange #foodchoices #lifestylechristianity #lifestylechanges #diabetes #hashimotos #foodaddict #sugaraddiction #highcholesterol #exercise
Don’t make the mistake of ignoring stress. It h Don’t make the mistake of ignoring stress.

It has a way of sneaking in and creating a staycation in our bodies.

Then we begin to grow accustomed to its presence.

And treat it like it’s a normal part of our life.

In time, stress silently erodes your health.

If you are combating chronic, stress management is an essential part of your healing protocol.

Stress affects sleep, causes chronic pain, increases blood pressure, causes gastrointestinal difficulties, evokes depression, other body systems.

Learn to cultivate stress management practices and chalk the chaos.
##stressmanagement #stressrelief ##chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicfatigue #chronicfatiguesyndrome #lymedisease #lyme #lymewarrior #lymediseaseawareness #lymewarrior #babesia #rmsp #stressreliever #healthcoach #healthcoaching #healthcoaches
You are going to want to make this! Avoid salad m You are going to want to make this!

Avoid salad monotony by adding various veggies to your bowl. Broccoli Rabe offers a spicy flavor and unique texture to your salad, plus nutrients.

Salad greens with roasted broccoli rabe with tahini dressing:

Broccoli Rabe Drizzle
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 pound of rabe
1 garlic clove 
Sea salt to taste
1/2 of a lemon

Prep Rabe:
Trim ends and discard 1 inch of stalk
Wash and dry rabe
Cut leaves and florets from the top keeping tops whole and separate them from stems
Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet
Brush or drizzle olive oil mixture on rabe
Broil on low til tender (5 minutes but keep check leaves every few minutes. You don’t want them charred)
Remove from over. Let cool.
————————————————————————————
Tahini Dressing

2 minced garlic cloves
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup tahini
4 teaspoons of coconut amino 
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/3 cup of room temp water
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined.

Assemble salad:
4 cups of mixed greens
Add rabe onto greens
Drizzle dressing

Optional add-ins:
Roasted butternut squash
Pomegranate seeds

Enhance your salad life with in-season fruits and veggies.
##healthyrecipes #healthyfood #healthydinner #saladrecipe #salad #antiinflammatorydiet #guthealth #guthealing #guthealthmatters #foodheals #broccolirabe #tahinidressing #nourishingfood #healthcoach #healthcoaching #lymewarrior #lymedisease #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicillnesslife
You are fighting two battles. The first battle i You are fighting two battles.
 
The first battle is with yourself.

And how to conquer the problematic health habit demons that haunt you.

The second battle lies within the healthcare system. 

They typically prescribe rather than heal. 

They satisfy a craving rather than nourish your body.

It’s really how they’ve been educated so to blame them is futile.

Instead of blaming, let’s deconstruct and then rebuild.

Start rebuilding with real food and natural ways to heal the body (avoiding copious amounts of prescribed medications etc.)

Instead, try lifestyle changes which no lie…are much, much, much more difficult than swallowing a 💊 for the next four decades (plus the side effects from long-term pharmaceuticals).

But the benefits of lifestyle changes are mind blowing!

Lifestyle changes are far reaching. They benefit your mind/body/spirit ✝️

Here are 3 simple ways to take your first step toward lifestyle change:

🛒 start with your eating life (download my FREE anti-inflammatory eating plan)

👩‍⚕️work with a health coach to create a health-wellness plan that meets your needs (schedule a FREE consultation)

👯‍♀️ find friends or a community that encourages and supports your lifestyle change (sign up for my community newsletter)

Pick one and start today!

All the best,
Denise

#healthylifestyle #health #healthyeating #healthcoaches #healthyeating #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicillnesswarrior #chroniclyme #lymedisease #lymelife #holistichealth #holistichealing #holisticlifestyle #holisticnutrition #healthyeatinghabits #habit
Lifestyle change isn’t easy. Chronic diseases ar Lifestyle change isn’t easy. Chronic diseases are responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths in the United States each year.

You may have the best intentions to get healthier, but your efforts continue to stall then fail.

What we have to reconcile is that our lifestyle habits and choices eventually impact the people we love and cherish.❤️

The reality: it’s not about eating and living the way that pleases YOU.

To manage your chronic disease and make sustainable healthy lifestyle changes, you realize that you need help.

Here are core elements to lifestyle change that will restore your health:

1. Realistic Health-Wellness Goals
2. Understand what triggers your behavior, habits, and choices
3. Determine your options and build a protocol
4. Create an action plan
5. Determine how you will maintain your healthy lifestyle

Achieve change that lasts! 

What is getting in your way and preventing you from making essential lifestyle changes?

#healthylifestyle #habitchange #habitchangecoach #healthcoach #healthyeating #healthandwellness #healthjourney #christianhealthcoach #chronicdiseases #chronicillnessawareness #chronicfatiguesyndrome #lyme #lymewarrior #lymetreatment
You are not alone in your suffering. My story is y You are not alone in your suffering. My story is your story too.

Different disease, differ health crisis but the same story:

I combat a ____________ that confounds the medical community so there exists very few resources to restore my health or change my habits.

That was me in 2008 with chronic Lyme disease and co-infections.

I needed to make essential changes in my health-wellness so that I could restore my health.

Your answer isn’t in diets, food fads, shakes, health gurus, or health apps.

Your answer is in lifestyle change. 

Health-wellness coaching offers ways to make lifestyle change.

Enroll in HWC to begin your new journey.

#healthcoaching #healthcoach #healthylifestyle #healthyfood #healthyrecipes #habitchange #habits #habitchange #chronicillness #chronicfatigue #chronicillnessawareness #lymedisease #lymediseaseawareness
A simple, clean granola recipe that a 3rd grader c A simple, clean granola recipe that a 3rd grader can make.

There’s no need to shell out a hefty some for store-bought granola when you can make it at home.

Most industrially made granola contains unnecessary amounts of refined sugar.

Here’s a tiny reminder that eating plans high in refined carbs and sugar contribute to chronic conditions.

Fancy up your granola with nuts, seeds and unsulfured, minimally sweetened dried fruit.

Store in a glass jar with a lid.

Using sprouted oats adds a layer of health to the grain. It also boosts gut health. 

For full recipe:

https://www.denisesultenfuss.com/recipes/easy-healthy-granola-recipe-in-20-minutes-or-less/

#healthyrecipes #healthylifestyle #healthyrecipes #healthcoaching #healthcoach #chronicdisease #chronicillness #granola #granolagirl #granolabowl 
#lymedisease #nosugarrecipes
I get it. On the outset, a quick fix seems easier I get it. On the outset, a quick fix seems easier then making a lifestyle change.

In the end though, lifestyle change is the wisest, sustainable choice.

Healthcare providers have 15 minutes to diagnose and offer a solution, which too often includes a pill.

I am certain they would love to have the time to work 1:1 with patients in crafting a health-wellness blueprint for lifestyle change.

That’s not the reality of our current healthcare system.

Most of the time my clients with chronic disease have to make essential changes with their eating life. 

Soon though, they begin to see the value of making that change.

What was broken in the body begins to fix itself.

Your first step in restoring your health is to manage your eating life.

I can help you reform problematic eating habits with techniques that are sustainable.

Enroll in my coaching program to address chronic disease by making lifestyle changes.

#healthcoach #healthylifestyle #healthyliving #chronicillness #chronicillnessawareness #womenshealth #lymedisease #lymeawareness #lymelife #eatingdisorderawareness #eatinghealthy #eatingclean #habits #newhabitsnewresults #healthylifestyle
Here’s how to effectively create habits, rhythms Here’s how to effectively create habits, rhythms, and goals: 

✔️ write goals, habits, and rhythms in the form of a SMART goal

✔️ Find accountability (coach/friend/spouse)

✔️ Circumvent potential obstacles that could or try to get in your way

✔️ Use a habit tracker, journal, app, to help you manage your progress

Create goals, habits, and rhythms in any of these areas of health-wellness:

1. Nutrition
2. Sleep/rest
3. Stress
4. Exercise
5. Family
6. Physical environment/organization
7. Social/friends/support
8. Faith
9. Personal development
10. Finances

What goals, rhythms, and habits do you want to achieve this month?

#goals #newgoals💪 #habits #newhabits #healthcoach #healthcoaching #healthcoachtips #christianhealthcoach #rhythms #chronicdiseaseprevention #stressmanagement #sleephealth #exercise
Invest in sustainable behavior change that leads t Invest in sustainable behavior change that leads to restoring your health.

Without the result of behavior change, you are wasting your time and money.

Lifestyle changes can reverse chronic disease. But, first, you need to be ready for change.

Lifestyle change will prevent disease, combat disease, restore, and promote your health.

Put away the gimmicks for quick fixes. 

Instead focus on change that lasts.

Sign up for one of my health coaching programs now and be ready to start in January. Limited enrollment available. 

1. Heath-Wellnss Coaching

2. Quit Sugar Coaching Program

#healthcoaching
#habitchange
#sustainablechange
#chronicdisease
#chronicillness
#newhabits
#healthhabits
#behavior change
#weightloss
#foodheals
#2023habits
#restoreyourhealth
#healthcoachforwomen
#healthylifestyle
In a few days, the ball will drop announcing a new In a few days, the ball will drop announcing a new year.

Before 2023 arrives, take some time to reflect about your relationship with food.

All of my clients, at some point in coaching, evaluate their relationship with food. 

It's a fundamental starting point in building a healthy lifestyle.

We evaluate with honesty, self-kindness, empathy,  and non-judgment.

Where do you need help with making better food choices?

#foodchoices
#healthyliving
#eatinglife
#healthyeating
#foodtriggers
#chronicillness 
#food
#healthcoach
#emotional eating
#balancedeating
#New Year's
#healthgoals
Negative health habits slow your recovery from chr Negative health habits slow your recovery from chronic disease or a health crisis.

Have you contemplated about changing that problematic health habit once and for all?

🚬 smoking

🥞🍛 overeating/emotional eating

🍬🍭🥤 sugar

😩 stress

📆 Over scheduling 

📂🗃 Adult ADHD/Organization

If you struggle with a problematic health habit I didn't mention, DM me with your specific concerns. 

If you continue to ignore the negative habit, it will only deepen. 

Decide to change the problematic habit with the help of health-wellness coaching, then you can really begin to make strides in your health.

 Enroll now for January 2023 coaching. 

#januaryhealthkick
#goals 
#januarygoals 
#chronicillness 
#lymeliterate 
#healthhabits 
#lifestylechange 
#habitchangecoach 
#healthcoaches 
#healthwellnesscoach 
#christianhealthcoach 
#addiction 
#overeating 
#healthylifestyle 
#healthyeating
3 Herbs 🌿 that help you get and stay healthy. 3 Herbs 🌿 that help you get and stay healthy.

Fight chronic disease or injury with herbal remedies, teas, tinctures, raw herbs, or salves because they:

🌿 offer anti-inflammatory properties

🌿 contain anti-oxidants

🌿 provide anti-microbial support

🌿 boost immune system

Parsley, bergamot, and oregano offer amazing benefits. 

When I combated Lyme, I needed to find effective abd economical ways to restore my health. 

 On my journey I discovered that an herbal approach provides an arsenal of weaponry to battle chronic disease, restore, and maintain health.

Find an evidence-based herbal protocol that addresses your chronic disease. Remember,  the goal is to HEAL your body not just eradicate the symptoms. 

Ideally your protocol will accomplish both in adjunct with your spiritual life, eating life, stress management,  sleep hygiene, exercise, detoxification and community support.

If you battle chronic disease, enroll in health-wellness coaching in January. Make 2023 the year you regain your health and live life from a place if wholeness.

#wholeness 
#chronicdisease
#chronicdiseasemanagment
#herbalprotocol
#herbs
#herbaltreatment
#healthcoach
#evidencebasedpractitioner
#Antiinflammatoryeating
#antiinflammatory
#stressrelief
#sleephygiene
Here's my go-to flu-virus protocol. You know what Here's my go-to flu-virus protocol. You know what my favorite part of the protocol is?

INTENTIONAL REST AND SLEEP

5 days before Christmas and I am combating fever, body & headaches, and crushing fatigue. 

Early Wednesday morning, I felt the aches descend and dominate my body. The fever showed up with a vengeance. It's the crushing fatigue that weighs my body down that forces me to acquiesce and SLEEP.

We had to postpone a party with dear friends, cancel  Christmas dinner, and just let go of the minute details that typically keep me buzzing around.

I am being kind to my body and letting it heal on its own terms. Not mine.

This is a new practice for me. Ever since Lyme ravaged my body, I learned to be kinder to my body and not hurry healing.

Here's my protocol that helps restore my body back to wellness:

🥱 Rest and sleep

🌿 Homeopathic flu remedy, Genexa ibuprofen ( I take only if necessary. I rarely take ibuprofen but if the headache teeters on migraine level...I am slowing two of these gf, dye-free, titanium dioxide-free, paraben-free and more)

🥤Dairy-free/sugar-free anti-inflammatory smoothie with frozen pineapple for added bromelain.

Smoothie Recipe Book:
https://www.denisesultenfuss.com/healthy-smoothie-recipe-book

🍵 Herbal tea (select one that addresses symptoms or builds immunity)

🍲 Bone Broth (high quality if store bought)

Recipe on my blog:
https://www.denisesultenfuss.com/recipes/savory-chicken-bone-broth/

💧🥥 Coconut water

It's been rainy and cozy these past few days. As I convalesce,  I love listening to the conversations of my family. 

Was this possible the most inconvenient time of year to land in bed or on the couch for 5 days? Indeed!

But it's been a time of slowing down.

#flu
#healing
#Lyme
#healthcoach
#fluprotocol
#holisticprotocol
#integrativemedicine
#selfcompassion
#christianhealthcoach
#dairyfree
#smoothies
#healthysmoothies
#bonebroth
#Antiinflammatoryeating
Real change takes time. So how much time? It depe Real change takes time. So how much time?

It depends on your readiness for change and the changes you want/need to make.

The amount of time it takes to see results looks differently for everyone. I took me 1 year to restore my health from Lyme yet it may take others a lot longer or even less time.

Always the essential first step is to examine your relationship with food. 

Are you an emotional/ stress eater? Are stuck in negative food habits?

Getting those habits under control will propel you in forward momentum toward a healthier YOU.

Our bodies are inextricably connected: mind/body/spiritual, as God intended. If one area weakens it has an effect on the other two.

And you are you. And that's something to celebrate not compare.

#healthylife
#chronicdisease
#lymedisease
#healthyhabits
#habitchange 
#foodheals
#healthcoach
#integrativehealthcoach
#holisticliving
#chronicillness 
#addiction
#christianhealthcoach
#goals
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@denisesultenfuss

denisesultenfuss

🌟Lyme/Chronic disease/health crisis coach for women to gain healing & recovery
LYME warrior💪 Writer✍ Farmer 👩‍🌾
FREE7️⃣-day Lyme Meal Plan⬇️

Holistic Health-Wellness Coach✝️
Why we are afraid of that first step… The fear Why we are afraid of that first step…

The fear of falling or failing.

Social media makes it easy well paralyzed us from making changes.

If you just hang out in the social media periphery as a perpetual follower of health-wellness accounts just watching and never changing your lifestyle, then you are scrolling.

Anytime we take a bold step or make an inaugural voyage fear looms large.

We watch our babies take their first step, knowing that they will tumble.

With a mixture of joy and trepidation, we witness our teens and young adults taking maiden voyages or etching out a journey.

It’s taking that first step and moving past the “what if I fall , fail, or relapse?”

So we continue perpetuating our problematic health habits until we face a health crisis.

Everyone falls, fails, and relapses. It is part of figuring it out. It’s okay. No one gets it down right away. Mastery takes time and requires change.

Rather than avoid change, invest in change. 

We willingly take risks and invest in our financial life and so many other areas of our lives, but we tend to skip over our health.

What holds you back from taking your first step?❤️
Don’t declare a cheat day, Especially if you ar Don’t declare a cheat day,

Especially if you are combating a health crisis!

Instead decide to exchange the celebratory foods that, in truth, don’t support your health or your health goals for foods that nourish your body and are festive as well.

If you declared a cheat day for every holiday, you could cheat multiple times per month per year.

Think about it. The word “cheating” implies something forbidden or sinister.

Why is it okay for us to “cheat” with food yet in other areas of our lives cheating would be prohibited?

The foods you eat should never be considered part of a sinister or underhanded behavior or choice.

After all, a generous God created perfect foods that nurture and nourish your body.

So why the need to “cheat?”

Especially if your health depends on maintaining and managing a specific eating life.

Download my free Valentine’s Day Recipe Collection and never worry about “cheating” on Valentine’s Day.

#healthcoach #healthcoaching #christianhealthcoach #healthcrisis #chronicdisease #chronicallyill #holisticliving #holisticlifestyle #healthylifestyle #healthchouces #healthyhabits #healthandwellness #valentinesday #healthyrecipes #healthyvalentinesday #foodheals
You can keep using these reasons NOT to change you You can keep using these reasons NOT to change your negative health habits, but

your God-designed body deserves better.  If you continue with making excuses for not taking care of your body then chronic disease will continue to challenge and deteriorate your health {tough ❤️}.

Your body will continue to break down unless you do something to change.

So it’s up to you to change your lifestyle, which you are totally capable of doing even if it takes some coaching.

Finding out why you are reluctant or afraid to change will help you with your next step.

These questions will help you look inward:

What will happen if you don’t make changes?

Who will your poor health affect?

Do you have the confidence to change your lifestyle?

Does your health prevent you from engaging in activities?

What is holding you back from changing?

Share you reflections in the comments😌

#healthcoaching #healthcoaching #healthcoachingprogram #healthcoaches #christianhealthcoach #chronicdisease #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicfatigue #chronicfatiguesyndrome #lymedisease #tickbornediseases #tickborneillness #tickbornedisease #tickborneinfections #habit #habitchange #lifestylechange #healthyliving #healthylifestyle
3 ways to become the expert of your body and manag 3 ways to become the expert of your body and manage your health!

You can’t rely on your doctor/PA/NP or practitioner to manage your health.

The first step is to maintain a log of every supplement/vitamin or pharmaceutical you take. Record dosage, conditions (with or without food) and suggested time you take them. 

The second step, keep a symptom log. Write down any physical or emotional symptom that you experience, how often it occurs (acute or chronic), and pain/ discomfort level (0-10 scale).

Finally, as often as possible, keep a health journal to record moods, sleep, food, stress, goals, exercise, etc. 

Doing this helps you do the detective work by determining whether maybe mood is affected by hormones, lack of sleep, or weather, headaches are because of dehydration or sleep deprivation, etc.

To get these resources, you can enroll in 1:1 coaching  and we can work together to make the changes you need in your health and wellness.
#healthcoach #healthcoaching #healthcoachbusiness #healthylifestyle #lifestylechange #healthgoals #healthylife #chronicillness #chronicfatigue #chronicillnessawareness #chronicdiseases #chronicdiseasemanagement #lyme #lymediseaseawareness #lymelife #lymetreatment #lymewarriors #lymediet #symptoms #healthwellness #supplements
If you have a chronic disease you can’t eliminat If you have a chronic disease you can’t eliminate your participation and responsibility in making  lifestyle changes.

No one volunteers for chronic disease or a health crisis 🙋‍♀️🙋

I didn’t excitedly wait in line to be bit by a tick and contract a horrific disease.🤒😷

When I received my diagnosis of chronic Lyme, I had two choices:
1. Make significant lifestyle changes that would restore my health
2. Watch my health drastically decline

So I changed my eating life (like crazy), rested, followed a carefully crafted supplement protocol, and detoxed (something I never did prior to my diagnosis).

Facing a health crisis means that you will need to ask lots of questions, advocate for yourself, and do research.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, Hashimoto’s, or any other chronic disease, chances are that lifestyle changes are inevitable.

Do you need to alter or consider your :
➡️ eating life
➡️stress
➡️ sleep routine
➡️ protocol
➡️ body therapies (massage, chiropractic, acupuncture)

Or other areas of your health and wellness?

Take the time evaluate your health to decide on your next step.
#healthcoach #healthylifestyle #habits #chronicillness #chronicdiseases #chronicdisease #lyme #lymecoinfections #lymediseaseawareness #stressmanagement #sleephealth #exercise #bodytherapy
You have a responsibility to manage your chronic d You have a responsibility to manage your chronic disease or health with lifestyle changes.

Western medicine  enables you by handing out prescriptions rather than insisting on lifestyle changes.

Regardless of which chronic disease you manifest, you are responsible for making essential behavioral changes:

➡️ The food you eat/food habits/food choices

➡️ The exercise you do or not do

➡️ How you manage stress or ignore stress 

➡️ How much sleep you get or not get

➡️ Who you get to support you

➡️ The time you devote to your spiritual life

➡️ How you manage your supplement protocol or believe that supplements erase and compensate for poor food choices.

➡️ How you manage gut health 

Your daily choices, habits, and practices affect your physical, mental, and spiritual outcome.

Just like any other disease, you can readily participate in your recovery or demise,

To get help. DM me for a free 1:1 consultation.

#healthcoach #healthcoaches #healthcoaching #healthcoachingtips #chronicdisease #chronicdiseasemanagement #chronicdiseases #chronicdiseaseprevention #chronicdiseasewarrior #chronicdiseaseselfmanagement #lymedisease #lymediseaseawareness #lyme #lymewarrior #lymelife #lifestylechange #lifestylechoices #habitchange #foodchoices #lifestylechristianity #lifestylechanges #diabetes #hashimotos #foodaddict #sugaraddiction #highcholesterol #exercise
Don’t make the mistake of ignoring stress. It h Don’t make the mistake of ignoring stress.

It has a way of sneaking in and creating a staycation in our bodies.

Then we begin to grow accustomed to its presence.

And treat it like it’s a normal part of our life.

In time, stress silently erodes your health.

If you are combating chronic, stress management is an essential part of your healing protocol.

Stress affects sleep, causes chronic pain, increases blood pressure, causes gastrointestinal difficulties, evokes depression, other body systems.

Learn to cultivate stress management practices and chalk the chaos.
##stressmanagement #stressrelief ##chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicfatigue #chronicfatiguesyndrome #lymedisease #lyme #lymewarrior #lymediseaseawareness #lymewarrior #babesia #rmsp #stressreliever #healthcoach #healthcoaching #healthcoaches
You are going to want to make this! Avoid salad m You are going to want to make this!

Avoid salad monotony by adding various veggies to your bowl. Broccoli Rabe offers a spicy flavor and unique texture to your salad, plus nutrients.

Salad greens with roasted broccoli rabe with tahini dressing:

Broccoli Rabe Drizzle
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 pound of rabe
1 garlic clove 
Sea salt to taste
1/2 of a lemon

Prep Rabe:
Trim ends and discard 1 inch of stalk
Wash and dry rabe
Cut leaves and florets from the top keeping tops whole and separate them from stems
Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet
Brush or drizzle olive oil mixture on rabe
Broil on low til tender (5 minutes but keep check leaves every few minutes. You don’t want them charred)
Remove from over. Let cool.
————————————————————————————
Tahini Dressing

2 minced garlic cloves
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup tahini
4 teaspoons of coconut amino 
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/3 cup of room temp water
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined.

Assemble salad:
4 cups of mixed greens
Add rabe onto greens
Drizzle dressing

Optional add-ins:
Roasted butternut squash
Pomegranate seeds

Enhance your salad life with in-season fruits and veggies.
##healthyrecipes #healthyfood #healthydinner #saladrecipe #salad #antiinflammatorydiet #guthealth #guthealing #guthealthmatters #foodheals #broccolirabe #tahinidressing #nourishingfood #healthcoach #healthcoaching #lymewarrior #lymedisease #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicillnesslife
You are fighting two battles. The first battle i You are fighting two battles.
 
The first battle is with yourself.

And how to conquer the problematic health habit demons that haunt you.

The second battle lies within the healthcare system. 

They typically prescribe rather than heal. 

They satisfy a craving rather than nourish your body.

It’s really how they’ve been educated so to blame them is futile.

Instead of blaming, let’s deconstruct and then rebuild.

Start rebuilding with real food and natural ways to heal the body (avoiding copious amounts of prescribed medications etc.)

Instead, try lifestyle changes which no lie…are much, much, much more difficult than swallowing a 💊 for the next four decades (plus the side effects from long-term pharmaceuticals).

But the benefits of lifestyle changes are mind blowing!

Lifestyle changes are far reaching. They benefit your mind/body/spirit ✝️

Here are 3 simple ways to take your first step toward lifestyle change:

🛒 start with your eating life (download my FREE anti-inflammatory eating plan)

👩‍⚕️work with a health coach to create a health-wellness plan that meets your needs (schedule a FREE consultation)

👯‍♀️ find friends or a community that encourages and supports your lifestyle change (sign up for my community newsletter)

Pick one and start today!

All the best,
Denise

#healthylifestyle #health #healthyeating #healthcoaches #healthyeating #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicillnesswarrior #chroniclyme #lymedisease #lymelife #holistichealth #holistichealing #holisticlifestyle #holisticnutrition #healthyeatinghabits #habit
Lifestyle change isn’t easy. Chronic diseases ar Lifestyle change isn’t easy. Chronic diseases are responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths in the United States each year.

You may have the best intentions to get healthier, but your efforts continue to stall then fail.

What we have to reconcile is that our lifestyle habits and choices eventually impact the people we love and cherish.❤️

The reality: it’s not about eating and living the way that pleases YOU.

To manage your chronic disease and make sustainable healthy lifestyle changes, you realize that you need help.

Here are core elements to lifestyle change that will restore your health:

1. Realistic Health-Wellness Goals
2. Understand what triggers your behavior, habits, and choices
3. Determine your options and build a protocol
4. Create an action plan
5. Determine how you will maintain your healthy lifestyle

Achieve change that lasts! 

What is getting in your way and preventing you from making essential lifestyle changes?

#healthylifestyle #habitchange #habitchangecoach #healthcoach #healthyeating #healthandwellness #healthjourney #christianhealthcoach #chronicdiseases #chronicillnessawareness #chronicfatiguesyndrome #lyme #lymewarrior #lymetreatment
You are not alone in your suffering. My story is y You are not alone in your suffering. My story is your story too.

Different disease, differ health crisis but the same story:

I combat a ____________ that confounds the medical community so there exists very few resources to restore my health or change my habits.

That was me in 2008 with chronic Lyme disease and co-infections.

I needed to make essential changes in my health-wellness so that I could restore my health.

Your answer isn’t in diets, food fads, shakes, health gurus, or health apps.

Your answer is in lifestyle change. 

Health-wellness coaching offers ways to make lifestyle change.

Enroll in HWC to begin your new journey.

#healthcoaching #healthcoach #healthylifestyle #healthyfood #healthyrecipes #habitchange #habits #habitchange #chronicillness #chronicfatigue #chronicillnessawareness #lymedisease #lymediseaseawareness
A simple, clean granola recipe that a 3rd grader c A simple, clean granola recipe that a 3rd grader can make.

There’s no need to shell out a hefty some for store-bought granola when you can make it at home.

Most industrially made granola contains unnecessary amounts of refined sugar.

Here’s a tiny reminder that eating plans high in refined carbs and sugar contribute to chronic conditions.

Fancy up your granola with nuts, seeds and unsulfured, minimally sweetened dried fruit.

Store in a glass jar with a lid.

Using sprouted oats adds a layer of health to the grain. It also boosts gut health. 

For full recipe:

https://www.denisesultenfuss.com/recipes/easy-healthy-granola-recipe-in-20-minutes-or-less/

#healthyrecipes #healthylifestyle #healthyrecipes #healthcoaching #healthcoach #chronicdisease #chronicillness #granola #granolagirl #granolabowl 
#lymedisease #nosugarrecipes
I get it. On the outset, a quick fix seems easier I get it. On the outset, a quick fix seems easier then making a lifestyle change.

In the end though, lifestyle change is the wisest, sustainable choice.

Healthcare providers have 15 minutes to diagnose and offer a solution, which too often includes a pill.

I am certain they would love to have the time to work 1:1 with patients in crafting a health-wellness blueprint for lifestyle change.

That’s not the reality of our current healthcare system.

Most of the time my clients with chronic disease have to make essential changes with their eating life. 

Soon though, they begin to see the value of making that change.

What was broken in the body begins to fix itself.

Your first step in restoring your health is to manage your eating life.

I can help you reform problematic eating habits with techniques that are sustainable.

Enroll in my coaching program to address chronic disease by making lifestyle changes.

#healthcoach #healthylifestyle #healthyliving #chronicillness #chronicillnessawareness #womenshealth #lymedisease #lymeawareness #lymelife #eatingdisorderawareness #eatinghealthy #eatingclean #habits #newhabitsnewresults #healthylifestyle
Here’s how to effectively create habits, rhythms Here’s how to effectively create habits, rhythms, and goals: 

✔️ write goals, habits, and rhythms in the form of a SMART goal

✔️ Find accountability (coach/friend/spouse)

✔️ Circumvent potential obstacles that could or try to get in your way

✔️ Use a habit tracker, journal, app, to help you manage your progress

Create goals, habits, and rhythms in any of these areas of health-wellness:

1. Nutrition
2. Sleep/rest
3. Stress
4. Exercise
5. Family
6. Physical environment/organization
7. Social/friends/support
8. Faith
9. Personal development
10. Finances

What goals, rhythms, and habits do you want to achieve this month?

#goals #newgoals💪 #habits #newhabits #healthcoach #healthcoaching #healthcoachtips #christianhealthcoach #rhythms #chronicdiseaseprevention #stressmanagement #sleephealth #exercise
Invest in sustainable behavior change that leads t Invest in sustainable behavior change that leads to restoring your health.

Without the result of behavior change, you are wasting your time and money.

Lifestyle changes can reverse chronic disease. But, first, you need to be ready for change.

Lifestyle change will prevent disease, combat disease, restore, and promote your health.

Put away the gimmicks for quick fixes. 

Instead focus on change that lasts.

Sign up for one of my health coaching programs now and be ready to start in January. Limited enrollment available. 

1. Heath-Wellnss Coaching

2. Quit Sugar Coaching Program

#healthcoaching
#habitchange
#sustainablechange
#chronicdisease
#chronicillness
#newhabits
#healthhabits
#behavior change
#weightloss
#foodheals
#2023habits
#restoreyourhealth
#healthcoachforwomen
#healthylifestyle
In a few days, the ball will drop announcing a new In a few days, the ball will drop announcing a new year.

Before 2023 arrives, take some time to reflect about your relationship with food.

All of my clients, at some point in coaching, evaluate their relationship with food. 

It's a fundamental starting point in building a healthy lifestyle.

We evaluate with honesty, self-kindness, empathy,  and non-judgment.

Where do you need help with making better food choices?

#foodchoices
#healthyliving
#eatinglife
#healthyeating
#foodtriggers
#chronicillness 
#food
#healthcoach
#emotional eating
#balancedeating
#New Year's
#healthgoals
Negative health habits slow your recovery from chr Negative health habits slow your recovery from chronic disease or a health crisis.

Have you contemplated about changing that problematic health habit once and for all?

🚬 smoking

🥞🍛 overeating/emotional eating

🍬🍭🥤 sugar

😩 stress

📆 Over scheduling 

📂🗃 Adult ADHD/Organization

If you struggle with a problematic health habit I didn't mention, DM me with your specific concerns. 

If you continue to ignore the negative habit, it will only deepen. 

Decide to change the problematic habit with the help of health-wellness coaching, then you can really begin to make strides in your health.

 Enroll now for January 2023 coaching. 

#januaryhealthkick
#goals 
#januarygoals 
#chronicillness 
#lymeliterate 
#healthhabits 
#lifestylechange 
#habitchangecoach 
#healthcoaches 
#healthwellnesscoach 
#christianhealthcoach 
#addiction 
#overeating 
#healthylifestyle 
#healthyeating
3 Herbs 🌿 that help you get and stay healthy. 3 Herbs 🌿 that help you get and stay healthy.

Fight chronic disease or injury with herbal remedies, teas, tinctures, raw herbs, or salves because they:

🌿 offer anti-inflammatory properties

🌿 contain anti-oxidants

🌿 provide anti-microbial support

🌿 boost immune system

Parsley, bergamot, and oregano offer amazing benefits. 

When I combated Lyme, I needed to find effective abd economical ways to restore my health. 

 On my journey I discovered that an herbal approach provides an arsenal of weaponry to battle chronic disease, restore, and maintain health.

Find an evidence-based herbal protocol that addresses your chronic disease. Remember,  the goal is to HEAL your body not just eradicate the symptoms. 

Ideally your protocol will accomplish both in adjunct with your spiritual life, eating life, stress management,  sleep hygiene, exercise, detoxification and community support.

If you battle chronic disease, enroll in health-wellness coaching in January. Make 2023 the year you regain your health and live life from a place if wholeness.

#wholeness 
#chronicdisease
#chronicdiseasemanagment
#herbalprotocol
#herbs
#herbaltreatment
#healthcoach
#evidencebasedpractitioner
#Antiinflammatoryeating
#antiinflammatory
#stressrelief
#sleephygiene
Here's my go-to flu-virus protocol. You know what Here's my go-to flu-virus protocol. You know what my favorite part of the protocol is?

INTENTIONAL REST AND SLEEP

5 days before Christmas and I am combating fever, body & headaches, and crushing fatigue. 

Early Wednesday morning, I felt the aches descend and dominate my body. The fever showed up with a vengeance. It's the crushing fatigue that weighs my body down that forces me to acquiesce and SLEEP.

We had to postpone a party with dear friends, cancel  Christmas dinner, and just let go of the minute details that typically keep me buzzing around.

I am being kind to my body and letting it heal on its own terms. Not mine.

This is a new practice for me. Ever since Lyme ravaged my body, I learned to be kinder to my body and not hurry healing.

Here's my protocol that helps restore my body back to wellness:

🥱 Rest and sleep

🌿 Homeopathic flu remedy, Genexa ibuprofen ( I take only if necessary. I rarely take ibuprofen but if the headache teeters on migraine level...I am slowing two of these gf, dye-free, titanium dioxide-free, paraben-free and more)

🥤Dairy-free/sugar-free anti-inflammatory smoothie with frozen pineapple for added bromelain.

Smoothie Recipe Book:
https://www.denisesultenfuss.com/healthy-smoothie-recipe-book

🍵 Herbal tea (select one that addresses symptoms or builds immunity)

🍲 Bone Broth (high quality if store bought)

Recipe on my blog:
https://www.denisesultenfuss.com/recipes/savory-chicken-bone-broth/

💧🥥 Coconut water

It's been rainy and cozy these past few days. As I convalesce,  I love listening to the conversations of my family. 

Was this possible the most inconvenient time of year to land in bed or on the couch for 5 days? Indeed!

But it's been a time of slowing down.

#flu
#healing
#Lyme
#healthcoach
#fluprotocol
#holisticprotocol
#integrativemedicine
#selfcompassion
#christianhealthcoach
#dairyfree
#smoothies
#healthysmoothies
#bonebroth
#Antiinflammatoryeating
Real change takes time. So how much time? It depe Real change takes time. So how much time?

It depends on your readiness for change and the changes you want/need to make.

The amount of time it takes to see results looks differently for everyone. I took me 1 year to restore my health from Lyme yet it may take others a lot longer or even less time.

Always the essential first step is to examine your relationship with food. 

Are you an emotional/ stress eater? Are stuck in negative food habits?

Getting those habits under control will propel you in forward momentum toward a healthier YOU.

Our bodies are inextricably connected: mind/body/spiritual, as God intended. If one area weakens it has an effect on the other two.

And you are you. And that's something to celebrate not compare.

#healthylife
#chronicdisease
#lymedisease
#healthyhabits
#habitchange 
#foodheals
#healthcoach
#integrativehealthcoach
#holisticliving
#chronicillness 
#addiction
#christianhealthcoach
#goals
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