Empowered to Change LLC

For my followers with chronic illness here’s your reminder…..💕 Take care of yourself regardless of what others think 🌸

Becoming a nurse practitioner has been a dream of mine for years and it’s finally happening 👏🏻

My long term goal is to help my adult patients and clients improve chronic illness through nutrition 🥬🍋🏃‍♀️and lifestyle changes rather than just prescribing more medication. 💊

I’m in my final year of my nurse practitioner program and my time is consumed by studying and doing clinicals. 📚📓👩‍⚕️

With that being said you might notice my presence on social media is very minimal as I focus on finishing my education.👩🏼‍🎓

Some have asked if I’m still accepting health coaching clients. The answer is yes on a limited basis. I currently do not have any openings but can add you to my waitlist when a current client has finished my program. Feel free to message me anytime 😊

Come see some Irish ☘️ dancing at 3 separate performances this weekend 💃🏼

Can going gluten free help endometriosis or dysmenorrhea? 🧐🤔

🥐I recently learned about a study of women that went gluten free to see if it improved menstrual pain related to endometriosis. The results were interesting.

🍞The women that were gluten free for only a few months did not see any improvement.

🥖The women that stuck with it for 9 whole months finally found significant improvement in their symptoms.

Moral of the story....if you are trying to be gluten free and give up because you don't notice a difference, maybe you haven't tried it long enough. Food for thought......no pun intended 😉

Are you thinking about getting into a fitness routine this summer?

I’ve decided I wanted to start a free support system for anyone wanting to get back into shape after illness, surgery, injury, or just being too busy to exercise.

The past 6 months I’ve been very busy with school and only had time to maintain a simple exercise routine. I was looking forward being done with school for summertime and getting my fitness back……until an injury slowed down my plans.

During finals week I sprained my foot. Initially it didn’t hurt but now 4 weeks later I’m wearing this pretty boot to speed up the healing process (it’s impossible for me to just sit around and rest).

This free fitness program will start June 6. I’ll be posting regular tips and providing motivation and accountability.

Any fitness level is invited and modifications are encouraged according to your injury/condition.

Comment💪🏻if you’re ready to regain your fitness with me ☺️

Shhhh 🤫 I have a secret to tell……..something that will relieve your stress about being perfect with healthy eating.

In this past week I’ve had cupcakes, gluten-free Oreos, hot fudge, chips, and pizza. 😬🫣

But I also had a TON of healthy stuff like green smoothies, cauliflower smoothies, lean protein, salads, fruit, nuts, healthy gluten free bread.

I tell my clients to follow the 80/20 or 90/10 rule. Eat healthy 80–90% of the time and still have those indulgences occasionally. Because I allow myself that freedom I didn’t lose control when I had my treats. A small serving was plenty.

I think following a strict diet can cause a lot of stress physically and mentally. I’ve done it before for health improvement but I don’t recommend it long term.

Sure I’d definitely be better off without any junk food at all.…….but it’s not worth the stress. Perfection is unrealistic.

Are you recovering from chronic stress or adrenal fatigue? These tips seem simple but really the basics are what make the biggest difference.

Happy Saturday! Here are some ideas for managing stress this weekend ☺️

You know you’re getting old when you sprain your foot walking in your own kitchen 🤣🤣 No cool stories about hurting my foot while running a race or playing soccer. Just simply walking in my own house 🤦🏼‍♀️

Anyone else have a lame story on how they have gotten injured?

Wondering if you have adrenal fatigue? Read my last post to learn about the symptoms. Here are some supplements that can help your body heal from chronic stress.

But the most important thing is to rest and remove unnecessary stressors. What is one thing you can do to reduce stress or simplify your life?

I love the taste of fresh ginger, especially in my smoothies lately. But it’s a lot of work and I often just use the dried ginger.

I was excited when I found these frozen ginger cubes that give the taste and benefits of fresh without any effort. Fast and easy is my motto for healthy living. 🤗

I’m back! Happy first day of March. I’m glad to be back to posting regularly here for everyone.

Where have I been?
✅Traveling to Colorado, Idaho, and California
✅Working long hours as a Hospice Nurse
✅Studying Advanced Pharmacology for the nurse practitioner program.
✅ Spending time with family
✅ Grieving the loss of a grandparent

What’s next?
☺️I have lots of ideas for some free educational events for the future
☺️ Finishing my Functional Nutrition certification
☺️ Creating a brand new program for future clients

It’s good to be back. Comment below with any requests for topics that I can teach about 🤗

You may have noticed my presence here has decreased lately. Life’s stressors have gotten overwhelming recently. I promise I’ll be back soon. I just need a few weeks to take care of me and focus on more urgent demands on my time.

I can’t wait to return to posting regularly again to help everyone find ways to improve their health. I have some exciting things planned for the future. 🤗

This FREE educational series starts today in my private support group. During this 5 day series I will be teaching you about less common known side effects of sugar and strategies to take control of your sweet tooth. This is not always an issue of willpower and it is important to understand how a sugar addiction can curbed.

Comment "Me" to join!

Happy New Year! Who has health and wellness goals to conquer this year? A common goal for many is to reduce sugar intake.

This is easier said than done because sugar is truly an addictive substance that affects the dopamine center in your brain, making it hard to eliminate from your diet because of the rewards it triggers.

I am offering a FREE online educational series aimed towards uncovering the toxic effects of sugar on your body and simple strategies to eliminate sugar while still satisfying your sweet tooth. Comment "Me" below if you would like to join this free program.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! The holidays can be a blessed time for many, but also a time of sadness and difficult memories. Thoughts and prayers for those healing from grief and loss during this time.

📣 Life update!📣

You may have noticed I have not been posting as often on social media. The truth is I have been trying really hard to maintain balance with some added obligations on my time. 🏃‍♀️

👩‍⚕️The great thing about being a nurse is I will never be unemployed. The problem is everybody wants me to work for them and I have a hard time saying no. 😬

I have finally discovered an area of nursing that I am truly passionate about and actually enjoy (hospice). This new interest has led me to increase from working very minimal hours to full-time.

In addition to working full-time I have finally committed myself to going back to school again for the 10th time to finally finish my masters degree. I have stopped and started it several times. After bouncing back and forth between nursing education, nurse practitioner, and nursing informatics, I finally decided to follow my passion and choose the degree that interests me the most even though it is the hardest.

I am halfway through the nurse practitioner program and I’m going to keep going until I finish.

What does that mean for my health coaching business? I am still here and accepting clients. You may not see me talk about it or advertise it much but I am still ready and willing to help anyone that reaches out to me through a personal message. Hope everyone has a healthy, happy, and safe holiday season.🎄

Wondering if you can compete in the Healthy Baking challenge? Here is an example of an entry below. I literally found a recipe on Pinterest and then altered it to fit my needs. Simple as that!
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To be considered a "healthy" holiday baked good or dessert, it simply just has to be a recipe that is modified to be a healthier version. It can be something that is gluten free, keto, paleo, sugar free, dairy free, reduced fat, etc. Lots of options. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with. Contest runs December 6-10 right here in my free support group Empowering Women To Live A Healthy Lifestyle (link in bio).
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Paleo Chocolate Pumpkin Tart Recipe:
1/4 cup (56.5 ml) coconut milk or other non-dairy milk-unsweetened
1.5 Tbsp arrowroot starch
1.5 cups (420 g) pumpkin puree 1 15 oz can, or use sweet potato puree
1/4 cup (59.15 g) coconut sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, generous pinch of cloves and nutmeg
3 oz (85.05 g) dark chocolate ( 3 oz or about 2/3 cup), chopped-unsweetened if possible
3 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
1 Paleo Pie Crust
1.Start by making the Paleo Pie Crust. (recipe below)
2. Make the filling. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and starch and mix well. Add pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, and spices and mix well. Bring everything to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. The mixture will thicken nicely.
3. Pour the filling into the cooled almond flour pie crust and let chill 2-3 hours.
Crust:
1 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Chopped Nuts of your choice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup Coconut Oil (melted)
1 tbs Pure Maple Syrup
Combine ingredients until crumbly then press into a pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

A lot of people ask me how I do everything that I do being a busy mom, working full-time, just starting my master’s degree again, 3 kids and a dog, and running my own health coaching practice. I also take time to make sure I take care of my own health and wellness.
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Wondering how I fit it all in? Follow the stories today to find out.

Giving away another Amazon gift card for a fun and FREE online baking competition!
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While you are working on baking for Thanksgiving, take a photo of your creations and share the recipe in this upcoming competition.
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Not sure what qualifies as "healthy?" Any baked good or dessert that has been altered to be healthier. It can be reduced fat, reduced sugar, sugar free, keto, gluten free. Anything you can think of! I can't wait to see everyone's entries.
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Comment "I'm in!" to join.

Health coaches have bad days too. We have days where we don't feel like getting up early to exercise. We have days where we want to eat chocolate.....and days where we just want to let our guard down and not be perfect. That is because we are human, just like everyone else
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I received some unexpected bad new last week that has been difficult to accept. I've felt anger and sadness and disappointment.
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I skipped a few workouts, ate some chocolate and didn't drink my green smoothies.
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But it's okay, because what matters is that I always start again. I never quit.
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This morning I was tempted to pull the blanket back over my head, but instead I got up and put on my exercise clothes.
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Life happens and sometimes we cope with it the best we can. It is okay if you fall out of a good habit for a few days. Make a plan to get back on track.
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I don't expect my clients to be perfect in their attempts to be healthy. I only expect them to try their best to be consistent and not give up.
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Happy Monday! You've got this!

Tired of being sick and tired? Try this simple lifestyle change. The rewards are well worth the effort 🙌

Client testimonial time! 👏🏻Misty has been working with me since July. I’m so proud of all that she’s accomplished and love how dedicated she is to improving her health 🙌
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“Before my heart attack and working with Jenn, my diet and food choices were far from healthy… Since working with Jenn I’ve incorporated healthier food choices, exercise and she’s even helped me to manage my stress. She continues to work with me and my food allergies and is always readily available for any questions or concerns. Jenn provides me with the necessary “tools” to stay focused on my diet and food choices along with the support I need on days that I struggle.. She helps me to stay on a routine that balances my physical and emotional wellbeing needs. She encourages me to set goals and provides me the assistance needed to achieve them. She shows compassion for her work and genuinely wants to see me succeed. Since my time with Jenn, I can finally say I am living a healthier lifestyle. I’m feeling better and have more energy. I make more time for myself now and work towards my goals each day. She reminds me that its not always about perfection but persistence and to keep going. Jenn’s taught me so much about food and its impact on me both physically and mentally.  She doesn’t just focus on food or fitness, but the individual as an entirety. Her program incorporates a little bit of everything needed for a healthier, happier body, mind and spirit.”

With everyone on social media claiming to be some kind of coach it is a little confusing to know what exactly that means? 🤔
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I am a health coach but there is a difference between a health coach and a wellness coach. Pretty much anyone can be a wellness coach they just have to get a little bit of on the job training or Google some stuff. Not a whole lot of training or skills involved.
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However in order for me to be a health coach I had to have a bachelor’s degree in a health related field. I I also had to have real life experience related to my health coaching position. I previously worked as a maternity management health coach for a large health coaching organization that worked with large employers to help their employees reduce risk factors for disease.
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Prior to starting my own practice I became certified with an organization that is only for healthcare providers. My nursing background has given me the knowledge on the human body, disease process, disease management etc. My experience as a health coach has taught me about motivational interviewing, behavior change, goal-setting, fitness,nutrition and more.

Colicky baby? I experienced this problem with 2 of my babies. I didn’t realize that the root cause actually had more to do with my gut health than the baby’s.

Join my free prenatal yoga and smoothies for busy moms event this Wednesday evening online. Link in bio.

Here’s a quick glimpse of some of the things I’ve been eating as I follow the . I’ve been loving the Culina yogurt topped with fruit I found at . Also lots of salads for lunch every day. And I found a beef jerky that meets my protocol. Perfect for traveling.

“Before working with Jen I was struggling with meal planning.  I really liked our meetings because they helped me stay on track and helped me be accountable for my health goals. I feel like you helped me navigate through this new lifestyle change where I have the tools needed to reach my goal.”
Tanya

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This plan won’t work! It’s ok to enjoy the holidays and treats. Just limit it to a day or two and then get back on track 😉