Take advantage of the summer

It seems like there is always something that can cause a road block on the path to being and staying healthy. Some times it's something we have control over and some times it's something that is completely out of our hands. What ever the situation, maintaining a positive attitude usually is the best way to get over/around/or under the road block. But sometimes a bit of anger can also serve to propel you forward. And honestly some things you should be angry about...but it's all about how you direct that anger to get yourself back on the path to being as healthy as you can be. One of my favorite quotes, "You are pure potential" always comes to mind in this situation. The way I interpret this saying is that you have potential...but is that potential positive or negative and are you going to use it for good or for bad? You can make that decision and are responsible for the direction that your next steps take you. What a great feeling to have some control over your health.

Now lets switch gears....it's summer time officially now...take advantage of all the great produce available and all the beautiful weather so you can get outside and take a walk, do some yard work, go on a picnic, or shop at the farmer's market. Speaking of which, there are several farmer's markets available around Omaha that offer great local fresh produce.

Here are the one's I know about:
Downtown Farmers Market, 11th and Jackson in the Old Market, Saturday 8am-12:30pm, runs from May 1 - October 9
Sunday Farmer's Market, Aksarben Village, 67th and Center, Sunday 10am - 2pm, runs May 30 - September 5th
Village Pointe Farmer's Market, 168th and Dodge, Saturday 8am - 1pm, runs May - October 2nd
Tomato Tomato, Indoor, year round farmers market, 2634 S. 156th Circle, open Monday - Saturday 9am - 6pm

There are several others I have heard about, but don't know the details. I believe there is one in Bensen, Papillion City Park, etc. These are a great way to get amazing fresh, locally grown produce and at really great prices.

I shop the downtown farmers market every week and here is my favorite way to enjoy the fresh vegetable:

Roasted Vegetables
Preheat oven at 400 degrees or start up the grill. Cut up any vegetables you would like to add: zucchini, yellow squash, beets, onion, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, green/red/yellow peppers, etc. You don't need to worry about precise cutting, just chop them up. Add 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil (or canola oil), salt, pepper, garlic, and any spice you like. I usually cut up fresh basil from my garden. Stir the vegetables so they get coated with the oil and spices. If baking in the oven, put them in a large baking pan (9 x 13 works great). Bake for about an hour. I take them out and stir them about every 15-20 minutes.
If you are grilling them, you can use a grill pan (mine is round with tall sides and holes all over it), or you can put in foil pack. You will need to grill for at least 30 minutes or more. It just depends on how hot your grill is. If grilling in pan, you will need to stir a couple of times. If using foil pack, there is no need to stir.
This makes a wonderful side dish to any meal. I have also used roasted veggies as a pizza topping. Just put on pizza crust, with or without sauce, sprinkle with cheese, bake and enjoy!!

Happy Summer!! Be Well.

What's Your Passion?

So what is the one thing in your life that you look forward to doing? The one thing you are naturally curious about and spend time perfecting? Is it a sport? A craft? Or maybe just a leisure time activity like reading or gardening? No matter how busy or stressed you may be, this one activity brings you pleasure and peace.

For me, my passion right now is sewing. When I was younger I would sew with my mom, but I was never very patient with the process. This past summer my husband and I bought a new house and now I have a room for crafting/sewing. Once I got all my stuff organized and the sewing machine set up - I have been spending a lot of time sewing. For the first time in my life, I am really enjoying the process. I am reading books and blogs about how to become a better seamstress. I want to be successful and I am doing my best to make that happen. And if I do say so myself...I am pretty good at it.

So at this point you are probably wondering what sewing or your passion has to do with wellness. I am about to get to that, but first here are a few questions for you to ponder:

I assume that your passion is important enough, that you will take extra time to do it right or to practice so that you can become better or more proficient. Is it possible that your health and wellness might also be something worth practicing and spending time to perfect?

Does your passion challenge you? Does it spark your curiosity? Do you enjoy this challenge and take the extra time to reach a goal? Is there an aspect of your health and wellness that might challenge you and therefore prompt your curiosity and hard work to reach a goal?

Is there a way for you to combine your passion with becoming a healthier person?

During the last group support meeting we talked about these questions and had some great discussion about ways to combine a personal passion with wellness. One member in particular spoke about how she never has time to read (her passion). So she bought a Creative Zen reader, MP3 player so she can listen to books while gardening, driving or taking a walk. With a simple tool like a Creative Zen, Ipod or other MP3 player you can combine a task like exercise with a leisure activity like reading. I also made the suggestion that if you like listening to books on tape when you are walking outside or on a treadmill, don't let yourself listen to the next chapter until you are exercising. This can be a great incentive to get more physical activity.

So how can you combine your passion with becoming a healthier person? What aspect of wellness sparks your curiosity? Please take a moment to post a comment if you have something to share with the group.

Meeting Feb. 9th

I want to start by saying how much I am enjoying meeting with the support group folks every month. Every time we meet I come away with great new ideas, lots of inspiration and plenty of laughter. I just hope that other folks will be able to come to these meetings to share in the fun.

We chatted about several things this time around, and shared some really great ideas about exercise, healthy eating, planning ahead and being a good cheerleader for yourself.

Here are some of the ideas that were shared:

Go to www.almondboard.com to order a small metal tin that holds exactly 1 once of almonds = a great anytime snack.

If you need an indoor place to walk during the cold winter weather, go to the mall or large store like WalMart. But you might want to leave the wallet in the car or at home, so you don't end up spending money to exercise.

We discussed easy motivation for walking during your work day. One member relies on a pedometer to keep her motivated. Each day she sets a goal of walking 10,000 steps. She even confessed that if she hasn't reached her goal at the end of the day, she will walk back and forth in her house, just to reach 10,000. Some members lamented that every pedometer is not created equal...some are very inaccurate. She suggested the Omron Pedometer type: HJ112, you are able to put the pedometer in your pocket and don't have to clip it to your waistband, which can be an annoyance.

Try preparing eggs in a single serving size frying pan. You can make egg patties, a few days in advance, which can be frozen then reheated in the morning for a quick protein filled breakfast. You might even try Egg Beaters brand to cut down on the fat and calorie content.

Nordic Wear brand sells a pancake making pan that makes seven small pancakes at a time. This might be a good way to make a smaller portion of things like eggs, pancakes, etc.

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ Check out this website for a recipe book on how to make healthy artisan breads in just 5 minutes a day. You prepare the starter dough that can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. You can take a small portion of dough, bake in the oven and have a small loaf of fresh bread...yum!

I hope that by sharing these ideas you will find a tip or two that might help you with "your own work in progress"!! Please feel free to post comments, questions or other ideas you would like to share.

Take good care!

Try a New Perspective

Have you ever gotten off track in the pursuit of your healthy lifestyle goals? Maybe you ate too much, or didn't exercise, or weren't consistent in taking your medications....and you think to yourself - "well, I messed that up, so why keep trying, why not just keep eating (or not exercising or not be consistent with my medication)". This kind of thinking can turn into an unhealthy vicious cycle, very quickly.



Here is a "new perspective" I would like you to try.



Every moment of the day we make choices. Every moment we get a chance to move toward our goals. Sometimes we don't make a good decision, but that is not the end of your chance to make your goal. You have the next moment to make a new choice, a better choice! You have the power to define each moment. You have the power to make the next moment a positive one on your journey to good health.



Think of each new moment as an opportunity to take one step closer to your goals and good health!!

Liz's Oatmeal Ideas

Each recipe starts with 1/2 cup Quick Oats (I buy them in the bulk section of Whole Foods, but you can also buy Quaker Quick Oats in the big round container).

If I am making this to bring to work for breakfast, I put the dry ingredients in a sandwich size Ziploc bag and the liquid ingredients in a larger plastic or glass container that I can just add the dry ingredients to, then add water before I heat in microwave.

Oatmeal + 1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter + Honey + Skim milk

Oatmeal + 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar OR 1 Tbsp. Maple syrup + 1/3-1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce (I buy the single serve unsweetened applesauce cups)

Oatmeal + 2 Tbsp. Cottage Cheese + 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar (the cottage cheese provides a nice boost of protein)

Oatmeal + Handful of Craisins + Handful of chopped Walnuts + 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Here are some other oatmeal recipes:
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/recipe_collection.asp?subcategoryid=7

Breakfast - what could be the most important meal of the day!

Here are some of the easy, on-the-go breakfast ideas that we shared:

*Cereal bars like Fiber One
*Frozen egg patties (can be purchased at Wal-Mart) that can easily be heated in the microwave and eaten with an English muffin to make an egg sandwich.
*Breakfast Cookies (sorry I forgot the brand name, can be purchased at Hy-Vee)
*Naked Juices or Bolthouse Farms juice
*Oatmeal (I will be posting some of my favorite oatmeal combinations in the next post)
*Fruit and yogurt
*Yogurt with Fiber One cereal (even though I would never eat Fiber One cereal on it's own, it is pretty good when added to yogurt, and is a great source of whole grain and fiber)
*Boost or Ensure nutritional drinks
*Carnation Instant Breakfast drink made with skim milk

Please add your own post if you have other breakfast ideas.

Surviving the Holidays

We had a great meeting with discussion about the upcoming holidays, time away from work/normal routine and strategies to cope with the stress that these things can bring.

Some of the fears that we shared:
*Being at home and away from the regular routine.
*Not having access to the KFC/FitNest.
*Being stuck at the same weight or in the same old routine.
*Family stress (holidays, family member in hospital, etc.)
*Wanting to enjoy the holiday foods.

From the discussion about our fears, we came up with some great coping strategies:
*Schedule exercise, taking your meds, drinking water, etc. on your calendar even when you are not at the office. You can even set your phone to send you reminders.
*Set a schedule for your time at home so it can be structured like your work day. This will allow you to have more control of your time.
*Make a date with a friend or family member for a walking lunch at the mall or store to get exercise.
*Plan ahead by packing your own snacks and healthy foods. Use the snack-size ziploc bags to get the right portion size.
*Buy yourself a present, maybe a Wii Fit game, or something that will re-motivate you to exercise.
*It's ok to have some of the holiday foods in moderation. Then when someone is trying to get you to eat "just one more" try saying no especially if it is going to help you to stay on track. Your loved ones should understand that you are only trying to be as healthy as you can be.
*Borrow an exercise DVD from the library or Netflix to do at home.

Most of all we talked about acknowledging your apprehensions and fears about the holiday break, make a plan to stay on track and healthy during that time, and most importantly take a break and do something for yourself!

Have a safe and peaceful holiday with your family, friends and loved ones.