by kelsey | Jul 12, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Although carbs are our primary source of fuel, it is very important to combine carbs with protein so that you feel satisfied and don’t hear your stomach growling an hour later. Pairing them together can also aid in stable blood sugar and energy control.
In addition, eating protein with your carbs will help to repair those muscles that you’re using during various activities in the summer and will also help you recover faster. Examples of pairing include:
*Cheese Stick + Whole Grain Crackers
*Peanut Butter + Banana or Apple
*Greek Yogurt + Granola
*Almonds + Fruit
-Written by Rachel Astleford, SDSU Dietetic Student
by kelsey | Jul 11, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Summer is the perfect time to go on a hike or day trip to the lake. Homemade snacks that are filling and full of protein and carbs can help you keep hunger at bay so you can power through your hike or enjoy the lake for several hours on end. Below are some easy snacks that contain both protein and carbs that you can pack in a cooler or grab on your way out the door.
¨ Spread peanut butter on whole wheat bread and add some sliced bananas and almonds for a tasty and crunchy sandwich
¨ Pack some hardboiled eggs in the cooler for a quick snack that’s easy to grab
¨ Mix peanuts, raisins and dark chocolate chips together and toss the mix into a sandwich bag for a trail mix on the hiking trail
¨ Dip celery and carrots in hummus topped with pepper and salt for a savory snack on the lake
¨ Make your own yogurt parfait made with Greek yogurt topped with berries and granola to put in the cooler for later.
-Written by Rachel Astleford, SDSU Dietetic Student
by kelsey | Jul 10, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
During hot summer days when it’s fun to be outside and spend several hours jet skiing or swimming, it can be easy to forget to drink water. It’s important to keep yourself hydrated so that you don’t jeopardize your health. Staying properly hydrated helps to reduce your risk of getting injured and helps to keep your blood pressure at a normal level. Read below to calculate what amount of water you should be consuming daily so that you can continue to spend hours in the sun without worrying about dehydration.
Generally, it is recommended to drink 8 eight ounce cups of water daily. However, during long days in the sun, you may need to consume more than 64 ounces of water. Every person has a different weight, and that affects how much water you should consume. An easy way to figure out the amount of water to drink is to divide your body weight (in pounds) by two and that number is how many ounces you should consume. For example, a person weighing 150 lbs should aim for 75 ounces of water daily.
Here are some ways you can change up your water so that it’s more exciting to drink:
- Squeeze in some lemon or lime and add frozen tropical fruit
- Try a flavored sparkling water to get that soda taste without all the calories and sugar
- Make it a game with yourself and challenge yourself to drink some water every time you use your phone
-Written by Rachel Astleford, SDSU Dietetic Student
by Dan | Jul 8, 2018 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
When I first started to see how long I could keep going with my consecutive exercise streak, I had no idea where it would take me. I was striving to see if I could maintain if for a year. I had no idea it would still be going yet…over 10 1/2 years, and counting. Some days though, it can be a real challenge to get out. Some of you may think this would be easy by now, but it is still an ongoing challenge. Trying to fit it in my daily schedule, with all of life’s twists and turns, can make it more challenging. Believe me, there are days when I don’t want to exercise. I could come up with many excuses to not go out. But, as time has taught me, I feel much better after I do. I need that stress reliever. I need that time to unwind, and either use it to get ready for the day ahead, or try and decompress from everything that life threw at me that day. “Uff Da” sums it up!
There are multiple things in life that pull at you for your time. You have to make the priorities and decide what is best for you.
There are always deadlines, pressures of work, and demands of people for your time. There are always hills to climb. But you have to face them. What do you do when you encounter this in your day? How do you handle the pressure of it all? Do you have any secrets to share with the rest of us? I would really like to hear from you! I certainly don’t have all the answers. I am trying to push myself, not to be better than anybody else, but to be better than I used to be. I only need to prove that to myself, and nobody else. Hopefully, over the long term, this will help me to be around a lot longer to spend more time with my family and friends. But you have to make if fun, or you won’t continue with it.
Sometimes I like to run, or walk, or bike, by myself. It gives me some time to clear my head, and think. The only one pushing me is me! I don’t have to wait to hear somebody else tell me advice, or try to expect an answer of help from someone else. I just need some time for me to process all this. Then there are those days when I really enjoy working out, or exercising with other people. What challenges are they facing? Maybe they have some advice or suggestions for me, or vice versa! I enjoy hearing how everyone else handles things in their life. We all have challenges, and we all work at them in different ways. How we go about it is individual to each of us. There are no two of us alike. We are unique to ourselves, and we have to figure those things out.
It sure makes it nice on those days when you are not by yourself, to have someone reliable to confide in, to bounce things off, to vent with, to exercise with! We all need those social times together to support each other, but we also need some of that alone time, to think and process things. Why do we do the things we do? The challenges we create really are of our own making. Turn them into a positive thing, and not another pressure of life. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to keep exercising everyday. I wonder what really is this proving. Then, after walking, or running, with time to process, I realize I am still doing this for me. I am the one benefiting by this. I am the one setting the tone for me. If maybe this helps get somebody else moving, and taking care of themselves, then great! If anybody has any ideas of what works for them to help get them motivated to exercise, please tell me! I always am willing to listen. If it works for you, then maybe it can work to help somebody else too. As individuals, we alone do not have all of the answers. As I wrote about several weeks ago, we all need to keep learning. But, we can also help teach each other things too. We all have something to offer, and we all have the ability to learn. Just do it! I can’t wait to hear ideas from you, so please, fill me in, and then I can help pass them on to. Some days I need help staying motivated as well to “keep my streak alive too”! We all need to help to keep moving!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3924
by Dan | Jul 1, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Life brings all kinds of challenges, some good, some bad. The same can go for the results. Life is like a roller coaster, with a lot of ups and downs, but there are always new experiences to be had. When the kids were little, we always had them with us when we would go to races. They were either spectators, or participants, but they were always with us. These pictures of them with their special made T-shirts were always a hit for me. I would come running by, and they would be cheering and yelling, and their shirts cheering me on: “Go Dad Go”. These are memories I will always cherish.
Now that they are older, I thought things would get easier to deal with. Wrong! As they get bigger, the problems get bigger. Sarah and I always worry about them. No matter what, they are still our “little kids”. Now that they are all 21 or older, we worry as to whether on not we did a good enough job raising them. We hope they appreciate what we did for them, and provided for them. But, we also want them to know how hard you have to work for the things you have. Nobody is going to just hand it to you. You have to earn it. We always were active, and wanted them to be active with us. You have to learn to take care of yourselves, and not rely on somebody else to do it for you. One of my daughters just texted me this week saying: “Ugh! This adulting is so stressful!” Yes it is!
We took them to our marathons that I was in, and tried to make it a vacation for all of us! I needed my personal cheerleaders with me!
We taught them young how important it is to keep active, and they continued with this as they grew up, whether running or swimming!
Our vacations included trips where we would go hiking, and exploring, and get to see things we would not have seen otherwise. We had fun doing it to! We did this as a family!
Last year we had them all back at the same time, and with boyfriends and finacees too! If you are going to be a part of this family, you will have to be active with us. We all were getting ready to do the Hump Day 5k run!
One thing will always be. I may be a doctor, and Sarah may be a doctor, but the biggest thing we want to be remembered for when we are gone is that we were a good Mom and Dad! That is what I would be most proud of. We may not have always done things right. After all, it did not come with an instruction manual. We had to learn this on the fly. We did the best we could, and hopefully it will pay off for them. That does not mean you quit worrying about them. When school struggles get tough, or work issues get tough, or just life in general gets tough, I hope they all know we are there for them. We love you guys! We want you to be successful. We want you to be healthy! We want you to be happy! Just like the back of your shirts told me at those races you were cheering me on with:
We love you too!
Keep moving everybody! Enjoy all that life brings you, the ups and downs, and learn from them!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3917
by kelsey | Jun 28, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Holidays, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
July 4th is such a fun holiday to gather with friends and family and enjoy delicious food and outdoor activities. Food is usually a very large part of this holiday, as it should be! Making fun recipes and eating delicious food is very enjoyable. There are a few very easy switches that you can make to improve the nutritional value of typical “grilling” type foods. Enjoy the day and truly embrace the quality time with your family!
- Switch to whole grains.
- This is one of the easiest switches you can make! Instead of purchasing white buns and bread, purchase things that are made of whole grains.
- Use fruit where you can!
- Everybody seems to love refreshing fruit on a hot summer day so add fruit in where you can. You can even do something as cool as making a watermelon cake instead of cupcakes or in addition to them. Another option is to make fruit kabobs and a fresh fruit salad.
- Add in your Veggies.
- Veggies can be added to many salads or slaws. A veggie pizza is always a good option and so delicious!
- Choose lean meats.
- Be sure to use meats such as chicken, turkey, or 90% lean hamburger.
- Offer non-alcoholic alternatives.
- It can be super easy to sip on alcoholic drinks throughout the day but if you have alternatives around it could help remind you to choose other options. Sparkling water with fresh fruit is very hydrating and satisfying.
These are a few easy things that you can implement into your 4th of July for a fun and healthy day! For more recipes and ideas for food to make, click HERE! Have a fun and safe Fourth with your family and friends!
Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student
