Sandy Riggenbach

08/19/2026

Can we talk about treats for a second? 🍰

I still enjoy them — regularly, actually. But I’ve learned that how I have them matters just as much as what I choose. Here’s my personal rule:

Veggies and protein first. Treat second. Movement right after.

Why it works:

• Fiber and protein slow gastric emptying, so sugar trickles into your bloodstream instead of flooding it — that’s what keeps you off the blood sugar rollercoaster (energy crash, cravings, brain fog an hour later).
• A walk or a few sets of strength training right after gives your muscles somewhere to send that glucose — they pull it in for fuel without needing as much insulin to do it. Less insulin spike, less fat storage, more stable energy.

A few more ways to keep insulin spikes in check:

🩷 Never eat a treat on an empty stomach — always pair or follow it with protein/fiber
🩷 Add a splash of vinegar or lemon to a meal before something sweet — it blunts the glycemic response
🩷 Walk after any meal, not just dessert — even 10 minutes helps
🩷 Watch your sleep — poor sleep makes you more insulin resistant the next day, treat or not
🩷 Don’t fear the treat — fear the pattern of always eating it alone, stressed, and sedentary

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about giving your body the tools to handle life’s sweetness (literally) without paying for it later. 💛

👉 Drop a 🙋‍♀️ if you’re going to try the “veggies + protein first” rule this week!

07/30/2026

As a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor and health coach, I am very intentional about what I recommend — and even more intentional about what I personally use.

Natural oral peptides have become an important part of my own wellness protocol, and I have seen firsthand how they can serve as a powerful catalyst when someone is already doing the foundational work — cleaning up nutrition, managing stress, moving their body, and prioritizing sleep.

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as messengers in the body — supporting metabolism, hormone balance, cellular repair, energy production, and more. As we age and face chronic stress, our body's natural peptide production declines significantly. Replenishing that through high quality, natural oral peptides can be the missing piece that helps everything else click into place.

Tomorrow is the last day new customers can save $25 off their first order. If you have been curious about whether peptides might support your health goals, I encourage you to watch this short video — it walks through all 7 options, what each one does, and how to identify which one aligns with your specific needs.

🎥 Watch here: https://vimeo.com/1201664475?fl=ml&fe=ec

Questions? Drop them in the comments or send me a message. I am always happy to help you make an informed decision that is right for your body and your journey. 💛🌿

This is "2026 7 Product Overview" by MAKE Wellness on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

07/30/2026

After 25+ years in traditional medicine, I thought I understood the body pretty well.

Then perimenopause hit — and my own body humbled me completely.

Fatigue that sleep wouldn't fix. Brain fog that followed me everywhere. Weight that kept climbing no matter what I did. My labs? Normal. My doctors? Stumped.

Here's what I know now as a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor: "normal" labs miss a lot. Chronic inflammation doesn't always show on standard panels — but it quietly disrupts your metabolism, your mood, your hormones, and your energy. Metabolic dysfunction can look like unexplained weight gain, blood sugar swings, and that relentless afternoon crash. Hormonal dysregulation can feel like anxiety, sleeplessness, and a body that no longer responds the way it used to.

These are the root causes that functional medicine looks for — and that conventional medicine often doesn't have the tools to find.

Over the past year, using functional nutrition, targeted lifestyle changes, natural oral peptides, and faith, I've lost 30 pounds and restored my energy. The photo on the right isn't a finished "after." It's where I am right now — still on the path.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." — Philippians 4:13

If you've been told your labs are normal but you still feel anything but — come join my free private group, The RENEW Collective: Faith-Based Wellness for Women. This is where we start finding real answers.

Link in comments to join. It's free, always.

07/29/2026

Something has been stirring in my heart for a while now, and I finally feel like it's time. 🎉

Many of you know me as Sandy — the medical assistant, the functional nutrition counselor, the one who is always researching ingredients and asking questions about everything that goes into her body. 😄 But many of you also know that my passion for getting to the root of health issues didn't start in a classroom. It started at home — as a mom watching my daughter struggle with serious health challenges from the time she was just 4 years old. For years I was that mom in the trenches — researching at 2am, chasing answers that conventional medicine couldn't always give me, fighting for my child's health with everything I had. That journey is what led me deeper into functional medicine and nutrition, and it shaped everything about how I approach health today.

What some of you may not know is that while I was pouring everything into caring for Abby and researching breakthroughs for her, my own health was quietly unraveling behind the scenes.
For years I was exhausted. Not just tired — bone-tired. The kind where you wake up after a full night of sleep and still feel like you haven't slept at all. Brain fog so thick I would walk into a room and forget why I was there. Weight that kept creeping up no matter what I did — and absolutely refused to budge. Hormones that felt completely out of control. And then perimenopause hit — and everything that was already hard took a sharp decline. The fatigue got heavier. The brain fog got worse. The weight dug in even deeper. My body felt like it was working against me at every turn, and no matter what I tried, I could not get ahead of it.
I had the knowledge. I had the training. And yet I still felt like something wasn't clicking.

Over the past year, everything has started to come together. Through functional nutrition principles, intentional lifestyle changes, and adding something special into my routine — I have lost 30 pounds so far and I am still on this journey. Metabolic dysfunction that had taken over my body is reversed, and for the first time in years I feel like MYSELF again. My husband tells me he feels like he has me back. And my daughter — she doesn't even remember me like this. She was too young to know the energetic, strong woman I once was. Watching her see that woman emerge has been one of the greatest gifts of this whole journey. And what a testimony it has been for her — having her involved in this healing process, watching her learn firsthand how these simple lifestyle changes matter not just for me, but for her own health and wellbeing too. That is a gift I never expected, and one I will never take for granted. ❤️

I don't want to just post about this in passing. I want to actually walk alongside you the way I wish someone had walked alongside me.

So I'm launching a private community called The RENEW Collective: Faith-Based Wellness for Women — a space where I'll be sharing the lifestyle habits, the nutrition principles, what I've learned about natural oral peptides, faith-centered encouragement, and everything that has made a real difference for me. No fluff. No overwhelm. Just real, practical, faith-rooted wellness that works.

It is free to join and I will post the link in the comments below. 👇

If you are tired of being tired — this is for you. If perimenopause has knocked you off your feet — this is for you. If the weight just won't budge no matter what you try — this is for you. If you are a caregiver who has spent years putting everyone else's health above your own — this is especially for you. If your body feels like it's working against you — this is for you. If you just want to feel well again — this is absolutely for you.

Drop a 🌿 in the comments or send me a message and I will send you the link personally. I would love to have you in there. 💛

11/24/2025

Quiz time! How well are you renewing? 🌱 Check all that apply: Spiritually, Mentally, Physically, Emotionally, Socially, Creatively. Which area needs the most love right now? Let’s encourage each other—comment your answer below!

11/22/2025

5 signs your body is quietly crying out for a reset this holiday season:

1. You wake up tired, even after a full night’s sleep.
2. You need sugar or caffeine just to “get going.”
3. Your digestion is off – constipation, bloating, or IBS flares.
4. Your mood feels fragile – easily overwhelmed, anxious, or teary.
5. Your time with God feels rushed or non-existent, even though you crave it.
These are not random annoyances.
They’re gentle warning lights on the dashboard of your body and soul.
In my work with women, we don’t just chase symptoms.
We look at root causes: stress, hormones, gut health, toxins, and spiritual depletion.

Which of these 5 signs feels most true for you right now?

Comment with 1–5 so I can create content that truly serves you this month.

“If you checked more than one box, you’re exactly who I’m creating my Holiday RESET for. 💛”

11/20/2025

A few years ago, I hit my own holiday wall.
On the outside, everything looked “fine.”

The house was decorated.

The gifts were wrapped.

The calendar was full.
On the inside, I was:
Exhausted
Snapping at my family
Living on sugar and caffeine
Feeling distant from the Lord
I remember standing in the kitchen one night, surrounded by dishes and wrapping paper, thinking,

“Is this really what this season is supposed to feel like?”
That moment became a turning point.

I began to ask:

What if the holidays didn’t have to cost me my health and my peace?

What if I could honor my body and my faith at the same time?
That question eventually led me to create a gentle, faith-centered Holiday RESET for women like you—women who love their families and love Jesus, but are tired of feeling worn out by December.
If any part of my story sounds like yours, you’re not alone.

Comment “RELATE” so I know this is landing with the right women.

11/19/2025

Feeling exhausted, foggy, and stretched thin heading into the holidays?

What if this year looked different—calmer, clearer, and more Christ-centered?

If you’re a Christian woman who is always taking care of everyone else and quietly running on fumes… this is for you.
The holidays don’t have to mean more burnout, more sugar crashes, and more “I’ll deal with my health in January.”
Introducing the 21-Day Holiday Reset ✨

A faith-based, functional nutrition reset to help you move from weary to a little more well—even in the busiest season of the year.

Over 21 days, you’ll learn how to:
🌲Reset stress & restore calm with simple, Christ-centered practices
🌲Support your energy & hormones (without extreme diets or hours at the gym)
🌲Nourish your body with God’s medicine—real, healing food
🌲Gently reduce toxins & love your gut, so you’re not bloated and miserable all season

🌲You’ll also get access to a private Facebook community where you’ll be encouraged, prayed for, and reminded you’re not alone.

This is for you if:
✅You’re tired of feeling tired all the time
✅Your labs keep coming back “normal,” but you know something is off
✅You want a grace-filled, Jesus-centered approach to your health
✅You’re ready for small, realistic steps—not perfection

You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through another holiday.

👉 Comment “RESET” below or click the link to join the 21-Day Holiday Reset now.

https://faithandwellness.podia.com/faith-wellness-holiday-reset
Let’s invite Jesus into your health and walk from weary toward well—one simple step at a time.

Sandy

Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor

Faith & Wellness Functional Nutrition Counseling

A 21-Day journey designed for women who long for renewed energy, balanced hormones, and a joyful spirit-rooted in Christ.

11/18/2025

Let’s talk about stress and your hormones for a moment.
When you live in constant “go-go-go” mode, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol.

In short bursts, that’s helpful.

But when it’s constant, it can:
Disrupt your sleep
Increase belly fat
Worsen PMS or perimenopause symptoms
Trigger cravings for sugar and processed foods
Leave you feeling wired and tired at the same time
And here’s the part many women miss:

Your body doesn’t know the difference between “holiday stress” and “real danger.”
The good news?

Small, consistent shifts can calm your nervous system and support your hormones:
5 minutes of deep breathing with the Lord before bed
A short walk after dinner instead of scrolling
Swapping one sugary drink for water or herbal tea
You don’t have to overhaul your life to start feeling better.

You just need a gentle, guided reset.
What’s one small stress-calming habit you could try this week?

11/17/2025

Does this sound like you?
This time of year is supposed to feel “merry and bright”…but for so many women, it feels more like:
Running on coffee and sugar
Saying yes to every event
Collapsing into bed, still feeling like you didn’t do enough
Snapping at the people you love most because you’re just so tired
Does this sound like you?
As a faith-centered functional nutrition counselor, I see this pattern over and over:

Women pouring out for everyone else while ignoring the quiet signals their body and spirit are sending.

If you’re feeling:
Exhausted
Bloated
Foggy
Spiritually dry
You’re not broken.

You’re burned out. “Comment ‘ME’ if this sounds like your December so far. I’d love to pray for you by name.”