by kelsey | Sep 17, 2015 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Summer picnics get all the glory, but as autumn-loving Midwesterners, we prefer this colorful season for eating outside. There are cooler temperatures, fewer bugs, and not to mention some superb scenery and beautiful colors. Traditional picnic foods like fried chicken and potato salad can create chaos in your diet, so here are some healthy picnic ideas everyone can enjoy!
- Use nature’s bounty, the more colorful produce you add to your menu, the healthier the meal! Fill your picnic basket with produce like peaches, cherries, berries, watermelon, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, and fresh herbs.
- If you’re grilling take along vegetables such as Portobello mushrooms, red peppers, and onions. Roasted or grilled vegetables tossed with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper as a great idea for a side dish or a topping on a grilled chicken sandwich.
- For some light and crunchy appetizers pack your cooler with a different variety of raw veggies like cucumbers (cucumber salsa is a great choice as pictured above!), carrots, celery, asparagus tips, and radishes. Take along a dip such as hummus or low-fat yogurt with herbs and spices.
- Try a different main dish, instead of grilling burgers or hotdogs, or grabbing a basket of fried chicken, pick up a roasted chicken or try making wrap sandwiches. Wraps are easy and can be nutritious if you make them with lean meat and stuff them with vegetables and salsa or light dressing. Some other ideas could be lean beef burgers, ground turkey breast, skinless chicken breast, and pork tenderloin.
- Resist the temptation to load your picnic basket with high calorie salads held together with mayonnaise, instead use dressings made with less oil and more vinegar or add other liquids such as fruit juice. In starchy salads substitute whole grain pasta for white pasta and sweet potatoes for white potatoes.
- An example of a healthier option for coleslaw could be to try using broccoli slaw and toss in some shredded carrots with a light, low-fat poppy seed or yogurt dressing for a great salad that will still be crunchy.
- Pack healthy beverages such as ice water, sparkling water, or unsweetened ice tea.
- Practice proper food safety by making sure your food arrives safely and that the cold items are packed tightly into a cooler. Enjoy the outdoors and the fresh air as it is a great chance to get some exercise and burn some calories. Go for a walk, toss a frisbee or football, go for a swim, or play a fun game with the whole gang!
-Written by Megan Tschakert, SDSU Dietetics Student
by kelsey | Sep 16, 2015 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
There is more to fall than the Halloween costumes and hayrides. From September to November the autumn harvest brings in a variety of healthful and delicious produce. In order to get the best of what fall has to offer, keep track of what’s in season near you. Here are some popular fruits and vegetables that are enjoyed most often during the fall season.
Apples are sweet, crunchy and packed with antioxidants and there are more than 7,500 different types of apples! The picture is of one of my favorites–honeycrisp apples! Beets are available year round but are at their best in the fall. When choosing the best beets look for firm, smooth bulbs attached to bright, crisp greens. Brussels sprouts and cabbage are packed with vitamin A and C. Cranberries are between the size of a blueberry and grape. They are at their best October-November but only a small percent make it to the produce section the rest are canned, dried, or turned into juice. Research shows that cranberry concentrate can prevent urinary tract infections and fresh cranberries can slow the growth of breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancers. Pears are high in soluble fiber, which helps lower bad cholesterol. Pumpkins offer a lot of alpha- and beta-carotene, which can be converted to promote healthy vision and cell growth. Rutabagas and turnips research suggests that they may help reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancers. Squash is a great source of potassium and helps prevent muscles from feeling fatigued and weak. Last but not least are sweet potatoes and they have the best flavor during the fall, their peak season. They are rich in beta-carotene, which can prevent vitamin A deficiency and promote healthy eyesight. Sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin C and when baked in their skin provide about 5 grams of fiber. Be sure to take advantage of the produce this fall and try something new!
-Written by Megan Tschakert, SDSU Dietetics Student
by Dan | Sep 13, 2015 | Etc.
My “Goofy ” Challenge Training Partner, Steve Hauck, and I after finishing our Goofy Challenge last year. It was at Disney, and it involves a Half Marathon, 13.1 miles on Saturday, followed by the Marathon, 26.2 miles the next day. The goal was to finish, and to pace ourselves evenly to do it. It was an incredible goal, and it felt great after we finished…but…that was not the greatest accomplishment that came out of this. The greatest accomplishment would be being able to do this with my training partner…together…after everything he had gone through.
The beginning of the journey started a year and a half prior to this event. Steve wanted to run a marathon to celebrate turning 50. I was helping him train, and we were going to do the Fargo Marathon. 3 weeks prior to the marathon, Steve began having issues with his heart, and went into a rhythm called atrial fibrillation. We had to shut him down, and he underwent tests and treatment for this, including what is called an ablation to treat the abnormal rhythm. It was a success, but he could not do Fargo. I ran on my own, with Steve watching…I don’t know who was more bummed…
…me running alone, or Steve not being able to run. I held my medal up to his heart after, and we vowed we would do this again. Steve wanted to get going with a marathon, and decided that it would be the Disney marathon 7 months later, so that was the new goal. Well, he did it. Here we are coming down the finish, celebrating the finish of the marathon for him!
Steve accomplished his goal of completing a marathon, and I had a healthy training partner/friend to celebrate it with! And celebrate we did!
We splurged on the “good stuff” after the race…reward for working our butt off! Of course, we had to be hamming it up for the camera the rest of the vacation as well!
Here we are showing off our medals with Mickey! It was a great trip, and Steve finished his first marathon. But, something was missing. He wanted to go back to Fargo to finish what we had initially started…so, off training again to get ready for it in another 4 months. It was a much smoother training period this time around, and we did it…finishing the Fargo marathon that May of 2013.
Our running did not stop after this. We challenged each other again by doing the Goofy Challenge in Januray of 2014…and made it. The stories we can now tell…who knows, most of them later when we tell our grandkids may actually even be true! But, we have pictures to prove it. The bottom line with all of this is we can set goals, and try to achieve them, but the fun in all of this is the journey along the way. As I mentioned last week with Tom…we did lots of talking, solved lots of problems, and learned a lot about each other. Those are the memories that will last forever. The marathon finishes are just the icing on the cake. The shirts we wore say it all…Success…A Journey, not a Destination!
Absolutely no doubt in my mind about those 2 years being a success! Just remember, nothing worth doing means it will be easy…if it was, it would not be a challenge. If you can do this, you feel like you can take on anything that life throws your way. We all know that there are ups and downs in life, and the secret to how it goes depends on how we handle it…our attitude dictates our success. Never say never! Be safe and faster your seat belts…the ride of life can get bumpy at times! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2907
by kelsey | Sep 8, 2015 | Exercise, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Come join the Trail Walking Club for our third year! Each week we will walk at 9am sharp on the dates below for about 1 hour (breaks will be included). There is no cost to come and walk.
The Trail Walking Club is more geared towards nature trail walking and is recommended for anyone looking to get some exercise and enjoy the fall colors!
September 11—Slumberland Disc Golf Course
September 18—Joy Ranch
September 25—Mother of God Monastery
October 2——–Memorial Park
October 9——– Pelican Lake Recreation Area
(entrance fee required for entrance to park)
October 16——Slumberland Disc Golf Course
October 23——Memorial Park
For more information call the Park & Rec. 882-6260
by Dan | Sep 6, 2015 | Etc.
Tom Beaudry…my first marathon training partner…with me here following one of our Grandma’s Marathon races. We trained together for many years… many long runs. We did lots of talking, lots of listening, solving the worlds problems on those long runs…if the rest of the world would have just listened to us! We spent many a times getting ready for multiple marathons…Grandma’s in Duluth, MN; Twin Cities marathon in St. Paul/Minneapolis; Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix. All special memories…and they won’t be forgotten. Running has brought us to a lot of events that we have either participated in, or helped create, including our Hospital Hill run.
Next year we will be getting ready for the 20th Annual Hospital Hill Run!
Those marathons have taught us a lot about not only each other, but ourselves. Each one brought with it many challenges, and obstacles…but all worth it in the end. Here are some shots of us in one of the Twin Cities Marathon.
Some went better than others, but it is safe to say the Marathon was only the final point. The journey and adventure came by our training together for 4 months before each marathon. This was the important part. This is the bond any training partner has. It is the reason why we kept doing these. The day of the race may have been the ultimate goal, but the adventure was leading up to it. The times we would spend with our family at these events was also one of the may highlights of that one day.
Here Tom and I are with our wives, Sarah and Sue (Sue is taking the picture), my twin brother Don and his wife Michele, and my youngest brother Rich. Great times going out to eat and talk, and creating memories. This one was in Phoenix for the Rock and Roll Marathon.
Tom was a great training partner, but more important, a GREAT FRIEND! Earlier this year Tom had health issues and had to have a cardiac stent placed, and was out of running for awhile. He is back at it again, but not those long runs like we previously had. Those long runs don’t matter, as we still get to run together. That is what matters. I want my friend around to spend time with. We just make our conversations shorter! The hard part is we are runners…things like that are not supposed to happen to us! But, we are human, and those things unfortunately are, and we will have to deal with those things when they come up. I did a long run yesterday, and Sarah was going to go with me for part of it, and then ride her bike the rest of the way with me. She got called in as one of her OB patients was going into labor, and going to deliver. I did the 20 miler on my own. Tom was out by the Lake (Don’t know if you were out there to go fishing), but he pulled up beside me and asked me if I needed anything! I was at 16.5 miles of the 20…What I really wanted was my training partner to help get me through those last 3.5 miles! You fired me up though just seeing you, and I kept thinking of those past days while I worked my way in. You helped me even when you are not running beside me!
Thanks for all of the years of running training partner…Friend! Here is hoping to many more years of it as well!
Below is a recent photo of my main marathon training partners, Tom Beaudry, and Steve Hauck, at the Fargo event a few years ago. Next posting will be talking about Steve!
Keep moving everybody! Keep in mind those people important to you, and spend time with them!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2900
