Build Muscle. Eat Ice Cream. Come See Us Saturday. 😉
- Austina Brittain
- Aug 15
- 6 min read
FUEL YOUR FIRE
💪 Weight Loss Is Changing...But Muscle Still Matters
Hi friends! If you've followed me for very long, you already know I'm going to find a reason to talk about muscle. 😂 I love lifting weights. It's my jam. But my passion for strength training goes far beyond how our bodies look. Maintaining muscle is one of the most important things we can do for our metabolic health, bone health, independence and quality of life as we age. And right now, I think this conversation is more important than ever.
The GLP-1 Era & Why Muscle Matters
It's hard to turn on the TV or scroll social media without hearing something about GLP-1 medications. Medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide have changed the way we approach obesity and metabolic and we're continuing to learn more about their potential benefits beyond weight loss. For the right person, under appropriate medical supervision, these medications can be an incredibly useful tool. But there's something I don't want us to lose sight of: The goal shouldn't simply be to weigh less. The goal is to become healthier. Whenever someone loses a significant amount of weight—whether through medication, nutrition changes, bariatric surgery or another approach—some of that weight can come from lean tissue, including muscle. And that's tissue we want to protect! We naturally tend to lose muscle as we age. If we add rapid weight loss without giving our bodies the nutrition and stimulus they need to maintain muscle we can potentially accelerate that loss. That's why I continue to emphasize three things with anyone working toward weight loss: 🥩 Adequate protein 🥦 Whole, nutrient-dense foods—including plenty of fiber 💪 Resistance training The number on the scale only tells us how much your body weighs. It doesn't tell us what you lost. And that's an important distinction.
Muscle Is About So Much More Than Looking "Lean"
Strong muscles help support your bones and joints and can improve stability, balance and posture. Muscle also plays an important role in metabolic health. It's one of the major places our bodies use and store glucose, which is one reason resistance training can help improve how your body handles your blood sugar. Maintaining strength can decrease your risk of falls and injuries and, importantly, help you maintain your independence as you get older. Think about what strength actually allows us to do: Carry groceries. Get up from the floor. Pick up a child or grandchild. Put your suitcase in the overhead bin. Work in the yard. Hike. Travel. Live independently. And if you happen to fall someday? You want enough strength to help yourself get back up. That's what we're training for. Life. And no—you don't have to become a powerlifter. Resistance bands, dumbbells, machines, body-weight exercises and other forms of progressive resistance training can all help build and maintain muscle. Find something appropriate for your body and your abilities and start where you are.
🍨 Speaking of Protein...Let's Make Ice Cream!
It's August in Texas, which means it's approximately 147 degrees outside. 😉 Okay, maybe not quite—but we're expecting temperatures over 100° this weekend, so this seems like the perfect time to share one of my favorite ways to sneak a little more protein into my day: Ninja Creami "Nice Cream." l love the Ninja Creami because I LOVE ice cream. My basic formula is pretty simple: I start with ingredients I'd be perfectly happy putting into a smoothie—milk, protein powder, fruit, nuts or nut powder, Greek yogurt, etc.—freeze them and turn them into ice cream. Here are a few of my favorites—and fair warning, I rarely measure everything perfectly. I start with a basic high-protein base and play around with flavors until I find something I love. So use these as inspiration and make them your own! Are all of my creations 100% whole-food, no-added-sugar perfection? Nope. Sometimes there's maple syrup. Sometimes there's a cookie crushed on top. Sometimes there's dark chocolate. Because that's real life. But compared with many traditional ice creams, I can create something with mostly whole-food ingredients, very few artificial ingredients and around 30–40 grams of protein depending on the recipe. And it still feels like dessert. Here are a few of my favorites:
🍒 Chocolate-Covered Cherry Nice Cream This one might be my favorite—and it's especially good during cherry season!
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
½ banana
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Frozen dark cherries
2 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
Blend everything together, pour into your Creami container, and freeze. Process according to your Ninja Creami instructions.
Once it's creamy, mix in a small handful of dark chocolate chips.
Then top it with a few dark cherries and a little extra dark chocolate if you're feeling fancy. 🍒🍫
Chocolate-covered cherry ice cream with protein and real fruit? Yes, please. 🥥 Coconut Cream Peanut Butter Nice Cream
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Levels Vanilla Bean Whey Protein
1 scoop powdered peanut butter made with 100% peanuts
2 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure date syrup
Blend, freeze in your Creami container, and process according to your machine's instructions.
Creamy, peanut buttery and simple.
🍌 Banana Maple Nice Cream
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ banana
2 tablespoons of full fat coconut milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
And because healthy eating doesn't mean we're forbidden from having fun...
I've crushed one of the maple cookies I brought home from Canada and added it as a mix-in.
Whole foods + protein + a cookie = balance. 😄
☕ Coffee & Dark Chocolate Nice Cream
For this one, swap the almond milk for chilled coffee.
Add:
Vanilla protein powder
A splash of vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of full fat coconut milk
1 cup chilled coffee
After spinning, mix in a little shaved dark chocolate.
It's basically coffee and ice cream rolled into one. Don't Have a Ninja Creami? You absolutely don't need one to eat well. But if you've been curious about the machine I use, I'll link mine below (click on the image).I am not affiliated with Ninja and don't receive anything if you purchase one. I just genuinely enjoy mine.
🌿 Community Corner: THIS SATURDAY!
Rooted in Wellness Expo 📅 Saturday, August 22, 2026 🕐 1:00–4:00 PM Weatherford friends—it's finally here! This Saturday, 3 Nurses on a Mission will host our next Rooted in Wellness Expo, and we'll have 30+ local vendors joining us. Although this expo has a Back-to-School/Back-to-Health theme, please don't let that fool you. You don't need to have kids. You don't need to be going back to school. This event is for everyone. We'll have some familiar faces you may already know and love, along with several new vendors who have incredible passion behind what they do. You'll find resources and local businesses representing nutrition, physical therapy, chiropractic care, reflexology, sleep and snoring support, skincare and body care, locally made sourdough and baked goods, honey, mushrooms, candles, produce and other locally made and sourced products—and that's only scratching the surface. You don't have to come intending to buy anything. Come learn. Ask questions. Meet people. Discover resources you didn't know existed right here in our own backyard. And come say hi to us! ♥️ As Weatherford continues to grow, I think opportunities like this matter even more. They give us a chance to stay connected, know the people behind our local businesses, support one another and build a community where health and wellness are part of the conversation. We would absolutely love to see you Saturday!
Coach's Corner-One Last Thought
Whether you're using a GLP-1 medication, trying to lose weight without one, maintaining your current weight or not thinking about weight at all... Build the muscle. Eat nourishing food. Get enough protein. Eat your plants and fiber. Move your body in ways you enjoy. And don't underestimate what today's choices can mean for the 70-, 80- or 90-year-old version of you. We're not building strength just for today. We're building it for the life we still want to be living decades from now. Take control of your health—one choice, one meal and maybe one dumbbell at a time. 💪♥️
Let's get social!
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