Spring is finally here! With longer days and warmer temperatures brings the chance to get outside and enjoy some physical activity. Along with a well balanced eating plan, exercise is important both for losing weight and maintaining an overall healthy body and mind.
It is recommended that adults engage in a minimum of 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 90 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week. With planning ahead and setting aside time, you can easily fit 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity into your routine most days of the week. Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities: walking, water aerobics, bicycling (under 5 mph), tennis (doubles), or ballroom dancing. Examples of vigorous-intensity activities: race-walking, jogging, running, swimming laps, bicycling (faster than 10 mph), tennis (singles), or aerobic dancing.
Choose activities that you will enjoy and can fit into your daily schedule. If you are starting from little to no daily physical activity, begin with five to ten minutes per day. Then increase your duration every week by 10-minute increments until you are up to 30-60 minutes most days of the week. It is important to remember good nutrition is needed for physical performance; carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water are all a part of a well balanced and healthy diet.
No excuses anymore now that the weather is getting nicer!! Get out and get moving!!
Spring and summer bring warmer temps and the desire for more frozen treats! Smoothies are a great way to cool off and get some great nutrients while you’re at it! Homemade fruit and vegetable smoothies are way to guarantee your 5-A-Day recommended fruits and veggies with natural nutrients. Consumption of fruits and vegetables may help prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes while delivering fiber and vitamins. With a new season upon us, we are gifted with a wider variety of options to choose from when eating the rainbow. Contrary to the common belief, consuming the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables can be inexpensive and in the long run will save you money in terms of medical bills. There are endless smoothie recipes you can use to make a quick breakfast, after a workout, or for an afternoon snack. Adding an extra boost to your smoothie such as protein powder or Greek yogurt will additionally provide other valuable nutrients.
With spring finally here, we can get out the grills again and enjoy outdoor cooking!! Grilling is a fun and convenient way to cook, especially with the weather getting nicer. Cooking on the grill can also be a very healthy cooking method. Keep the following tips in mind to have a healthy and delicious grilling season.
Go light on the sauces. Grilling and dipping sauces can be high in added sugar and/or sodium. Make your own sauce, add spices and herbs, or cut back on the amount of sauce used. Let the delicious flavor of grilling do its job
Choose lean protein sources. Fish and skinless poultry taste great on the grill and are typically lower in saturated fat than red meats. Meat and pork can also be good choices—just opt for leaner cuts and watch the portions. Choose “loin” or “round” cuts and meats that are 90-95% lean. The recommended portion size of meat is 3 ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards.
Choose a whole-grain bun instead of white for added nutrients and fiber. If you’re watching your calorie or carbohydrate intake, go with half of the bun or use a lettuce wrap.
Cut up colorful vegetables (like bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, squash, potatoes, carrots, etc.) and grill them on kabobs or in aluminum foil. Toss the vegetable pieces in a little bit of oil to prevent them from drying out and sticking to the grill.
Fruits can be grilled too! Cut up fresh fruit and put them on kebabs. Choose firm fruits like apples, peaches, pineapple, pears, or cantaloupe. These fruits are less likely to fall apart or become too mushy on the grill. Bananas can even be grilled—just keep it in its peel to protect the banana’s soft texture.
Don’t forget to clean your grill regularly. Failing to do so can cause food to stick to the grades, uneven cooking temperatures, and shortened longevity of the grill.
Happy Easter everybody! Time to reflect on things in your life, and appreciate all of the good things that have come. We all have our struggles, and setbacks, but we have to keep looking beyond that.
easter quote; “The great gift of Easter is hope.”? Basil C. Hume
If we don’t have hope, then what do we have? Hope can keep us going with everything. You can get work through any struggle in your life as long as you have hope. It is no different when it comes to exercise as well. We can all struggle with this, but we need to keep trying, and hope that things will improve. It is never easy, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. You just have to begin…
The weather has been improving now, and hopefully the last snow for the season was last week. Even with the weather, a lot changes in a week. We had 2 feet of snow, and crazy wind, and now today it is essentially gone, and 80 degrees. We knew things had to improve, or at least we had hope that it would improve. Hope can keep us going with a lot of things.
You have to begin. Once you start, then you need to keep going. Health challenges can make a difference on this as well, which I am now experiencing first hand. I will admit, I do not like it at all! I want to be back to how it was, and enjoying life, experiencing life, and doing activities I love to do. I will eventually get there. I have hope. As long as you have hope, you can accomplish almost anything!
Since I have been having health issues lately, my dog Zeus knows something is not right either. He tends to hang around me more now in the evenings. He is worried too.
But, the one who has been at my side through all of it, trying to help me hang in there, and keep reminding me of hope that it will get better, has been Sarah…My Sarah! This is what a relationship is all about. You help each other when one is struggling. In reality, we are both struggling. This is all new to us, and we are keeping each other going. I have hope that I will be back doing what I love to do later, and be healthy…as long as Sarah is right there with me!
Some of us have health issues that come up and we don’t always get to have a renewal of life. That is what Easter is all about. Embrace it. Have hope! Just like all of us with the struggles we may have, keep trying, keep believing, and have hope!
Have a blesses Easter everybody! Have hope, keep looking forward, and keep moving everybody!
Have you ever wondered how many miles you have biked, run or walked on the Watertown Recreational Trail? This summer we want you to join the third annual Watertown Recreational Trail Challenge. Starting May 1 you can stop at the Park and Rec Fieldhouse and pick up a tracking sheet that also has the mileage chart for the Recreational Trail on it. Keep track of how many miles you bike, run or walk, then at the end of summer by September 30 just turn your tracking sheets back in and we will tabulate who the three people are who have biked, walked or run the most miles and those three will receive awards and be recognized later in the month of October as the ones who put on the most miles on our beautiful trail system
Date: May 1 – September 30 Fee:
Free Location: All miles must be on the Watertown Recreational Trail
Sponsored by Brown Clinic STRIVE 2 Survive & Dr.Dan & Dr.Sarah Reiffenberger
With the Easter Holiday and Celebration just a few days away, many of you have your eggs hard boiled and ready to be painted…or many of you already have them painted! We had a great time getting ours ready this weekend (see above!). As Sunday comes and goes, you may wonder what to do with those eggs. Here are some tips for you to practice proper egg safety:
Not sure how to boil an egg? Place the eggs in a
saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil with the lid on, then turn
off the heat. Let the eggs sit in water for 15 min. Remove eggs and place
in a bowl of ice cold water to cool. This year, I used our InstaPot to
hard boil them—they turned out great and I enjoyed the new way of cooking!
Eggs should be used within 3 weeks of the sell by date.
Be sure to store them in the fridge at a temp less than 40 degrees F.
Hard boiled eggs spoil faster than fresh eggs as the
protective coating is washed away, making them more susceptible to
bacteria. Hard boiled eggs must be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking.
If you want to eat the hard boiled eggs after the
holiday, you must store them in the refrigerator. Throw away any eggs that
are cracked, dirty, or have been out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.
If you are going to use the leftover cooked eggs, it is recommended to use
them within one week to prevent food poisoning. To help you do this, you
could make two batches- one to display and one for eating.
Ever wonder what the green ring on a hard boiled yolk
is? It’s a result of overcooking the eggs and is caused by sulfur and iron
compounds in the egg reacting to the surface of the yolk. The green color
may also be a result of a large amount of iron in the water used to cook
with. It may look funny, but it is safe to eat.
