by kelsey | Jul 20, 2011 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
A new Havard study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine recently, supports the notion of how lifestyle interventions such as small changes in eating, exercise, and other healthy habits can result in large changes in body weight over time. This study tracked 120,877 well-educated men and women who were at healthy weights at the beginning of study for 12-20 years.
Their findings showed that processed foods such as french fries, pop, processed meats, and white refined grains resulted in long term weight gain. Whereas good, healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products resulted in weight loss or weight maintenance. Other factors they examined were sleep, alcohol intake, television time, and smoking.
This large, long term study showed us that small changes in diet and exercise can truly result in improved health. For those people that count calories, you can be at rest that making healthy choices, practicing portion control, and engaging in regular activity can truly enhance your health and well-being and you do not necessarily have to count calories for life!
You can view the study at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296
or read an article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19brody.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=health
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 19, 2011 | Wellness/Health
This last weekend, I went to the Twins game with my in-laws and husband. We had front row seats just behind the KC Royals dugout. It couldn’t have been any better, except that we were all dripping with sweat the whole time! The heat index was 109-115 at Target Field on Sunday afternoon and man did we feel it!
On hot days like this, it’s very important to get adequate fluids. Often times, the heat wipes you out that you may not even feel hungry, which is why the fluids are so important! Water is always best, however in times when you are sweating a lot like we were, drinks like Gatorade are very beneficial to the body to help replenish our electrolytes. Gatorade has a lot of sugar in it, so we don’t encourage you to drink these types of drinks daily, but on hot days or when you are doing a lot of manual labor they are beneficial to the body. Looks like the heat is going to stay for another week or so… everyone be careful and don’t complain too much because remember we were complaining about it being 50 below this winter! 😉
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jul 17, 2011 | Exercise, Weather
With the weather this hot, you need to be especially mindful of making sure that you are going to take in adequate water. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are already behind. When the heat index gets this high, you need to exercise, or be outdoors in general, early in the morning, or late in the evening, and be sure to hydrate well before, during, and after the activity. We all appreciate some nice weather, it just is a little hard to take it all at one time. Be safe, enjoy the summer, and stay hydrated!!!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1391
by kelsey | Jul 14, 2011 | Cooking Tips, Food
Yesterday, a co-worker asked me about marinating meat for the grill and I thought it was an excellent topic to share with the rest of you! As we’ve talked before, grilling is an excellent and healthy cooking method. Marinating meats gives extra flavor to the meat while enhancing the tenderness of it. You can marinate leaner cuts of meat for more flavor with less fat! Next time you’re in the grocery store, skip the processed meats such as hot dogs and brats and choose a few of these leaner cuts of beef.
The following cuts are leaner than 95% lean ground beef:
- Eye of round roast
- Top round steak
- Bottom round roast
- Top sirloin steak
- Round tip roast
A few other options, which are slightly higher in fat and calories but packed with flavor, include:
- Flank steak
- Tri-tip roasts
If you do not have a marinade recipe, try visiting some online sites such as www.allrecipes.com or www.cookinglight.com and search “marinade.” Click the link below to see a tasty beef marinade: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/beef-marinade-i/Detail.aspx
Enjoy!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jul 13, 2011 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Wellness/Health
The triathlon last week had approx 83 individuals, and about 15 teams, with each of the teams either doing 1 leg of the triathlon, or at least some combination of the three. Here are 2 of the 3 members of “Team Reif”…the one on the left is my son Nick, who ran, and by him is his friend Sean, who rode on the bike.
The 3rd member of “Team Reif” is my daughter Megan, who swam. This was a great event to have your kids, or family members in general, get out and work together, and all have the opportunity to be active, and have fun.
Below is a picture of a true “family” committment to the event: Team Alwin. Leann and Dave participated, had their kids involved, brothers, and then parents who were the cheerleaders. They even had Team T-shirts made. They had a lot of fun, and they worked together, and all were able to participate in one way or another. This is how you stay active as a family. Make it fun, work together, make memories, and stay healthy!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1387
