Hello iamtessa.com!

This is very bittersweet post for me-it's my last on TeenSanity:(

However, this is NOT my last post on healthy teen living. I have expanded and grown into my own personal website/blog, http://iamtessa.com/. On this site I will focus on my ASSET model and how teenagers can be them best selves. I will also share more fitness tips, yummy recipes, and healthy mindset posts on my new site. 

Goodbye TeenSanity, Hello http://iamtessa.com/! Come be an ASSET:)

Important Reminder!

"It's never too late to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit - start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it, I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you, I hope you feel things you've never felt before, I hope you meet people with a different point of view, I hope you live a life you're proud of - and if you find that you're not I hope you have the strength to start all over again." 
~The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


I absolutely love this quote! I think often in life we forget that this is OUR life, not our parents or friends, OURS! Being a teenager, I think our lives get greatly influenced by outside sources and then we forget what we want or what makes us happy. Sometimes we need a little reminder to get us back on OUR path, OUR journey. I think we can often feel that we have no power over our life, but YOU do. YOU have a choice to live the life YOU want to live or to just go along the path with no intention or goals. It's up to YOU! Ask YOURSELF: Where do I see MYSELF in twenty years? If YOUR life was book, how would YOU want the story to go? Don't be afraid to answers these questions (and it's normal if you are). It may seem scary, but remember life wouldn't be exciting without a little fear and anxiety. This post and quote is reminder to take control of your life:)

Guiltless Ice Cream

Yes guiltless ice cream does exist! To all those who think they cannot enjoy a cool summer treat, you are wrong. And the best part is you only need one ingredient: frozen bananas! All you have to do is slice the bananas into coins, then freeze them until they are solid. Once completely frozen, throw the bananas  into a food processor or blender and blend until they have the consistency of frozen yogurt. If you want more of a frozen yogurt style treat then you can eat it right out of the blender, if not freeze your blended bananas till they are solid and ice cream-like! I've only had plain banana frozen yogurt and it was delicious! Next time I plan on spicing it up a bit with peanut butter and dark chocolate or carob chips. Get creative and see what healthy ice cream you can come up with!

'I Am' VS. 'I Feel'

For those of you who do not know, I recently went on an online radio station, FTNS, to talk about child and teen diabetes and obesity. During the show, I focused on self-image. How we perceive ourselves is a huge mental struggle not only during the teenager years, but throughout our life. This is why understanding the difference between 'I am' and 'I feel' is so important. When we say 'I am "fat"', we are saying a statement that is very self-limiting and attaching ourselves to a personal belief. However when you say 'I feel "fat"', it's no longer self-limiting. When you say 'I feel "fat"', you are able to understand and accept the feeling. With understanding, comes transformation. If you keep telling yourself, "you are fat", are really going to feel motivated to exercise and eat right? No. You are simply putting yourself down. But if you change the 'am' to 'feel', you can say "I feel fat, but that's not who I am." You can turn it into an affirmation, which is part of the transformation, "When I feel "fat", I understand that's not who I am and that I can make a choice to improve my health and eliminate that feeling." Understanding the difference between 'am' and 'feel' has changed my perception of myself and given me a much stronger mindset.

*I used the term "fat" because it was the focus of the radio show I was on. You can replace "fat" with any word you think you are or are feeling.

The 'Diabesity' Solution Show

Tomorrow at 4pm EST I will be on the 'Diabesity' Solution show on http://ftns.co/. Listen and hear about my personal story to health, how teenagers can change their lives around, and my new educational model, 'ASSET.' There will be an online chat, so you can ask me any questions you have! If you cannot listen in, I will post a podcast of the show later on!

Hello Carob!

Recently I had a huge sweet craving, which I will sometimes have, but I have to remind myself not to binge. So I was at a health food store, Foodworks in Monroe, CT, and I found these carob, cashew, coconut bars-oh was I in heaven. These bars are a must try for anyone who loves carob or just is craving something sweet, but want a healthy choice (I am enjoying one as I write). I knew carob was a great alternative to chocolate, but I didn't realize all the benefits of this sweet treat! Here is what I found:

-Unlike chocolate, carob is naturally sweet, so you do not have to add lots of sweeteners to make it taste yummy

-It's an alkaline food

-Has three times as much calcium as chocolate

-Lower in fat than chocolate (contains about 1% of fat compared to 24% fat in cocoa)

-Aids digestion

-Carob is thought to help prevent lung cancer

-Contains gallic acid, which has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties that will help keep you healthy

-Doesn't contain any harmful stimulants including caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline 

-Helps stabilize your blood sugar levels

-Contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Selenium, Fiber, Antioxidants, Protein

-Not addictive

If your craving a sweet treat, look no further than carob-it's a guilt free sweet (of course in moderation)! 

Avocado Kale Salad

This is my official summer salad obsession. I tried this at Whole Foods and then recreated it myself. I'll often visit health food stores for inspiration. If you're looking for something new, you can check out the prepared foods at a health food store for some ideas. I personally like to get inspired then recreate it at home because cooking is very therapeutic for me. I do not have the exact ratio of ingredients, but here are the components to the kale and avocado salad:

-Kale
-Avocado
-Diced tomatoes
-Onion
-Cilantro

I will mash the avocado, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro together-practically creating a guacamole, add a dash of salt (I prefer himalayan salt), then I'll mix in a bunch of kale. This is the perfect salad if your looking for something different and tasty. I am obsessed!

How To Cope With Emotions

This is one of my biggest personal struggles: emotional dis-regulation. I think it's very easy to be overwhelmed with our emotions. We are constantly taking in a ton of stimulation and it's really important to be aware of how it affects us and how we feel. Currently I feel as if I have a billion emotions because school just ended on a very positive note and now summer is starting. I don't know whether I am coming or going. I can control all the physical aspects; my diet, workout, and environment, but what it really comes down to it- I need to take care of the mental aspect. So how do we face our emotions? Maybe we often put ourselves in negative situations to avoid them and just make it worse. As scary as it may seem, it's important to face them. Recognize what is bothering you and make a change. Seems simple, right? I wrote my wonderful mindfulness teacher, Miss Casey, and she sent me the awesomest email. The one lesson or tool that stood out the most was to talk to the little "voice" or "person" that is causing my strong emotions. Talk directly to each emotion as if you were talking to a person and listen to their wisdom. You could ask "Why are you here?", "What do you have to teach me?", or "How can I best handle you?". Don't be close-minded, as easy as it can to be,  instead listen to what the answers are. As Miss Casey told me, "If you do, you may learn some very important things about their function in your life." Ahhh....did I feel better just after reading that! In addition to talking to those emotions, I wrote down everything I was feeling and why. Then I turned each emotion around with an affirmation. One thing that has been bothering me and causing me to feel anxious is the lack of structure during the summer. So I wrote "I understand and accept that I feel anxious, but I know I can handle the lack of structure and make the best use out of my time." Before saying this I felt too dis-regulated to even write a blog post, but after I accepted and understood my emotion, I felt regulated enough to get work done. The lesson here is to listen to and accept your emotions.

Healthy Summer Bucketlist 2012

The summer of 2012 is beginning-crazy, right!?! Last year I compiled a list of summer bucketlist ideas; this year I have done the same thanks to the help of some friends, Kayla and Kate. This year I really wanted to focus on health. Often people think of health of only the body, but there is a mind piece, too. So this year's bucketlist is good for your body, mind, and heart.

TeenSanity's Summer Bucketlist of 2012
-Cook an entire home-cooked, healthy meal with friends ("'Cause it's always fun to burn things with other people"~Kayla)
-Run a marathon, biathlon, or triathlon
-Wear a 'Free Hugs' t-shirt for an entire day (in public)
-Write yourself in ten years a letter, store it in a safe place, then open it ten years later
-Go rock climbing (with real rocks, outdoors)
-Eat an entire meal mindfully
-Plant a vegetable garden
-Attend a hot yoga class
-Have a smoothie stand (just took the lemonade stand to a whole new level)
-For an entire day compliment everyone you meet
-Do 50 or more crunches everyday (no excuses!!)
-Have a yoga session on the beach (Love this one)
-Tell your family "I love you" every single day
-Face your biggest fear
-Post an inspiration on lifepulp.com every single day of the summer (you'll be surprised at how your outlook on life will become much brighter)
-Sleep under the stars
-Run (or dance!) in the rain
-Try a new workout, something you've never done before (Bootcamp training, Pilates, Barre method)
-Plant a tree
-Set a goal to of being able to do sixty pushups in a row by the end of the summer (or set a number of fitness goals)
-Have an entire meal consist of only raw food (let me emphasis, not raw meat!!!)
-Go to a public place (sidewalk) and write everything that makes you happy in chalk

Enjoy your summer:)

Surviving Finals

Yes it is possible to survive finals-I am alive to talk about it. As overwhelming as finals are, keep in mind they are not the end of the world. There are coping skills that help alleviate some of the stress of finals. I highly recommend taking time to workout; even if it's a lap or two around your street, moving your body is important. It will help you to focus better and absorb more information. Trust me. During finals, I will make sure to do harder workouts because I need to burn off the stress. My other suggestion is taking the time to mediate. If you can't even get yourself to do that, take three deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. It helps for me to pay attention to the inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth. If you're interested in a guided mediation, check out the website Headspace. The site offers ten minute meditations and I believe you can sign up for a ten-day free trial. Sometimes in my mindfulness class will practice a Headspace meditation. I find mindfulness/meditation helps me to re-blance myself, especially when stress feels out of control. You will survive finals-I promise!

Fluoride: What You Didn't Know

I apologize deeply for not posting in over a week. I was really sick which I have not been in years. Clearly my immune system had been run down from traveling. But now I am back and ready to share my health knowledge with you! Today I had a conversation with Roman Price, founder of Lifepulp.com, and we got onto the topic of Fluoride. I wasn't aware of all the negative effects of Fluoride. I had always seen toothpaste with Fluoride and assumed it was okay for our health. Lesson learned: do not assume any chemical/ingredient is okay, do your own research. Fluoride can be found in our drinking water. From what I have come to understand, the United States government supported fluoridated public water because of the claim that fluoride helps support tooth decay (when actually there is no need to swallow fluoride to protect our teeth). Water fluoridation is used in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and Australia (and a few other countries). Here is some evidence on how Fluoride is harmful to our health:

1. Fluoride may damage the brain. The National Research Council stated, "it is apparent that fluorides have the ability to interfere with the functions of the brain."
2. Fluoride may lower intelligence. China, Iran, India, and Mexico conducted 24 studies in which the results showed that there was an association between exposure to fluoride and reduced IQ.
3. Negative effects on the pineal gland. Fluoride's affect on the gland may interfere with the hormone melatonin, which regulates our sleep cycle.
4. Sodium Fluoride is the prominent ingredient in rat poison. Why a main ingredient in rat poison is in our water is beyond me!

How can you avoid fluoride in your water? Drink spring water. Most spring water has less than .1ppm fluoride, which is ten times less than added for fluoridation. Or purchase a water filter for your tap water. Make sure the type of filter is a reverse osmosis or activated alumina. Roman has noticed since cutting fluoride out of his diet his energy levels have skyrocketed!

Flexibility with Food

In the past four weeks I have spent a total of 42 hours on many planes. To say the least I feel exhausted. This past week I was in Warsaw, Poland at an Original Play Cultural Exchange. This particular experience challenged me in many ways-emotionally, physically, and mentally. But facing those challenges allowed for me to grow even more. The biggest growing experience for me was probably being forced to be flexible with my food. At home I am strict with myself; eating every few hours and planning each balanced meal. This trip I was forced to let go. I was thrown into circumstances where all I could do is make the best possible decision out of options I was faced with. I had to learn that not everywhere I go, I will find the healthiest food. This past week I didn't nearly eat half as many fruits and vegetables I normally eat. My mind struggled to let go with this fact. I wanted to obsess over the situation of my food. But obsessing or being too caught up in my eating habits would have been just as detrimental to my mental health. I had to teach myself the art of making the best out of the situation. Throughout the trip, I was frustrated that I couldn't find dark leafy green salads or even broccoli. But then I forced myself to realize that I needed to stay in the present moment and is this the end of the world? No was the answer. I realized I had been choosing to focus on the negative aspects of the situation instead of the positive. The learning experience out of this trip was to make the most out of each situation and that though I may not always be able to find the 'perfect' meal, it's okay. I learned to be flexible and that was a very valuable experience for me!

ASSET-My Dream for Students

Press 'Play' to see my mission of helping students reach their peak performance academically, physically, and emotionally.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Any help with resources, funding, or some words of encouragement would mean the world to me. Please contact me at Tessa.M.Zimmerman@gmail.com

The Mind IS Everything

"If you get the mind right, the body simply follows." ~Roman Price

I've heard Roman say this quote and I've always understood it, but today I truly experienced what he has been talking about. Today I went to school, then I worked the after-school program and after that I felt exhausted, but knew I needed to move my body. So I forced the negative thoughts out of my head and got my workout clothes on. But during my workout my thoughts were out of control. I was thinking of my homework, school, friends, and then writing a post about the mind out of control (ironic I know). My mind wasn't in the workout and it showed. I could not push myself as hard, my form wasn't as good, and I had much more of a desire to take breaks. I found myself stopping in the middle of my workout to think about what I am going to do next, instead of staying in the present moment and giving my body the workout it needed. After today's experience, I wrote an affirmation that applies to my mind during my workouts (and life in general). Here it is:

"When I find myself thinking about the future or past, I remind myself to focus my mind and energy on the present moment."

What to Eat When Traveling?

I apologize for not posting in so long! I went to Hawaii for a week and then when I returned home I had an extremely hard time adjusting to the time change. Finally, five days later, I seem to be back to my normal self. The fifteen hours of traveling each way inspired me to write this post.

Lesson One: Do NOT expect the airport or airplane to have tons of options or even any options. I flew into LAX (Continental terminal) with high expectations. For some reason in my head, I thought LAX would have a bunch of healthy food choices; smoothies, semi-decent salads. I was wrong. Thank goodness I made an amazing trail mix that I was able to snack on:)

Lesson Two: Plan ahead. As dorky as this may sound, it was really important. On the way home, I knew I would land in LA right at breakfast time. So before we left I went to a natural food market in Hawaii. I bought raw protein powder and a raw cacao gogi bar for my breakfast. Because I knew in the morning I was going to need protein and some superfood power to get me through the second six hour flight:)

Lesson Three: Stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water really helped me through my travels. Even though I hated having to pee so much due to my increase in consumption of water, I knew I felt a lot better because I was hydrated.

What do I suggest to bring for food?
~Individual Packets of Protein Powder (you can buy a water bottle after you get through security and you are good to go)
~Individual Packets of Peanut Butter or Almond Butter (bring an apple or maybe a whole grain cracker to combo it with)
~Fruit (apple, banana etc.)
~Make Your Own Trail Mix-fill your trail mix with what you desire! For me, I was craving raw cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins, and a bit of dark chocolate:)
~Greens Protein Bars
~Vigilant Eats (a gluten free, organic, oat based, cereal)

If you are in airport and you forget to bring food, Starbucks can be found practically everywhere and you can find a balanced choice there. I suggest the protein platter if you find yourself in that situation.

Hope these suggestions help with your travels:)

Motivation To Help Stay Healthy

Working Out. Being Active. Staying Fit.

I think deep down all of us want to be healthy. We want to look our best; feel our best. But we have to initiate the want. We have to motivate ourselves to stay healthy; to choose the veggies over the potato chips; to go for a run, instead of sitting on the couch and watching television. But how? What is it that is going to keep you from choosing the "easy road"; the one we have been habitually traveling down? For me, I pick a specific event that I want to look and feel my best for. That's what motivates me. When I am working out, I like to picture my workout goals. If I want to focus on the abs, when I am doing my ab routine, I'll envision the abs I want. Same goes for any other part of my body that I am looking to tone. Don't focus on the negative, instead focus on the positive. Focus on your goals. The more energy you put into achieving your goals, the more likely you are to reach them. It's that simple.

Stressed? Overwhelmed?

Sometimes I forgot blogging should also reflect on personal experiences. So I am here to reflect on my current state of feeling overwhelmed. Yes, I too get overwhelmed. But if I think about it I am choosing to feel stressed and go into the state of "Oh my goodness, there's too much work!" I think it's easier for us to feel stressed, then it is to take a step back and look at the situation. When I step back and look, I am better able to assess what I need to do-I then can decided what's important and what can wait. Sometimes I'll even write down everything I feel like I need to do, then I'll look back and see everything I wrote down and realize that I a lot of what I felt like I needed to accomplish, in reality, wasn't an immediate concern. I feel in our heads we tend to make things a lot bigger and of more importance, but in reality it isn't life or death, yet we make ourselves believe it is. For example, during my driving test, I was able to step back and recognize that if I failed (which I didn't) no one was going to die, I was still going to be okay, I would still have a home to come home to, and my family would still love me. Once I was able to recognize that, then I didn't feel so stressed. The test didn't seem so monumental. I think as teens we can get caught up in things that seem monumental to us, but in reality are very small compared to what's going on in the world. Here's what I suggest when you feel overwhelmed: Write It Down. Look Back. Recognize What's Important and What Can Wait. But do this honestly! You have to be honest with yourself. You do yourself no good lying and saying everything's important and you have to do everything right now. Everything will get done, and probably you'll do everything at a much higher quality when you're not stressed and attacking the situation from a practical and calm mindset.

How to Survive Your Road Test

Yes I somehow managed to survive and PASS my road test (may I add, by some miracle, as I was extremely nervous). I feel as if I have accomplished a major teenage milestone. Wow is it a great feeling (and a relief)! I do have some tips to stay sane before and during the test that helped me. One practice beforehand, but not right before. This is a personal suggestion as I am one who like to practices as much as possible the day before and then the day off just try to stay calm and focused, but if you are one who like to practice or study for a test the day of-go ahead. I, personally, knew I was comfortable and ready. I didn't want to practice the day of because I thought it might add to my stress (especially if I messed up). Two, stay in the present moment. I am one who will over think everything, but it helped me to stay calm by reminding myself to be present. I noticed I was making myself nervous over the test by trying to guess what would happen. So I turned it around by being aware of my thoughts and how they were affecting my nerves. This helped me to separate my nerves from my reality, so in the moment of the test I was able to be present and not let my nervous thoughts control my test. Last but not least, take care of your body beforehand-eat well and be well rested. Make sure your body has the best possible fuel to perform at it's peak performance. I know it seems silly that what you eat can affect your road test, but you want to be your best possible self and functioning at your full potential, so help your body out and eat well and sleep the night before (as hard as it might be). Some eggs with turkey bacon and fresh fruit or a protein smoothie are two great options to eat beforehand. One thing I suggest you don't do is leave the car running and run out when the DMV person tells you "you passed"-I did that and I really don't recommend it, but hey! I still got my license!

What's for Breakfast?

I know many teenagers skip breakfast usually because they'd rather sleep than eat. I personally would rather go to bed at a decent hour and wake up earlier to prepare my breakfast. I am now preparing my food (yes I get possessive of my food...haha) the night before so when I wake up it's super fast and I can have a wholesome breakfast. So are you ready for my newest obsession? BREAKFAST BURRITOS...amazing. That's all I have to say about how yummy they are. I honestly use to be afraid to eat eggs because of the texture, but anymore! This burrito is super easy to make- I just chop an organic tomato and make guacamole or chop half an avocado and keep it with the pit, the night before. Then in morning I scramble two eggs with my already chopped tomato. Once the eggs are cooked, I add half of an avocado or guacamole or even salsa and put it into a sprouted grain tortilla. It takes me about ten minutes and you can eat it on the go! My favorite quality of this breakfast is that eggs contain nine essential amino acids that makes it easy for our bodies to absorb the protein. I have college level toxicology first thing every morning and honestly this breakfast gives me the focus and energy to sit through a 90 minute lecture!

Raw Cashew Obsessed

These past couple of weeks I've been raw cashew obsessed. Yes I have a food obsession problem, but at least they are healthy foods! Once I discover a new food, I do tend to go a little crazy over them. But really, raw cashews have blown my mind with taste and benefits. Your probably thinking, "But that's high in fat! Why would I eat something fatty?" Well the fat content of nuts, including raw cashews, helps to satisfy your hunger and keeps you feeling full longer. The SUN study found that those who consumed nuts on a regular basis were actually at a reduced risk for weight gain. Let me clarify, that I am not encouraging you to eat your weight in cashews or an excess amount. 1/4 of cup of raw cashews and a piece of fruit is a great snack; that is enough to keep you satisfied. According to the author of Fire Your Doctor! How to be Independently Healthy, Andrew Saul, cashews are great for boosting your mood and helping to stabilize your thoughts because of it's high content of the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan produces the feeling of mellowness and is known as the "natural and healthy" Prozac. Just a large handful of cashews contains two thousand milligrams of tryptophan! The best part is they taste delicious too. I prefer raw cashews over roasted because I feel they are more flavorful and healthier. These are just a few reasons why I am obsessed with these cashews.

P.S. Did you ever notice cashews look like a smile? It's ironic that they have the power to make a person happier thus make one smile:)