by kelsey | Sep 5, 2013 | Etc.
Our fall session of STRIVE 2 Survive starts Tuesday, September 10th at 5:30pm at the County Fair Banquet Hall! We do still have some room, so if you’re interested, be sure to contact us today to get signed up! You can call us at 884-4226, email us at strive2survive@brownclinic.org, or through our Facebook page. We are looking forward to working with another great group of people!!
by kelsey | Sep 5, 2013 | Diet, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
According to the American Heart Association, one out of every three people in the United States is affected by heart-related diseases. There are many risk factors when it comes to heart disease including: excess weight, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure (to name a few). In addition to working with your doctor, you can minimize these risk factors by your dietary intake and physical activity.
For a healthy heart you want to consume a diet low in sodium, low in saturated and trans fat, and cholesterol. Challenge yourself to replace these with some of the foods and food components listed below:
- Fruits and Vegetables- Many fruits and vegetables contain fiber, which helps your body take in more nutrients, can lower cholesterol levels, aid in achieving a healthy weight. Fruits and vegetables not only contain fiber, but they also contain potassium and antioxidants. Potassium can help with blood pressure by blunting the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Antioxidants may help prevent disease and keep your body working properly.. At the grocery store, be sure to choose a variety of deeply colored fruits and vegetables like carrots, apricots, broccoli, beets, berries and kidney beans to maximize your intake of vitamins and minerals.
- Whole Grains-There are many components within whole grains which provide benefits. Whole grains provide fiber, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. To reap the benefits, aim for at least 3 daily servings of whole grains. On the label, look for the phrase “whole grain” or “whole” before the grain’s name. Some examples include: whole grain breads, cereals and pasta, brown rice, oatmeal and popcorn. Using a supplement such as ground flax seed (shown in the picture) is beneficial to improving total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. You can work up to using 2-3 Tbsps/day for improved levels. This is often mixed into cereal, oatmeal, or used like granola with yogurt…you can also bake with it.
- Heart Healthy Fats- A diet of moderate fat intake is beneficial to your health. You can enjoy the healthy benefits by choosing oils and spreads rich in unsaturated fat, such as olive, canola, safflower, sunflower, corn, or soybean oils. Salmon, sardines, herring, trout, and tuna are terrific sources of the omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are types of polyunsaturated fats that may reduce the risk of heart disease. If you are unable to get fish into your diet, you should consider taking a fish oil supplement of 1-4g/day with at least 1g of DHA and EPA.
- Stanols and Sterols- These plant-based food components help block the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine, which has a beneficial effect on blood cholesterol. They are found in foods like corn, soy, wheat and some fortified foods like orange juice and yogurt. 1-3 grams of stanols or sterols are needed each day to see beneficial effects.
-Written by Morgan McLain, SDSU Dietetic Student.
by kelsey | Sep 4, 2013 | Heart Health, Wellness/Health
September is National Cholesterol Education Month and a good time to have your cholesterol checked. Whether you have high cholesterol of not, it is important to know what your cholesterol levels are and what you can do to help control them so you can reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Q. What is cholesterol?
It is a waxy, fat-like substance that is produced by the liver and found in all cells of the body. The body requires cholesterol in order to work properly. Cholesterol is part of a healthy body but too much of it in your blood can be a problem. High blood cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the, 1st and 3rd leading causes of death in the nation and 1st and 5th leading causes of death in South Dakota.
Q. Where else besides the body is cholesterol found?
It is found in some of the foods you eat. A heart healthy diet is recommended for reducing your risk of heart disease. This includes choosing healthy fats (olive and canola oil, soft tub margarines) over foods high in saturated and trans fats and cholesterol, lean meats, whole grains, low fat dairy products, and getting at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. It is also important to engage in regular activity (at least 30 minutes) daily.
Q. What is involved in a screening test for cholesterol?
A lipid panel or profile (blood test) is a series of tests done to measure the different forms of cholesterol and triglycerides (another form of fat) found in the blood. There are four major fat components that will be listed on your lipid panel:
Total Cholesterol – the total number of all of the fats you have in your blood.
LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) – known as “bad cholesterol”.
HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) – known as “good cholesterol”.
Triglycerides – the most common form of fat found in the body. High triglyceride levels are associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
Q. What are the desirable or optimal cholesterol and triglyceride levels for people with or without existing heart disease?
Total cholesterol: Less than 200*
LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein): Bad cholesterol: Less than 100*
HDL (High Density Lipoprotein): Good cholesterol: 60 or higher is considered the best*
Triglycerides: Less than 150*
* (Reference – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Your healthcare provider will interpret these numbers and tell you when and how often to have your cholesterol levels rechecked. Ask your provider for advice on how to reduce your risk.
Q. What are some common risk factors for developing heart disease?
High LDL (bad cholesterol)
Low HDL (good cholesterol)
High blood pressure (treated or untreated)
Physical inactivity
Obesity and overweight
Tobacco smoke
Diabetes
Age – increased age over 45 increases your risk for heart disease
Heredity – family history of heart disease.
Q. What should I do if I want to have my cholesterol levels checked?
Contact your Brown Clinic provider to schedule this laboratory test.
Q. Where can I find additional information about cholesterol and heart disease?
South Dakota Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program – http://doh.sd.gov/HDS/
American Heart Association – www.american heart.org
Center for Disease Control and Prevention – www.cdc.gov
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute – www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Stay tuned to tomorrow’s post regarding the nutrition recommendations for cholesterol improvements!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Sep 3, 2013 | Diet, Etc., Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Our fall STRIVE 2 Survive starts one week from today! We are really excited to work with another great group of people as we all work to become healthier. I have gotten several emails and questions about our program so I thought this would be the perfect time to give you some feedback from one of our previous participants. This participant “J” has lost about 40lbs by working with me individually and with the help of our 12 week wellness program STRIVE 2 Survive. We can always tell you what we think about the program, but I think it sometimes means more coming from an actual participant! Below is J’s feedback about STRIVE. If you’re trying to decide whether or not to join, I hope this helps you! There is still time to enroll and we do still have room, so if you have any questions and/or would like to enroll, be sure to contact us today! First lecture is next Tuesday, September 10th at 5:30pm at the County Fair Banquet Hall.
- What pushed you to join STRIVE?
- What pushed me to join Strive was because I was not only tired of being unhealthy (I was becoming pre-diabetic) but I was always in pain from all of the weight this was placing on my body, but it was also finally my time to take control of my life and to stop letting food be the one in control.
- What was your goal?
- My goal was for the healthy eating which helped with the weight loss.
- Have you met your goal?
- I feel I have met some of my first goals but I still have so many yet to do. I think I will always be a continued work in progress because when you reach one goal there are so many more to grab a hold of.
- What’s your motivation to continue?
- I am still very conscience of what I eat and the amounts of my calorie intake. I do allow myself to be naughty every so often instead of depriving myself because if I do this once a month then I do not become obsessed with the “Oh I can’t have that” mentality. I think if you totally cut yourself off you set yourself up for failure. At least for me this works. Say I decide to have a candy bar once a month then I take note of the calories and compensate with what I eat later or walk that extra 1/2 or 1 mile or so. I’m not super woman and I cannot cut myself off from everything and if I do have something I maybe should not have I do not think of myself as a failure. :)Strive has helped me alot. It has taught me about how to read labels on the food that I buy it has taught me about all the different kinds of food there are out there that are actually good for you (and they taste good also). I love the postings at County Fair that they have. I can take what I see there and shop at other stores. It has become such a habit with me now that when I go shopping I am always looking at the ingredients, calories, fats etc without even thinking about it. I take more time when I go shopping and not race through the store just grabbing whatever I see.
The Strive crew is pretty awesome also!!
- I love how I feel and how I look and just my all around mental change in how I look at life. I am so much happier now. I never want to go back to where I was. I read a quote that said: ” I may not be where I am going yet but I thank God I am not where I used to be”.
- If you could tell anyone about STRIVE 2 Survive what would you tell them?
- DO NOT WAIT IT WILL HELP YOU CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!
- Do you want to share your personal story?
Yes by all means you can share my story. ” I am a 57 year old woman who in life made food my friend instead of making myself my friend.” So because of this I became a fat person. Yes I can say I was a fat person. I had tried so many times to lose weight and nothing ever stuck. Mostly this was because I was doing this for all of the wrong reasons. I was not doing this for me I was doing this for everyone else. After several attempts and several years of being overweight it was like a light finally went off in my head and it was finally my time. We tend to drown our emotions in food and I was very guilty of this. I am still considered fat by my BMI count but I am also so much smaller than when I started.
- Do you feel the program has a lifetime change for you?
- Strive will have a forever effect on my life, and all the teachers will have a forever effect on my life.
- Have you been in any other programs? How do you feel they compare?
- The only other program I have been on was with a different Nutritionist and even though she was a very, very nice person, I always seem to walk away so confused and because of this I ended up not staying on the program she had put me on. This was not her fault this was my issue because I just was not ready to make a change.
- With Kelsey I never left your office confused on anything and if I was not sure you took the time to explain everything to me. With you Kelsey you actually do care and you can see that in you and you can feel that in you.
- What do you think the highlight of the program is?
- I don’t know if I could single out just one thing that was the biggest high point. There were just so many. I enjoyed all the information you gave us and still give us, the show of care on all your faces on helping us do this. The fact that all of you are there to actually talk to us if we have any questions and you take the time to listen to all of our concerns and questions has meant alot to me.
- Would you tell a friend about us?
- I tell everyone! I wear your Strive t-shirt. I have talked to several coworkers about your program when they ask how I have lost all of the weight so far.
- How did you learn about STRIVE 2 Survive?
- My Doctor originally sent me to Kelsey to set up a weight loss program and through Kelsey I found out about the Strive program.
- As you know our ads for the program are on the radio, what could you tell the people listening if they are in doubt it could help them?
- Give Strive a chance. They will teach you how to read labels on the food you buy. They will teach you what is healthy for you. They will teach you so very much, and they are the real deal and care about you. What do you have to lose other than your bad health and weight. 🙂
-Kelsey
by Dan | Sep 2, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This past saturday we went to Brookings to see our daughter for college, and we all entered a fun run while we were there…A Color Run! We had never done one before, and it was quite the experience. Here is Molly and Sarah’s view afterwards!
We did a lot of laughing, but Molly was not so sure when some boys were walking by. Here they are at the start…
We were each given a packet of color corn starch, and could start throwing on people even before the start of the race. It was a 5k race, or 500o meters, and it was not timed, but just for fun. Every 1000 meters, there would be a group of people to throw another color on you. We had blue, yellow, pink, and orange, and the mixture of them created green as well.
It was fun to try, and say we have done one. It was kind of a mess driving back home. It took several showers to get it all out. Especially tough getting the color out of your ears and nose! There were at least several hundred people there, all laughing and out to get some activity. These color runs are charity runs, and proceeds from this were going to benefit those with Myasthenia Gravis. Overall, it is a good way to get people to get out and move. There are no times reported, just go out and run/walk, and getting covered in colors! Try one sometime! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2168
