by Dan | Feb 18, 2018 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
Wednesday this last week was a perfect break from the cold weather. It was around 40 degrees, and was perfect for a run. We were all fired up to get out and enjoy the break in the below zero stretch.
We were all thrilled to get outside, and not have frost build-up with our face, or eyes. If felt like Spring out there! Nothing like having anywhere from a 60-80 degree shift in the temp, for the positive, to get everybody fired up to go out and exercise.
It did not last very long, but then again, we are still in February. But, we will take these days whenever we can. This AM was a good day as well, still above zero, 28 degrees! It was windy, but nothing like what we have put up with this Winter so far!
When it comes to running, you learn to take the good weather days, along with the bad. When we have these bad stretches, the more we appreciate the good days. It does not matter if we are running, biking, or walking, or just being outside. The weather improvement does more for your health, attitude, and mind than any medication could ever do! Spring will come, we just have to be patient yet. Hopefully the long stretches of the really cold stuff is getting closer to being done, but we will have to see. If the weather is too bad outside, you just need to find a different alternative to find to be active inside. Partner up with somebody, whether meeting to workout inside, or going outside. It always is easier with somebody else. That is what makes our run club so enjoyable. You are never alone. You keep motivating each other to keep going. It is also easier to show up yourself when you know somebody else is counting on you to be there to help them too. And, the weather really helps!
Life will get warmer! The good/better days are coming. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3791
by kelsey | Feb 15, 2018 | Etc.
In about a month (March 13th), we will start another session of STRIVE 2 Survive! I always like to highlight a few of our success stories and previous participants to show what STRIVE can do for you! Laurie Danforth and her husband Mike participated in STRIVE 2 Survive and found great value in it. If you are on the fence or wondering if you should join us, check out Laurie’s feedback below. We hope you will consider it and let us help you improve your health and well-being through improved nutrition and activity!
If you have any questions or want to learn more, please email us at strive2survive@brownclinic.org or call 884-4226. Spring STRIVE starts March 13th and enrollment is currently underway!
- What pushed you to join STRIVE? After sending our last child off to college and becoming empty nesters we decided it was time to change our eating habits. Mike wanted to lose a few pounds so I suggested we do S2S and do it the right way.
- What was your goal? (weight loss, cholesterol, B/P, healthy eating, etc.) My goal was to develop better healthy eating and to maintain of improve lab values.
- Have you met your goal? Yes until the kids came home for the summer then our eating changes some but I always have S2S on my mind and look for healthier ways to fix meals.
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- If so, what are you doing to maintain? Looking forward to 2 of the boys returning to college to help with our change of habits when had adapted to.
- How did STRIVE help? Brought awareness to foods and their contents and also the ability to prepare foods differently to make them healthier. The frequent e mails and updates on the web also help.
- What is your motivation to continue? My competitiveness to keep my lab values where they were after being diligent of changing habits. I challenge myself to make sure they stay in good healthy ranges. I also feel much better after changing my diet habits.
- If you could tell anyone about Strive to Survive, what would you say? By all means join the program. Don’t think of it as a “diet” but a way of changing your daily eating habits along with exercise. It is not all about weight loss but eating healthier and making changes to adding or increasing exercise. I lost inches and improved lab values but did not lose much weight, all with feeling better. (Side note–Laurie didn’t have much to lose, so she focused on toning, lab improvement, and overall health improvements)
- Do you feel that the program has a lifetime change for you? By all means.
- What do you think they biggest highlight of the program is? Learning how to label read and prepare foods bought at the grocery store to change habits. It is much cheaper and healthier to buy foods at the grocery store for weight loss versus buying a program of mixes and shakes that may produce rapid weight loss. I know with this program I was making healthy choices that were not inadvertently affecting my lab values.
- Would you tell a friend about us? I have told friends about this program and encouraged them to join. The cost of the program is far less than “buying” weight loss with the many advertised programs out there.
- If people are in doubt of joining, what would you tell them? Give it a try!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 14, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Today is not only Valentine’s Day, but it’s Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent…which means we eat more fish! Fish is not the most popular protein in our area since we are a land locked, northern state. Our mid-western diet typically includes proteins from beef, chicken, and pork…and fish often gets overlooked. During the Lenten season, it’s a good time to try out some new varieties and types of fish as they are better stocked and often times are better priced (ie- salmon, mahi-mahi, talapia, etc). The frozen bags of fish often have the filets in individual servings or two servings in a wrap so you can just take out as much as you need and then put the rest of the bag back in the freezer. Fish is a very lean and low fat protein so if you are watching your weight, it’s a good choice. Another benefit of some types of fish is the omega 3 fatty acids. Fatty fish such as herring, trout, tuna, mackerel, seabass, and salmon have these good fats. Our fresh water fish from around here such as walleye, northern, and perch, do not have these fats, however they are still lean proteins. It is recommended to incorporate two servings of fish into your weekly intake, so get into the habit of this during Lent and it could stick!
When we eat fish, we often think of it as breaded and fried, however that is not the healthiest choice. Instead of frying try these cooking methods:
•Grill: Season the fish with herbs and spices and a little lemon juice (from real lemons!). Lightly brush the fish with a little olive or canola oil so it won’t stick to the grill and cook for 10-20 minutes. The picture shows one of my favorites: grilled shrimp.
•Saute: You can saute any type of skinless fish. Again, season as desired and then heat a little olive or canola oil in the skillet on medium-high. Cook the fish for 2-3 minutes on both side.
•Poach: Place the fish in a saucepan or deep skillet and add enough stock, water, or wine to barely cover the fish. Add your seasonings, herbs, or spices and bring the liquid to a simmer on medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the center is opaque. Then you can dress it up with a sauce if desired.
•Bake: lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the seasoned fish fillets on the sheet with seasoning. Bake for 7-10 minutes…you do not need to flip the fish. You can also put the fish filet in tin foil so the seasonings and herbs really flavor the fish.
•Broil: season the fish filet and brush with olive oil. Place on a broiler pan rack and broil 4-6 minutes on each side.
•If you choose to fry, try making it a little healthier by using an egg white to coat your filet, use canola oil to fry in, and instead of the white flour coating, try whole grain cracker or bread crumbs.
•When your fish is opaque and flakes easily, your fish is fully cooked.
Give it a try…you may be surprised how much you like it!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 13, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Do you have your Valentines ready to go for tomorrow? Besides a lot of love in the day, Valentines day is known for chocolate! The one item that seems to make everyone happy, but may not be the healthiest of treats for us to enjoy. This Valentine’s day you can enjoy your delicious treat without feeling guilty. Although chocolate may not seem healthy, there are some perks to eating chocolate. Dark chocolate is good for the heart and lowers high blood pressure. So when you’re thinking of getting your loved one that nice box of chocolates, maybe go for a box of Dark Dove Chocolates. If you don’t like eating the dark chocolate plain you can melt the chocolate and dip it in strawberries. It is a treat that will leave your taste buds wanting more and you will find it easy to prepare. If you want to stay sugar free, try making sugar free gelatins in a shape of a heart. Add fat free whip cream on top for a little extra punch to the dessert. If you want choices and variety to your dessert try a chocolate fondue. Melt chocolate and choose sides to dip into the chocolate. Some choices of sides could be bananas, strawberries, pretzels, pineapple, marshmallows, dried apricots, pear slices, apples, or any of your favorite snack foods! If you want to add more to your sweet tooth, try a sherbet ice cream with a dark chocolate topping. If you crave a saltier valentine’s day treat then you can try a trail mix with mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, pretzels, marshmallows, dark chocolate m&m’s, or a low fat candy such as Twizzlers.
Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Kelsey
by Dan | Feb 11, 2018 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The weather has been something to be desired of lately. The extreme cold makes it very difficult to get motivated to get outside, and the treadmill gets incredibly boring after a while. If it would not be for our run club, I would not be outside on Sundays either. Last Sunday was a perfect example of this. -7 degree temp, with -30 degree wind chill! No way I would have gone out their on my own otherwise. That is what makes is so special having a training partner, or a group of dedicated friends who help push each other to get out there and get it done. More important though, we enjoy just getting together and going for a run, and talk. We get each other caught up on the latest things that have been going on for each of us. We get to vent…chat…support…and listen to each. We just have to be prepared to handle the cold weather as well. If you are smart, it can still be done, but you have to be safe too.
This was our dedicated group last week. You can see the frost built up on us, and eyelashes covered with frost. We stood still long enough to take the picture, and then got in the car and left to go warm up. Yes it was cold…but still worth getting out with our group. Those of us who finished first still cheered on the rest of us coming in after.
When we got done running, several of us were able to head to Caribou for a coffee and a time to get warm. One of our members Jason, just had surgery the week before for his hip, and we wanted to see how he was doing. He could at least join us for coffee, as did Paula. It was also another great opportunity to talk and laugh, and yet be warm. One thing is for sure, we may all be a part of this because we like to run, but this is not about running. This is about friends being there for each other, and helping each other achieve goals, many of which may be similar, but yet, many are still different. We support each other as a group, but can still all be individuals. We are all living life to the fullest. No excuses! All working together, yet individually. That is what is nice about running. If fulfills all of this. We are all working on our own health as well. Some days are easier than others, no question. But the good days far outweigh the bad.
If you are around here, join us sometime. We meet during the Winter every Sunday at 7AM, and then starting in the Spring we will start meeting out at Jackson Park, same day and time. We also start adding Wednesday evenings at 5:30 PM at Brown Clinic Northridge parking lot. You don’t know what you are missing until you come and give us a try. Our run club achieved some amazing goals last year, not only individually, but as a group as a whole. That was our biggest achievement…our group as a whole. We ran to Team FARA…Friedreich’s Ataxia…to support members of our own community. Don’t ever tell a small group, or a small community, that you can’t achieve big things! We did…and I have written about those accomplishments in the past. That is what running with friends can accomplish. Nothing can stop us! And that goes for all of you too…regardless of the weather or conditions…so keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3784
