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January 2009 - Posts
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Last weekend, everyone I met seemed to be getting sick. Because of this, I was extra careful so I didn’t get sick myself. I stayed away from anyone who coughed frequently and washed my hands regularly. Plus, I had a flu shot last fall so I getting the flu was unlikely. But even with being overly cautious, I still came down with a cold just in time for the work week. My cold started with a scratchy throat. Then I began sneezing frequently, developing a runny nose and becoming fatigued. After I did some online research, I determined my symptoms matched those of the common cold rather than a more serious condition like the flu. Phew! Flu symptoms are similar to the common cold, but usually more severe, come on quicker and lasting longer. The flu also can lead to more serious health issues like pneumonia and bacterial infections, which is why flu shots are so important.1My cold was nasty – it ended up putting me out of commission for three full days. I feel much better now and although I did not enjoy spending three days sick indoors, I know my co-workers appreciated me quarantining myself in my apartment. While sick, I did have time to do a little more research on cold and flu. Did you know that cold and flu viruses can live up to 48 hours depending on the strain? They can also live on all types of surfaces, including plastic, metal or wood fabrics, skin or paper. 2 These facts reinforce just how important washing your hands and disinfecting your living space really is. I also discovered there are many myths relating to cold and flu remedies. For example, that you’ll catch a cold if you go outside with wet hair or you should feed a cold and starve a fever. My personal favorite, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is that carrying garlic wards off the flu. What “cold” experiences have you had this winter? Any remedies that depend on? Justin
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/coldflu.htm
2 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, www.mayoclinic.com/health/
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Tis’ the New Year and there’s nothing like a new type of exercise to get you motivated to move again. One of the most important ways to make sure we stay engaged in our exercise program is to find something we like to do, so that we keep doing it. It’s also important do try a variety of activities so we don’t get bored.
A popular and relatively new exercise to do now is called Zumba. Zumba combines intervals of aerobic exercise and resistance training and is done to Latin and other international music. In an hour-long class, you can burn more than 500 calories!
Classes are available all over the country – in churches, gyms, and schools – and it’s for all ages. Zumba is a lot of fun to participate in as part of a group, but if you’d prefer to try it in the privacy of your own home, you can buy a DVD. And if you get really skilled at Zumba, you can become an instructor in your area and make money while exercising.
Zumba has been featured in newspapers frequently and on The Today Show. Here’s a clip, where you can see how Zumba works as well as a demonstration of the program. So why not give this new exercise a try and get your body moving this year! (Don’t forget to talk with your doctor before starting any fitness routine.)
Rebecca
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In our last weekly label review, we discussed some ways to make your lunch healthier. I thought we could continue that series here, by discussing the quickest and sometimes the easiest options – the standard sandwich. According to a recent study from Texas A&M University, the average American will eat roughly 200 sandwiches during the course of a year. With so many sandwiches per year, you want to be sure it is as healthy as it can be every day.
Here are some simple sandwich healthy makeover tips:
1) Replace the white bread: If you are still using white bread then you are missing a variety of nutrients that are found in whole grains, including B and E, as well as, fiber, iron, and magnesium. Whole grains come in many different forms - buns, English muffins, pita wraps, and bagels.
2) Replace the mayo: There are 100 calories in one tablespoon of mayo and 10 grams of fat. Instead save calories and fat by using a low calorie choice such as mustard, ketchup, low-fat salad dressing, hummus, or chili sauce.
3) Add lots of vegetables: The more vegetables you add, the more flavor and fullness you will have when eating it. Here are some less traditional ideas for vegetables on sandwiches – bean sprouts, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, baby spinach, pickles and onion.
4) Use low-fat cheese: Cheese can also add 100 calories per slice. So if you want to add cheese, try a 2% milk cheese or part skim milk cheese. Some healthier options include mozzarella, provolone, or 2% milk cheese such as cheddar and colby.
Also, beware of sandwiches you buy at the sandwich shops. They may include heavy breads with sauces and cheese. Some of the sandwiches you can buy at Panera, Corner Bakery, and Cosi for example range anywhere from 700-1100 calories. If you can, make your sandwich at home. (See labels below for a comparison of a store bought sandwich and one made at home.) If you do buy your sandwich out, be sure to keep the toppings to a minimum or save half for the next day.
 
Rebecca
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Living in Northern Virginia
we don’t see much snow during the winter. As a matter of fact it’s almost
February and so far we’ve had no measurable snow fall. For some, this isn’t a
problem. But I grew up in Northern
NJ and as a kid I was very accustomed
to having snow most of the winter. And now that I have kids of my own I feel
like they’re missing out. So, instead of waiting around for the snow that
doesn’t seem to be coming – we decided to go find some.
We decided to take advantage of the long weekend and visit
some friends in Lake Placid,
NY. And as you may have guessed, the
weather didn’t disappoint. There was about 18 inches of snow on the ground,
there was at least a dusting of snow each day, and all the lakes were frozen
solid – a winter paradise for snow lovers.
I’m not sure who was more excited – me or my kids. This was
the first time the kids had seen more than about four inches of snow. They
couldn’t wait to get out and play in it - and neither could I. We went tubing,
ice skating and sledding. None of us could get enough. But what made this
weekend even more special was watching my children and remembering back to my
own childhood. I remember all the fun my friends and I had playing in the snow
and sledding. But what made those times even more special was the fact that my
parents were out there too – acting like two over grown kids.
And here I was… sliding down the hill on a tube and
intentionally tipping it over, falling down and sliding across the ice and
hiding under the snow – all just to get a laugh out my kids. It felt great to
be a kid again... Now we just need some snow here in VA.
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Jason
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Is your New Year’s resolution to pack your lunch more this year? We tend to eat more than we should when eating out and the costs can really add up. So how should you go about making a better lunch for yourself?
The most common mistake adults make when it comes to packing their own lunch is not packing enough food. Add job stress to the equation, and many workers, even those who eat a healthy lunch, are notoriously looking for fatty, sugary, crunchy snacks by 3 p.m. Or, they head home hungry enough to eat the contents of the whole refrigerator. Here are some tips to help you make your next packed lunch healthier and more filling:
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When packing lunch it should include one or two whole grains, a low-fat dairy item, protein and at least one fruit or vegetable.
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Use leftovers. These dishes usually combine lean proteins, vegetables and grains all in one.
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Save calories by swapping white bread for whole grain to boost fiber and provide calories with more staying power. And save an additional 60+ calories by using mustard instead of mayonnaise.
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Substitute leaner meat for meats high in saturated fat. Reduced the quantity of meat and add a generous helping of veggies.
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Cut saturated fat and calories by replacing the cookie with light pudding, which also provides some calcium. Try a fruit instead of chips to save calories as well as fat.
Of course the other easy solution to bringing your lunch is to rely on frozen entrees. They have certainly come a long way from the traditional “TV dinners.” Now some frozen meals have high protein, fiber, and lack all the saturated fat, sodium, and preservatives. They also provide an opportunity to replace a high calorie, high fat meal out with a lighter and portion controlled option.
For example, Kashi has a new line of frozen entrees. The meals contain whole grains and low sodium. The Kashi Sweet & Sour Chicken (320 calories, 3.5g fat, 380mg sodium, 55g carbs, 6g fiber, 18g protein) is loaded with fiber to keep you feeling full long after the last bite is gone. If you were to eat this meal for lunch at a Chinese restaurant it would be much less healthy (764 calories, 20g fat, 950mg sodium, 107g carbs, 3g fiber and 40g protein). See below for both labels.
You can find many other healthier options for lunch in the frozen section that are less than 300 calories and still offer the meal satisfaction you need to get through the day without getting hungry. Best wishes in 2009 with your healthier lunch resolution.
 
Rebecca
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If you read Kerry’s blog on Monday, she gave insightful tips on how to make your New Year’s resolution last through 2009 and beyond. She suggested setting realistic goals, keeping at the goal even when you falter and setting many small goals instead of one large goal. I’d like to build upon Kerry’s advice and provide you with a creative way to make you more successful in achieving your goals. Buy a journal, make a poster or find a piece of paper and create a goal log. Putting your goal in writing and describing how you will accomplish it makes the goal more real and you’ll be more likely to be successful. It’s much like a contract. To help you stay on track, you could ask a friend or family member to review your goal log. And if you have children, creating a goal log is a fun project that you can use to teach them how to set goals. Here’s an example of a goal log:
- Step 1: Decide your goal.
Example – Lose 15 pounds
- Step 2: Set a goal completion date. Choose a realistic date to complete your date and then include mini goal completion dates to increase your likelihood of success.
Example – By January 31, I will lose 5 pounds.
By February 28, I will lose 10 pounds.
By March 31, I will lose 15 pounds.
- Step 3: Determine how you are going to accomplish your goal. This is where planning is involved. Be specific on how you will achieve your goal by listing smaller goals, including rewards for when you accomplish them, and planning for setbacks.
Example –
- Track daily calorie intake.
- Go to gym before work at least 4 days per week. If I can't to the gym, I'll take 3 short walks a day (a 10 minute walk before work, a 10-minute walk during lunch and a 10-minute walk before work).
- Cut soda out of diet.
- Drink 4 glasses of water per day.
- Rewards: When I lose 5 pounds, I can buy a new gym mix. When I lose 10 pounds, I can get a new outfit. When I accomplish my goal of losing 15 pounds, I’ll take a weekend trip somewhere fun to celebrate!
- Step 4: Review your goal log frequently. The more you review your goal log, the more successful you’ll be in achieving your goal. If it helps, put your goal log in a prominent location (on the fridge or at your office cubicle) and check it daily or weekly. Also, adding notes to your log on what you’ve accomplished and what you’re feeling will encourage you to keep going.
Example – “I’ve lost 5 pounds and I’m feeling great. Ten more pounds to go!”
- Step 5: Revise your goal log if necessary. Sometimes things change. So if you find yourself off-track, edit your log and continue working towards your goal.
Example –
- Go to gym 3 days per week after work, instead of 4 days.
- Drink 6 glasses of water per day, allowed one diet soda per day (instead of no soda)
The goal log above is just an example, but it is a useful and creative way to help you achieve your goals. If you’ve made a goal log or have suggestions on achieving a goal, I’d love to hear it. Justin
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Holiday celebrations often call for a celebratory cocktail. Unfortunately, many cocktails are loaded with calories from both the alcohol as well as the mixers. The good news is that there are tons of ways to make drinks healthier.
First, you can save calories in wine by cutting the wine in half: mix wine with club soda to make a wine spritzer. Since wine is 20 calories per ounce, a 5 oz. glass of wine has about 100 calories – a wine spritzer, has 50 calories. In mixed drinks, substitute all mixes with low- or no calorie drinks, such as diet sodas, club soda or seltzer and light juice drinks. There are some lower calorie mixes available for drinks like martinis and Pina Coloadas (e.g., Baja Bob). In addition, use sugar free syrup (e.g., Torani's, which is great for Italian-style sodas), mixes with club soda and alcohol for a much lower calorie drink.
Below is a lower calorie (less than 100 calories) martini option. Since a typical martini has anywhere from 235-438 calories, you’re saving tons of calories here.
Lighter Martini (courtesy of Hungry Girl Web site)
3 oz. light juice
2 oz. Baja Bob's Blue Raspberry Martini Mix
1 oz. vodka
Remember to drink your calories responsibly this year and Happy New Year!
 
Rebecca
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If you’ve scrolled through your online news feeds or turned on the TV or radio, there’s one story that simply won’t go away – New Year’s Resolutions. This year I’ve seen two major themes – saving money and health. On the health front, so far today I’ve read or heard stories about a new spinning class, using the Wii Fit to get in shape and gyms reducing their fees for the new year.
Many of us have started healthier routines through New Year’s Resolutions – like quitting smoking, cutting back on junk or walking more. In fact, I recently read an article about someone who made the resolution to start with a simple goal: getting more exercise. Four years later, he had achieved that goal and more, by competing in a triathlon.
But for a lot of us, New Year’s resolutions can end within the first few weeks of the year. If you belong to a gym, just think about how crowded it is on January 2nd vs. December 2nd. I think the toughest part about making resolutions is that it’s usually a change that we don’t really want to make or something we know we’ll have to substantially change our routine to accommodate. Often worse is the feeling of failure we have when we don’t make that change.
So with that in mind, I have a few ideas that just might help this year’s lifestyle changes stick:
- Don’t make a New Year’s Resolution, set a goal. Consider setting a realistic goal. For example, instead of saying “I’m never going to eat junk for lunch again.” plan to bring a healthy lunch two days a week. Once you’ve achieved that goal, set a new, more ambitious goal.
- If you do make a resolution and you break it, don’t wait until 2010 to try it again. Just because you stop exercising for a week, doesn’t mean it’s not for you. Look for ways to make it easier for you to fit exercise in, like trying something new (swimming?), finding a walking buddy or giving yourself rewards each time you take a walk.
- Take small steps, rather than making a grandiose goal. Last year’s Ignite book club – One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Dr. Robert Maurer – does a terrific job of showing how to take little steps and making big changes. The basic concepts from the book were discussed in a series of blogs and you can review the transcript of a Live Chat with Dr. Maurer.
- Every day is a good day to make a change. Just because it’s not 12:01 on January 1st doesn’t mean you can’t decide to make a healthier change. For example, why not try to drink a glass of water before lunch and another before dinner? Or take a 15-minute walk with family or a friend after dinner tonight.
If you’re deciding whether to make a resolution, the best advice I’ve read is to know yourself. Have you made and broken resolutions in the past or do they result in making a healthier change for good? If you have broken resolutions, do you have better motivation to keep your resolution now? If you’re like many of us who have broken our resolutions in the past, maybe now’s the time to set some smaller goals and work towards them one at a time. And today’s the best day to start.
Kerry
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