STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU!

T I P S A N D T R I C K S

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E a t i n g w e l l a n d s t a y i n g a c t i v e

Becoming a healthier you is a process; a change of lifestyle, not a

something that can be mastered in a month, three months or even a year. The goal is progression in the right direction! Here are a few tips to help you along the way!

Eating Tips!

HEALTHY LIVING

• Try to take the stairs rather than the elevator at work, at a hotel, at the mall...everywhere you go! Take it a little at a time. Maybe take the stairs into work and the elevator home from work for the first week and slowly progress.

• Take a walk during your lunch break. It doesn’t have to be for the entire break. Even 10-15 minutes would be excellent.

• Turn on a movie or TV show while you’re walking on the treadmill, and if you can stand it, mute it and put the subtitles on. For me this helps the time FLY, especially if it is a fast pace movie because you are more into what is happening in the movie, and keeping up with reading the lines.

• Start with 15 minutes a day and slowly progress. Any exercise is good!

• Make an appointment with exercise. You wouldn’t miss your dentist appointment, right? Schedule a workout in!

• Choose to park in far out parking spots so you can walk a little further.

• The national recommendation for physical activity is 30min/day 5-6 days a week. The thirty minutes does not have to be in one big chunk to be beneficial. Ten or fifteen minutes at 2 or 3 different times a day can seem much more manageable to fit into a busy schedule!

• Remember the importance of strength training. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn even when you’re not exercising. Aim to strength train 2-3x a week.

Produce

Eat Fresh!• Make healthy choices the easy

choices. Try putting fresh fruit out on the counter washed and ready to eat, or cut your fresh vegetables as soon as you get home from the store so they are ready to use in meals, or for a snack with dip!

• If you don’t like plain raw veggies, try dipping them in hummus, or fat free sour cream dip.

Whole Grains

•Adding whole grains/dietary fiber to your diet helps you feel full longer. It also helps lower your cholesterol, regulate your blood sugars, and decrease your risk of cancer and heart disease.

• Ideas for adding whole grains into your diet:

• Oatmeal for breakfast! Or, try adding oatmeal into a fruit smoothie (you can hardly taste it!)

• Popcorn is a whole grain too! Try air popping your own popcorn and adding a little butter. Or, even better, a flavored popcorn powder prinkle.

• Brown rice, quinoa, barley...all whole grains and can be used interchangeably.

• Whole grain pasta is also a fantastic source of whole grain. Cook it a little longer for a softer texture more similar to white pasta.

Tips for a more fit you!

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Tips For Managing Diabetesiabetes is a disease where the cells in your body have become insulin resistant.

Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose (one of the simplest forms of sugar) into your cells. Because your cells can’t take the glucose in, the glucose remains in your blood which leads to hyperglycemia, or, high blood sugar. Extra sugar in the blood causes it to thicken which over time can lead to deadening of nerves in your fingers and toes, your kidneys which leads to kidney failure, and your eyes which leads to blindness.

If you are pre-diabetic, exercise and mild weight loss of even 5-10lbs can delay the onset of diabetes by increasing your body’s ability to utilize

insulin and successfully use the glucose in your blood.

What is Glucose?

Glucose is the form of sugar your body uses for energy. The carbohydrates (aka sugars) you eat are all broken down into glucose so your body can use the energy. Glucose is found in all foods but meat, non-starchy vegetables, and fat...these are your “free foods”

What dietary changes should I make?

• As a diabetic or pre-diabetic, it important to eat a consistent amount of carbohydrates throughout the day

• Try to eat about 75 grams of carbohydrates at each meal and 45 grams as a snack two times a day.

• One serving is usually equal to 15g, this means you can have 5 carbohydrate servings at each meal, and 3 at snacks.

• 15g is equivalent to 1/3 C. rice, 1 slice of bread, 1/4 of a bagel, one 7” tortilla, 1/2 C. ice cream, one 8 ounce glass of milk, one ounce of cheese (which is about the size of a domino), one small apple, 1/2 of a banana, 1/2 cup grapes.

• Eating whole grains helps to regulate blood sugars because whole grains take longer to break down into glucose, compared to white flour.

D

This Berry Smoothie makes 16 ounces and contains:

• 460 calories

• 10g fat

• 4.6g monounsaturated

• 3.12g polyunsaturated

• 2g saturated

• 20g protein

• 8g dietary fiber

• Vit A, C, D

• Potassium

• Calcium

1/2 C. ice cubes1/2 C. skim milk 6-8oz of low fat yogurt 1/2 C. of prepared instant oatmeal 1/2 banana 1/2 C. fresh or frozen berries of your choice

1 Tbs Peanut butter *Recipe adapted from Jordan MacVay• Put ice cubes, milk, yogurt, and prepared oatmeal in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the banana, berries, and peanut butter. Blend to consistency you prefer. Drink right away,

or place in a freezer until breakfast the next morning!

Recipe

Berries, oatmeal, and protein smoothie

A Few More Eating Tips...• Try not to eat with distractions such

as with the TV on, or while you’re working at your desk, or driving in the car. When you’re distracted it is harder to realize you’re satisfied.

• Try to avoid rewarding yourself with food. Reward yourself with things like a warm bubble bath, a pedicure, new running shoes, a new gadget to use in the kitchen (i.e. a garlic press, a salad spinner, an apple slicer etc) This helps to stray away from viewing food as “bad” or “good” or associating your behavior with what foods you “get” to eat.

• Try not to set excessively strict restrictions on yourself. Setting goals such as “I will NOT eat chocolate this week,” or “I will NOT eat potato chips at lunch,” can set you

up for failure. Maybe start by eating half or even 3/4 of the amount of chips you normally eat, or eating two “bite size” candy bars rather than a king size.

• Remember “Whole wheat” does NOT mean it’s whole GRAIN. Check the ingredients on the nutrition label. If the first ingredient is “enriched, bleached flour,” it is not a good source of whole grain.

• Try to use canola or olive oil when possible. These oil are much higher in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the good fats) than vegetable oil.

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“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.”  ~Voltaire

1 pkg (20 oz) cheese tortellini refrigerated

1 can (14.5 oz) artichokes, quartered

1 bag (9 oz) fresh spinach1 bag (3 oz) sun-dried tomatoes or jar of sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained

1/2 C. feta cheese crumbled1/4 C. red onion, diced1 bottle balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1 tsp olive oil

• Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and toss (carefully so that the tortellini doesn’t break apart) with a teaspoon of olive oil to keep from sticking. Let cool. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together after (including the pasta after it has cooled). Serve with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Recipe

Tortellini Spinach Salad