by kelsey | Jan 30, 2013 | Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Do you ever feel like you just don’t have any energy or can’t get your steam up to get that list done? I’m sure most of us have felt this way before! Many people turn to caffeine to help give them a boost…and that caffeine is found in a variety of sources from coffee, tea, pop, to energy drinks. Energy drinks have gotten very popular over the last few years and are more prominent in the younger generation. Recently, the FDA has cracked down on makers and suppliers of energy drinks as there have been several reports of adverse affects including 18 deaths related to consumption of energy drinks. Energy drinks have a lot of sugar and caffeine. Caffeine can act as a stimulant and cause a variety of adverse effects, which is why we recommend limiting your caffeine to 200-300mg a day. To put this in perspective, this would be equivalent to 2-4 cups of coffee. A can of Diet Coke has about 42 mg, Mtn Dew has about 55 mg, a latte about 150 mg, and a cup of green tea has about 24-40 mg. The energy drinks have have a lot more than these options. For example, Rockstar drinks can range from 80-240mg depending on the kind, a Red Bull has about 75-80 mg, 5 hr Energy has about 215-240 mg of caffeine.
Many times, a person may have a combination of an energy drinks and other caffeine sources such as coffee or pop, thus making their total consumption of caffeine very high. I encourage you to reflect on the amount of caffeine you take in and if you are getting over the 200-300 mg/day, you may consider switching to decaf or caffeine free products. If you are using caffeine to keep you awake, you may consider reflecting on your sleep habits as well and work at improving them to keep you more alert during the day! For more information on energy drinks and caffeine content, click the link for a complete list from the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: http://naturaldatabase.therapeuticresearch.com/ce/ceCourse.aspx?cs=&referer=EUPDATE201301&utm_source=default&utm_campaign=eupdate&pm=5&pc=13-900&utm_content=block1link5&utm_medium=012013eupdate.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jan 29, 2013 | Goals, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As we look to the end of the week, the long month of January comes to an end and February greets us. This also means that for those that made New Year’s resolutions, you’re a month into your new plan. How’s it going? What are you doing really well? What needs work? Take some time for reflection and think about these questions. When I work with my patients, we talk about a lot of different things from activity, nutrition, and behavior modification and it’s hard to tackle it all at once….and usually when we do we become overwhelmed and throw in the towel and start that viscous cycle all over again! In efforts of promoting life long habits, focus on a few things at a time and as you feel you have mastered those new habits, pick another few to focus on. Over time you will have a new healthy lifestyle that you can maintain! Use your calendar or your journal to keep track of your goals and be sure to reward yourself along the way!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jan 24, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Sarah competed in the Half Marathon at the run Disney weekend. She did a great job! Here she is coming through Epcot. Originally were told that there were 39,000 people registerd for this, but 23,126 finished. Sarah finished in 45th place for her division, and 484 for female finishers. She came in at 1:55:57, and her goal was again to break 2 hours.
She is coming across the finish line here, with all of the confetti on the ground. She too had a great time, and wants to do it again next year.
Here she is proudly displaying her medal for finishing! It is great when you can accomplish your goals, and then get a medal to show for it as well. It was great the rest of the time we were in Disney, because all of the finishers for the half marathon and marathon wore their medals each day while at the theme parks, all grinning ear to ear, and proud of what they had accomplished. It made the moment even bette! Keep working on your goals, whatever they may be. No goal is too small or too big, as long as you make it for you! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1947
by kelsey | Jan 24, 2013 | Diet, Weight Management
Thanks to the popular Dr. Oz show, raspberry ketones became a craze in the last few years as Dr.Oz discussed them as being helpful for weight loss. I was recently asked about them and if they’re effective so I thought I’d discuss this topic on the blog for everyone to learn the facts about this supplement. When we hear “raspberry ketones” we may think of the raspberry fruit, but in reality this is a supplement…not a fruit. Raspberry ketone is a chemical derived from red raspberries and is thought to increase lean body mass and increase metabolism. Even though the very popular doctor and tv host promotes this for weight loss, it is important to note that there is no sufficient or reliable research indicating this is effective for weight loss. It’s also important to note that the supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA like prescription drugs are so many companies promote their products just to earn the big bucks, not necessarily telling you the truth about their products. To date, there is no magical pill that aids in weight loss (whoever finds it will be rich I’m sure!). There are several new prescription drugs that may work, however the best way to speed up your metabolism and lose weight for good is a balanced, portion controlled diet with regular activity…which includes at least 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week and at least 2 days of body resistance activities to aid in muscle toning. We are always looking for the quick fix and easy way out, but the best way to improve your health is making lifestyle changes that you can stick with rather than the quick fix. If you are ever wondering about a supplement, don’t hesitate to contact us as many supplements can interact with your medications and body and we can look them up for you and provide proper guidance and instructions for you!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jan 17, 2013 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Here Steve and I are following the marathon showing off our medals. It was very warm and humid, but we had a great day! Steve finished his first marathon, and is now ready to take on some more.
Here we are coming up to the finish line, raising our arms in celebration. It has been a year long of training, and getting ready for this day. There is no feeling like coming across the finish line at this point.
Of course, after all of that work, we needed to celebrate a little bit, and get some calories put back in. The reward for all of the work!
It goes to show, if you set a goal, and stay focused, you can achieve it. It always helps when somebody else is there to help push and motivate along the way. We accomplished it, and are ready for the next goal. Stay tuned as I show off some other pictures, and stories from the marathon, and events of the weekend. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day#: 1940
