3 Healthy Lifestyle Tips from Dr. Romie

We recently enjoyed an incredible, 2-day "Mindset Matters" Workshop led by Minfulness expert, Dr. Romila "Dr. Romie" Mushtaq! Our InSPArational Speaker, Dr. Romie's workshop included a lecture discussing steps to help you conquer stress, revitalizing sunrise beach yoga and ended with a relaxing session of meditation. Because Dr. Romie shared such impactful information that can help anyone looking to improve their mind-body connection and their overall health, we're sharing 3 of our favorite tips from the weekend workshop:



1. Self compassion through self-care is not selfish! Think about all the roles you play: mom/dad, sister/brother, caretaker, student, therapist, house manager, etc. You have to take time and care for yourself to take care of others.

"When you give from a place of empty, you only hurt your mind and body." - Dr. Romila

2. When you choose to forgive those around you, you choose to move on despite what may or may not have transpired. People that choose to hold onto past hurt for 12 months of longer are more likely to have a heart attack/stroke than someone with diabetes!

"We forgive ourselves when we forgive others." - Dr. Romila

3. Practice 2o minutes of gratitude meditation could literally change your life. Take time out to be thankful for your life and everything in it. Within just 8 weeks, 20 minute meditation sessions can reshape how your brain responds to anxiety/stress and even help improve your memory!

Remember to breath and stay grateful! Learn more about our next InSPArational Speaker, Andie Mitchell, NY Times bestselling author of It Was Me All Along.

5 Steps to Wellness

Here at Hilton Head Health, we understand the difficulty of adjusting into a healthier, fitness oriented lifestyle. That's why we encourage our Guests to use incremental changes to help them reach their fitness and weight loss goals and wellness objectives during our weight loss program and wellness program. These  small changes may not seem drastic, but they can feel like an adjustment from your normal, everyday routine. However, as those steps are continually taken, over time those small changes can lead to making bigger steps towards a healthy lifestyle. Here are 5 small steps that you can take to begin to achieve wellness, and live an overall healthy lifestyle:



1. Substitute water for carbonated and sugary beverages

• Put fruit in your water to spice things up!


• Compared to what you were drinking and what you add into the water, you could save 100-200 calories.

2. Meditate for 20-30 minutes a day

• You should meditate in quiet place while lying down in a comfortable position. Clear your head of any thoughts and listen to your body inhale and exhale.


• This will ease stress and anxiety, allow you to release the stress from your day and boost cognitive function.

3. Have fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks instead of chips, candy, etc.

• Some great options are blueberries, bananas, peaches, apples, carrots, broccoli, peppers, and celery.


• Fruits and veggies are a rich source of vitamins and minerals, which help your body fight off disease.

4. Maintain a regular sleep schedule.

• Try to wake up at the same time each morning and go to bed at the same time each night.


• Adequate sleep enriches your healthy lifestyle because this helps your mind, heart health, weight loss, weight management and more.

5. Set fitness goals for yourself.

• Encourage yourself to make SMART goals - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based. For example, I will work out 3 times a week this month then increase to 4 times a week next month.


• Making SMART goals will help you slowly transition into new workout routines. This will help you sustain your improved, healthy lifestyle and help you continue to reach all your wellness goals.

What are some steps that you take every day to help you achieve wellness?

H3 Adventures Album

At Hilton Head Heath, we believe that the journey to weight loss and wellness can be fun and exciting. We strive to provide our guests who visit our weight loss and wellness resort and spa with a memorable experience so they leave with a new outlook of their health and their life and continue to have long lasting results. To help make our guests' weight loss and wellness journey that much more fun and memorable, we offer various excursions including: kayaking, ziplining and even a Culinary & Fitness Adventure. Enjoy these photos from our most recent H3 kayaking and fitness adventures.

                     

If you're an H3 alum, what were some of your favorite activities and adventures you experienced during your stay? Or, if you haven't quite made it to H3 yet, which activity would you like to participate in?

Bring Friends and Save

 

Laugh, sweat and reconnect!

Experience H3 with loved ones and strengthen the bond between you. Here you will create life-long memories supporting each other in weight loss or jumpstarting a healthy routine. And when you travel and stay together everyone SAVES. *

 



 

 

 

 

*Savings based on a preferred villa. All guests in your party must stay in the same villa. Three bedroom accommodations are available, but in limited supply. $1000 deposit due at time of booking, balance payable at check-in. Should a member of your party cancel or reschedule the rate will be adjusted.

Coaching Corner: What is your investment to your health?

Attending the Empower Fitness Conference in Chicago, I gained a weekend of new findings in health research, new exercise tips, and very inspiring motivation from hundreds of presenters. One in particular shared an empowering talk which I would like to share with you. Todd Durkin is an internationally recognized performance-enhancement coach, personal trainer, massage therapist, author, and speaker. He challenged the crowd to answer, “What’s your investment to your health?” We all think about the financial investments for the future, our significant others’ well-being, our children or grandchildren’s health, but when was the last time you invested in your own health? Your health has a direct correlation to your life expectancy. Your longevity provides more years to spend with people you care the most about. That could mean meeting or not meeting your grandchildren, great grandchildren, or great great grandchildren.

Todd focuses on IMPACT to help shape our investment:

I: Inspired- live inspired, what are your dreams? Your life goals? Pick out the destination and then plan the steps to get there.

M: Master your craft-Be great at what you do, learn, read, do something for 30 min per day to educate yourself. Education doesn’t end in school, continually push to excel and make yourself better.

P: Play at World Class-Get your mind right. If you have negative thoughts coming through your head, try putting a rubber band on your wrist and every time a negative thought crosses your mind, snap that band  (snap out of negative thoughts). Make it your job to be your own motivator, be the team, be ALL IN! You only know your don’t like something if you go ALL IN!

A: Action- What do you want to do in your life? What’s your playbook look like---every team (coach and players) has a playbook. In most sports, coaches and players do not just pull a "Hail Mary" out of the sky for every play they run. No, the team has practiced and practiced and practiced their playbook. Sometimes the play goes better than planned and sometimes it goes worse, but the team has planned for those incidents and has generated that playbook. Be a strategist not an opportunist! Make the plays, don’t just let them happen!

What are 5 things you love to do or are good at?  Do your life goals involve these things? Why or why not? When you have a playbook (plan, map, outline) you make decisions better. Some parts of your playbook are in your lives for a reason, you really enjoy these things and they are important to you. Some parts need to be removed; they take your time away from someone or something you truly enjoy. It is alright to say no. If something fits in your playbook, you agree to include it in your life, if it does not, say NO!

C: Condition for greatness- Grab a partner: give each other a 60 second massage! Woo that felt great  huh? The power of touch is something that is very powerful. The first language learned by humans is the one of physical contact. Touch can communicate an even wider range of emotion than gestures or expressions, and sometimes do so more quickly and accurately than words. Physical contact has also been linked to enhance performance, feelings of support, and being cared for.

What your condition is like has a significant effect on the condition you can provide for someone else. What is your health condition? Needs improvement, satisfactory, or excellent? In every emergency, the directions are to put your oxygen mask on first, then help someone else. You must provide life for yourself, before assisting life for someone else.

Check out the advice you give to those you care about, when was the last time you took your own advice? Are you doing what you are telling others to do? It may be time for you to hire a coach for you!

T: Tenacious-be tenacious! Fully immerse yourself, fully engage, and listen to the positive energy, thoughts, and suggestions around you. Who are the most important people to you? When something happens to you, who is it that you call? Create a support group with these individuals by sharing with them your goals, fears, and struggles. Being held accountable makes you 50% more likely to carry on. Motivation is in the head, inspiration is in the heart.

Can you make an IMPACT on yourself?

LOSE Well - NEW 4-week Weight Loss Program

OUR NEW 4-WEEK WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM CAN CREATE LASTING CHANGE

To successfully lose weight and keep it off, you need accountability; you need structure; you need peer support; but most of all, you need TIME for the habits to take hold. Our almost 40 years of real-world experience has taught us that the longer one participates in a program, more success is found in both short-term and long-term weight loss. Real change – and the significant weight loss that comes with it – requires a real commitment.

Introducing the program for people who are READY to lose significant weight – and keep it off!

The NEW LOSE Well 4-week Weight Loss program at Hilton Head Health is the most intensive plan we'’ve ever offered. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Comprehensive personalized health and fitness assessment


• Weekly weigh-in and one-on-one mentoring


• Progressive Fitness Programming in small groups


• Nutritious calorie-controlled  cuisine


• Physical Recovery sessions to keep you moving the entire program


• Individual consultations with H3 Experts


• Counselor-led workshops and discussions


• Exclusive educational sessions


• 24-hour access to world-class fitness facilities


• Therapeutic massages and spa treatments

Coaching Corner: Be realistic with meal planning

While meal planning is essential to weight loss or weight management, it can be challenging for many.  There is no single right way to meal plan and many factors affect how we do it and how consistent we are.  Our palettes change, life demands more time in other areas, travel, motivation, levels shift… whatever the reason, if we look at meal planning from an “all or nothing” approach, we will not find success.  Be realistic with your planning, even if that means starting with planning 2 meals for the week, because having success in that will only bolster your confidence to take on more the next week.

Lindsay, H3's Registered Dietitian, shares with us a few more pictures of her meal planning.   Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables with Rice Pilaf and Chicken is a combination of leftovers from different meals—using simply seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper make these different foods taste great together.

The peanut butter hummus is always a huge hit.  I had sliced apples and carrots to go with it—later on that week I sautéed the apples with seared pork tenderloin.

Anyone that knows me KNOWS that I love salmon.  I have finally mastered the “sear” and because it cooks up so quickly I spent more time on the quinoa pilaf and roasted broccoli—both home runs and easy to incorporate into other meals throughout the week.

Wellness Wednesday: The difference between sympathy and empathy

“The truth is, rarely can a response make something better — what makes something better is connection.” ~ Brene Brown

I have and continue, to recommend watching Brene Brown’s Ted Talk, The Power of Vulnerability where she artfully articulates the importance of the emotional experience. I recently came across another outstanding Brene Brown video in which her speech to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (better-known as the RSA), was made into a delightful short animation. The subject matter of the speech, and the resulting video, is the difference between sympathy and empathy. It’s a great three-minute reminder on how we can both enhance our communication skills and better connect with others. Take a look…

Nutrition: Adding Nuts and Avocados

Two food foods often vilified during the low fat diet days were nuts and avocado.  Their high fat and high calorie content dieters often discouraged their consumption.  However, more recently, since they are both excellent sources of “good” fats, they are popular again and should be included as a part of a healthy diet.  Specifically, nuts and avocados are rich in healthy monounsaturated oils, which have been shown to lower the risk for cardiovascular disease.  Research for the positive attributes nuts add to a diet is so strong, that Jeffery Bloomberg, a professor of Nutrition at Tufts University in Boston and one of the world’s authority’s on antioxidants, commented that “it really is at a point now where I think there is a large body of evidence and is – I would even say – a consensus of nuts being a healthful food choice if consumed in reasonable amounts.”

However, because of their high caloric content, some weight conscious dieters have continued to shy away from nut consumption.  Two recently published studies by the same researcher, Dr. Joan Sabat’e, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Loma Linda University in California, suggests that not only can nuts and avocados be included in a healthy diet; they might actually help people manage their weight. The first study, published in the online medical journal PLOS ONE, confirmed that those who ate the most tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, pistachios and walnuts) about an ounce a day, had a lower risk for cardiovascular disease.   He found that they also had a significantly lower risk for obesity than those who consumed fewer nuts.  Please keep in mind that an ounce a day is still a relatively small amount of nuts, amounting to a small handful for most people.  If you get too liberal with your intake, the calories will begin to add up.

The second study, published in the Nutrition Journal, found that those who that consumed half a fresh avocado (125 calories) with their lunch, reported a significantly decreased urge to eat for as long as 5 hours after, compared to those who had a standard lunch with no avocado.  The addition of the avocado helped to stabilize blood sugar, ultimately helping to manage hunger.  This was a very small study, and funded by the Hass Avocado Board, but Dr. Sabat’e commented that “this leads us to believe that avocado’s potential role in blood sugar management is worth further investigation.”

For those who have been avoiding nuts and avocado, now might be the time to begin to incorporate them in back in to your diet in moderate (the amount mentioned above) amounts.  My favorite way of incorporating avocado in my diet is with one of H3’s recipes. It is a very simple salsa recipe and is absolutely delicious.  Enjoy!

Trio Huevos Avocado

Ingredients:

Avocado, pitted, cubed/diced          2 cups

Tomatoes diced                                   1 cup

Red Onion, finely diced                      2 T.

Cilantro, fresh chopped                     1 T.

Lime Juice, fresh                                  2 T.

Salt                                                          ¼ tspn.

40 calories per 4 T.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; allow flavors to marinate for at least 15 – minutes before serving.

It is a great dip for cut veggies or pita chips, and topping for potatoes, eggs, and salads.

Will store safely in the refrigerator for up to a week, but will start to turn brownish in a couple of days. You can delay the browning process by covering tightly, keeping the pit in the salsa and adding a little more lime juice from time to time.

Coaching Corner: STAYING HYDRATED DURING EXERCISE

January has arrived.  The start of a new year often brings resolutions.  Hopefully, your resolutions involve stepping up your fitness program, which may have lagged during the busy holiday season, or even beginning fresh with a new program that may be long overdue.  There are a lot of components to consider when putting together your plan, but no matter what type of exercise regiment you decide on, make sure to incorporate proper hydration into your program.

Proper hydration is one of the most important aspects of healthy physical activity. Drinking the right amount of fluids before, during and after every physical activity is vital to providing your body the fluids it needs to perform properly.
There are several variables that determine how much water you need during a workout.  Below are some points to consider.  For purposes of this discussion we will be focusing on hydration during an average fitness workout of 60 minutes.  If you are performing workouts longer than 60-90 minutes in duration, training for a marathon, triathlon, or other special event, you will need to seek hydration guidelines for those specific situations.

Air Temperature and Humidity: The higher the temperature rises, the greater your sweat losses. In fact, during intense exercise in hot and humid conditions, we can sweat up to 3 liters, which is almost all of the water in the bloodstream. To replace the water that is lost from the bloodstream, the body takes water from its tissues or uses the fluids that you drink during and after exercise.  But in humid conditions, sweat takes longer to evaporate from the skin because the air already contains a lot of water. So, in these humid conditions, the body tries to cool itself by sweating even more. If you do not replenish the water that your body loses, you will become dehydrated.  The amount of water your body needs to stay hydrated depends on your body weight, body temperature, and the type of exercise you are doing. If you are dehydrated after an exercise session, it will take time to replenish the body's water. Drink several glasses of water spaced out throughout the day.

Intensity: The harder you work out, the more you perspire.

Body Size and Gender: Larger people sweat more. Men generally sweat more than women.

Duration: The longer the workout, the more fluid you lose.

Fitness Level: Well-trained athletes perspire more than less fit people.  The reason is that athletes cool their bodies through sweat more efficiently than most people because their bodies are used to the extra stress. As a result, fluid needs are higher for highly trained athletes than for less fit individuals.

Other Beverages: Do not drink juices or sodas during exercise, because these drinks contain more than 10% carbohydrates (sugar) and are not absorbed well during exercise.  Sports drinks usually contain less than 8% carbohydrates, but these can lead to too many calories if you drink too much of them. The best way to hydrate is simply water.  If you’re exercising for less than an hour, water is all you need to keep you hydrated. If you’re exercising for longer than an hour, sports drinks can provide extra fuel.

Hydration Pre-Exercise:

Drink about 16 ounces of water 1 to 2 hours before you exercise.

Drink about 8-12 ounces of water 15 minutes before you exercise.

Hydration During Exercise:  For workouts of less than 90 minutes the rule of thumb is to drink 8 ounces of water over each 20-minute period.  Drink cool water rather than cold water, because the body absorbs cool water faster.  Replace fluids regularly during exercise. Drinking water is the only way to rehydrate and cool your body from the inside out.

• Drink about 4-5 ounces water every 10 minutes during exercise.


• Have about 34 ounces (1 L) of water on hand per hour.

Remember that you need to be replacing the fluid you lose while you are exercising, do not wait until you finish. The sooner you start to replace the fluid the sooner you will recover.
Hydration Post-Exercise:

Drink about 16 ounces of water just after exercise.  Post-exercise hydration gets your fluid levels back to normal and can help with recovery.  Sports drinks that include sugar or salt in them will help you increase the fluid that goes into the body.  They also can replenish the salt and minerals lost through sweating, although a healthy diet is usually adequate for this.

*Do not take salt tablets. Salt tablets make dehydration worse because they drain the water from your body.

Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, dizziness and lead to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke.  It also can raise your heart rate as the body works harder to stay cool.  Even if you’re just a little dehydrated, it can decrease your performance.  Dehydration can occur during any type of physical activity. It doesn't have to be hot. You don't have to have visible perspiration. You can become dehydrated indoors, in a pool or lake, or skiing on a winter day.

Since dehydration that exceeds 2 percent body weight loss reduces exercise performance, it is advised to begin exercise well hydrated, replenish fluids regularly during exercise and replace fluid losses after exercise.

Be alert for conditions that increase your fluid loss through sweat (high temperature, high humidity, very high intensity, for example).

Remember swimmers sweat, too. Like any athletic activity, when you swim, your body temperature rises and your body sweats to keep from overheating. You may not notice because you are in the water, but you can become dehydrated. Swimmers, athletic or recreational, need to drink fluids before, during and after swimming, even if you don't feel thirsty.

How to Spend the Last Day of the Year

You made it! It’s the last day of the year, and since you are reading this insightful blog that means you’ve survived 2013. You’re not done yet however. You have a few more hours to go before ringing in the New Year. How do you want to spend it? How do you want to spend the last day of the year?

Do you want to wallow in resentment? Do you want to sit on the couch, numbing gaze, while watching another episode of Law & Order? Do you want to waste mental and emotional energy reflecting on the hardships of 2013, clinging to a desperate hope that 2014 will be a better year? Do you want to stare at your reflection with self-loathing because your body still has a ways to go before reaching an acceptable appearance?

Or…

Do you want to float in love and gratitude? Do you want to feel the exhilaration of achievement and hard work that comes from exercising? Do you want to call the people who have nurtured your soul and thank them for their presence in your life? Do you want to walk through your work day grateful for the ability to share your unique skills while feeling the security of knowing that you have an income? Do you want to thank your body for providing another year of experiencing life…hugs, kisses, adventures? Do you want to reflect on the abundance in your life? Do you want to recall the opportunities that have been presented to you -- the opportunities to learn, evolve, grow, and succeed? Do you want to witness the beauty around you with a deeper appreciation?

You choose. You can choose how to spend the last day of the year.

I have chosen to feel a deep sense of gratitude that comes from doing what I love. I have chosen to reflect on the immense honor that my clients bestow upon me as they open up their hearts in my office and trust me with their vulnerability. I have chosen to acknowledge how my clients help me as much as I help them. I am choosing to thank you all for the gift of your presence in my life.

“The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need to do is set our sails.” ~ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Have a Happy New Year all!

Fitness Friday: Introducing FITGO!

Check out H3’s new incentive program, Fitgo!



This a game designed to help you experience a variety of fitness components through cardio, resistance, core, mind/body, and circuit training during your stay at H3.  Fitgo is similar to Bingo; the goal is to complete five classes in a row.  After a line of classes is accomplished, a reward is earned.  The rewards earned increase in value with the more rows you have completed on your card.

• For the first row prize earned, you receive a TreadOn wristband.


• The second row prize is a packet of H3 Treading routines. Inside this packet are routines written by our Registered Dietician, Lindsay Martin, our Fitness Director, Danielle Dunn, and our Fitness Specialists Camila Pacheco and David Chesworth.


• The third row prize is a $10.00 gift certificate to H3’s Fit Shop.


• The forth row prize is a blue H3 t-shirt.


• The fifth row prize is awarded for covering the entire game board of 25 classes. This award is a collection chosen by our H3 chefs Jen Welper and Karla Williams of the 31 most popular Health Kitchen recipes.

So whether you are driven internally by the total body fitness experience in each Fitgo line or externally by the exclusive H3 gifts, this program is an excellent chance for you to get the most out of your stay at H3!

Wellness Wednesday: Spiritual Refueling

By Lisette Cifaldi, MSW, LMSW

Director of Behavioral Health, Hilton Head Health

The number one symptom of spiritual disconnection is serenity deficiency. When you are white-knuckling it through the day and even the smallest inconveniences have you gritting your teeth, then your serenity has been breached. All signs are pointing to a need for spiritual refueling.

Environment, culture, and lifestyle can all be contributing factors involved in the kidnapping of our peace and serenity. However, a well-nurtured spiritual connection provides a healthy immunity against the influences that compromise our peacefulness.  Below are a few ideas for how to begin spiritual refueling:

Laugh Until You Cry: When is the last time you had a good belly laugh? We allow life to become all too serious at times. Laughter is necessary for lightening your spirit and loosening strongholds on your heart. Have a marathon showing of funny movies or DVR some of your favorite sitcoms and watch them back-to-back.  Visit a local comedy club or just stand in the greeting card section of your closest Target reading the cards filed under humorous.

Full Service Please: Being of service to others gets us out of the monkey chatter in our head. When we help people in need our spirit blossoms. We become untethered from our thoughts as our spirit naturally takes the reigns. Service can take the form of volunteerism with local charities or non-profit organizations, as well as just dropping in on an elderly neighbor or bringing dinner to a sick friend. Don’t over-think it -- just dive in and help.

Naturally Speaking: One way to spiritually refuel is to surround yourself with the beauty of nature. Set aside some time to create a mindful experience in the great outdoors. Try a quiet walk on the beach or a tranquil saunter through the woods. Work in your garden or arrange a picnic under your favorite tree. Feel the sun on your face, the breeze through your hair or the snow on the tip of your tongue.

Exercise Your Right Brain: Getting creative is a great way to awaken your spirituality. Our analytic thought can become a strait-jacket for our spirituality. Channel Houdini for help in escaping that strait-jacket by engaging in creative endeavors. Paint, collage, craft, photograph…instead of looking for beauty, create it!

Mischievous Merriment: Smiles, giggles, and feelings of happiness abound when we do something nice for others, especially without them knowing about it. Putting a smile on someone else’s face lights up your spirit from within. Get a bunch of $5 Starbuck’s gift cards and randomly give them away. Sing the praises of someone who has given you excellent customer service by writing their boss a letter. Send someone flowers, or put a small box of chocolates on their desk with a note that recognizes their hard work.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You: Gratitude is the doorway into your spirit. By purposively cultivating gratitude you align yourself with the abundance of the universe. When we expand our practices of gratitude “I’m not enough,” and “I don’t have enough” become, “I am enough” and “I have everything I need.” Start with a gratitude list on your refrigerator. Whenever you’re in the kitchen, write down one thing you’re grateful for on the list. Create a gratitude box at the beginning of the year. Once or twice a week, recognize something you are truly grateful for, write it on a note, and put it in the box. At the end of the year, open the box and reflect on all your blessings.

Pipe Down: Last, but not least, allow for silence in your life. Our mind, body and spirit need quiet. Find a place and time to rest peacefully with no distractions or noise. Let the commotion in your head and environment fall away so your spirit can surface and take center stage.

Healthy Recipe: SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI

A new and yummy twist to Gnocchi. Pair this up with your favorite sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

3 each             Sweet Potatoes, medium size

1 tsp.               Salt

¼ tsp.              Nutmeg

2 T.                  Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 each             Egg

¾ c.                 Flour, all purpose

½ c.                 Whole wheat flour

2 tsp.               Olive oil

 

PREPARATION:

• Bake sweet potatoes until fork tender


• When potatoes are baked, cut in half and scoop center out of potatoes into a mixing bowl.


• Then add salt, nutmeg, and cheese to semi cooled potatoes.


• Mash potatoes with potato masher or hand mixer.


• Then mix in the egg and ¾  cup of the all-purpose flour.


• Knead the dough, adding the whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon at a time.


• Knead the dough until smooth.


• Dough will be slightly sticky.


• Put on a medium pot of boiling water.


• Let the dough rest for about five minutes.


• Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces


• On a lightly floured surface, using the palms of your hands, roll the 6 pieces out into ropes, keeping them at least an inch thick.


• Then cut the ropes into 1 inch thick pieces, about 8 per rope.


• Place gnocchi in boiling water,  and cook until tender.  Be sure to stir around a little bit, so gnocchi does not stick to each other.


• Then place strained gnocchi on baking sheet.  Repeat until all gnocchi is cooked.


• Heat large sauté pan with olive oil.


• Once pan is hot, sauté the      gnocchi until heated through and the gnocchi turn a light brown color.


• Serve with your favorite sauce.

 

Number of Servings:            8

Serving Size:                         About ½ cup

Calories:                                130

Fat:                                         1.5

Healthy Recipe: SMOKY FRITTATA

SMOKY FRITTATA      

This is an easy recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight meal, when paired with a simple side salad.  There is something about the texture of the cauliflower in the frittata that will win you over!

INGREDIENTS:

1 small                       Cauliflower, cut into medium-small florets

6 each                        Eggs

¼ cup                         Sour cream, light

2 T.                              Dijon mustard

2 tsp.                           Sweet paprika

3 T.                              Chives, finely chopped

¼ cup                         Sharp cheddar cheese, 2%

½ cup                         Smoked gouda cheese

¼ tsp.                          Salt

¼ tsp.                          Pepper

1 tsp.                           Olive oil

 

PREPARATION:

• Simmer cauliflower in a large pan of boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes, or until semi-cooked.  Drain and dry.


• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Break eggs into large bowl.  Add the sour cream, mustard and paprika and whisk well.  Make sure eggs and sour cream are thoroughly blended.


• Stir in the chives and 75% of the cheeses—season with salt and pepper.


• Heat olive oil in large ovenproof frying pan.  Fry the cauliflower for about 5 minutes (until golden brown on one side).  Pour the egg mixture over the cauliflower.


• Use a fork to spread the cauliflower evenly throughout the egg mixture.  Cook on medium for ~5 minutes.


• Scatter the other 25% of the cheeses on top. Carefully transfer pan to the oven.


• Cook 10-12 minutes or until the frittata is set.  Remove from oven and rest 2-3 minutes before slicing into 6 portions.

SERVINGS:  6  

NUTRITION:  220 calories per wedge (14 gm fat, 16 gm protein, 9 gm carb, 2 gm fiber)

Healthy Recipe: Severed Finger Sugar Cookies

These are perfect for Halloween parties! They’re finger licking good!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Apple butter

1/2 cup Butter, unsalted

1 cup powdered sugar

1 each Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1 cup Whole wheat flour

1 3/4 cup All-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Baking powder

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 cup Almonds, sliced

1/4 cup Strawberry jam

Preparation:

• In a large bowl, beat the butter and apple butter until creamy. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla.


• In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt.


• Add the dry mixture to the sugar mixture.


• Preheat oven to 325° F


• Using your hands roll a tablespoon of dough into a finger shape. Place the “fingers” on a greased cookie tray. Stick a sliced almond on the end of each finger for the fingernails. Use a table knife to make three indents for the knuckles.


• Bake until lightly golden, about 17 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.


• In a small sauce pan, cook the strawberry jam over low heat until it reaches a thin consistency.


• Remove from the heat and dip the “severed” end of each cookie into the sauce.

Nutrition:

Servings: 40

Serving Size: 1 cookie

60 calories

Fat: 3 grams

Coaching Corner: Persistence

 

The obvious goal that most people have when they start a weight management program is to not only lose weight but keep it off.  Unfortunately, the reality is that they gain some, if not all of their weight back.  When this pattern repeats itself over time it is referred to as yo-yo dieting, or weight cycling.  There is a common misconception that this pattern can lower, if not “destroy” your metabolism; making future weight loss difficult if not impossible.  If you believe that you have destroyed your metabolism as a result of previous dieting behavior, you might assume that you can’t lose weight, so why try?  The good news is that according to the National Institutes of Health’s, Weight Control Information Network (WIN), studies show weight cycling does not affect your metabolic rate.  Results for the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), a data base of 10,000 successful maintainers support those findings. The participants of NWCR have lost on average 50 – 70 lbs. and maintained that weight loss for 7-10 years.  Most of the participants had lost and regained weight many times prior to successfully maintaining their weight.  While no one is suggesting it is a good idea to lose and regain weight repeatedly, studies have shown that it does not predict your chance of success in the future.  One common characteristic of the members in NWCR is that they didn’t give up working on managing their weight.  They kept at it, learned from their experience and finally found a plan that worked for them.  In other words, they were persistent.   For those of you who are successful in managing your weight, congratulations, keep up the great work!  For those who have found that goal elusive, do not give up.  Weight management can be compared to many aspects of life; it’s not the one that gets it right the first time, it’s the one who does not give up until they got it right.

As you may know, I am a big fan of quotes.  Sometimes the right quote can help keep or regain focus. Here some great quotes about persistence.

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”     Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”  William Feather

“Ambition is the path to success.  Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”  Bill Bradley

“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t stop.”    Confucius

“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.”   Gena Showalter

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”   Thomas Alva Edison

“Fall seven times, get up eight.”   Japanese Proverb

Wellness Wednesday: Staying Healthy Means Staying Connected

As the school year has blossomed, my social life has withered.  Soccer games, tennis practice, dance class and homework have my role as Mom taking center stage.  Although I cherish that role, my physical and emotional health suffers when it dominates to the point that my social life becomes non-existent.

Human beings are social animals. We need others to fully thrive.  In fact, our lives depend on other humans.  If you think about it, as infants we rely completely on others to care for us.  So the need for human interaction starts from day one.  We develop and learn about the world around us through the filter of other people.  Our connections to others are essential to our survival, as well as to our happiness and success.

Research has shown that having few friends and weak social ties to the community is just as harmful to your health as being an alcoholic or smoking nearly a pack of cigarettes a day.¹  Studies have also found that weak social ties are actually more harmful to our overall health than a sedentary lifestyle and twice as much a health risk as obesity.¹  Knowing that complete health involves connectedness to others, this is an important time to protect and nurture your relationships.

When the weather gets colder and the days get shorter we find ourselves spending more time indoors.  Couple that with the craziness of the holidays and it’s easy to put our social life on the back burner.  All those factors contribute to an unhealthy recipe for loneliness, depression and isolation.

Catching up with friends and family doesn’t have to require a lot of work or a huge time commitment.  Just start by making several phone calls a week to touch base with the people in your life that provide you with positive support.  Invite a friend or family member for lunch, a cup of coffee, or a cocktail once a week.  See if your neighbor wants to join you on your next power-walk.  Stay healthy and help others in the process - reach out and remain connected.

 

1.    Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, J. Bradley Layton

Nutrition: A VEGETARIAN MEAL PLAN

 As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we are focusing on cancer prevention in our cooking demos, I was inspired to create a sample vegetarian meal plan.   The American Institute of Cancer Research recommends a diet full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans , legumes, lean animal protein sources, nuts, healthy oils, seeds, alcohol in moderation (if ever) and absolutely zero tobacco use.  I know this may be a stretch for some, but you could simply take one meal per week and make it completely plant-based or try an entire day of lacto-ovo vegetarian (including eggs and dairy).  The sample plan will include the use of eggs and dairy but will not have the caloric information; however, nutritional balance is there…

DAY OF THE WEEK	BREAKFAST	LUNCH	DINNER
Sunday	Greek   yogurt parfait with berries & macadamias	Squash   Quesadillas (2 slices) with Avocado Aioli	Vegetable   Lasagna (H3 recipe—omit the beef)
Monday	Breakfast   burrito—omit chicken sausage	Chickpea   salad sandwich on rye and tomato soup	Tofu   stir fry with peppers, onions, garlic, coconut rice
Tuesday	Smoothie   using Greek yogurt, pineapple, 2 T. oats, ground flaxseed	Squash   Quesadillas (other 2 slices) with salsa	Cranberry   pecan quinoa Pilaf with 3 oz. baked tofu & steamed broccoli
Wednesday	H3   Oatmeal with toasted walnuts and berries	Leftover   tofu stir fry and coconut rice	Vegetable   Lasagna
Thursday	Vegetable   omelet with Banana	Spinach   salad with black beans, quinoa, tomato, 2% cheddar, H3 Dressing	Vegetarian   soup with whole wheat crostini
Friday	H3   oatmeal with macadamias and berries	Vegetarian   soup and side salad	Black   bean and tofu burger with sweet potato fries
Saturday	Vegetable   frittata and breakfast potatoes	Chickpea   salad sandwich on rye and tomato soup	Pita   pizza—omit turkey bacon

Wellness Wednesday: Breast Cancer Awareness

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.   According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States.   By the end of 2013, an estimated 232,340 women (and 2200 men) will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and nearly 40,000 will die from it.  The good news is that in the last 20 years much progress has been made.  In fact since 1990, breast cancer death rates are down by 34%, and there are now nearly 3 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.  Survivors are living longer and healthier lives than ever before.

Unfortunately so much more can be and must be done.  There is reason to be optimistic; the advancement of treatment for breast cancer has improved.  We have a better understanding about what the risk factors are and what can be done to prevent it.  There is a persistent belief about cancer in general and particularly that breast cancer is caused by genetics or just plain bad luck.  While both certainly play roles, much else can be done to reduce the risk.  One organization leading the way in cancer prevention is the American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR).  They focus primarily on the nutrition, weight and fitness relationship to cancer prevention.  The AICR estimates that 38% of all breast cancer cases in the US could be prevented.   86,000 women every year could be spared having to face breast cancer. The chart below lists major breast cancer risk factors; note that several items can be controlled by us.

Age: The   older you are, the greater your risk for breast cancer.	Alcohol:   Drinking alcohol – in any form – raises breast cancer risk.
Weight: Carrying   excess body fat increases risk for post-menopausal breast cancer.	Inactivity: A sedentary   lifestyle makes post-menopausal breast cancer more likely.
Family   History: Inheriting BRCA-1 or other “cancer genes” does increase risk,   but these inherited genetic factors are responsible for only about 5 to 10   percent of all breast cancers.	Breastfeeding: If you   give birth, breastfeeding your baby lowers your risk of both pre- and   post-menopausal breast cancers. Learn more about breastfeeding and cancer

 

The evidence continues to mount, just this month, researchers from the American Cancer Society found that walking 7 hours a week is associated with a 14% lower risk of developing breast cancer after menopause.   Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet high in fruits vegetable and other plant foods not only help you stay at a healthy weight, but may directly reduce breast cancer risk as well.

For more information on breast cancer awareness month check out the October 2013 Tool Kit for National Breast Cancer Awareness Week at http://healthfinder.gov/NHO/PDFs/OctoberNHOToolkit.pdf.