Re-Energize (or Wake Up From Winter)

***A special shout out of thanks to the State IT crew who helped me get the blog site working so all of you could enjoy this on-line!*** there were lots of technical difficulties. It is still March as I write this, BUT, the temperature has been ABOVE ZERO for several days now. Am I dreaming? I don’t like the long cold days of winter, by this time of year I am quite crabby and my husband is really sick of my complaining about the cold. I am of the firm belief we (humans) are meant to live in sandals, shorts and t-shirts, year round. The tsunamis are giving me pause to think about living in Hawaii. I was in Hawaii last year when we had to evacuate for the tsunami that never was, we were grateful and didn’t fuss about losing a precious day of vacation on the beach to the day spent in a parking lot well above sea level. OK, well, I am getting side tracked, this all started with spring thaw possibly coming to Montana. It’s time to wake up from hibernating. Time to get outdoors. It is safe to start taking walks outdoors and not worry about falling on ice and becoming a member of the broken hip club. Dust off your sneakers and pack away your Yax-Trax. Time to look at all the fund raising walking and running events that will start soon, support a charity and get some physical activity. If you are a State employee or retiree, Spring Fitness will be starting soon. FUN, FUN, FUN! Spring Fitness is is an 8-week program designed to provide a fun and easy way to improve or maintain your health. To register a team (single-member and teams up to 10 members) or for more information click http://mine.mt.gov/programs/SpringFitness/default.mcpx. Find your pedometer and strap it on and get those creaks out of your knees. Ever feel like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz? I sure do. Oil me. Are you a gardener? You can get some physical activity by preparing your soil, raking dead grass, hauling bags of fertilizer or horse or sheep poo, whatever you use. Walk the aisles of your favorite nursery or big box store for trees, shrubs for your garden. Of course, make sure the deer approve. Maybe this physical activity thing is new for you. You are getting your sea legs and trying to figure out how to get your 150 minutes per week accomplished.

• Walk. It’s free and it’s easy and you can set your own pace. You can build up to a brisk walk as the weeks progress. Pedometers really help you stick to your goals. If you’re not used to walking, 10,000 steps a day may seem like climbing Mt. Everest, so don’t set yourself up for failure or misery. Start by wearing a pedometer and do your normal routines for a couple of days and log the steps. Then make your goal an additional thousand steps. It isn’t so hard.


• You can dance,


• You can vacuum and oh, think how clean your floors will be.


• Walk your dog, they always appreciate it. And, they are quite good listeners, you can pour your heart out to them about the day you had and they hang on your every word. You may reward them with a belly rub when you get home.


• Don’t have a dog or can’t have one? No worries, volunteer at your local shelter. They always need people to take the dogs for a walk and help socialize them so they will be adopted. Please see article on “Forget the Treadmill, Get a Dog” for more information. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/forget-the-treadmill-get-a-dog/?ref=health Other ways to get more steps:


• Park your car further from the door at the store or work.


• Use the stairs. Getting winded? Take the stairs up one flight and the elevator the rest, until you work up to taking the stairs for the entire journey to your destination. The stairs are good for you, again, free exercise equipment. “In one minute, a 150 pound person burns approximately 10 calories walking up stairs and only 1.5 calories riding an elevator.” http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hwi/toolkits/stairwell/motivational_signs.htm


• It's real windy this time of year, go fly a kite.

If you have children or grandchildren, they will appreciate your playing with them. I hear that hula hoops are making a comeback. They are fun, challenging and can be good for a laugh. Everyone can always use a laugh. Please refer to the March 9, 2010 blog for more amusing information about laughing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Weight control is important for prevention of and to slow the progression of osteoarthritis affecting the weight-bearing joints (knees and hips) and low back.
1. For every one pound of weight lost, there is a four pound reduction in the load exerted on the knee for each step taken during daily activities.
2. Losing as few as 11 pounds can cut the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis by 50 percent for some women.
3. Weight loss of only 15 pounds can cut knee pain in half for overweight individuals with arthritis.

1. "Weight Loss Reduces Knee-Joint Loads in Overweight and Obese Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis," Stephen P. Messier, David J. Gutekunst, Cralen Davis, and Paul DeVita, Arthritis & Rheumatism, July 2005; 52:7; pp. 2026-2032
2. “Weight Loss Resuces the Risk for Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis in Women,” David T. Felson, MD, MPH; Yuqing Zhang, MB, MPH; John M. Anthony, BA, BS; Allen Naimark, MD; and Jennifer J. Anderson, PhD, Annals of Internal Medicine, 1992; 116:535 539.
3. Bartlett SJ, Haaz S, Wrobleski P et al. Small weight losses can yield significant improvements in knee OA symptoms. Arthritis & Rheumatism 50[9 (S)], S658. 2004.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Thanks to http://www.diabetes.org/
Serves 2 Serving size: 1 1/4 cup Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tsp canola or corn oil
5 medium green onions, white and pale green parts chopped
1 TBS dark green part of onion, thinly sliced 1 slice turkey bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 can (15 oz) no-salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp cumin (more to taste)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBS fat-free plain yogurt
Preparation:
1. In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan.
2. Cook the white and pale gree parts of the green onions and the turkey bacon for 4 to 5 minutes or until the green onions are soft and the turkey bacon is just beginning to brown.
3. Stir in the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fragrant over a low heat or it will burn the garlic.
4. Increase the heat to medium high. Stir in black beans, tomatoes with liquid, cumin, vinegar and cayenne.
5. Bring to simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with dollop of fat free yogurt

Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 280 Calories from Fat: 45 Total Fat: 5 g Saturated Fat: 0.7 g Trans Fat: 0 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4 g Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2 g Cholesterol: 5 mg Sodium: 195 mg Total Carbohydrate: 48 g Dietary Fiber: 12 g Sugars: 11 g Protein: 16 g

Worksite Wellness and You

Despite the name Worksite Wellness, it doesn’t mean getting a facial and pedicure at work, a gourmet lunch and a nap, although that does sound pretty good, if you know of said workplace, let me know, I will update my resume.

You may have heard the term “Worksite Wellness” bantered about. One of the goals of offering wellness programs in the workplace is to help employers reduce skyrocketing health care costs. Did you know that 20% of the population is using 80% of health care? Well, it may sound a tad mercenary to you, but look at it this way, wouldn’t you rather have healthy staff and spend the money on hmm, pay raises or bonuses or other perks rather than on the one co-worker who is always out sick due to uncontrolled diabetes or persistent colds due to smoking. And, how do you feel when you are the co-worker who takes care of her/himself and has to pick up the slack when said person is missing work on a regular basis. I have been there and I know I didn’t like it. I worked with a woman who called in sick at least once a week, her absenteeism affected us all.

Here are some easy ways to participate in a worksite wellness program:
· Walking is free and you can do it anywhere. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity.
· Are you allowed a 10 minute break? Rather than sit in the break room twice a day complaining about life, get out and take a 10 minute walk, go with a co-worker, you might just surprise yourself and see the beauty around you and smile instead of gripe.
· No one to walk with? Go alone, it is a great opportunity to clear the cobwebs and think things through. I must say, some of my most inspired ideas have popped into my head while walking. I just have to remember what it was and write it down when I get back.
· A walk helps you de-stress.
· Too cold or icy to walk outside? Use the stairs, people in my building have a 3 floor loop we do!

“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking” Friederich Nietzsche (19th century German philosopher)

Healthy meetings. “Healthy meetings” you say? An oxymoron. Meetings- they give you fits, your blood pressure goes up and you dread them. You know there is a pile of work on your desk and now you have to take a precious hour or more to sit and think about all you have to do.

But….
o you think, ah, there will be donuts,
o I am doing so well monitoring my fat grams and if the meeting is an hour that might mean 2 donuts,
o the wellness angel in your office is overseeing the meeting’s food offering. She has bought fresh fruits, cut up nicely into bite size pieces, fat free strawberry yogurt dip, whole grain crackers and low fat cheese, topped off with a cup of coffee, sounds pretty good.

For more information, refer to the February 8, 2010 blog on Healthy Meetings.

· In an effort to contain costs employers are offering health screenings, paying for basic blood tests to encourage their employees to see their primary care provider for guidance.
· Even if you have to pay for the service, it is at a discounted rate than if you went to your personal physician who would send you to an outside lab for the tests, you are saving time too.

You now have your results.
· Did your cholesterol come back too high putting you at risk for heart disease? How are your blood sugars? High enough for pre-diabetes but not yet being told you have diabetes? How’s your blood pressure? Get thee to a doctor.

What numbers are you talking about and what is normal? Good question. Read on.

Blood Pressure <120/80
LDL (goals may vary) <100-129 mg/dL
HDL >50 mg/dL for women and HDL >40 mg/dL for men
Triglycerides <150 mg/dL
Total Cholesterol <200 mg/dL
Blood glucose-fasting <100 mg/dL
BMI <25 KG/m2
From: http://www.goredforwomen.org/know_your_numbers.aspx

Does your employer offer disease prevention or disease management programs? Smoking cessation? Free and confidential health coaching? Take advantage of these programs, the benefit to you is improved health.

Now, let’s say your employer doesn’t offer any wellness programs but you have finished reading this and are quite interested in getting something going in your place of work. Look no further. Worksite wellness programs are growing in Montana. For more information check out: http://montanaworksitewellness.org.

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up”
Vince Lombardi

Corned Beef and Cabbage, a low fat version

From Weight Watchers site

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1¼ pounds corned beef, trimmed of all visible fat
1 small head green cabbage, cored and cut into 6 wedges
18 baby carrots
6 small purple-top turnips, peeled and halved
1 cup pearl onions or small pickling onions
6 small red potatoes, scrubbed and left whole

1. Bring the corned beef and enough water to cover to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until almost tender, about 1½ hours.
2. Add the cabbage, carrots, turnips, onions, and potatoes to the pan; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables and corned beef are fork tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Transfer the corned beef to a platter and carve into slices. Lift the vegetables from the broth with a slotted spoon and serve with the corned beef.

Per serving (1/6 of dinner): 320 Calories, 12 g Fat, 5 g Saturated Fat, 60 mg Cholesterol, 790 mg Sodium, 36 g Total Carbohydrate, 7 g Fiber, 16 g Protein, 117 mg Calcium.

Some Thoughts for the New Year

Rather than write a regular blog article, I am jotting some thoughts to share. Please feel free to add your own along the way.

I don’t make resolutions, most people don’t make it through the week. No one wakes up on January 1 having lost 50 lbs and exercising for an hour a day and craving foods low in fat, high in fiber and moderate portions.
· Be realistic.
· Sit down and write what you can do tomorrow that makes sense.
· I always say, if you are eating a package of Oreos a day, don’t go cold turkey, give up one sleeve of them, that still leaves 2 sleeves and you can wean yourself.
· Of course, not eating any or limiting yourself to a couple is the better choice and an even better choice is to reach for a crisp apple, cut in half with some peanut butter, it’s filling and crunchy.
· Back to what you can do that makes sense.
· Don’t set lofty goals. You set yourself up for failure.
· If you don’t engage in physical activity, don’t expect to run the Ironman Triathlon in 6 months. Say you will take a brisk walk for 10 minutes three times a day and work up to 15 minutes, you get the idea.
· Talk with your lifestyle coach for ideas.

Take time to smell the roses. Carve out some time for you. Meditate, close your eyes and listen to some “quiet music”—not head thrashing noise. Or, enjoy the silence around you. Open your eyes to the beauty that surrounds you. One of my great joys is watching the little birds at the bird feeder.

Adopt a pet from the local shelter. The animals are always appreciative, trust me, I know, all of mine are rescues and they know the fate they were saved from. Puppy mills are quite cruel to the animals and buying a dog from a puppy mill only keeps them in business (my editorial comment). Speaking of adopting a pet, if you can’t have a pet for whatever reason but do love animals, volunteer at a local shelter. The animals always need someone to walk them, brush them and just give them some tender loving kindness. And you know, you will feel like a million bucks when you leave for the day.

Maybe animals aren’t your thing. Food banks, homeless shelters, senior centers and nursing homes always are short staffed and appreciate an extra set of hands. I worked as an activities director in a few different nursing homes in a former life. Each “old” person you see was once your age and they have some pretty interesting stories to tell of a time gone by. Take some time to visit with someone. I have had the pleasure of hearing some very interesting real life stories. I treasure each of them.

Enjoy the here and now, I read a wonderful line just recently, went something like this: if you focus too much on the future, you will miss today. So true. Having a rough day? Try to find some moment in the day that maybe wasn’t so bad, surely there was one. Maybe someone just smiled at you and said hello or thank you. Maybe your child, grandchild, dog or cat just felt you needed some kindness and they held your hand or laid a fuzzy head on your leg.

If your place of employment or your spouse’s place of employment has a wellness program, take advantage of it, go to health screenings, get your health report card and if things are out of whack, take charge. Appreciate your health, don’t take it for granted.

“Let our New Year's resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.”Goran Persson (Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006)

No recipes this month. My favorite treat this time of year are clementines, those tasty little tangerines. They are seedless and you can eat 2 or 3 or more, get your vitamin C and they are sweet. Enjoy a sugar free hot cocoa mix on a cold day.

Two for Thanksgiving

Please enjoy these recipes. Maybe you are tired of Granny’s plain on bread crumb stuffing recipe and want to try something new. Looking for a colorful side dish for your turkey dinner? This sweet potato salad is colorful, bright and tasty ,too.

Spicy Dried and Fresh Fruit Stuffing
(Serves 20, you can easily make half the recipe)

4 cups water
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup pitted dried plums
1 cup butter**
2 loarge onions chopped
20 slices slightly dried wheat bread torn into 1 inch pieces (or buy bread cubes)
6 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced (Granny Smith, Macintosh work well)
½ cup golden raisins (regular raisins work well or dried cranberries)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ cup white wine or apple juice

Preheat oven to 325◦. In medium saucepan over hight heat, heat water until boiling. Reduce heat, add apricots and plums and cook for 15 minutes until fruit is softened. Remove from heat, drain, cool and chop fruit into small pieces. Set aside. In large pot over high heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until onion is transparent. Add bread and toss well to mix. Remove from heat, add chopped dried fruits, apples, and remaining ingredients and mix well. If stuffing is too dry, add a little more water or white wine (or apple juice). Place stuffing in an unbuttered baking dish and cook for about 90 minutes. Can be prepared ahead.

**You can easily reduce butter to ½ cup. The Nutrition Values are based on full cup of butter

Nutrition Values:
210 calories per serving
2.2 g protein
24 g carbohydrate
11 g fat
25 mg cholesterol
163 mg sodium
5.2 g dietary fiber


Art Smith’s Sweet Potato Salad
(I don’t know who Art Smith is, the recipe is from the AARP magazine )
Serves 8

4 small sweet potatoes
¼ cup fat free mayonnaise
1 TBS yellow mustard
4 celery stalks, sliced ¼” thick
1 small red bell pepper, cut into ¼” diced pieces
1 cup diced fresh pineapple or crushed pineapple in natural juice, drained (save the juice for dinking!)
2 green onions finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste**skip the salt and try some lemon pepper
½ cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
Chopped fresh chives (use dried if you can’t find fresh or can omit)

1. Preheat oven to 400◦. Wrap each sweet potato in foil and bake for 1 hour, unwrap and let cool. Peel, cut in ¾” chunks
2. In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise and mustard. Add sweet potatoes, celery, red pepper, pineapple and green onions, toss gently. Season to taste with pepper and salt if you must!
3. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
4. Fold in pecans and sprinkle with chives

Giving Thanks

“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.” Erma Bombeck

I am one of those people who likes an elegant Thanksgiving dinner, no TV allowed. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

I am, as always, thankful for good health. Too many people take good health for granted. Too many people are in a rut with their health, and while it is an uncomfortable rut, it is one they are used to. To those of you reading this, you are more than likely engaged in the Lifestyle Balance program, working hard, mentally and physically, on lifestyle changes, changes that will decrease your risk for diabetes and heart disease. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back, high five another class participant and thank your lifestyle coach. I will share this with you; you are lucky there is a program that can help you feel better and improve your health. I have asthma and the only thing that helps me feel better is my rescue inhaler when I am struggling. I would gladly give up calories and increase physical activity if it would lessen the burden of asthma. I envy you the opportunity to make changes that will improve areas of your health that would have to be controlled by medication. I don’t have that choice. Choices are good.

I am thankful that some smart people had the foresight to question whether reduction in fat grams and increase in physical activity could reduce people’s risk for onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus, a chronic disease that is life altering. I am grateful that they were right, it does work. And, I am grateful that people are taking part worldwide in this program.

I am thankful for all the caring lifestyle coaches in Montana who are so dedicated to the Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Prevention Program. Their expertise, knowledge and dedication makes for a hugely successful program. Those of you who are participating in this program know what I mean.

Not all diseases are created equal. Some may be prevented and some can overcome you with a vengeance. I read somewhere (be darned if I remember where I read it or even when and cannot find it on Google) that the most prayed for request at The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is for the health of a loved one. That is pretty powerful. It confirms that we should never take our health for granted.

Please take a few minutes this month and in addition to your Keep Track books, on a separate sheet of paper, write down all the wonderful changes you are experiencing through participation in this program. People are enjoying quality of life they have never enjoyed before. Fill in the blank. Take a moment and reflect on what barriers you have overcome.

· Are you enjoying getting outside and walking with your family?
· Savoring the assortment of fall apples-if not, buy a couple of each variety and enjoy the sweetness, tartness, crispness of them. Pears too, I found 3 different kinds at the store.
· Enjoy the bounty of squash that is out there. Check out this website if you have squash and not sure what to do with it, it is quite versatile. http://whatscookingamerica.net/SquashRecipes.htm
· Maybe you found you are now able to enjoy a new activity, one you thought you would never do, or do again? Dancing, walking the dog, tossing a football with the grandkids?
· Walking up and down the stairs.
· Or like one participant whose story made it to the newspaper said, he could barely walk 300 yards, now he walks five miles at a time. He dropped 100 pounds through the program. WOW. “They are a good reason I’m still alive”. Now, that is being thankful.

This is a holiday that revolves around food. PLEASE, talk to your lifestyle coach for help in balancing, family, food, emotions and stress. You can do it, I know you can, and for this, I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving one and all.