by kelsey | Feb 22, 2012 | Diet, Weight Management
As I stated in my last post, it took us a full day to travel from Vegas to Phoenix with our stops at the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. It was a great day and awesome experience to see these two places, but it did mean that we were eating in the car…which is always a challenge. To help you when you travel, here are some healthy road trip snacks:
- Raw veggies such as baby carrots, broccoli, etc
- Fresh fruit such as an apple or banana that’s easy to eat in the car
- Trail Mix–just be sure to watch the portions as calories can add up quickly
- Low fat cheese and whole grain crackers
- Sandwich’s with whole grain bread, lean meat, and great veggies
- Almonds, walnuts, or soy nuts
- Whole grain granola bars
The key is packing your snacks before hand to avoid running to a gas station or through a fast food drive thru. Foods to stay away from are all of the tempting, high calorie, high fat foods you find in the convenience stores such as packaged cookies, candy bars, chips, etc. The calories can add up really fast and may not satisfy you as they are typically higher fat and fast acting sugar foods. Including whole grains (fiber rich foods) and lean proteins in your snacks will help provide satiety and satisfaction.
-Kelsey
by Dan | Feb 21, 2012 | Exercise, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The Mexico vacation was great, and even though we were on vacation, we found time to exercise everyday. The beach was a great place to run along, as you had the ocean and wildlife all around you, and it was very quiet. We would run in the mornings before it got to0 hot, and watching the sunrise was something to see.
It was not hard to concentrate and get motivated to get outside to enjoy the weather, scenery, and warm temperatures again. It extended for miles, and it did not take much to lose yourself by watching everything, and not even realizing we were actually exercising. It was great time together for Sarah and I, and was just was this doctor ordered. I will show other wildlife/sunrise/sunset pictures as I go forward, that if nothing else, to start getting motivated that Spring is close by, and even though this was in Mexico, it is time to fire up and getting for good weather coming soon here. Keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1608
by kelsey | Feb 21, 2012 | Etc.
The blog was a bit quiet last week with Dr. Dan on vacation in Mexico and I was on vacation as well! Adam and I took a little vacation to Vegas (thanks to the Brown Clinic as I won the trip at our Christmas party!) and we decided to tag a few extra days on and drove through the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon, on our way down to Phoenix to visit family there for another few days. Our stops reminded us of the hilarious Chevy Chase movies and we had many laughs along the way. The Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon were on my “bucket list” which made the trip even more exciting. Below is a picture of me at the Hoover Dam. What an amazing structure!
You have heard Dr. Dan and I discuss goals many times, and another aspect of goal setting is the “bucket list.” The bucket list is a term for a list of things you want to accomplish, do, see, etc in your lifetime. Some of the items on my bucket list are to visit all 50 states and to run a road race. I have been working on the 50 states since I was a child and only have about 10-15 left to go… and I will be tackling the road race this May as I have decided to run a half marathon with my brother, who is running the full. Personally, my bucket list helps keep me motivated with my health goals. I certainly can’t fill my bucket list if I’m not healthy! As you examine your goals, think about your bucket list and things you’d like to accomplish, see, do, etc and ways you can achieve them. Life is a beautiful thing, so live it to the fullest!
Our road trip from Vegas to Phoenix took a full day with our stops, which meant we had to have snacks and stop for food a few times. In my next post, I will discuss health snacks for on the road and traveling. Stay tuned!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Feb 19, 2012 | Exercise, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Just got back from our week on vacation in Mexico. Great time, great weather. Ran on the beach everyday. Much different to get used to for running, but also went walking everyday along the ocean, barefoot, and was very nice. The beach extended for miles so you could just keep going. The scenery was great. Lots of pelicans around, always diving into the ocean to get food. They were great posers for the camera as well. Here one is coming in for a landing along the posts on the edge of the beach, where they like to hang out everyday at.
They made for great subjects, especially at sunset and sunrise. Never really even felt like we were out running or walking, or working at the exercise, when we had this kind of scenery all of the time to look at. Once again, I will take you on a tour of Mexico, and show some of the other scenery, and beach area where we would go running or walking. This would not be hard to get used to! Keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1606
by kelsey | Feb 9, 2012 | Cooking Tips, Food, Heart Health
This morning, I had the opportunity to judge the heart healthy contest at the Watertown Winter Farm Show with two other judges. We evaluated several very tasty and delightful items. I applaud all of the contestants that took the time to tweak their recipes and finds ways to improve the nutrition status of their food item. Overall, participants make changes to the fat content, sugar content, and/or enhanced the recipe such as adding more fiber through various grains such as cracked wheat, oat bran, etc. Overall, it really showed me that adapting recipes doesn’t have to be a scary thing! There are so many options and ways to improve recipes and with a little time and energy you too, could turn your favorite, not the best for you, recipes into healthy, heartful ones. Next time you’re in the store, I encourage you to check out the various options, read labels, and think critically about how you could improve the nutrition of the foods you’re making.
-Kelsey
