Hey ya'll! So this one is a more "informal" blog but I've been a bit MIA on the blogging for the past little bit but with good reason!!  

"Brea Sharron Estep was crowned Mrs. United States 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada October 7th, 2021.

Brea is an Integrative Health Practitioner, Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, business coach and author of the amazon best seller "Holistic Health Clean Eating Cookbook". She was born and raised in Greensboro NC where she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with her bachelor’s in business and became the owner of Foundation Fitness studio for 8.5 years. Brea recently moved to Morehead City NC with her husband Tim and two pups, to enjoy living their best life at the beach. She is proud to represent her home state as Mrs. North Carolina United States and now Mrs. United States, where she promotes her platform, her non profit Youth Fitness Link. Which shares her life’s mission statement “build...

Are you a dog helicopter Mom like me?!

Or just want the best for your best friend?

Hate huge vet bills?!

Check your fur baby’s labels for:

1. Melamine
A type of plastic that contains nitrogen, added to dog food to make it look like it contains more protein. It can cause kidney failure, depending on the size of the dog and the dose, and death.

2. BHA and BHT
These are artificial preservatives found in some traditional dog foods and treats, used to extend their shelf life. They can be harmful with long-term exposure and ingestion.

3. Ethoxyquin
which is used as a fat preservative, is also utilized as a pesticide. It elevates liver enzymes in the blood and raises hemoglobin pigment in the liver.

4. Propylene Glycol

This artificial additive is used to maintain texture, keeping foods soft and moist. 

5. Carrageenan

Extracted from red seaweed and used as a thickener to maintain consistency, specifically in wet dog food. Can lead to GI inflammation and possibly cancer.

6. Meat...

Through my studies on my road to becoming an Integrative Health Practitioner, a decade in the health and fitness industry, plus all the trial and error I’ve done on the latest and great diets (maybe you remember last year’s #ketofail...) I’ve discovered there really must be something to this whole “eat your greens” thing our parents taught us.

Although I’ve knocked it for years, I’ve seen so much research supporting a plant based diet, specifically the way our bodies are created. However for me, working out 6 days a week, a strictly vegetarian diet would be a struggle (I’m all about animals, insert hamburger emoji here...) so hear me out.

By switching two of my meals to an easier to digest, non animal protein sources (hemp and pea protein, not soy) and doing more eggs and wild caught fish in some of my other meals as well as dropping red meat to only cheat meals, I’ve noticed a HUGE positive impact on my health!

More energy, better...

Let’s keep talking about toxins

The average woman uses 12 beauty or skincare products a day that contain over 168 different toxic chemicals (Environmental Working Group)

The worst place to ingest chemicals is your skin, as it is your largest organ and it only takes 26 seconds to be absorbed

Side effects of cosmetic chemicals that can cause immediate reactions include: allergies, skin rash, headache, mood disturbance, brain fog or fatigue. Not to freak you out but when chemicals are continually compounded they CAN eventually lead to cancer, fertility issues, birth defects, neurological disturbances, and even auto-immune issues.

Don’t get my wrong I LOVE makeup as you can tell by my for real Makeup Arsenal (not pictures my airbrush machine and brush collection...) but if you’re going to be purchasing skincare and beauty products/cosmetics, why not make the extra effort to go as organic and natural as possible?! Ok fine, so I still use some “prestige brands”...

Getting an adequate night’s sleep is one of the most overlooked components of our overall health & well being. However it is vital that your body is regularly in a parasympathetic state, where it can rest & repair.

Melatonin is our sleep hormone that is produced largely in the gut as a downline product of serotonin, & is essential for restorative sleep. So how do we help melatonin?

As someone who tossed & turned for years the best sleep tips I’ve found to help when my head hits the pillow are:
-Set & keep a sleep schedule, go to bed & wake up within the same hour window every day (yes weekends too)
-Sleep with the sun, our sleep schedules work best when synced with our natural diurnal rhythm set to the sun, ideally in bed from 10pm-6am which also go along with natural cortisol spikes
-Stop eating 2-3 hours before bed, due to your body producing energy for digestion
-No napping, ok so I love naps so keep it short & sweet if you must (20 min or less)
...

I’ve recently been leaning about the difference in store bought vitamins and REAL quality vitamins.
Make sure your vitamins are:
-GMP certified (good manufacturing practice)
-Third party tested
-Free of pesticides, heavy metals and microbes (mold, yeast etc)
-Dairy free, gluten free, dye free and soy free
-Fresh (a five year shelf life probably doesn’t equal fresh...)
-Fish oils/omegas should not taste fishy or make you burp fishy-yes putting them in the freezer helps but the fishy taste means they’re rancid (oxidized, like you anti-oxidants we talk about for anti-aging..) and doing more harm than good

Moral of the story:
Stop buying your vitamins where you buy your tissues and toilet paper!! (As I throw away my vitamins from Costco...)

Quote of the day: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” - Ghandi

Jump Around! 90s style!

Benefits of Rebounding
1. Lymphatic drainage:
Aids in venous blood flow allowing our lymphatic system (where our toxins are stored) to flow better, therefore detoxifies better which improves the immune system.
2. Stress reduction:
Light bouncing can help increase blood flow to underused muscles and loosen and release overused ones, plus it helps the body release endorphins which are your brain’s natural calming, feel good aid.
3.Improve balance:
Improves proprioception (ability to sense the orientation and position of your body) which aids in fall/injury reduction. It also stimulates the vestibule in the middle ear to improve balance.
4. Strengthen pelvic floor muscles:
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that effectively form a hammock across the base of your pelvis and support the internal organs above it. Having strong and flexible pelvic floor muscles helps control the bladder, stabilize the hip joints, and connect to the deep core.
5. Improve bone...

New year, new you; new years resolutions; most resolutions are broken by February; and here we are. We’ve all heard the same thing every single January but why should you actually stick to your goal’s of “getting healthy, looking better, and feeling better” this time around? 
 
Exercise releases positive endorphins, and positive endorphins make you feel better about yourself as well as increases energy.
 
Exercise itself increases energy, stamina as well as mental alertness.
 
Exercise makes you want to eat better in order to “perform” better, which in turn increases your overall health.
 
Exercise, whether it is indoors at a local gym/group classes, or outdoors at a park/ trail is a great way to engage with new people with positive life goals.
 
Exercise has been proven time and time again to decrease and even alleviate depression, anxiety, stress, negative self-esteem and cognitive function.
 
Exercise is a great way to...

Love going out in my backyard and picking all of my garden goodies!
But not all “gardens” are created equal...
Why go organic?
One word: toxins
Where do toxins come from?
-GMO‘s (genetically modified organisms)
-Preservatives
-Chemical Fertilizers
-Pesticides/DDT
-Herbicides
-Fungicides
-Insecticides
-Rodenticides
-Hormones in animal products
What’s so bad about toxins anyways?
Well they just don’t go away. A study done by the Center for Disease Control showed 99% of people tested had byproducts of DDT(DDE), banned 40 years ago, in their blood.
Long term damage from what’s been sprayed on our “healthy” food includes: birth defects, ADD/ADHD, reproductive issues, male infertility, nervous system damage, autoimmune issues, brain deterioration, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and even cancer. It also allows chemicals to become free radicals which poison our cells and wipes out our good gut bacteria needed for digestion as well as immunity!
All...

Did you know your gut is also called your second brain!?
In order to break down all of the important nutrients from our food, you know, the ones we need to keep our bodies in balance to better protect ourselves from the common cold, the flu, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and even cancer (yes even cancer!), we have got to get our guts right!

Want a little more energy? 1/3 of our daily energy goes towards digestion! Get that gut right!

My morning love your gut routine looks like this (yes before my ):
- 1 organic lemon (juiced)
-1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
-1 Scoop of an organic greens powder
-1 probiotic
-8oz warm water
-1 drop lemon essential oil
-pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt (beneficial for adrenals!)

Don’t believe me? Try it for 30 days and let’s talk ;)

Quote of the day:
”The man who earns a million but destroys his health in the process is not really a success.“ -Zig Ziglar