by kelsey | Feb 5, 2015 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
In celebration of National Heart Month, I think it’s fitting to discuss the significance diet and activity play in promoting a healthy heart. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and affects both men and women. Genetics do play a role, however a heart healthy diet and and regular activity can help minimize the effects and complications of heart disease. Whether you have heart disease in your family or not, it’s still good to follow a heart healthy eating plan. Highlights of the diet include:
- Lots of fruits and veggies! I’m sure you already knew this one, but the benefits of getting your 5 a day servings of fruits and veggies are worth reminding you again. Most of us know this, the hard part is doing it. Try adding them to your meals, have fruit as a snack, get a double serving to help you reach this goal.
- Fiber! Fiber is very beneficial in combating heart disease. Incorporating more whole grains (and fruits, veggies, and beans/lentils) into your diet will increase your fiber and aid in heart health. Oatmeal, brown rice, wild rice, whole grain noodles, whole grain breads, and even popcorn are considered whole grains. Aim to get at least 25-35 g/day.
- Choose lean proteins. Decreasing the amount of saturated fat in your diet will help reduce plaque buildup. Choose white meat poultry without the skin, 90% or greater lean hamburger, fish, beans, etc….stay away from processed meats! Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, and trout offer additional benefits as they are loaded with healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
- Choose healthy fats. Incorporating more plant fats such as canola oil and olive oil into your diet and reducing your intake of saturated and trans fats has been shown to improve heart health. You want to choose foods that are lower than 5-8g of total fat per serving and <3g saturated and trans fat per serving. Choosing low fat dairy products will help reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet as well.
- Hold the salt! Excess sodium can increase blood pressure and cause heart failure. Aim to keep your sodium intake below 2400mg/day. You can do this by doing more home cooking, avoiding boxed or packaged goods, cooking with salt free seasonings, and not using table salt.
- Exercise! At least 30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to improve heart health. If you can do more, the better!
Making small changes or substitutions will help you have a healthier heart and reduce risk for disease. Reading labels is really essential to help you make good choices, so take some time in the grocery store and really examine the products to ensure you’re making healthy choices!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 4, 2015 | Etc.
In about a month, March will be here and it will be time for us to start our spring program of STRIVE 2 Survive! Spring STRIVE starts March 10th and enrollment is just starting. Our 12 week program starts March 10th and we will meet in person every other Tuesday at the County Fair Banquet Hall from 5:30-6:30pm (see dates below). The weeks we do not meet, you will be given a take home lesson mailed or emailed to you, thus every week you will be given education, tips, etc on nutrition and activity. In addition, we include lab work (total lipid panel and glucose) and body composition testing (weight, height, BMI, blood pressure, fat%, and muscle mass) at the beginning and end of the program. The total cost is $130, which includes all lessons, lab work, and body composition testing.
Our main goal is to help you learn how to live a healthier lifestyle that promotes disease prevention, longevity, and quality of life. Weight loss, improved lipids, improved glucose, improved blood pressure, and improved overall health are all results of our program.
If you are interested or know of someone who is, please contact us anytime! You can call me directly at 884-4226 or email strive2survive@brownclinic.org. We are looking forward to another great session!
Spring 2015
March 10: “Healthy Eating Made Easy” Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
March 24: “Exercise for the Health of It” Dr. Dan Reiffenberger & Dr. Scott Torness
April 7: “Your Equation to Success” Dr. Jon McAreavey
April 21: “Medications…to do or not to do” Deidra VanGilder, Pharm D
May 5: “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel” Dr. Clark Likness
May 19: “Making Health a Way of Life” STRIVE Team
by Dan | Feb 1, 2015 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health, Winter
I said on my last post how tough Hills can be for running. Here I am at the top of one, and the sign in the background says “Moon Mountain”…How appropriate…it flet like we ran to the moon!
Here is Sarah…of course, some of us felt a little better after them. It was a good thing I took the picture several minutes later after she was able to recovery!
The scenery there was very nice. Getting to watch all of this kind of made the Hills a little easier to take.
It is always easier to do a workout with other people as well.
My true training partners…Steve, my marathon partner, and of course Sarah, my forever running partner. It always make adventures somewhere else that much better when you can explore it first hand out running. Some of these places we would not see had we not been out on foot. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2683
by kelsey | Jan 27, 2015 | Etc.
For those in the Watertown area, I will be giving a free nutrition educational talk at the Watertown Library at 7pm Thursday, January 29th. If you want to learn more about healthy eating and ways to improve your weight and wellness through improved nutrition, be sure to come join us Thursday! It is going to be a great event and I hope to see you there! -Kelsey
by Dan | Jan 25, 2015 | Etc.
Sarah and I were out in Deadwood the last few days for our annual state Family Medicine conference. When we took off from the hotel, we had only one way to go…up! A mile up, then a mile down, and then back! We stopped at the top of the one hill…quite the name. Stage Run!
Here Sarah is running up, then down. You can see how high a climb it is in the background.
Here I am as well!
I will show some more of our routes, and the scenery, as well as some with Steve, my marathon partner, in the next few days as well. It was nice being back outside and having a change in scenery as well. The only problem is these were not really hills, but mountains! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2676
