by kelsey | Feb 27, 2014 | Etc.
We’ve been busy with enrollment for our spring STRIVE 2 Survive and we are really looking forward to working with another great group of people all wanting to make improvements in their health!! We do still have some room left, so if you are interested and/or would like to sign up, but sure to contact us today!! As the weather warms up and the sun shines longer, spring presents us with a great time to focus on our health and wellness as we prepare for summer. Put your health at the top of the priority list and join us!! Spring session starts this Tuesday, March 4th at 5:30pm at the County Fair Food Store Banquet Hall!
Contact us at: 886-8482 or strive2survive@brownclinic.org
by kelsey | Feb 25, 2014 | Etc.
Spring STRIVE 2 Survive starts one week from today!! Enrollment is underway and there is still room!! If you want to learn more and sign up, please contact me today!! Spring is always a great time to put your health and wellness at the top of the priority list as the we all want to be in good shape for summer!
12 Weeks to a Better You!
Brown Clinic’s Diet and Exercise Wellness Program.
Who:
– The Strive2Survive Wellness Program is open to everyone, young and old.
– Conducted by Dr. Dan Reiffenberger, Board Certified in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine and Registered Dietitian Kelsey Raml.
What:
– Lose Weight- Gain Strength – Maintain Fitness- Improve Diet.
– Evaluations: lab work- lipid and glucose, body composition testing-weight, height, BMI, body fat mass and percent, muscle mass…all pre and post the 12 week program.
– Free T-shirt
– 6 class lectures and 6 take home lessons. Lecture dates listed below. Take home lessons sent on the weeks we do not meet in person.
Where:
– County Fair Banquet Hall
March 4: “Healthy Eating Made Easy” Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
March 18: “Exercise for the Health of It” Dr. Dan Reiffenberger
April 1: “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel” Dr. Clark Likness
April 15: “Medications…to do or not to do” Deidra VanGilder, Pharm D
April 29: “Your Equation to Success” Dr. Jon McAreavey
May 13: “Making Health a Way of Life” STRIVE Team
Cost:
– $130
Call or email to learn more and sign up!!
Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
605-884-4226
strive2survive@brownclinic.org
by kelsey | Feb 18, 2014 | Diet, Etc., Exercise, Family, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Our spring STRIVE 2 Survive, 12-week wellness program starts in two weeks-March 4th!! As it approaches, I thought this is the perfect time to highlight a few of our success stories….and one is Denise Hoff. Denise was in our winter STRIVE 2 Survive program last year and has made some pretty incredible improvements in her health.
Last August, Denise emailed me with her progress…she lost about 17lbs and dropped 12.5″ total (waist, hips, bust, thighs, arms)…4 of the 12.5″ are off her waist! She was never a runner, but thanks to our team’s inspiration, she ran her first 5k with her daughter last weekend (see the picture!). She said they had a great mother/daughter time and as she ran, she was proud to say she was able to keep a stride and actually pass others! Denise started to run one block at a time. Her initial goal was a half of a mile, then one mile, then 1 1/2 miles, etc. She broke it down so it didn’t seem so overwhelming and set a goal of running a 5k with the encouragement and support of us and her family…she accomplished it successfully and is now looking forward to doing more 5ks! In addition to the improvement in her weight and waist circumference, her lab values have also improved as she dropped her total cholesterol about 50points, which is now well into the normal range and has kept her blood sugar and blood pressure in normal ranges also. As you can see from the timeline, these changes didn’t happen overnight, but she slowly worked at it and has achieved great success in the last 6-8 months and looks forward to continuing to work on her health and wellness goals. In Denise’s words “Thanks for being so supportive and encouraging. I hope the next time you see me, you will have to take a double look as I am hoping to look smaller and more fit.”
As we approach the start of our spring session of STRIVE 2 Survive, I hope Denise’s testimony shows you the benefits you can receive from our wellness program and our team’s education, support, and encouragement. Changing your lifestyle is truly challenging and it’s even more challenging with all of the temptations we have in our society to encourage us to over-indulge! Throughout our 12 week wellness program, we tell our participants that we never expect all of our recommendations to happen overnight that instead we encourage you to work on a few things at one time and gradually those baby steps will add up to big steps and big successes. Honestly, I would rather see a slow and steady weight loss that takes longer than the participant would probably like, than a quick weight loss that is eventually gained back.
Spring STRIVE starts March 4th…contact us today to get enrolled!!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 12, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Wellness/Health
In celebration of National Heart Month I cannot resist reminding you about the significance diet and activity play in promoting a healthy heart. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and affects both men and women. Genetics do play a role, however a heart healthy diet and and regular activity can help minimize the effects and complications of heart disease. Whether you have heart disease in your family or not, it’s still good to follow a heart healthy eating plan. Highlights of the diet include:
- Lots of fruits and veggies! I’m sure you already knew this one, but the benefits of getting your 5 a day servings of fruits and veggies are worth reminding you again. Most of us know this, the hard part is doing it. Try adding them to your meals, have fruit as a snack, get a double serving to help you reach this goal.
- Fiber! Fiber is very beneficial in combating heart disease. Incorporating more whole grains (and fruits, veggies, and beans/lentils) into your diet will increase your fiber and aid in heart health. Oatmeal, brown rice, wild rice, whole grain noodles, whole grain breads, and even popcorn are considered whole grains. Aim to get at least 25-35 g/day.
- Choose lean proteins. Decreasing the amount of saturated fat in your diet will help reduce plaque buildup. Choose white meat poultry without the skin, 90% or greater lean hamburger, fish, beans, etc….stay away from processed meats! Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, and trout offer additional benefits as they are loaded with healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
- Choose healthy fats. Incorporating more plant fats such as canola oil and olive oil into your diet and reducing your intake of saturated and trans fats has been shown to improve heart health. You want to choose foods that are lower than 5-8g of total fat per serving and <3g saturated and trans fat per serving. Choosing low fat dairy products will help reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet as well.
- Hold the salt! Excess sodium can increase blood pressure and cause heart failure. Aim to keep your sodium intake below 2400mg/day. You can do this by doing more home cooking, avoiding boxed or packaged goods, cooking with salt free seasonings, and not using table salt.
- Exercise! At least 30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to improve heart health. If you can do more, the better!
Making small changes or substitutions will help you have a healthier heart and reduce risk for disease. Reading labels is really essential to help you make good choices, so take some time in the grocery store and really examine the products to ensure you’re making healthy choices!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 11, 2014 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Last Friday, Prairie Lakes Hospital hosted a fabulous event for women with the featured speaker being Julie Hadden from Season 4 of the “Biggest Loser.” She gave a great talk highlighting her experience but also discussing her own journey with weight management. Despite being on the hit reality show and losing a lot of weight in a non-traditional way (most of us don’t get the chance to go to a facility where all you do is focus on weight loss 24/7 for months on end!), she was very real about her own journey including the ups and downs and offered some excellent advice to us listening. Much of this great advice is what we recommend in our STRIVE 2 Survive wellness program; and much of this has to relate to the stages and readiness to change and the psychological component that weight management revolves around. I took notes as she talked so I hope this gives some of you who didn’t attend some “food for thought” in regards to advice for weight management.
- Your body is a temple, don’t treat it like a fairground. 🙂 This is a favorite of mine.
- Make small goals and celebrate them along the way. They will result in big success over time.
- Find your motivation and run with it–could be kids, family, job, personal hobbies, etc…find what motivates you and use it to help you be successful!
- Don’t wait for winter to end….or Monday to come. Start NOW!
- Calories are like money. Would you throw $200 in a slot machine at the casino? …Most of us would say no, so think of calories like you do money…don’t throw them away on useless foods! Treat calories with caution and make the most of them, like you would money.
- Move more, eat less = weight loss
- Surround yourself with positive people who make positive influences.
- Change your environment to promote healthy living.
- Believe you’re worth it! You ARE worth the effort!
If you want more help, guidance, education, and support with your wellness and weight efforts consider joining our 12 week wellness program starting March 4th! We will help you live a healthier life!
-Kelsey
