STRIVE 2 Survive’s Next Session

S2S without Strive

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished a great fall session of our 12 week wellness program STRIVE 2 Survive a few weeks ago. Our participants have been coming in for their post program workups (lab and body composition) and we are once again very pleased with their efforts and results! We are seeing great improvements in weight, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol. It’s amazing how improving your nutritional habits and getting into a regular activity routine can really help!! This 12 weeks is just a snapshot of our lives, but we hope we have provided the appropriate tools and education to help everyone live a long and healthy life!

Our next session will start March 5th…and here are the details!

STRIVE 2 Survive 12 Week Wellness Program

6 Lectures: every other Tuesday at County Fair Banquet Hall @ 5:30-6:30pm.

March 4: “Healthy Eating Made Easy” Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN

March 18: “Exercise for the Health of It” Dr. Dan Reiffenberger

April 1: “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel” Dr. Clark Likness

April 15: “Medications…to do or not to do” Deidra VanGilder, Pharm D

April 29: “Your Equation to Success” Dr. Jon McAreavey

May 13: “Making Health a Way of Life” STRIVE Team

6 Take Home Lessons: sent to you during the weeks we don’t meet.
Topics are focused on wellness.

Evaluations

  • Lab Work: lipid & glucose labs: beginning and end of program
  • Body Composition Testing : beginning and end of program
  • Weigh Ins:  Thursdays @ Northridge location, Fridays @ Main location

Cost: $130 includes lab work, body composition tests, lectures, lessons,
and Strive 2 Survive t-shirt

STRIVE 2 Survive applies to all who have a heartbeat…adolescents to the elderly!!

For more information and to sign up, contact: 884-4226 or email strive2survive@brownclinic.org

If you want to work on our wellness goals before March, I would love to work with you individually, so be sure to contact me today to get started!

-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN

 

Anytime Fitness: Don’t let the cold outside become another excuse!

The cold has been terrible right now to try and go outside and run.  I can put up with a lot of extremes with the temperature, but when it gets this cold, with windchills -25 degrees or worse, then it becomes more an issue of safety as well.  That does not mean you cannot find alternatives way to exercise.

anytime fitness final

This morning was the perfect time to ultilize my membership at Anytime Fitness.  Warm environment, with plenty of equipment to use, and other people working out at the same time.  This works great during the cold, but not everybody has this ability.  There are different types of exercise equipment you can purchase that is very inexpensive, or that you can even create/make on your own.  We teach this also in our Strive 2 Survive program.  I have equipment of my own that I utilize as well.

workout room final

I have built this up over the years, and it is equipment that either I, or someone in my family utilizes frequently.  Even though we have this, sometimes you just need to do something different in order to keep the interest and the motivation there.  When the weather is not like it is now, I will be outside.  I love looking around at everything when working out.  It takes your mind off what you doing, and it goes by so much faster.  You can also go indoors at the mall and go walk around.  You have a long enough route to be making laps.  Just leave your money at home so you are not tempted to spend every time you do this!  Whatever it takes, there is always a right time for fitness:  Anytime!  It is up to you as to how and where you want to do the exercise at.  Good luck!  Keep moving everybody!

Dr. Dan

Consecutive Exercise Day #:  2264

 

Get the facts about hormones in foods.

steak-fathersday

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently came across a really well written, credible, and easy to understand article regarding hormones in beef. There are a lot of mixed messages and concerns about the use of hormones in our meat production. Hormones are found in all multi-cellular organisms, which does include animals, vegetables, etc. Sometimes producers will use hormone implants which cause the meat to have a little bit more hormones than a non-implanted animal. Federal laws prohibit the use of hormones in hogs and chickens, but it is permissible in beef. The reason producers use implants are to increase efficiency, meaning the cow will gain more muscle, from less feed, more quickly. This really helps keeps prices down of the meat and reduces environmental impact. When implanted, the meat will contain a slightly higher amount of estrogen  in a 3 oz serving (1.9 nanograms compared to 1.3 nanograms in non implanted meat). Many people are concerned that the extra estrogen is causing a variety of other issues such as early puberty or faster growing children.

Now here’s where you you pay special attention: our own bodies produce hormones naturally, a child will produce around 50,000 nanograms of estrogen/day and an adult female will produce about 480,000 nanograms of estrogen a day. In addition, when hormones are eaten and digested, they are not able to act as hormones anymore….but even if they did, that 1.9 nanograms in a 3 oz serving of meat is pretty small compared to our own natural production. In addition, it’s important to point out that many other foods have much more estrogen in them naturally, such as potatoes have 225 nanograms, peas have 340 nanograms, icecream-520 nanograms,cabbage- 2000 nanograms, and soy milk has 11,250 nanograms (all based on 3 oz servings). Also, one birth control pill has about 35,000 nanograms of estrogen. So here’s the bottom line, the hormones found in implanted beef are miniscule compared to our own production of hormones and various other foods we normally eat. I personally, am not concerned about this practice and feel it is safe to consume and we shouldn’t have any concerns about it. Now if you are still concerned, even after reading this and learning more from other credible resources, then you certainly can choose organic foods or grass fed meat (they may be higher in price and have a bit different taste, but they are an option for you). Lastly, this also brings us to the very important point that I have mentioned many times: moderation! When you prepare your meals, be sure to plan in a variety of other whole foods withe your lean meats, such as fruits and veggies and whole grains to create a well-rounded, balanced healthy plate!

-Kelsey

http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/beef/2846/15997

 

Teach ’em young!

 

Children'sMuseum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving! My family had a great time together eating, laughing, and making fond holiday memories! Since black Friday shopping has turned into Thursday night shopping, we were able to take the little kids (my nieces and nephew) to the Children’s Museum in Brookings on Friday.  If you haven’t been there yet and you have little kids (kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, neighbors, etc!) be sure to check it out! It is a great place to spark children’s imaginations and educate them about a variety of things from music, mechanics, art, history, reading, etc. My favorite place in the museum is the grocery store and it was evident my nieces and nephew really loved it too! The picture shows me helping my nieces check out their items they “purchased” in the store. This is a great way to teach young children about healthy eating as involving them in the process of grocery shopping and meal making will help them learn and understand the importance of healthy eating better than just telling them what to do. Teaching our children at a young age about healthy eating will help them achieve a healthy weight and have overall healthy habits throughout their lives. This is much of what we educate on in our Strive Kids wellness program. I feel it’s really important to not only educate, but involve the kids in learning activities to help them apply what they are learning. And most importantly, it’s essential for us adults to practice what we preach…so when you are asking your child to eat fruits and veggies, do it with them! When you prepare your grocery list and go shopping, include your kids in the process, and lastly, let them help you in the kitchen with meal prep!

Our Strive Kids program started in October and it is an on-going wellness program focused on improving the health and wellness for kids of all ages. If you’d like to learn more about our wellness services for kids, please contact me today!

-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN

strive2survive@brownclinic.org

605-884-4226

 

Training Partners/Friends Forever

You have heard many times from me about the importance of having training partners to help keep you on track exercising.  It is a great way to help stay motivated, and to keep you moving.  Well, these two are both nurses, and they have both worked for me.  Chris has been with me since day one, and I am now starting my 20th year here.  Susan worked for me for about 6 years, and now is at Glacial Lakes Orthopedics.  They have remained close, and good friends.  So, they decided to do this event together.

Chris and Susan start

Here they are prior to the start, all smiling and ready to go  Finishing time was not going to be of any concern.  Chris has been doing a lot of walking, and Susan really took off this year working out and getting fit.  Here they are after they are done…

Chris and Susan finish

Still all smiles and happy!  They did it together.  They both know about staying fit, but more importantly, how much friendship means.  They remain close.  I would like to think that after listening to me day after day, talking to patients of how they need to exercise and keep track of their health, that some of this wore off on them.  But they did all the work!  Good job to both of you!  You did great!

Keep moving everybody!

Dr. Dan

Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2261