Megan's Nutrition TIPS

Ideas for Healthier Eating
By Megan Northrup

1. Replace juice, soda, lemonade, or iced tea with WATER. Drink water with meals and throughout the day. I almost never leave the house without a water bottle!

2. Eat more fresh fruits & veggies! Aim for at least 5 servings per day – the more the better!
Think & plan to work more fruits & veggies into your families’ diet, until it becomes a habit. Have fruit out on the counter or washed in the fridge for snacks.
Frozen peas w/ butter buds, minced mint or lemon zest
Green beans w/ dried cranberries or sliced almonds
Glazed baby carrots (cook covered in a little salted water, uncover when almost done and cook off the water, adding a dash of sugar, lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and dab of butter)
Baked sweet potato (scrub, poke w/ fork, bake at 400 about 1 hr until completely soft)
Bagged salad (not iceberg) w/ bagged spinach & lowfat dressing
Sliced Tomatoes drizzled w/ olive oil (I recommend colavita or bertolli)
Sliced cucumbers sprinkled w/ rice vinegar
Apples (slice apples, cook covered with a bit of water & cinnamon, stirring occasionally)
Bowl of sliced peaches, berries or grapes

3. Commit to using more whole grains. Replace white bread with whole wheat. Look for loaf w/ 3g. fiber per slice and “whole wheat flour” as the 1st ingredient (not “enriched wheat flour”). Switch to whole wheat pasta, bagels, breakfast breads & cereals. Substitute ½ whole wheat flour in your favorite recipes, or look for recipes formulated to be 100% whole wheat.

4. Switch to low-fat substitutes. I almost always use low-fat milk, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, salad dressing, mayo or miracle whip, butter spread. Replace the oil in cakes, muffins, banana breads, and pancakes with an equal amount unsweetened applesauce. (This works great with mixes. In your own recipes, you can usually replace ½ the fat without a noticeable difference, or all the fat for a slightly less desirable texture.) Use nonstick cooking spray, where possible, instead of pouring oil in or greasing a pan. Swith to low-fat ice-cream or frozen yogurt (Dreyers Slow Churned light is very good w/ 1/3 less calories & ½ the fat. Randalls and Kroger have good light ice cream in the store brand.)

5. Season wisely. Season food while cooking & get the salt shaker off the table. Use fresh ground pepper & fresh garlic. When using dry herbs/spices, crush them in a mortar & pestle or in your hand before adding to a recipe, to extract more flavorful oils. Add herbs/spices in the sautéing or browning step of a recipe, instead of with the liquid. Brown meats for braises, roasts & stews. Remove high fat ingredients (like cheese or nuts) from a dish & sprinkle them on top.


6. Splurge smart! Everyone has different preferences & priorities, in food as in life. I believe there is no such thing as a completely BAD food. Everyone has foods they love that are “worth” a splurge – so if you love chocolate, have a piece once in a while and don’t beat yourself up over it! Eating an occasional hot dog, or chocolate, or donut does not make you a bad person! Educate yourself—read the labels! But, if something is worth it to you, enjoy it! Use moderation (split a hamburger, eat ONE hot dog then fill up on veggies & fruit, scoop out ONE scoop of ice cream, don’t sit down with the carton). Keep eating healthfully & exercising. But don’t deprive yourself all the time and STOP FEELING GUILTY! You may have to make changes to have a healthier diet, but you don’t have to give up every food you enjoy forever! (Fretting and stressing and constantly depriving yourself isn’t good for your health either!)

More Tidbits from Megan's Lesson

REDUCE YOUR RISK
Regular brisk physical activity- at least 30 minutes a day – can reduce your risk of:
Premature death by 30-50%
Heart disease by 40-50%
Stroke by 30-50%
Type 2 diabetes by 30-40%
Cancer by 20-30%
Colon cancer by 30-50%
Osteoporosis by 40-50%

Published in a Mayo clinic newsletter, Source: The 30-minute Fitness Solution, by JoAnn Manson and Patricia Amend

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’
When it com3es to exercise, remember that you’re not a professional athlete- and fitness is not about perfection and getting an A+.
If you didn’t feel like going to the gym today (or if you drove to work instead of walking to the bus stop), don’t beat yourself up over it. Your good intentions are not forever destroyed because of a lapse – or two. Just tell yourself you’ll do better tomorrow. Then pat yourself on the back for all the good things you’ve done for yourself over the past few months.

FITNESS: SOME DOES A LOT
If you go from unfit to moderately fit, you cut your risk of a premature death in half.
When you go from moderately fit to very fit, you drop your risk of dying prematurely by only another 10-15%.
In other words, you don’t’ have to be an ultra-athlete to go a long way toward protecting your health.

Published in a May clinic newsletter, Source: Steven Blaire, MD, president American College of Sports Medicine

Important Info

SPECIAL THANKS to Megan Northrup for her wonderful lesson on Nutrition last week! She shared many important tips with us, including some incredibly yummy recipes!

I will be posting the recipes to our website- check out the side column.

Congrats to Last Week's Biggest Loser: CARI BRANDT! She lost 4 lbs! Way to go!

Our Water Aerobics got rained out last week- boohoo! We will be attempting to have it again this Thursday at 6pm. The meeting will follow at 7pm. Be sure to bring your water noodle and swimsuit!

ZUMBA is cancelled this week- Amy will be out of town... but she will be back and ready to teach us again starting next Wednesday July 2nd at 10:30 am at the church.

NEXT WEEK- No MEETING/ WATER AEROBICS (July 3rd). I will be leaving town for the holiday weekend that morning. Sorry for any inconvenience. If you would like to still come weigh in, you may come anytime after 11am on Wednesday morning (7/2/08). Please call first.

THIS WEEK-
My home is open to those that need a place to workout: Tuesday- between 12pm - 2pm, Wednesday between 2pm - 4pm, and Friday 10am - 1pm. Please call first to make sure I am there.

LAST NIGHT'S MEETING

Last night we focused on how to keep ourselves motivated to continue making good healthy choices. I shared something I found online- it is a 5 Day Spiritual Workout. The link to it is in the post prior to this one.

Day One- Who Inspires You?

Write in your journal about all of the people who inspire you and why.

For me, I started close to home- my MOM. She inspires me b/c she faces so many trials and tribulations with her health, and yet she still has FAITH.

Then I looked to work- We have a lady at work, VICKI- I swear the only reason she works is so that she will have money to spend on the kids at our school.

Next I looked to the world- People like Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Then I looked at the scriptures- Sarah, Eve, Nephi

And then the ULTIMATE inspiration- Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Take a picture of one person from your list and in one word sum up what inspires you about them and put it on your mirror. For me, it is a picture of my MOM:

COURAGE

Day Two: Inhale, Exhale

Today you will take the time to breathe and meditate. Whenever you feel stress creeping in, you will make an effort to stop and breathe. Think about things that bring you peace. Read your scriptures. Pray.

Day Three: What's Your Theme Song?

This was my favorite! I listened to a TON of songs- listening for inspiring rhythms and lyrics. I narrowed my search down to 3 songs that I now LOVE. Each I believe has been a theme song for a different part of my life. The first song was "DO IT ANYWAY"- Martina McBride. It is very inspiring. The second song- which I have always loved is- "Go the Distance"- Micheal Bolton. It is from "Hercules" the Disney Movie. It is a great song about ENDURING TO THE END. I happened upon a song that is perfect for me in my life now- a song that I didn't really care for as mucch when I first heard it. But for some reason- when looking for a theme song, the lyrics just jumped out at me and now I have grown to LOVE it! I listen to it every morning to start my day out right. It is "PROUD" by Heather Small. THe message of the song is, "What have you done today to make yourself feel proud?" There are so many inpsiring songs out there- pick on that is yours and let it inspire you on a daily basis!

Day Four: Say Something Nice

When I did this my attitude soared. I went to Walmart and complimented the greeter and the the checker. It was amazing how much it lifted their spirits and mine. On Day Four, compliment EVERY person you come in contact with.

Day Five: Awaken the Child Within

Think about what you loved to do as a child. For me it was drawing. Another thing that I absolutely adored was singing. I loved pulling up to a stoplight and having the windows down with the music blasting and singing for everyone to hear. I hadn't done that as an adult. So, on my Day 5, I did just that. I pulled up to a stoplight, turned up the music, and sang my heart out.... Yea- People were staring, and I looked like a weirdo- but you know what? It felt GREAT! I felt like a kid again. It was SO FREEING!

My Mom, My Baby Sis CarrieBeth (just turned 26 this week!) and Me

If you do these things, you will find that they give your spirit an uplift. They will help keep you motivated! I know b/c they worked for me!

CONGRATS TO OUR BIGGEST LOSERS THIS WEEK (Each lost 2.5 pounds!)

MARGIE, AMY, & BRIGGITE!

NEXT WEEK: WATER AEROBICS 6pm, followed by our meeting at 7pm

ZUMBA at the church Wednesday at 10:30 am

My Home is available for workouts: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday- CALL to schedule a time. I am home Monday and Tuesdays at 11am from classes. Friday, I am available starting at 8am.

FREE AEROBICS CLASSES!!!

Our friendly neighborhood aerobics instructor- AMY DEL RE has offered to teach 2 FREE Classes for our group!

She will be teaching ZUMBA (Latin Cardio Dancing) at the church on

WEDNESDAYS at 11am

Bring your own water. Kids are okay!
The church is located at 505 Deseret FRIENDSWOOD , TX 77546.


She will also be teaching WATER AEROBICS in my pool on

THURSDAYS at 6pm (Beginning June 19th)

Bring your swimsuit, a change of clothes, a water noodle, and bottled water!
No Children Please.


OUR MEETINGS will be rescheduled to Thursdays at 7pm after Water Aerobics beginning on June 19th.

THIS WEEK'S MEETING IS THRUSDAY AT 6PM.
SEE YOU ALL THERE!!!!

Meeting Update 6/5/08

We had our 4th meeting last night. I am happy to report that everyone seems to be doing really well!

Welcome to our newest members: Lee Parsons, Angie Madrazo, and Robin (sorry I didn't catch your last name). We are excited to have you with us!

Last night we discussed the benefits of exercising. If you go to the link below, you will see what we talked about:

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/motive.htm

We also discussed our reasons for being part of the group and what our goals are. Special thanks to ROBIN for introducing us to a new website that is a great tool! You can use it for free or pay.

www.thedailyplate.com

another helpful source is www.calorieking.com


We will be having our first WATER AEROBICS class on Thursday June 19th at 6pm, our meeting will follow at 7pm- So bring your swimsuit & a change of clothes!

We are in the process of setting up ZUMBA classes starting next week. More details to come...

Congratulations to the Biggest Losers of the week:
Heather Nielson lost 4.5 lbs, and Nicole Hurley lost 3 lbs. GREAT JOB!



At our meeting we discussed how this group can really change your life. We talked about how making good choices makes you grow mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I found a website that I would like to share with you. It is a 5 Day Spiritual Workout. I am going to do it, I recommend each of you try it too.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/176/story_17647_1.html

LAST WEEK

The Biggest Loser last week was RACHEL CARDENAS!!!!! (yeah!) Congratulations!
Everyone is wokring so hard. Each of you should be proud of yourself! Tonight's meeting is at 6pm at my house. We will have a guest speaker AMY DELRE! Hope to see you there!