by Dan | Jun 24, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Holidays, Motivation, Wellness/Health
It has been a busy 2 weeks! Sarah and I took off for Virginia and spent days with my daughter Megan. I got to spend Father’s Day with her, and the shirt I am wearing is what she gave me. A perfect present! A running Dad is the coolest! She is mainly a swimmer, but has been getting into running more and more. She had done a 5k the week before, and her and I went running a couple of times together while we were out seeing her. Virginia is loaded with things to do from a history standpoint. We stayed several days out with her boyfriend, and his parents, who live close to Williamsburg. We spent an entire day there, touring colonial Williamsburg, and the day before in Jamestown. I love seeing historical areas, and learning about the past. We had just began to scratch the surface of what was there to see. Over the weekend, then adventures got even better!
We spent one day touring the home of Thomas Jefferson, our third US President, at Monticello! Wow! I have always wanted to see this. The next day we toured James Madison’s home at Montpelier, our 4th President. Learning about things at that time, and what these 2 presidents did in founding our nation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. It was well worth the trip, and I learned a lot of things. After 5 days in Virginia, we then left to head back to Minneapolis, where I would spend the next 4 full days at a Sports Medicine conference.
Again, I learned a lot, but it was very intense. 30 hours of lectures. I definitely learned a lot! But, while we were there, we did exercise everyday. Sarah and I went running each morning before I would go to the conference for the day.
They had a bike trail, and side by side running trail, 3/4 mile from the hotel. It went along the Mississippi River. Great scenery! Lots of people out utilizing their trail systems every morning…walking, running, riding. It was a very popular place. The thing that was also nice about the conference is they had a separate room with 2 treadmills, and an elliptical, with the conference streamed in on TV in an adjacent room where conference attendees could go exercise in half hour increments, and not miss the conference. It was a popular place. I got on it once because it would fill up for the entire day quickly. I had never seen this done before with a conference. When you sit all day listening to lectures, it was a nice break to go do some activity, yet still not miss out on any of the talks.
Friday night we did manage to go have some fun. The hotel was 1/4 mile from Target Field, and the Twins had a home game that night, so we got to go!
We had seats in the second level, behind home plate! The Twins lost, but it was a great night to get out and relax.
Sarah and I just blended in with everybody else. The Twins may have lost, but the fireworks show they had after the game was well worth staying for. It was consecutive fireworks for a full 20 minutes!
All in all, we had a great time. We got to be away for a break, spend some vacation time with daughter, and then come back and learn about Sports Medicine. We always have to keep learning. No matter what any of us do in our lives, don’t ever quit learning. There are so many new things, and places to see, and explore. The days touring in Virginia we would walk anywhere from 5-7 miles a day. The better the shape you are in, the more you get to see. Take advantage of that. Never quit learning, and never quit moving. Life is too short already, and you don’t want to miss out on anything. If someone says they know everything, stay away from them! We all have things to learn. This was a perfect example of how to be on vacation, and still get an education! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3910
by kelsey | Jun 21, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
The summer season is the perfect time to eat more fruits and vegetables because they are so fresh! There are countless ways to incorporate them into your meals and even try something new. Whether you have your own garden or make your way to the farmers market for your fresh produce, today is the perfect day to add more fruits and vegetables into your diet!
Ways to use fresh fruit and vegetables with links to delicious recipes:
- Cut them up and make a morning smoothie.
- Click HERE for a smoothie recipe.
- Add them to your oatmeal or top off a pancake!
- Click HERE for a an oatmeal recipe.
- Click HERE for a pancake recipe.
- Grill them (Pineapple and peaches are great for this!)
- Click HERE for a grilled fruit recipe.
- Prepare fruit parfaits with yogurt and granola.
- Click HERE for a fruit parfait recipe.
- Have you ever tried fruit salsa? It’s delish!
- Click HERE for a fruit salsa recipe.
Ways to use fresh vegetables with links to delicious recipes:
- Switch it up with a green smoothie!
- Click HERE for a green smoothie recipe.
- Nothing better than some fresh garden salsa.
- Click HERE for a fresh salsa recipe.
- Throw them on the grill!
- Click HERE for a grilled vegetable recipe.
- Top off your burgers or make a burger bowl!
- Click HERE for a burger bowl recipe.
- Chop them up and make a fresh salad.
- Click HERE for a fresh salad recipe.
These are just a few of the many ways that you can add fresh fruits and vegetables into the food that you eat! Let the recipes inspire you to add more colorful foods onto your plate and into your bowls!
Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student
by kelsey | Jun 20, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Fat can sometimes get a bad reputation from the general public. However, fat is good for us and we should actually be getting 20-35% of our calories from fat sources. Fat helps regulate certain hormones within the body as well as keeping the body insulated. It also serves as a backup source of energy and is used for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. There are different kinds of fat so we want to be choosing healthier sources. These sources include monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The kinds of fat that we want to eat less of include saturated and trans fats which are found mostly in processed foods.
Sources of monounsaturated fats:
- Avocado
- Peanut Butter
- Olive Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Canola Oil
- Nuts
Sources of polyunsaturated Fats:
- Walnuts
- Flax seeds
- Fish (salmon, tuna, trout)
- Sunflower seeds
- Safflower Oil
- Soybean Oil
All of these food sources can be easily added into your daily meals. Remember that eating fat is actually good for you and supports your overall health and wellbeing!
-Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student
by kelsey | Jun 19, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Eating healthy on the go can seem difficult at times, however there are many things you can do to make it a little easier! Here are 4 tips that will save you time while still eating healthy nutritious food!
- Plan Ahead: On Saturday or Sunday, take a look at what your week ahead is going to be like. It can be very helpful to write out your schedule so you can see the times in your week where you may be on the go and extra busy. From there, decide on a few meals that would be easy to prep and that will provide you with energy for those busy days. Also, decide on some easy to grab snacks that you can keep with you.
- Meal Prep: If you have looked at your week and you know you will not have time to cook for yourself, meal prep a few staple items that you can easily grab out of the fridge on your way out the door. This can be something as simple as brown rice, baked chicken, and a side of vegetables. A few breakfast ideas include overnight oats, protein balls, hardboiled eggs, and precut fruit that you can throw in a blender and make a smoothie with. Whatever your food choice may be, meal prepping can be a helpful way to prepare meals for a few days at a time.
- Prepare Extra Food: If meal prepping isn’t really your thing, it’s okay! Another easy way to save time is to prepare extra food when you do cook. If you have time to prepare a healthy dinner, make a few extra servings that you can save for lunch the next day.
- Snack Up: Having healthy snacks on hand will keep you from purchasing quick and unhealthy choices when life gets a little busy. A few good ideas include fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, trail mix, cheese, pretzels and hummus, yogurt, and peanut butter on whole wheat bread.
- Hydrate: This last tip is so important! The last thing you want to happen when your busy is to become dehydrated. Keep water with you at all times and drink it throughout the day. You can always spice your water up by adding in fresh fruit or sipping on unsweetened iced tea.
Utilize a few of these tips to make healthy eating a little bit easier when you have a busy schedule or when you are on the go! Eating healthy and staying hydrated will provide you with the energy that you need to get through your day!
-Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student
by kelsey | Jun 14, 2018 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Metabolism is the body’s process of breaking down what we eat to use as energy. This process is the key to maintaining healthy weight and to stay feeling your best. Metabolism mainly stays stable; however, your body’s metabolism gradually decreases with age.
Is there a way to raise your metabolism back up to a healthy rate to promote weight loss or keep weight off? Here are a few tips that help with boosting your body’s metabolism back to a faster rate—the healthy way.
- Eat regularly: Spacing the time you eat to every 3-4 hours (about 3 meals + 2 snacks per day) helps your metabolism stay on track and running properly. Skipping meals causes your body to slow down to conserve calories. This also causes the body to store fat due to thinking it’s in a famine. Storing fat and conserving the calories your eating will cause weight gain rather than weight loss.
- Eat well balanced meals: The type of food that you consume plays a huge role with your mood along with the energy you receive. Eating foods high in saturated fat and added sugar (i.e. desserts, fast food, chips) may cause you to feel more tired and will not give your body the proper nutrients it needs. Try eating smaller, more balanced meals with whole wheat/whole grains, vegetables, lean meats, and fresh fruit.
- Exercise: Exercising helps your body build muscle, which then helps your body burn calories more efficiently. The faster you burn calories, the easier to have weight loss. People with more muscle can consume more calories because of the rate they burn them, compared to someone with more body fat. Try switching up your exercises regularly to make sure your body doesn’t get used to the same routine to promote the best results.
- Be patient: Building your metabolism back up may take time, so being patient is important to getting results.
- Persistence: Boosting metabolism takes consistency. Following a regular diet and a stable eating pattern will help with this. Make a schedule with eating and exercising that you are comfortable with and keep it a routine.
Ways that will NOT boost your metabolism consistently:
- Eating hot peppers or drinking green tea: These MIGHT boost your metabolism for a few hours, but are not an effective way to keep your body producing enough energy to burn your calories in a day. Instead, stick to eating healthy grains, vegetables, and lean meats which will impact your metabolism more effectively and better over time.
- Consuming very little calorie diets: This will cause your body to go into starvation mode which leads to conserving calories and burning them more slowly. Therefore, will cause you to keep weight on. Instead, keep a well-balanced diet and eat throughout the day.
Following these tips will help make you feel better, have more energy, and will give your metabolism an extra boost.
Sources: http://www.eatright.org
Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
