H3 Daily

Friday, July 31, 2009

Tip of the Day #13

At your desk, sit on an exercise ball rather than a chair.

Step it Up!

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Increasing your daily activity can help you lose weight, maintain long-term weight loss, and decrease your risk for many diseases and medical complications such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and colon cancer.  A great way to track your daily activity is counting how many steps you take in a day using a pedometer. Setting a goal for a certain number of steps per day to achieve can motivate you to move around more. You just might find yourself parking in a far away spot and walking to the store!

 

The general recommendation for the average individual is 10,000 steps per day, the equivalent of five miles of walking distance. If you find that you are not reaching 10,000 steps per day, use some of the tips below to increase your daily step count.  Try to increase your daily steps by 500 each week.  For example, if you reach 3,000 steps per day, try for 3,500 steps next week and 4,000 steps the week after.

 

Click here for a weekly log where you can record your steps! 

 

Tips:

-Take the stairs instead of the escalator/elevator

-Walk over to a neighbor’s house to say hi

-Walk around the room or outside while you talk on the phone

-Walk your dog or a friend’s dog

-Walk through each aisle of the grocery store and circle the perimeter

-Bring your walking shoes to the office in case you get a chance to run errands on your lunch break

-Use a restroom, copy room and/or kitchen that is farther away from your office

-Walk to a co-workers desk to deliver a message instead of emailing

-Go on a walk with your friend

-Walk into the bank rather than using the drive through

-Walk to nearby stores instead of than driving

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Healthy U



 

Here at Hilton Head Health we have a session called Healthy U that we hold for the college-aged guests in-house. It is a seminar-style discussion that allows guests to bring up topics of interest related to living a healthy lifestyle while attending college.  With all the stress, parties, alcohol, buffet-style dining, and late night pizza orders, it can be very challenging to eat healthy and exercise regularly.

 

These are some points that we cover in the session that you may find helpful whether you’re in college, a recent graduate, a parent of a college student, or none of the above!

 

Dining

- There are healthy options available on all campuses you just have to find them i.e. salad bar, make your own sandwich bar, grilled chicken, etc.

 

- Try not to make dining halls social places. In other words, don’t make them a location to hang out with your friends.

 

- Look up nutritional information (if available) online before going out to eat that way you are not stuck making a decision without any guidelines. Typical college eateries that provide nutritional information include Panera, McDonalds, Chipotle, and Subway.

 

- Don’t be afraid to ask to customize your food—i.e. grilled chicken, broiled fish, steamed veggies, hold the dressing/croutons/cheese, less oil.

 

- Eat a salad as your first course.  Be sure to get your dressing served on the side and hold off on extras such as bacon bits, cheese, and croutons.

 

-Drink water between bites and/or plates.

 

-Stock your dorm room/apartment with healthy snacks such as low fat yogurt, string cheese, snack-size popcorn bags, fresh fruits, baby carrots, etc. That way you will avoid the temptation of the lobby vending machine when traveling to and from classes.

 

Exercise

-Designate time in your schedule for exercise as if it were a class

 

-Find an exercise buddy to help keep you accountable.

 

-Walk or bike around campus instead of taking the bus or driving.

 

-Read/study while riding the stationary bike.

 

-Join an intramural sports team – gather your friends and have fun!  It is open to all fitness levels!

 

-Take advantage of the Group Fitness Classes at your school’s gym.  It’s a great way to meet new people, and experience new types of exercise!

 

-Make room in your schedule each year to take a PE class. 

 

Living

-Get the proper amount of sleep! Try to schedule your studying so you don’t end up pulling any all-nighters. 

 

-Establish a consistent sleeping/eating routine.

 

-For quiet time, find a place where you can retreat when you need to study, relax or even just get away.

 

 

Alcohol

-Cut back on the number of nights you drink and/or the number of drinks you have in one night.

 

-Choose drinks that are lower in sugar and fat grams.

 

- Alcohol will make any weight loss/maintenance effort nearly impossible. It lowers your inhibitions so you are more likely to choose unhealthy foods/portions, disrupts your sleep and drains you of your energy and motivation to exercise.

 

 -Find activities on campus to enjoy other than parties or bars.  Make it a movie night, venture to your local bowling alley or even revert back to your younger days and play games outside – capture the flag!

Tip of the Day #12

Have a handful of nuts for an afternoon snack to keep you full and to satisfy a crunch craving.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Eating the Rainbow

This morning I was thinking back on the past week and whether or not I ate veggies and fruits in all the colors of the rainbow.  This was the list I came up:

Red: red peppers, tomatoes, raspberries

Orange: sweet potatoes, oranges, peaches, carrots

Yellow: bananas, yellow peppers, onions, mango

Green: spinach, lettuce, cucumber, avocado, asparagus, seaweed salad

Blue: Blueberries

Purple (Yeah I know it’s Indigo): eggplant, blackberries

 

Eating vegetables and fruits in a variety of colors is important to get the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) necessary for your:

 

-Metabolism

-Blood and bone health

-Antioxidant function

-Fluid and electrolyte balance

 

What about you?  Is your produce rainbow complete? 

Tip of the Day #11

Fold laundry while standing rather than sitting.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tip of the Day #10

Eat your fruits and vegetables with the skin (if possible) for extra fiber!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Stop, Sit, Eat

 


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Have you ever eaten an entire meal yet felt as if you didn’t even eat? Your mouth wanted more, your stomach wanted more…wait a minute, DID you actually scarf down a meal or not?

 

Perhaps you were eating while driving. Perhaps you were standing at the kitchen counter.  Perhaps you were eating out of the refrigerator.  Perhaps you were watching TV. Perhaps you were at your work desk.  Perhaps you were….

 

Perhaps that’s why you didn’t feel satisfied!  Eating a meal that leaves you full and content does not only mean eating healthy and nutritious food. Equally as important is the act of eating mindfully.

 

What is mindful eating?

 

Mindful eating means being fully present in the moment—seeing, smelling, feeling and tasting the food you are eating. In addition, it involves appreciating the way your food looks and feels—the colors and textures, as well as taking note of your body’s reaction to the foods such as your hunger levels and mood.

 

Key components of mindful eating:

1)    Sitting down at a table to eat

2)    Eating without distractions i.e. TV, computer, newspaper

3)    Eating in a neutral environment—a location that does not conjure up negative emotions or stress

 

Eating mindfully allows you to feel fuller while eating less. One contributing factor to this is the natural tendency to spend more time eating at each meal. Thus your stomach has adequate time to send the necessary signals to your brain alerting it that it is no longer hungry.  You will also find that your body is better able to digest the food consumed.  

 

Strategies to slow down eating:

1)    Use your non-dominant hand

2)    Drink water in between bites

3)    Observe, smell, and feel your food

4)    Think about the love that went into preparing the food

 

Life seems to be getting more and more hectic every day.  Fewer families are sitting down together at the dinner table to eat a home-cooked meal.  Don’t let that be your family.  Set aside 15-30 min. to sit down and enjoy your meal.  If you are by yourself, sit outside or by the window and simply enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of nature.  You may think that there isn’t enough time in the day to set aside for dinnertime, but surely you have 15-30 minutes. Treat yourself and your family as well as you would if you had a guest over for dinner.

Tip of the Day #9

Take half your lunch break to walk around outside.

Dining Out Guide: Italian

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I always remind myself this little piece of advice: eat if you’re truly hungry, don’t eat if you’re NOT truly hungry. Easier said than done right?  Exercising portion control and listening to hunger cues can be difficult especially when you are dining out. Thus, I have created a guide to help you choose healthier options when eating out at Italian restaurants. Healthy food does not have to mean eating naked salads while staring at everyone else eat creamy pasta dishes!

Of course, you want to enjoy your meal out, so choose something you like (within reason) and split it with a friend or get a tasty appetizer (again, within reason) to split with everyone at the table and choose a healthier main entrée.

Don’t be shy. See what the kitchen can do for you. After all, you are paying them to cook your food! Ask your server for an order of steamed or grilled veggies instead of a baked potato. Perhaps you can get your chicken grilled or baked instead of breaded or fried.

Remember, you can always pack half of your meal up and enjoy it the next day, especially if you’re not hungry.

 

Unwise:

-The whole breadbasket

-Garlic bread(sticks)

-Caesar salad w/ dressing

-Cream sauces (i.e. alfredo)

-Fried calamari

-Fried eggplant

-Cheese Sticks

-Lasagna

-Carbonara

-Ravioli

-Tortellini

-Chicken Parmesan

 



Better/Best:

-ONE piece of bread

-House salad

-Olive oil and vinegar dressing

-Minestrone soup

-Tomato Soup

-Marinara sauce

-Shrimp cocktail

-Whole wheat pasta

-Grilled chicken

-Grilled or broiled seafood

-Spaghetti w/ marinara or white wine sauce (watch the pasta portion!)

-Grilled calamari

-Caprese Salad

 

Friday, July 24, 2009

Tip of the Day #8

Wear 8 rubber bands around your wrist. Take one off for every glass of H2O you drink.

Attitude of Gratitude

Last night I read a chapter in Victoria Moran's book, Fit from Within, called "Develop an Attitude for Gratitude." She suggested writing down 10 things that you are grateful for every morning as gratitude leads to happiness and pleasant sensations. Without gratitude, it is easy to fall into a self-pity trap that can lead to, well for many people, reaching for food.

Well here goes!

I AM GRATEFUL...

1) For my loving family for supporting me, always.

 2) For my strong and healthy body. It can do so much more than I give it credit for. Why do I spend time fretting over certain parts of my body when I can marvel at its incredible ability to keep my heart pumping and blood flowing, while fighting off diseases!

3) For Maggie (my fellow intern) for letting me ride her bike to the beach to write this all down...and for being an amazing friend!

4) For the opportunity to spend a summer living on Hilton Head Island.

5) For my education.

6) That I have food to eat every day of my life.

7) For my wonderful friends that listen and genuinely care.

8 ) That I love to eat veggies because so many picky eaters are missing out on some good stuff!

9) For electricity and running water. We never seem to be grateful for it until the lights go out or we're in the wilderness needing to go!

10) That it's FRIDAY!!

Not gonna lie, I felt the happiness and pleasant sensations while writing this all down at the beach last night....the location helped :)

This was my favorite part from the chapter: Eventually you may even be grateful for having had a weight problem, because in finding your way out of it, you grew in compassion and learned to trust.

What are YOU grateful for today?

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Tip of the Day #7

Try eating at a table without watching TV, reading, or using a computer. Eat mindfully! You may notice that you actually taste the food and feel fuller.

Backyard Blast Workout

Location: H3 Courtyard and Lawn

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What You Need: Towel, Water Bottle, And Your Body!

Warm Up:

-       Walk for 5 min. around your backyard or neighborhood

-       30 high knees or march in place (low impact modification)

1) 10 Pushups: Start in plank position, lower your body until your elbows are at 90 degrees, exhale as you return to plank position. Make sure your back and bottom are in line. **Modification: knee pushups

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2) 20 Body Weight Squats: Start with feet shoulder width apart, descend until thighs are parallel to the ground by sliding hips back (chest up, bottom out). Keep your weight in your heels, knees over ankles, and feet flat on the ground. Your knees should point in the same direction as your toes throughout the movement.

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2) 30 Star Lunges (6 stars total): Start with feet together, step one leg forward and bend both knees to 90 degree angles, return to starting position (feet together). Repeat in the direction of each of the 5 points of a star (you will switch the moving leg halfway through the star).

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3) 40 Donkey Kicks (20 on each leg): Start on all fours in table top position, lift one leg up and kick it straight in the air, try to kick as high as possible without arching the back,  moving the heel towards the sky. Lower your leg until your knee is just below parallel to the floor. Repeat the kick on the opposite leg.

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4) Cardio Blast: 50 jumping jacks

5) 40 side leg lifts (20 each side): Lie on your side, using your elbow for support. Keeping your legs straight, raise one leg 1-2 feet off the ground and return to starting position

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6) 30 bicycle crunches: Lie on your back and place both hands by your ears.  Lift shoulders and straighten legs about 6 inches above the ground.  Bring your opposite elbow to opposite knee, then rotate. Make sure to look up, keeping a space between your chin and chest.

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7) 20 tricep dips: Turn your back to a bench or chair. Place hands on the edge of the bench and step feet out so your body makes an L-shape. The farther out your feet, the harder the move. Keeping your bottom close to the bench and arms close to your side, bend elbows and lower body down. Straighten arms and return to starting position.

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8 ) 10 walk down pushups or knee pushups: Squat down, place both hands on floor and walk them out to a pushup position. Complete one pushup and walk back to squat position. Stand back up. Repeat.

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9) Cardio Blast: 3 min. step up/down on curb/stairs: Step up with right leg, then step up with left leg. Step back down with right leg, followed by left leg. After the halfway point, lead with the left leg (step up with left first).

10) 40 side bends: Stand up straight, hands behind your head, bend sideways at the waist with one elbow toward the ground and one towards the sky. Alternate sides.

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11) 20 stand up back extensions: Stand up straight with knees slightly bent, hands behind the head, bend forward at the waist until chest is parallel to the floor, then return to upright position

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12) 40 russian twists: Sit on the floor, legs slightly bent, both hands touching just beside the hip, rotate left to right. *To make this move more challenging, try lifting the feet slightly off the ground.

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13) 20 full extensions: Lying on back, hands extended behind you, sit up into a full crunch bringing hands in front of your body.

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14) 40 scissor kicks: Sitting down and lying on your back, bring feet up 6 inches. Keeping your core engaged, criss cross your legs as you alternate feet on top. 

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15) 20 toe taps: While lying on your back, bring your left leg over your body and tap your toe on the ground to the right side of your body, repeat with right leg.

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16) Cardio Blast: jump rope in place

Cool Down: Walk for 5 min. around your backyard or neighborhood

Don't forget to stretch!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Tip of the Day #6

Engage both of your hands in an activity if you watch TV—i.e. knitting, painting your nails, squeezing a stress ball etc.

Shop With Me

Grocery stores can often be a bit daunting…and distracting. It can be difficult to find healthy options with all those brightly colored package labels and a multitude of tempting foods at every corner.

 Here are just a few healthy staples that I often pick up that can add variety to your snacks and meals. Eating healthy does not mean you have to snack on celery sticks and bland frozen meals!

 **Keep in mind these are simply alternatives that you can try, not in any way guidelines or recommendations.

 Greek Yogurt:

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How is it different than regular yogurt? Not only does it have a thick and creamy consistency, it is higher in protein (12-20g per serving). Thus, it keeps you fuller, longer and in my opinion, the texture is more satisfying. You can buy it sweetened or unsweetened and add in sugar, artificial sweetener and/or honey. You can even substitute the unsweetened Greek yogurt for sour cream!

Keep in mind:

 -The yogurt fat content varies by percentage. Look out for 0% and 2% on the label.

-Brands include: Fage, Chobani, Oikos, Skyr.is

 

 Hummus:

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Hummus is a spread made from garbanzo beans (chic peas). Hummus has a high protein and fiber content, making it a good choice to use as a dip or spread on sandwiches. Look out for packaged hummus (above), fresh hummus, or make it at home!

 

Bagged Lettuce:

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Don’t have time to make a salad? Get pre-washed bagged lettuce! It is pricier than buying, washing, and cutting lettuce heads, but it won't cost you more than the price of a hamburger! Just chop up some of your favorite veggies and chicken strips (or tofu) and toss them in to the bowl. 

 

Nut Butters:

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Nut butters are a bit more calorie and fat-dense, but do not let that deter you.  Nut butters are highly nutritious and satisfying. They are high in fiber and protein as well as a multitude of vitamins and minerals.

One caveat, you just have to make sure that’s all that is in the jar!

Grinding your own nut butter is a good way to ensure the only ingredient is nuts!

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Non-Dairy Milk (Soy, Almond)

For those of you that are lactose intolerant or simply do not prefer cow’s milk, give soy milk or almond milk a try. It’s a great way to get the calcium your body needs as well as some good ol’ protein. Note: cow's milk is perfectly fine, too! 

 
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The Bulk Section:

The bulk section is good for portion control. If there is something you want to eat but don’t want to purchase a whole box, see if it’s in the bulk section! You can get what you want and only pay for the amount you want. After you finish the portion—there won’t be anymore left. Stick with nuts and seeds for healthy options. Bulk sections are common in specialty grocery stores such as Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market. 

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