by kelsey | Jul 28, 2016 | Cooking Tips, Food, Wellness/Health
Snacking can sometimes become an issue in the summer. Children are often at home more with a less structured schedule and older children are alone for certain periods of time. To avoid consuming too many extra calories (which leads to weight gain) try these tips.
Buy Good Food
- Avoid processed foods as much as possible. Chips, candy, pizza rolls, etc. are filled with calories but almost no vitamins or minerals.
- Fruits and vegetables contain tons of vitamins and minerals with less calories. They are a quick snack to prepare and delicious raw.
- Encourage water as the main beverage this summer. Kids need the hydration.
- Avoid sweetened beverages (see the article on the next page).
- Switch to skim or low-fat milk products.
Set a Loose Schedule
- Encourage a morning meal to start their day and an evening meal with others to provide structure.
- Emphasis eating a nutritious mid-day meal and 2-3 small snacks through the day.
- Make a rule that all food must be put on a plate or in a bowl. Cut down on consuming extra portions out of the container.
- Make a rule that food is to be eaten at a counter or dining table. Cut down on mindless munching in front of the TV or reading a book.
Fun Snack Ideas
- 1/2 cup low-at yogurt with fresh fruit
- 1/4 cup roasted almonds
- Apples or celery dipped in natural peanut butter
- Dried fruit (raisins, dried apples, etc.)
- Baked tortilla chips dipped in salsa
- Keep fruits and vegetables handy for munching on
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 27, 2016 | Diet, Etc., Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Why Exercise Alone Might Not Lead to Weight Loss
Exercise is an integral piece to the weight-loss puzzle, but it certainly doesn’t stand alone. Eating right is just as important for weight loss as exercise alone. The best weight-loss prescription, of course, is to do both—watch what you eat and exercise regularly. These tips can help you get maximum results from your hard work and diligence.
Level of exertion
Make sure that your exercise gets results by working at your ideal level of exertion. The best way to do this is to check your pulse against your maximum heart rate. You can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. You should have the ability to speak without gasping for air, but should work hard enough that you don’t really want to have to talk much. You will need to take in 500–1000 calories/day less than what you expend in order to lose 1–2 pounds/week.
Extra food
Avoid the tendency to eat extra food on days that you’ve exercised. Remember that all of those extra bites and spoonfuls can really add up.
Exercise routine
Doing the same exercise routine every day can lead to less energy expenditure over time, because you burn more calories when you’re first learning a routine. Interval training, such as walking fast for 2 minutes and then jogging or running for 30 seconds, is recommended to increase the number of calories burnt.
Sports drinks and supplements
Many sports drinks and bars contain nearly a meal’s worth of calories. They are more appropriate for a person who is running a marathon than for a person who is taking an aerobics class or going for a brisk walk.
Time vs intensity of workout
Rather than increasing the length of time that you spend exercising, most experts agree that it can be more beneficial to increase the intensity of your workout to promote weight loss, while keeping the time spent the same or decreasing it.
If you are struggling with weight loss and need some extra help, please send me an email or call! I would love to work with you and help you improve your health and wellness!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 26, 2016 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Homemade fruit and vegetable smoothies are a great way to guarantee your 5-A-Day natural nutrients while keeping you cool in these hot temps. Consumption of fruits and vegetables may help prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes while delivering fiber and vitamins. 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. Here’s a guide to help get started
Add Fruit/Vegetable
|
Add Liquid
|
Add Thickener
|
Extra
|
| Banana, Berries, Apple, Pear, Peach, Kiwi, Pineapple, Cherries, Mango, Orange, Spinach, Kale, Beets, Carrots |
Dairy, Soy, Rice, or Almond Milk, Fruit Juice, Water, Iced Tea |
Peanut butter, Yogurt, Frozen yogurt, ice cubes, or oats. |
Honey, Cinnamon, Protein Powder, Mint, Figs, Dark Chocolate, Flaxseed. |
| Choose 2-3 |
Add 1-2 cups of liquid |
Pick your consistency |
Your preference |
Here are some examples:
Green Smoothie: Mango Chunks, Banana, Kale or Spinach, Apple Slices, Water, Plain low fat yogurt
Carrot Smoothie: Carrots, Orange, Pineapple, Low-sugar Apple Juice, Ice Cubes, Cinnamon
Desert Smoothie: Banana, Apple Slices, Low Fat/Skim Milk, Peanut Butter, Top with Dark Chocolate Shavings
Enjoy!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jul 24, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Exercise. A challenge to the majority of us. It is time to go through our choices in life, and figure out what needs to change. Then we need to decide through those choices, what goals we want to achieve, and what we want our eventual destination to be. What is it we are waiting for? Something clearly has to change for us. As with many of us, we all face a lot of changes in our lives. But, it is often hard to decide how to change.
.
So how do we decide what changes needs to be made? This is where each of us as an individual is going to have to dig deep within ourselves to help come up with an answer on this. It comes down to choices in our lives. Choices that we have the ability to make. Choices that we get to decide on. We get to figure out what is important to us, and how we are going to deal with it.
Choices are what life is about. Choices that we as individuals get to make on a daily basis. Are they always the right choices? No! But many are good, and for those that are not, we can learn from them. Nobody knows everything. That is why we have to keep trying. Keep trying, and learning from the mistakes. Eventually, that one particular choice, in a cluster of choices, will start to separate itself from all of the others, making it much clearer to each of us.
We have to decide when we as individuals are ready to change…ready for change! That is where exercise can help each of us, for all of those reasons listed above. Now, you just have to make it personal to each of you. Why is important for you? What is it you want? It comes down to what is your goal/goals? What is it you want? Each of us is different, and what may be an important reason or goal to someone else, may not be the same for you. So what is it? What do you want your goal/destination to be?
Which path are you going to take? Which road do you want to travel on? Which avenue has what it is you are looking for in life? Only you can answer that. But, guarantee, you have to make it personal to you. It has to mean something more to you to drive you to want it, to live it, to achieve it! If you don’t have a goal written down, do it! It will be much easier to try and achieve when you commit it to writing. I will talk more about goal setting in the next few weeks. I will also talk about my goal/goals, and what was it that drove me to trying to set my personal consecutive exercise streak. Remember, strive to exercise for the health of it! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3222
by kelsey | Jul 21, 2016 | Etc.
Sorry to repost, but I thought this content was very worthy of reposting this week due to the extreme heat! It doesn’t take much to get over-heated and dehydrated in intense heat and humidity like we have this week. Proper hydration will ensure you do not suffer from any heat related illnesses such as heat stroke or dehydration. It is important to stay hydrated throughout the day, as it is too late, if you wait to get a drink when you feel thirsty. Especially for those older adults, it takes longer for them to feel thirsty even though they may be severely dehydrated.
Tips for getting adequate fluids:
- Keep a glass or bottle of water with you during the day so you can sip on it. Drink when you are thirsty and even when you are not thirsty.
- Drink more water instead of sugary beverages, milk and juice to avoid those extra hidden calories. Alcohol will increase your water loss. Plain water always works the best.
- Increase your fluid intakes if your diet is high in fiber, protein or salt.
- On days where you may be sweating alot or burning extra calories such as an all day softball tournament in 80-90 degree weather, or doing yardwork/landscaping in the heat all day…you may need to add electrolytes such as Gatorade or Powerade. I prefer G2 Gatorade as it’s lower in sugar, yet still has plenty of electrolytes. **Please note, these drinks are not necessary when you’re doing less than an hour of light activity or more sedentary activities as they just add extra calories and sugar.
- Consult with your doctor or dietitian if you are on a fluid restricted diet and would like further help with your hydration needs.
Use the above chart to determine your hydration level by the color of your urine.
-Kelsey
Graphic Reference:http://www.brownsburgathletics.com/images/urine.gif
