by kelsey | Nov 16, 2011 | Diabetes
Did you know that about 25 million people in the United States are living with diabetes? A great deal of my work at the clinic is working with patients who have diabetes and are working hard to keep their blood sugars in a desirable range. Diabetes is characterized by the body’s inability to make or use insulin properly. Risk factors include obesity, inactivity, poor diets, family history, history of gestational diabetes, older age, and some ethnicities are more at risk than others. Managing your diabetes is essential to help prevent any long term complications such as impaired vision, kidney function, nerve damage and heart disease.
Checking your blood sugars regularly is one step for keeping good control of your blood sugars. In addition, it’s important to limit high sugar and white refined grain foods, pay close attention to your carbohydrate intake by eating consistently throughout the day (several small meals and snacks/day), practicing portion control, choosing more whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats, and of course staying active. Achieving this balanced diet isn’t always easy, which is why we’re here to help! If you want to learn more about eating healthy for good blood sugar control, contact us today!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Nov 15, 2011 | Etc.
The Watertown Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Women’s Escape Saturday and we invite you to attend! It is going to be held at the Codington County Extension Complex from 10 am – 4 pm. Admission is $5 and they are accepting donations of bath, body or hair care products for the Women’s Resource Center. There are a lot of excellent booths and great speakers. A light lunch consisting of soup, sandwiches, and dessert will be available for purchase. I will be hosting the Brown Clinic booth so be sure to stop by and visit!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Nov 13, 2011 | Equipment, Exercise, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
With the weather starting to turn cold, you can still exercise outside, you just need to have the right gear on. Here, I am an underarmour beenie hat on that helps keep moisture off of my head when I am sweating, and helps to cut down on wind penetration.
The jacket is a goretex jacket, which when it is cold, and especially middle of winter, I won’t go outside to exercise without it. It blocks the wind, yet breathes, so when I am sweating, it helps keep the mosture off of me to prevent staying cold. The mittens I have on are also goretex, and keeps them very warm.
The winter tights work well to about 20 degrees, then the goretex pants go on, for the same reason as with the jacket.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is dress in layers, and have the base layer that is next to your skin be of a material that will help keep the moisture off of your skin: underarmour, polypropylene…not cotton, as this keeps you cold and holds the moisture against your skin, so you lose heat faster.
Remember, you can still exercise outside when it is cold, either running or walking, but you need to be smart, and dress appropriately.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1508
by Dan | Nov 10, 2011 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Well, with the wind picking up, and the temperature dropping, the leaves off the trees, the signs of Winter are approaching. Does it mean you have to stop exercising? NO! But it does mean you have to start making some accomodations, and being smarter about what you are going to do for exercise, and where. Right now, I just have to dress more appropriately, but I am still thrilled I don’t have to contend wtih snow yet. So, there are some good points afterall.
I will be the first to admit, it is not as motivating to go out when it is cold, and your usual routes/path are not as interesting to look at. So, start being creative. What are you going to do different as we approach this Winter season? Sitting on our butts is not a good choice. I think it may be time to once again have some posts about more appropriate clothing to be wearing, and how we can handle the cold better. Plus, as usual, just trying to keep us all motivated to keep moving. Enjoy the next few days. We are supposed to get us to the mid 50’s yet, so take advantage. Keep moving, and enjoy the weekend.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1505
by kelsey | Nov 10, 2011 | Food
As Thanksgiving approaches, you may be thinking about your grocery list and all the goodies you will be making. Jeff Gamber and County Fair prepared a healthy pumpkin pie for us on Tuesday and I couldn’t resist sharing the recipe. The recipe has some great substitutions for lightening the sugar, fat, and calories. Give it a try and enjoy!
Healthy Pumpkin Pie
15 oz can pumpkin
8 oz skim or low fat soy milk
3 egg whites
2/3 reduced fat graham cracker crust (take off the sides of the crust and discard)
¾ c Splenda
Pumpkin pie spice
2 egg whites for the crust
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix pumpkin, milk, and egg whites until smooth. Gradually stir in Splenda ¼ c at a time. Add the pumpkin pie spice, taste and add more if needed. Pour into crust and spread evenly. Bake for 15 min then reduce the temp to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 min. Let cool and serve your favorite way. To make the crust less soggy beat the egg whites and brush over the crust and bake for about 5 min. at 350 degrees.
-Kelsey
