by kelsey | Feb 28, 2018 | Etc.

Join me for Wellness Wednesday!!
Next Wednesday, March 7th at 12:15pm at the Prairie Lakes Wellness Center!
Topic: Spring Into Wellness: Nutrition Tips to Keep your Resolutions Alive.
Guest Speaker: Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN, Registered Dietitian
Join us in the Community Room at the Prairie Lakes Wellness Center
Open to the public
Refreshments will be served
FREE!
This is a great opportunity to get evidence based nutrition recommendations and tips from a nutrition expert: a Registered Dietitian! I would love to have you join us!
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
by kelsey | Feb 27, 2018 | Etc.

Spring into wellness with our spring program of STRIVE 2 Survive!! Our 12 week wellness program, STRIVE 2 Survive starts March 13th! Check out the details below and contact us today to reserve your spot!!
STRIVE 2 Survive:
Over 20 years ago Dr. Dan Reiffenberger wrote a grant for the American College of Sports Medicine about the development of a fitness program entitled STRIVE to Survive. The STRIVE represents “Securing Time for Regular Involvement in a Variety of Exercise”. Since that time, it has become our Brown Clinic Wellness Program, with modifications and improvements along the way. It is a 12 week program incorporating exercise and nutrition, with the goal of continuing these types of habits for a lifetime. Our dietitian Kelsey Raml has helped incorporate the nutrition component and Dr. Clark Likness, Dr. Jon McAreavey, and Deidra Van Gilder, PharmD are also involved creating a multi-disciplinary approach to health and wellness. We also have a great assistant, Barb, that keep us organized.
We the 12 week program periodically throughout the year. During the 12 weeks, we meet every other Tuesday at the County Fair Banquet Hall from 5:30-6:30pm. During the weeks we don’t meet, each participant gets a take home lesson focused on our two main components: diet and exercise. The meetings are held in a group atmosphere, but we can also work with you individually in the clinic if desired.
12 Weeks to a Better You!
Brown’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.
Where:
– County Fair Banquet Hall
When:
March 13 “Healthy Eating Made Easy” Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
March 27: “Exercise for the Health of It” Dr. Dan Reiffenberger & Dr. Torness
April 10: “Your Equation to Success” Dr. Jon McAreavey
April 24: “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel” Dr. Clark Likness
May 8: “Medications…to do or not to do” Deidra VanGilder, PharmD
May 22: “Making Health a Way of Life” STRIVE Team
Cost:
– $130
Call, e-mail or use the contact form for more information.
Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
605-884-4226
strive2survive@brownclinic.org
by kelsey | Feb 20, 2018 | Etc.

STRIVE 2 Survive, our 12 week wellness program starts in about 3 weeks, March 13th!! We often have people ask about the results of the program as they try to decide if they should enroll or not. Today’s post is about results as I wanted to share some of the results we had from our spring group last year. We had a great group and results were awesome! Not only weight loss, but great improvements in lab work, BP, and waist circumference, which greatly impacts disease prevention and overall wellness. Below are a few of our participant’s results for you to see how beneficial the program can be! Enrollment is underway right now! Contact us today to get signed up for a better you! Email: strive2survive@brownclinic.org or 884-4226.
|
|
|
|
Initial |
Post |
| Weigh In |
262 |
228.6 |
|
|
|
| lbs lost |
|
-33.4 |
| % lost |
|
|
| (lbs lost/weight) * 100 |
0 |
-14.6107 |
|
|
|
| Lab Work |
Initial |
Post |
| Total Cholesterol |
233 |
175 |
| LDL |
179 |
120 |
| HDL |
39 |
45 |
| Triglycerides |
75 |
49 |
| Glucose |
101 |
92 |
| Waist Circ. |
45″ |
40 |
| BMI |
30.3 |
26.4 |
| % Body Fat |
15.9 |
13 |
| Fat Mass |
41.8 |
29.8 |
| Fat Free Mass |
220.8 |
198.8 |
|
|
|
| |
Initial |
Post |
| Weigh In |
197.4 |
182.2 |
| |
|
|
| lbs lost |
|
-15.2 |
| % lost |
|
|
| (lbs lost/weight) * 100 |
0 |
-8.34248 |
| |
|
|
| Lab Work |
Initial |
Post |
| Total Cholesterol |
173 |
162 |
| LDL |
86 |
76 |
| HDL |
62 |
66 |
| Triglycerides |
127 |
100 |
| Glucose |
100 |
92 |
| Waist Circ. |
41″ |
39 |
| BMI |
31.9 |
29.4 |
| % Body Fat |
39.6 |
39.4 |
| Fat Mass |
79.4 |
71.8 |
| Fat Free Mass |
119.4 |
110.4 |
|
|
|
| |
Initial |
Post |
| Weigh In |
237.8 |
208 |
| |
|
|
| lbs lost |
|
-29.8 |
| % lost |
|
|
| (lbs lost/weight) * 100 |
0 |
-14.3269 |
| |
|
|
| Lab Work |
Initial |
Post |
| Total Cholesterol |
191 |
149 |
| LDL |
114 |
80 |
| HDL |
54 |
58 |
| Triglycerides |
116 |
54 |
| Glucose |
104 |
100 |
| Waist Circ. |
40 |
34 |
| BP |
152/90 |
118/78 |
| BMI |
30.9 |
27.1 |
| % Body Fat |
16.5 |
12.5 |
| Fat Mass |
39.2 |
26 |
| Fat Free Mass |
198.6 |
182 |
by kelsey | Feb 15, 2018 | Etc.

In about a month (March 13th), we will start another session of STRIVE 2 Survive! I always like to highlight a few of our success stories and previous participants to show what STRIVE can do for you! Laurie Danforth and her husband Mike participated in STRIVE 2 Survive and found great value in it. If you are on the fence or wondering if you should join us, check out Laurie’s feedback below. We hope you will consider it and let us help you improve your health and well-being through improved nutrition and activity!
If you have any questions or want to learn more, please email us at strive2survive@brownclinic.org or call 884-4226. Spring STRIVE starts March 13th and enrollment is currently underway!
- What pushed you to join STRIVE? After sending our last child off to college and becoming empty nesters we decided it was time to change our eating habits. Mike wanted to lose a few pounds so I suggested we do S2S and do it the right way.
- What was your goal? (weight loss, cholesterol, B/P, healthy eating, etc.) My goal was to develop better healthy eating and to maintain of improve lab values.
- Have you met your goal? Yes until the kids came home for the summer then our eating changes some but I always have S2S on my mind and look for healthier ways to fix meals.
-
- If so, what are you doing to maintain? Looking forward to 2 of the boys returning to college to help with our change of habits when had adapted to.
- How did STRIVE help? Brought awareness to foods and their contents and also the ability to prepare foods differently to make them healthier. The frequent e mails and updates on the web also help.
- What is your motivation to continue? My competitiveness to keep my lab values where they were after being diligent of changing habits. I challenge myself to make sure they stay in good healthy ranges. I also feel much better after changing my diet habits.
- If you could tell anyone about Strive to Survive, what would you say? By all means join the program. Don’t think of it as a “diet” but a way of changing your daily eating habits along with exercise. It is not all about weight loss but eating healthier and making changes to adding or increasing exercise. I lost inches and improved lab values but did not lose much weight, all with feeling better. (Side note–Laurie didn’t have much to lose, so she focused on toning, lab improvement, and overall health improvements)
- Do you feel that the program has a lifetime change for you? By all means.
- What do you think they biggest highlight of the program is? Learning how to label read and prepare foods bought at the grocery store to change habits. It is much cheaper and healthier to buy foods at the grocery store for weight loss versus buying a program of mixes and shakes that may produce rapid weight loss. I know with this program I was making healthy choices that were not inadvertently affecting my lab values.
- Would you tell a friend about us? I have told friends about this program and encouraged them to join. The cost of the program is far less than “buying” weight loss with the many advertised programs out there.
- If people are in doubt of joining, what would you tell them? Give it a try!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 14, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health

Today is not only Valentine’s Day, but it’s Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent…which means we eat more fish! Fish is not the most popular protein in our area since we are a land locked, northern state. Our mid-western diet typically includes proteins from beef, chicken, and pork…and fish often gets overlooked. During the Lenten season, it’s a good time to try out some new varieties and types of fish as they are better stocked and often times are better priced (ie- salmon, mahi-mahi, talapia, etc). The frozen bags of fish often have the filets in individual servings or two servings in a wrap so you can just take out as much as you need and then put the rest of the bag back in the freezer. Fish is a very lean and low fat protein so if you are watching your weight, it’s a good choice. Another benefit of some types of fish is the omega 3 fatty acids. Fatty fish such as herring, trout, tuna, mackerel, seabass, and salmon have these good fats. Our fresh water fish from around here such as walleye, northern, and perch, do not have these fats, however they are still lean proteins. It is recommended to incorporate two servings of fish into your weekly intake, so get into the habit of this during Lent and it could stick!
When we eat fish, we often think of it as breaded and fried, however that is not the healthiest choice. Instead of frying try these cooking methods:
•Grill: Season the fish with herbs and spices and a little lemon juice (from real lemons!). Lightly brush the fish with a little olive or canola oil so it won’t stick to the grill and cook for 10-20 minutes. The picture shows one of my favorites: grilled shrimp.
•Saute: You can saute any type of skinless fish. Again, season as desired and then heat a little olive or canola oil in the skillet on medium-high. Cook the fish for 2-3 minutes on both side.
•Poach: Place the fish in a saucepan or deep skillet and add enough stock, water, or wine to barely cover the fish. Add your seasonings, herbs, or spices and bring the liquid to a simmer on medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the center is opaque. Then you can dress it up with a sauce if desired.
•Bake: lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the seasoned fish fillets on the sheet with seasoning. Bake for 7-10 minutes…you do not need to flip the fish. You can also put the fish filet in tin foil so the seasonings and herbs really flavor the fish.
•Broil: season the fish filet and brush with olive oil. Place on a broiler pan rack and broil 4-6 minutes on each side.
•If you choose to fry, try making it a little healthier by using an egg white to coat your filet, use canola oil to fry in, and instead of the white flour coating, try whole grain cracker or bread crumbs.
•When your fish is opaque and flakes easily, your fish is fully cooked.
Give it a try…you may be surprised how much you like it!
-Kelsey