by kelsey | Aug 29, 2013 | Diet, Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
One of my favorite parts of my job is that I get to help people. I have always been a people person and grew up in a household where I learned the joy you can receive from helping others at a young age (thanks Mom and Dad!). Weight loss and improved nutrition is a tough thing. I have personally struggled with it at times and know from personal experience and helping others…it’s never easy. Changing your lifestyle is truly challenging and it’s even more challenging with all of the temptations we have in our society to encourage us to over-indulge! Throughout our 12 week wellness program, we tell our participants that we never expect all of our recommendations to happen overnight that instead we encourage you to work on a few things at one time and gradually those baby steps will add up to big steps and big successes. Honestly, I would rather see a slow and steady weight loss that takes longer than the participant would probably like, than a quick weight loss that is eventually gained back.
My day was made yesterday when I got an email from Denise Hoff. Denise was in our winter STRIVE 2 Survive program last year and has made some pretty incredible improvements in her health. Denise gave me permission to share her success with you all as in her own words “maybe it will motivate someone else who thinks they are too big or too old to start.” 🙂
Denise has now lost about 17lbs and dropped 12.5″ total (waist, hips, bust, thighs, arms)…4 of the 12.5″ are off her waist! She was never a runner, but thanks to our team’s inspiration, she ran her first 5k with her daughter last weekend (see the picture!). She said they had a great mother/daughter time and as she ran, she was proud to say she was able to keep a stride and actually pass others! 🙂 Denise started to run one block at a time. Her initial goal was a half of a mile, then one mile, then 1 1/2 miles, etc. She broke it down so it didn’t seem so overwhelming and set a goal of running a 5k with the encouragement and support of us and her family…she accomplished it successfully and is now looking forward to doing more 5ks! In addition to the improvement in her weight and waist circumference, her lab values have also improved as she dropped her total cholesterol about 50points, which is now well into the normal range and has kept her blood sugar and blood pressure in normal ranges also. As you can see from the timeline, these changes didn’t happen overnight, but she slowly worked at it and has achieved great success in the last 6-8 months and looks forward to continuing to work on her health and wellness goals. In Denise’s words “Thanks for being so supportive and encouraging. I hope the next time you see me, you will have to take a double look as I am hoping to look smaller and more fit.”
As we approach the start of our fall session of STRIVE 2 Survive, I hope Denise’s testimony shows you the benefits you can receive from our wellness program and our team’s education, support, and encouragement. If you see Denise on the street, be sure to congratulate her on her success! We are very proud of her!
Fall STRIVE starts September 10th…contact us today to get enrolled!!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Aug 28, 2013 | Etc.
Our fall STRIVE 2 Survive wellness program is just a few weeks away!! Enrollment is now underway so if you want to learn more and/or sign up for the fall session be sure to contact us today!!
A little info for you about our program: Our 12 week program starts September 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!
September 10- Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN “Healthy Eating Made Easy”
September 24- Dr. Dan Reiffenberger “Exercise for the Health of It”
October 8- Dr. Clark Likness “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel”
October 22- Deidra Van Gilder, PharmD “Medications…to do or not to do”
November 5- Dr. Jon McAreavey “Your Equation to Success”
November 19- STRIVE Team “Making Health a Way of Life”
-Kelsey
by Dan | Aug 19, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
My twin daughters are off to college this week, and everybody in the family is taking note, Buddy included. He can tell something is going on with all of the packing, and boxing up of things. Megan leaves tomorrow morning, tuesday, for George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Molly leaves this friday for SDSU in Brookings. Mom and dad are trying to figure out what we get to do with some more free time now. I see long bike rides, runs, walks together, and of course, keeping an eye on Nick yet as he will be a junior in high school.
Grandma Folk made the girls a going away college present…a quilt with their school colors on it. Here they are showing them off!
Megan is going to try joining the club sport of swimming at George Mason, and Molly will continue running on her own. Hopefully, we have set the tone for them going forward. They learn by watching, and seeing us work out everyday has to have some kind of dividends in their health going forward. Time will tell. We will keep going, and hopefully they follow. Some day I would like to run a marathon with my girls. I have a friend, Tom, who got to run one with his daughter. I think that would be really special. Good luck you two!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2154
by kelsey | Aug 14, 2013 | Diet, Food, Wellness/Health
We tend to think bacteria is a cause for disease, so the idea of tossing down a few billion a day for your health might seem a little hard to swallow. A Probiotic is a type of bacteria, but it is actually a GOOD bacterium that can help maintain the natural balance of organisms in our intestines. Its role is to reduce the growth of the harmful bacteria we do not want, which further promotes an overall healthy digestive system. There is convincing evidence that probiotics may help:
- Treat diarrhea (especially following treatment with antibiotics)
- Prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections
- Treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBD)
- Speed treatment of certain intestinal infections
- Prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu
Yogurt is a natural source of probiotics. Make sure to look for yogurts with: “live and active cultures” stated somewhere on its label. A good example of this is Activia yogurt as this kind has more of the live and active cultures than the others. If you don’t like the taste of yogurt, you could always dress it up with a little granola and fruit such as the picture included of yogurt parfaits. Probiotics may also be taken as a dietary supplement. Ask your local pharmacist for their recommendation.
-Morgan McLain, SDSU Dietetic Student
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/probiotics/AN00389
by kelsey | Aug 13, 2013 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
I am excited to have another dietetics student from South Dakota State University with me this week. Morgan is finishing up her last semester at SDSU and will be applying for dietetic internships soon. This week Morgan is in charge of my blog posts…enjoy! -Kelsey
Have a Sweet Tooth?
Here are some of my tips to get through those cravings….
1) Realize they are ONLY cravings—and if you can distract yourself for awhile the craving will go away! Mind over matter!
2) Have a sugar free substitution–always have on hand sugar-free or fat-free hot chocolate, sugar-free gum, or sugar free/fat free vanilla yogurt
3) As weird as it way sound, take some cottage cheese and put a packet of sweetener in it (I like stevia best)
4) I drink Green Tea with no sweetener—the bitter taste and it puts a stop to the sweet craving
5) The same with kosher pickles
6) Brush your teeth! It really helps. The combination of the mint tooth paste plus the time it takes to do it, kicks the craving!
7) OR I just give in and let my self have one or two small dove dark chocolates. Dark chocolate actually has tons of antioxidants and doesn’t have effects on LDL cholesterol like your normal sweets have!!
-Morgan McLain
