by Dan | Oct 29, 2017 | Diet, Exercise, Food, Goals, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
The weather is beginning to change outside, but that does not mean you can’t still get out for some adventures. Halloween is coming up, and a great time for kids, and grandkids, as well as adults, to get dressed up and get creative…and also enjoy some sweets. If you make up for some of it by walking, running, biking, or other activity, then it is easier to enjoy the “sweet”. Many from our run club joined in on the fun at the Wellness Centers Halloween 5k run/walk. The majority of them dressed up as a unicorn, and they were known at the “unicorn herd”.
I think Jill Makepeace was the brains behind the group theme this year. It started out kind of cold earlier on Saturday morning, so you still had to dress well for it.
The McElroy family went as the Wizard of Oz theme, and Jenn and Owen each ran with one of their daughters. Talk about a great way to get your kids involved with running, and just being active in general! Great role models!
Steve Arbogast went as “Jawsome”. What a hilarious costume! Very well done Steve! Way to be creative.
Like I said, when you do the extra activity, then you get to partake in some of the other fun activities…eating candy…especially peanut M & M’s. My weakness! It is ok once in awhile to treat yourself, and enjoy life. Just make up for it in other ways. If you don’t do the activity, or watch your portions in other ways, then all this will accomplish is helping you gain weight. Does it take work? Absolutely! Can it be done? Absolutely! It takes some planning, creative ways of thinking, and making a little bit more effort to accomplish, but overall those extra rewards in life are what make life fun! Enjoy once in a while. I also celebrated my birthday earlier this week, and my nurse Chris made me one of her famous M & M cakes again!
It was excellent! I had to make some accommodations that day, and even that week, for what I planned on having for “extras”, but it was not that hard to do. Plan, make changes, learn to go with the flow, and keep working at it. Working on our diet and increasing our activity is a lifetime goal. One day here or there will not blow your whole plan…as long as you make those accommodations. Be diligent! Be honest with yourself, and still enjoy the pleasures in life! Just remember: Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3683
by kelsey | Oct 26, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food
Pumpkin is one of, if not, the most common fall flavors that everyone enjoys. Several types of desserts have pumpkin added to them to increase taste or appearance. Here are a few healthy pumpkin recipes to enjoy this fall season without feeling guilty about eating bad:
Healthy Pumpkin Pie
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- pinch of stevia or 2 tbsp of brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe: Preheat oven to 400F. Blend all ingredients together until smooth, then pour into a prepared pie crust (such as the recipe below) in a 10-inch round pan. Bake 27 minutes (it will still be underdone after this time, which is okay!), let it cool, then refrigerate at least 5 hours uncovered for the pie to thicken and “set.”
Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ginger
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 to ½ cup rinsed millet (optional
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ cup hot water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and beat well.
- Stir in pumpkin purée and vanilla, then the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Stir in flour, just until combined. If you’re adding millet, stir that in as well.
- Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then mix briefly into batter until it is evenly distributed. Spread batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon, and swirl with the tip of a table knife for a pretty marbled effect. Sprinkle a big pinch of turbinado sugar on top for a light, sweet crunch.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. Be sure to check that the bread is done baking by inserting a toothpick in the top. It should come out clean. If the top of the bread jiggles when you pull it out of the oven, it’s NOT done! Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. nutmeg
- ¾ tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt).
- In another medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Use a cookie dough scoop or two spoons to drop one tablespoon of dough onto a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle the baked cookies with a light dusting of powdered sugar and transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 25, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Did you know that it is recommended children get at least 60 minutes of activity a day? Meeting this activity recommendation will not only promote a healthy weight, but also ward off diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. This 60 minutes does not have to be all at once though…it can be spread throughout their day. You may consider the following tips to help you and your child be more active:
- Join a sports team or try a new physical activity.
- Take a walk or turn up the tunes and do some dancing indoors after your supper meal.
- Instead of catching a movie or watching TV, pick an activity that requires movement such as laser tag, bowling or miniature golf.
- Give children toys that encourage physical activity like balls, kites, hula hoops, Frisbee and jump ropes.
- Limit TV time and keep the TV out of your child’s bedroom.
- Plant a garden. Kids love to water plants, and they’ll get excited weeks later when they see their flowers bloom or vegetables grow.
- Practice what you preach! Kids will be more apt to engage in activity and stay interested when their parent or family is doing it!
Creating a positive environment with encouragement and reinforcement will help your child live a long and healthy lifestyle. These tips are just a glimpse of what we cover in Strive Kids wellness program. If you’d like to learn more about our program, be sure to contact us!
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
by Dan | Oct 22, 2017 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The wind is blowing. The leaves are changing color, and disappearing. The temperatures are dropping. But it is a great time to spend outside. Get moving, get active, and appreciated the view we have. This first one is Sarah and I earlier this month out by Gettysburg for a meeting, with a view of the river behind us. We took some time sitting out on a deck overlooking this view. Breath taking!
There are lots of nice scenic views right here as well. Go out and hit the trail, and take in all of the changes in color, especially around the lake and golf course.
But don’t keep waiting to go out and see the views. The leaves are going fast, especially with how the forecast is looking as far as wind.
It is always better seeing it with other people as well.
Our run club meets every week, and will continue throughout the Winter. Great times, spent with great people, and staying healthy. That is what it is all about. This is how we strive to survive! This is what life is about. Don’t let life fly by, and miss the important things. Take it all in while you can. Appreciate the experience, the ride, the views along the way. You won’t regret it…but you will if you miss out on it. The days go fast…time goes fast.
Take in all these days before the sun sets…and then watch the sun set sometime as well. It is beautiful to look at, and a great time to just sit and think. We don’t take enough time to just sit and think. Everything is hurry up and do this, and to do that, and much of which is really not that important to begin with. Enjoy life along the way…just take the time to do it! Strive to Survive! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3676
by kelsey | Oct 19, 2017 | Diet, Holidays, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
It’s that time of year again. Not only are the aisles of Wal-Mart strewn with witch hats, zombie make-up and fairy wings, but of course there is the looming aisle of Halloween candy. It can be easy to over indulge on treats this time of year. Most of the candy passed out to trick-or-treaters comes in “fun size” or “mini” portions. However, looks can be deceiving; people often believe that since they are smaller in size, more can be consumed. Calories from Halloween candy can quickly add up. For example; 3 mini snickers bars pack 300 calories. To burn off that many calories you would have to walk at a brisk pace for 1.5 hours or run for 40 minutes.
Fortunately the 31st of October doesn’t have to mean automatic weight gain. Try waiting until the day before to buy treats to pass out. You will be less likely to feel the need to nibble if you don’t buy it a month ahead of time. Keeping it out of site, such as up in a closet you rarely use, can help you forget that it’s even in the house. The biggest challenge with Halloween candy is the leftovers. After the trick-or-treaters have come and gone we are often left with the reality that we stocked up for 400 doorbell ringers, and only got 15. Buying candy that you don’t like is an easy way to keep you from eating it both before and after the holiday.
Halloween Treats to Try
Sugar-free gum
Boxes of raisins
Animal crackers
Pretzels
Trail mix
Fruit snacks
Lollipops
Non-Candy choices: stickers, small toys, erasers, etc.
Halloween Tricks to Avoid
Candy bars
Caramels
Fudge
Skittles
M&M’s
-Kelsey
