by kelsey | Jan 21, 2015 | Motivation, Weather, Weight Management, Wellness/Health, Winter
January is a long and dreary month. It’s cold, wintery, dark, and feels like it lasts forever after the buzz and excitement of the holiday season in December. With less sunlight and cold temps, our time outdoors is limited and can make us have the “winter blues”. Last week, I was able to enjoy vacation with my family in Hawaii (the picture is of one of our Hawaiian sunsets we enjoyed!) and as I drove into work this morning on ice covered roads, I couldn’t help but imagine myself on the beach drinking a tasty fruit drink, and soaking up the sun like I was last week! The wintery weather can really bring our spirits down. Below are some tips to help you spark your spirit and stay motivated with working on your wellness goals.
- Get active! Activity produces natural endorphins that boost mood and it will aid in a healthy heart and weight. Try getting at least 30 minutes of activity in a day…if you can do more, the better. Vary your activities to decrease the chances of boredom.
- Eat Right: healthy eating will make you feel healthier inside and out. Aim to get at least 5 fruits and veggies a day, include whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats. Vitamin D has been proven to aid in seasonal affective disorder, so be sure to get your 3 servings of low fat milk or dairy products. If you aren’t a milk drinker you may consider taking a daily multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D or a vitamin D supplement. Please ask your dietitian, pharmacist, or doctor for the correct dosage.
- Spice up your life: Sometimes getting a new shirt, going to the movies, reading a new and exciting book, or getting new tunes on your ipod will help spice up your life and add some more excitement to your life.
- Get out! Plan a family/friend trip, bum around downtown Watertown, or plain just get out of the house! It’s easy to dwell in our sorrows by becoming a hermit and staying inside. We need to get out and get some socialization!
- Think Positive! Dwelling on the negatives can sure take a person down. Instead think about the positives in your life. Tell yourself one positive thing about yourself and your selfworth daily. Focus on the blessings in your life!
- If you feel you are suffering from the blues very seriously then I encourage you to contact your physician for further assistance as we can help you with this!
Spring and warmer temperatures will be coming. Stay positive, eat right, exercise, and get out…those winter blues will be gone before you know it!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jan 6, 2015 | Etc.
Join us tomorrow, Wednesday January 7th for the Head to Toe Health Fair at the Rec Center! It’s going to be a really great event and we hope you can join us! Deidra Van Gilder, our Doctor of Pharmacy and myself will be present and have a variety of educational materials available for you to start 2015 off right! In addition to the materials, we will be offering an osteoporosis screening. Be sure to come visit us tomorrow at the Rec Center’s gym between 2-7pm. We look forward to seeing you!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Dec 30, 2014 | Diet, Food, Goals, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
New Year’s is almost here and with it comes the inevitable resolutions. We confidently vow to shed pounds and inches to change our lives for the better but these resolutions tend to fail. We often set lofty goals like “ I will lose 15 pounds” which is a valid goal but could take up to a year to properly reach it. We tend to eat too little and exercise to vigorously during the first couple of days just to give up in frustration and hunger. I am not a big fan of resolutions, because they typically aren’t followed long term, I am however a big fan of lifestyle changes!
Here are some tips and guidelines to assist you in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight loss and lifestyle change:
¨ Set realistic, short-term goals such as “I will lose 1 pound/week.” After success with the first reasonable goal, the next goals will seem attainable.
¨ Do not keep junk food at the house. If unhealthy choices are in sight, you might be tempted to reach for them. Remember, out of sight, out of mind!
¨ Eat a serving of protein and whole grains to feel full longer which could curb hunger cues.
¨ Eat the majority of food during the earlier parts of your day. This can help end that bad habit of late night snacking.
¨ Pay attention to feelings like boredom, loneliness, stress, and fatigue, which can cause mindless eating. Only eat when you are actually hungry and think of food as fuel.
¨ Use smaller plates, bowls, etc. to help keep portions under control. This could help trick the mind into thinking you are eating a large portion.
¨ Eat slowly and away from distraction, if possible. This will allow you to pay attention to any cues of becoming full. Remember it takes 20 minutes for you to feel full.
¨ Try to get more active each day. By aiming to increase your exercise level by 10 minutes each day, you can build up strength and stamina gradually, which could help you from not quitting exercising in frustration.
These guidelines can help end the New Year’s resolution failures and hopefully create healthy, lifelong habits.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Dec 18, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Wellness/Health
With Christmas a week away, I thought we’d better discuss proper food safety practices. My mom likes to call me the “food police” because I’m always asking her about her cooking and food holding practices, checking out the fridge, and making sure the hot food stays hot and cold foods stay cold. I know it may seem a little OCD on my part, but the reality is, the holidays usually involve all day eating or grazing for several hours and if someone isn’t watching the temps or being mindful of the proper food safety practices, bacteria can develop in your food and food borne illness would put a major damper on your celebrations! Below are some tips to help you practice proper food safety so that you and your family can enjoy the festivities and stay healthy!
Wash: wash your hands in warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after food preparation. Anyone who is helping with the food prep, should practice this! Keep your kitchen surfaces and cutting boards clean and sanitized (use one cutting board for meats and another for the ready to eat foods such as veggies). Be sure to use separate serving utensils for cooking and serving as well.
Thaw Properly: the best way to thaw is in the fridge, so be sure to put the big turkey or roast in the fridge several days before you plan to cook it to allow for ample time to unthaw. Be sure to place the meat in the bottom shelf of the fridge so the juices don’t drip on other foods. You can unthaw/defrost in the microwave, but if you do this, it needs to be cooked immediately. Another option is to fill the sink with cold tap water and place the wrapped meat in the water. If you choose this method of unthawing, be sure to change the water every 30 minutes.
Check your Temps: the only way to determine if the meat is at the proper temperature is to use a meat thermometer. Color, smell, appearence, etc are not reliable measures to make sure your meat is done properly. Whole turkeys should be cooked to 165°F, roasts should be cooked to 160°F, hams and pork roasts should be cooked to 145°F. When using a thermometer, stick it in the thickest part of meat and make sure it’s not touching the pan, bones, or fat.
Practice Proper Holding: after two hours of having food out, bacteria can rapidly multiply on perishable items. If you want your food to stay out for longer than that, you may consider using a crock pot or keeping the hot food in the oven to keep it hot and using ice packs or keeping the cold foods in the fridge. The basics is that we want to keep “cold food cold, and hot food hot” to prevent bacteria from growing. Be sure to check the temps before eating if you have been holding the food for hours.
Leftovers: reheat your leftovers to 165°F and bring gravy to a steady boil on the stove before serving it again. Refridgerated cooked turkey should be using with in 3-4 days and stuffing within 1-2 days. Casseroles and cooked veggies should be used with in 3-4 days. When in doubt, throw it out! Yes, this is hard to do, but the longer it sits, the more risky it is!
Most of all, just be mindful and use your common sense when preparing and handling foods and be sure to cherish what the holidays really are about!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Dec 17, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Wellness/Health, Winter
We discuss eating strategies for your weight, heart, etc, but we also have to eat right to keep our skin healthy and glowing! The winter months make it hard on our skin as the air is dry and cold! The beauty industry has a variety of products to help promote healthy and glowing skin, however diet is also an important factor. Research on the best foods for healthy skin is limited, but what we do know is that antioxidant rich foods are effective in promoting healthy and glowing skin. Antioxidants are substances that protect our cells against free radical damage. Free radicals are molecules made when our body breaks down food or by environmental exposures such as tobacco use or radiation. They damage the cells and may play a role in diseases such as heart disease and cancer. A colorful diet is most effective for skin health and each color offers specific vitamins and minerals such as: beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. A diet rich in the following foods will help you get beautiful and healthy skin you’re wanting!
- Red, Orange, & Yellow Produce: carrots, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, apricots, etc
- Green Leafy Vegetables: spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli, etc
- Blue & Purple Produce: blueberries, raspberries, eggplant, etc
- Lean Proteins: beans, lentils, nuts
- Fatty Fish: salmon, mackerel, sea bass
It’s also important to be mindful of foods that can cause greasy and oily skin such as high sugar and high fat foods: pastries, cookies, fried foods, etc. These foods should be avoided or limited and instead focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low fat dairy, and whole grains. In addition to diet, eliminating tobacco abuse and using sunscreen are effective in promoting healthy skin. These recommendations are not only going to benefit your skin, but also your overall health. Color and variety in your diet will help you look stunning always!
-Kelsey
