With Superbowl Sunday approaching quickly, many are getting their grocery lists ready and starting to prepare all those tasty snacks. Here are some tips to help you enjoy without busting the calorie bank:
Be sure to eat consistently throughout the day and leading up to the party and game. If you fast all day to allow for extra eating during the game, you’re more likely to over-indulge as you’ll be extra hungry.
Include fresh fruits and vegetables into the spread.
Beware of the dips and sauces. They usually have a lot of extra calories, sugar, and fat. If you’re making your own, try using light or fat free to make your recipes healthier.
Choose your beverages wisely. Liquid calories are hidden calories and we often times don’t realize how much they can add up. Opt for sugar free or calorie free beverages or limit your portions.
Stay away from the fried and breaded items. Instead choose lean meats such as white meat chicken without the skin, lean hamburger, fish, or lean pork.
And remember that the food doesn’t always have to be the focus of the event, instead really take in and enjoy the fun and fellowship with friends and family!
I got a great present at Christmas, but had to wait until now before I could start spreading the word to everybody. My daughter Molly is expecting their first child toward the end of July. My last Christmas present to open was from them, and I did not even realize my son-in-law was videoing me doing this. I could not believe it when I opened it up!
I got a picture frame with an Ultrasound picture of my future grandchild! Wow, what a present!!! I can’t wait to be a Grandpa! With everything going on in life lately, I try to stay as calm as I can. But no way with this!
For those of you have read my blog posts in the past, or have been to one of our Strive 2 Survive sessions, you have heard me talk about my Grandfather. He died just before he turned 54, and never got to see any of his grandchildren. He had 10 kids, who went on to create 35 grandchildren. The first one was born one month after he passed away. I have always said that if I have anything to say about it, that was not going to happen to me. Well, March of 2019 brought some tough reality into play. That is when I had my major health issue, and I was 54! I could have been in the same situation. I am not taking anything for granted anymore. My grandkids are going to know me, and remember me!
Here is a picture from this week! Molly is an ultrasound tech, so she has been checking. Apparently I am going to have a grandson! Imagine what I thought when I found out my grandson will be named Daniel! Hee Hee! I just have to keep reminding Molly and Tanner how good of a name that is. In all honesty, I have no idea what name they are considering, but whatever it will be, it will be great!
I had to wait for Molly to put out her announcement before we could say anything. Do you know how hard that is? I am busting at the seams, but could not say anything! I can’t believe one of my little girls is old enough to now have her own child! Where did the time go! It was a year and half ago I gave her away to Tanner. Her wedding day was one of my favorite memories, I can’t even imagine what it will be like when she delivers.
I find myself looking back at her wedding pictures often. It brings me right back to that moment. These are the things in life that are important.
Tanner and Molly, you are going to be great parents! Congratulations! I hope…change that to I know…we are going to make great grandparents. Sarah and I are both so excited for this next adventure of our lives too. But, just don’t forget, this grandchild is going to be a part of the Reiffenberger family, and you know what that means…
…our grandkids will learn they get to work out with us…walk, run, ride bikes…all of it. They will be active with us! We have to keep doing this so we can keep up with them. If they are part Reiffenberger, they will be active along with us! After all, it will be in their blood! We are so excited for this next adventure in our lives too. I am one proud Grandpa to be! Keep moving everybody!
Many of you are working on your New Year’s goals and that may include improving your nutrition, activity, health, and wellness. Keeping track of your intake is an excellent tool to help you with increased awareness of your intake (what exactly are you eating and how much) and help with accountability (you may think twice about the choice or amount when you have to write it down!!). Most of my successful patients do keep a food log at some point in their weight loss journey…thus it is at the top of my list of tools to help you improve your intake! You can write it out long hand in a notebook or journal or if you have a smart phone or use the internet you can use online trackers. These are very nice because they add up all of the calories and nutrition facts for you…you just need to select the closest match to what you are eating and the appropriate serving size!
MyFitnessPal is the number one that I recommend….they have a huge database of foods and it’s pretty easy to use. LoseIt is another free app. Noom is a great site that encourages mindful eating along with tracking, but it does require payment to use.
If you need help with getting started, please contact me! I would be happy to set up an individualized nutrition plan for you to help you meet your goals! -Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, , LN 605-884-4426 strive2survive@brownclinic.org
Are you at a breaking point yet? Are you ready to lose it? Here we are half way through January, and how many of us have kept up with our plans for the new year yet? COVID has changed nothing yet, and now the stress is coming in relation to the vaccine. Who is going to get it? Who is going to get it first? Who ranks higher than somebody else? Why were they called before me? On and on it goes!
This is how it feels to me some days. How about you? Some days you just feel like you can’t do anything right, or make anybody happy. We all have days like that. We need to figure out how to deal with them. I used to go into my office and not come out until I counted to 1 million. I never got anything done then! We need to figure out what it will take for each of us to learn how to relax, and cope with stress.
All of these listed help! Prioritize them. The last one talking about making a list…exactly! Write it down! Follow it! Check if off when you are done so you realize you are actually accomplishing something. Each of us has different things that we like that is relaxing to us. Fishing, hunting, walking, sight seeing, taking pictures…whatever works for us. I love going out and taking scenery pictures. My mind is only focused on that for that time away.
No matter how many times I go out to take pictures, I see something different. Or I think I have seen it, but am seeing it differently now. No two days have been the same. Escape! Make something of it that makes it mean something to you!
Spend time with your kids, or grandkids, or pets. They always want attention. That is what has made COVID so tough to deal with is because of the social distancing. As humans, we want that social interaction. We need that social interaction. Believe me, our pets need it too. We all need to care!
Exercise! Blow off some steam. Work out your frustrations, and improve your health at the same time! The different exercises can be as creative as you want them to be.
Time to show people how tough you are! Have that mentality of “Don’t mess with me!” Laugh while you are at it. Enjoy life. It has been miserable enough this past year, so don’t make it more miserable then it has to be. It is going to take work, but it will be well worth it!. You don’t want to waste the days you have. You do have to look at things differently, and may have to be more creative, but there are things to do. Just do them!
Figure out when and where your stress free zone is at, and then go there frequently! Make it your escape place. Make it individual to you. What do you want? What do you want to accomplish? Where do you see yourself in the future, and how are you going to get there? Be creative. Imagine. Dream. Find your stress free zone frequently! And…keep moving everybody!
Winter is a great time to enjoy tasty soups and hot dishes. If you are watching your waist line, it’s important to be careful of how much you consume as creamy soups can be high in calories, fat, and carbs… depending on how you prepare them. Broth based soups and stews are lower in calories and fat than cream based. In addition, if you’re making a hot dish, you may consider cutting calories by choosing fat free soups to add to your dish, such as fat free cream of chicken or mushroom soup. They also have low sodium varieties of these so if you’re watching your blood pressure or sodium intake, you may consider using this variety. And, as always, be sure to incorporate your lean proteins and plenty of fruits and veggies to your meal. You may consider doubling the veggies in your soups to make them a bit heartier and healthy. A few of my favorite cold weather soups are beef stew that has carrots, peas, potatoes, onion, and roast meat, bean and ham soup (plenty of protein and fiber!), and chicken noodle soup that also has plenty of veggies with white meat chicken. Try out batch cooking with these hearty meals–make a big batch and portion out into smaller containers and freeze. Take one out at a time to enjoy a healthy, hearty meal without all the prep time! -Kelsey
This picture still always cracks me up! It was a few years ago, and still in the Summer, and we were posing on the bridge by what is now North Shore, and Jill thought we were supposed to kick our leg up on the railing for the picture, but apparently she was the only one that heard her say that! Only Jill! A true example of just living life as it comes! Laugh, run, be with friends…and just be you! Of course there are many other times many of us in run club got a little goofy!
I think Jill brought the oranges, and I think it may have been her who came up with the idea of taking a picture of us like this too. Live each day like no one is watching!
We need to pay attention to those things around us as well. Many of these things, or scenes, we have seen many times, yet we never really paid any attention to them. On the weekend, or when I am driving to work, I am now paying attention to the scenery as well, and if the sky looks really neat, I pull over to take some pictures, or I just park out at the lake and watch and see what develops.
On the second picture the small bright dot is not the moon, but the sun trying to break through the clouds. We have had quite a few cloudy days this week, so it has been a little tough to get some good pictures. We just have to relax, and when we have the time, take advantage of it, and watch things develop. I was doing things at home yesterday, and it all of a sudden got bright out, and I looked out the window, and could this changing. Jackson Park is a mile from my house, so I took off, and had a good 30 minutes of taking some really cool pictures, and just watching it patiently develop.
I have said many times we could learn a lot from a dog. Dakota is no exception. When she plays, it is all out. When she relaxes, she is completely into it, and drops where she is at, and takes a nap. Now if it could always be this easy, and convenient!
She is always at your side, and ready to cheer you up, and just be with you! A true, loyal friend! Never any grudges. Each day is a new day for new adventures. Any time we are ready to go for a walk or a run, she is just tearing around the house like life cannot possible get any better. If we could all get this excited, and just be like this when it came to exercising! She is always ready to go no matter the weather, or time of day, or evening. Let’s go!
Enjoy your day like you enjoy your first cup of coffee each day! Be positive. Smile! Each day is a new adventure, and we do not know what is in store for us when it starts!
This was our Run Club picture from last Sunday. We are always ready to go, and spend time with people we know, and do something we all like to do. You can enjoy your life where you are, with what you already have, and especially, with friends you already have. This is what living here in Watertown is all about. Small community, with big hearts, and great friends! So remember…
Get ready for what life holds for us each day. Try to block out and forget everything in regards to the pandemic, and politics, and who is doing what. Enjoy the time, and enjoy the people, and enjoy where we live, and it will be easy to remember to enjoy each day like no one is watching! Keep moving everybody!
