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Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

by Megan Haubenreiser

Decorating your Christmas tree with your familyholiday challenge is a great way to add light activity to your day while also making precious memories.  While decorating our tree, I noticed how much activity decorating actually involved.

Just a few ways that this fun family activity (rockin’ around the Christmas tree) can help you to move more:

  1. Choosing a tree requires walking around the lot to find the perfect fit.
  2. Purchasing a tree involves lifting and carrying.
  3. Setting up the tree requires trimming and adjusting.
  4. Stringing lights around the tree involves a good dose of upper arm movement.
  5. Unpacking and picking out your favorite ornaments incorporates bending, lifting, and squatting.
  6. Hanging ornaments involves upper arm strength, bending, walking, reaching, and squatting.

When we finished decorating our tree and stood back to gaze at the final product, I felt a great sense of accomplishment. We not only had a beautiful tree, but I was also moving around for an extra 2 hours after work instead of being glued to my computer to do school work or just sitting on the couch; not to mention it was FUN. Turn on your favorite holiday tunes and start moving with your loved ones!

Great New Egg Recipe – Eggs Dallas

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

I just returned from a conference that focused on diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Lots of talk about drug therapy with many comments about healthy eating, physical activity, and stress management being the front line for reducing risk. All of that to say that I ate some really good food. Not the norm at any conference. The organizers did a really good job walking the walk with respect to what we were offered for meals and snacks. Here is a recipe that I “stole” from a brunch that we had on the last day of the conference. I will call it “Eggs Dallas” since the conference was in Dallas. It is really delicious. You could make the vegetable mixture with any vegetables and could even make ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.

Eggs Dallaseggs with vegetables

The following is for two serving – adjust the amount according to the number of servings you need.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw arugula
  • 1 carrot – small dice
  • 1 zucchini – small dice
  • 1 yellow squash – small dice
  • ½ cup mushrooms – sliced
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 2 eggs

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
  2. Add the vegetables and sauté until soft (5-8 minutes).
  3. Add the thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl and keep warm.
  5. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil.
  6. Cook the eggs to your level of doneness.
  7. Divide the raw arugula between two plates.
  8. Top with the cooked vegetables and place the egg on top.

 

5 Ways to Incorporate Exercise into your Black Friday Shopping

by Sadie Egan

Thanksgiving might be winding down, the feast is over, and you made it through your first holiday meal of the season! Hope everyone was successful in sticking to their goals and being mindful.

And just like that, another holiday has come and gone. Though we may have an abundance of leftovers in our fridge reminding us of the day’s fun, it’s time to start getting ready for the next holiday.exercise black friday

You’re probably thinking… “WHAT? ALREADY?!?”

But ask yourself, what comes right after Thanksgiving? The prep for the winter holiday season!

There are people out there just waiting for it to be acceptable to crank up the carols. Others are getting the Christmas boxes out of storage as we speak. And of course, we can’t forget Black Friday and all the sales ­which now-a-days starts on Thursday. Thanksgiving has barely even ended before the “kick off” to the Christmas and Hannukah shopping season begins.

We switch from Thanksgiving to Christmas with no break in-between. And just like this hectic holiday season, there are no breaks when it comes to your health.

So, here are a few tips for squeezing in some time to work on your health while you shop:

  • Go shopping- Get up, get out, and go walk around your favorite stores. Shopping online may be great if you know exactly what you want, BUT walking around a store (or several stores) can lead you to find the perfect gift. Don’t be afraid to browse all the stores you pass. The more stores you browse, the more steps you take. Letting your fingers do all the walking doesn’t count as being active.
  • Use the parking lot as your warmup- We all have the same thought when we enter a parking lot… “How close can I get to the door?” Some of us will even circle the parking lot several times until a spot closer to the store opens. But let’s take advantage of the parking lot situation. Use it as an opportunity to warm up your muscles. Park as far away as you can and use that black top as your walking track!
  • Carry your items- Enhance your mall workout by adding some extra weight. You don’t have to buy ankle weights or put dumbbells in your purse for this to be possible. Simply carry your items rather than pushing them around in a shopping cart.
  • Don’t waste your time while in line- If you are anything like me, you may feel there is just not enough time in the day. Which is where taking advantage of the time we have comes into play. Standing in line is the perfect time to sneak in some extra movement. Try a few reps of bicep curls with the items you are holding while you wait to checkout. Other exercises you can do without drawing too much attention from other shoppers include: calf raises, marching in place, and shoulder stretches.
  • And lastly, go the extra mile- If you just have way too much stuff to carry and need a cart, go the extra distance and return the cart. It keeps the parking lots clear for other shoppers. And hey, you just might make the cart attendants day. Small acts of kindness, like your steps, can go a long way.

healthy black friday

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Food Safety: How to Know When Your Turkey is Done

by Madi Johnson

As we plan our Thanksgiving gatherings, it’s important to remember food safety. Holiday meals have been linked to outbreaks of many pathogens including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringes and Staphylococcus aureus. Cooking for a crowd larger than normal, whether in the home or in a community kitchen, can lead to mistakes at the expense of food safety.temperature for turkey

Dr. Ben Chapman, Associate Professor and Food Safety Extension Specialist at NC State University, recommends the following methods to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses this Thanksgiving and holiday season.

What you can do:

  1. Clean and sanitize utensils and work services after preparing raw turkey for roasting.
  2. Wash your hands after handling raw meat or poultry.
  3. Don’t wash your turkey. Recent research has shown that when washing poultry, the pathogens can be spread within 3 ft. of the sick, which may include already prepared fixings.
  4. Color is not an indicator of safety or doneness. Often there are suggestions in recipes about turkey being done when “the juices run clear”. That’s a myth, The only way to know whether the turkey is done is with a tip-sensitive digital thermometer reading at least 165 degrees F. Stick it in multiple spots but be sure the thermometer doesn’t touch the bone as it conducts and may give an incorrect temperature reading.
  5. Refrigerate leftover turkey within 2 hours of taking it out of the oven. Turkey should be cooled to 41 degrees F quickly. This is best accomplished by placing sliced leftover turkey in resealable bags of 1 quart or smaller size. Bags should be laid flat in the refrigerator to allow cool air to circulate. Some spore-forming bacteria will grow and form toxins if kept at room temperature too long.

We want you to have a wonderful and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Taking these few extra measures to ensure food safety is worth it. And to enjoy that leftover sliced turkey, try this soup or these

For a printable flyer, click here: Turkey Food Safety.

For more information about food safety, check out Dr. Ben Chapman’s podcast, Food Safety Talk, or his blog, barfblog.com. To follow him on Twitter: @benjaminchapman.

 

The Power of Mindfulness: 5 Ways to Survive the Holidays

by Megan Haubenreiser

We all have holiday memories that are near and dear to our hearts. Often these memories include special foods. Using some mindful eating strategies can help you get the most out of the season, not miss the foods you love (even the high calorie ones), and still stay healthy along the way. holiday challenge

Mindful eating is a powerful tool that can help you become more aware of the foods you eat. Mindful eating simply means paying close attention, enjoying every bite, and being hyper aware of the entire eating experience.  Below are a few strategies that can help you be more mindful so you can fully enjoy a healthy happy holiday.

  1. Plan your Holiday Season
    • Pick and choose carefully the things that are most important to you. It is not possible to include all of the events, parties, visits, travel that COULD be included in your holiday. Instead of trying to cram it all in and not enjoying the season, be selective.
    •  Say no to the events that don’t fit into your must-do holiday activities.
  2. Determine which foods are “calorie worthy” to you
    • Imagine your food calorie budget like your financial budget. We do not have unlimited money to spend, just like we don’t have unlimited calories to consume, so pick the foods that you enjoy the most.
    • Determine if a food is one of your favorite food items and/or if it is packed with nutrients to help you decide whether to fit it into your calorie budget.
    • Let it go if you don’t like it; just because it is on your plate does not mean you have to finish it.
    • One-bite studies show that people who just consumed one bite of a certain food satisfied their craving just as much as the people who ate the entire food item.
  3. Survive Holiday Parties
    • Determine if this party will be your lunch or dinner and eat accordingly beforehand. If it is going to be your full meal, have a small healthy snack like an apple with peanut butter before the party.   If it is not going to be your meal, eat something more filling before attending like whole wheat toast with avocado.
    • Remember that the buffet is not necessarily your buffet. The variety and amount of foods on the table are there to provide enough options for guests to be able to find something they like. Zero-in on your favorites instead of trying everything.
    • Position yourself away from the food and drinks. Studies show that the closer you are to the food table, the more likely you are to eat even if you are not hungry.
    • Hold your beverage glass. If you leave your glass sitting on the table, people will often come by and refill it. This lessens your control over how much you are consuming, and you may not be aware of how much you have had by the end of the party.
  4. Sleep- don’t skip it!
    • Stick with your normal routine even during the holidays to try to get at least 7-8 hours each night. Sleeping too little has been associated with increased appetite and decreased physical activity.
    • Avoid caffeine late in the afternoon or evening.
    • Limit alcohol or heavy foods late at night.
    • Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary by turning off electronics and maintaining a cool temperature.
  5. Stay Active
    • Try out a new physical activity with the time you may have off from work or school.
    • Reduce stress with physical activity. Changes in schedules may allow you to vary your typical exercise times. Try yoga in the morning or take a long walk around lunch time.
    • Stay active to burn off holiday eating – even mindful holiday eating can mean more calories than we need.

Want more weight management support during the holidays? It’s not too late to join our FREE 7-week Holiday Challenge to receive daily tips, recipes, challenges, and newsletters to help you stay on track. The Holiday Challenge runs from now through New Year’s Eve. You can register for the Holiday Challenge by clicking here: 2017 Holiday Challenge.

 

Participate in a Physical Activity Challenge to Stay Motivated

by Surabhi Aggarwal, RD, LDN

Miles for Wellness is a team-based, eight-week challenge put out by the NC Office of State Human Resources twice a year (Spring and Fall) to encourage NC state employees to get more daily steps. The goal is to encourage employees to get 10,000 steps (equivalent to five miles) on most days of the week.

I was encouraged by my colleague, Sarah, who was on a winning team for the Spring challenge. I decided to join the challenge for the first time this year and I am glad I did so for two reasons. First, it made me aware of how few steps I get throughout the day outside of my planned workout/exercise. Second, it motivated me to make a conscious effort to increase my steps each day. Although there is no set expectation for the number of steps each team member gets each week, knowing that you are contributing towards a team can be huge motivation to do more. Last week I was able to get more than 100,000 steps; average of 14,725 steps per day!!

I have always enjoyed walking on trails in nearby parks and greenways but participating in the challenge has made me more mindful to find opportunities to walk more during the day. For example, I now go out for a short 10-minute walk if I find some time in between getting back home from work and taking my kids for their swim lesson. It is a great stress reliever as my workday transitions into the evening routine at home with kids and dinner! I don’t sit around anymore while the kids are at practice; walking may just be going back and forth on the sidewalk outside or around the parking lot. I am blessed to live in a neighborhood with sidewalks and walking for 20-40 minutes after dinner has become a new routine for me since I joined the challenge. Now that it is darker earlier, I take a flashlight and stick to well-lit streets. At first, my family thought I was crazy with my new walking routine. But now, some of them have joined in – my daughter even started to walk around the house with me to get more steps when it was raining outside. They too have started to try to get more steps!

The good thing is that I have been able to track my steps on my smartphone. So, that is an easy option if you don’t happen to have a fitness tracker such as a Fitbit. Also, any structured activity such as walking on the treadmill, strength training, yoga, etc. can be converted into an equivalent of steps if you are focusing on the total number of steps in a day.

Participating in this challenge has been a rewarding experience for me and I plan to continue to track my daily step count after the challenge is complete. In fact, I have already signed up for the Holiday Challenge virtual race through Paris and I encourage you to sign up too. The virtual race is free and allows you to see the sites of Paris – all while competing and motivating fellow participants. The race begins on November 20th but registration does not close. Click here to learn more: Virtual Race Through Paris.

virtual race Paris Challenge

Dance Moms are Tapping Too!

by Kelly Nordby, RD, LDN

My daughter has been taking tap lessons for about 3 years now and absolutely loves it!  She taps in the grocery store, she taps while brushing her teeth, while walking to school!   If there is an open space, it becomes her tap stage!  I watch her in class and see the joy that comes over her when she masters a skill or combination and it brings me back to my youth when I used to take ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theatre for many years.  Now, I drive her to dance and watch her dance.  Like many of my peers, I have become a Dance Mom!

Last fall, I learned that they were teaching an adult dance class at the same studio where my daughter takes lessons.  The students in this class were not surprisingly, dance moms of daughters or sons who were students at the studio.  While I was interested last year, I talked myself out of it with many excuses, “I will never remember the steps…Others are better than me….I don’t have time in my schedule…”  The class was so popular last year that they continued to offer it again this year.  My daughter asked me over and over again if I would sign up for the class.  Again, I doubted myself, but I thought, “Why not?…What do I have to lose?…How different can this be from the tap classes that I used to take?…Surely, they will go easy on us because we are dance moms…It does say on the class description that no experience is necessary’”.

adult dance class

I walked in on my first day of class, taught by my daughter’s very same tap teacher, and immediately thought, “This is not your mama’s tap class”.  Tap today is not the shuffle, ball change that I grew up doing.  Buffalo, Paradiddle, Maxie Ford, Toe Stand…these are some of the movements that we are learning.  And yes, we did a toe stand on our very first day of class!  Ms. Sierra was not going easy on us just because we are dance moms!

Every week, I learn something new and use my brain in ways that I don’t typically.  It takes me much longer than it used to in order to learn a new step or combination, but I love it!  I try hard, but I don’t take myself too seriously and luckily neither do my fellow classmates.  Some have danced before and others have not, but we love the accomplishment that we feel when we nail that combination.  I am still waiting for that day ?  But until then, we are getting a great workout for our bodies and our minds and having a lot of fun!

adult dance

 

 

The Holiday Challenge Begins Today – It’s Not Too Late to Join!

by Madi Johnson

holiday challenge

The 2017 Eat Smart, Move More, Maintain, don’t gain! Holiday Challenge Has Begun!

Join more than 23,000 people from across the US and around the world in the 11th annual Holiday Challenge. Rather than focusing on trying to lose weight, this FREE seven-week challenge provides you with tips, tricks, and ideas to help maintain your weight throughout the holiday season. Registration does not close, click the link below to register.

The 2017 Holiday Challenge will run through December 31st.

You should receive a confirmation email immediately after registering, please email holidaychallenge@esmmweighless.com for any questions.

NEW this year: Virtual race through Paris! 

Holiday Challenge Paris

Registration is now open for the free virtual race through Paris. Log your physical activity, see Google Street views of iconic Paris sites, and motivate each other on the message board. Click here to learn more and to Register for the Paris race.

Additional Participant Resources

Join the private Holiday Challenge Facebook group to share progress, experience, and encouragement with fellow participants.

Save and share healthy recipes on our Pinterest page. Choose from a Holiday Challenge Board, a Tried and True Board, a Vegetarian Board, and more.

Instead of or in addition to Facebook, join the private MyFitnessPal group to support and converse with fellow participants.

The Holiday Challenge is provided by Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less, a 15-week online weight management program held in real-time with a live Registered Dietitian, and Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes, a 12-month online diabetes prevention program recognized by the CDC.

Free Virtual Race Through Paris – Registration Now Open!

by Madi Johnson

Holiday challenge Paris

As a part of the 2017 Holiday Challenge, we are excited to announce a FREE virtual race through Paris! Walk or run past iconic landmarks and quaint cafes all the way to the finish line at the Eiffel Tower (a 26.2 mile route – a full marathon!). Bring your motivation to maintain your weight this holiday season to a whole new level.

The race will run from November 20 – January 2 but you can join at any time, registration does not close.

How it works: 

  • Click the “Register Now” button below. The race will begin on November 20th.
  • Log your intentional walking or jogging miles (not general steps from a Fitbit, see below to learn more).
  • Catch a Google Street view of your virtual locale in Paris, then cheer on your fellow racers through the group message board.
  • Optional: Join a group (ex. your worksite) by going to your bio, click “edit my bio”, and add or join a group.
  • New this year – Looping! If you finish the 26.2 mile route (a full marathon), you can become an ultramarathoner. That means you can loop the route as many times as you’d like before the close of the race. How many marathons can you get this year?

The race will be held between November 20th – January 2nd. See how many loops you can get in!

For any questions or technical issues regarding the race through Paris, please email team@racery.com.

A few key points: 

  • You have to manually enter your miles, as it only counts intentional walking or running miles. This does not include general step counting throughout your day from a FitBit, Jawbone, etc. Intentional miles means that you go out on a walk for 1.5 miles, not that you had 3,000 steps from your regular daily activity. This keeps everyone on a level playing field.
    • If you do wear a step counter while you are intentionally going for a walk, 2,000 steps equal a mile.
  • We rely on the honor system, you do not have to use a device to prove your miles – a good map suffices. To track your miles with GPS or on your phone, apples such as Google Maps, MapMyWalk, and Nike+ are all great options.
  • Racery serves as a great (and judgement-free) daily reminder to be active. Feel encouraged to watch your progress on the map, especially as you pass other racers. Use this as motivation to move more!
  • The website is very interactive. You can “like” and comment on other racer’s activity. You can motivate each other and create friendly banter and competition.
  • Please attribute your mileage to the appropriate day – don’t combine mileage from multiple days.
  • If you finish the route early, keep submitting your miles to become an Ultramarathoner! A new leaderboard will appear and you can continue to race against other Ultramarathoners.
  • If you want to race as a part of a company or organization, add it to your race name so you and your coworkers can cheer each other on.
  • Get some bling! Show off your accomplishments with a race bib or postcard available through Racery.
  • HAVE FUN!

The 2017 Holiday Challenge Taste Test

by Madi Johnson

The Holiday Challenge Taste Test is an annual event in which we determine which recipes will be included in the Holiday Challenge. Each team member chooses a healthy recipe, brings the dish to the event, and we all taste and rate each dish. Only the highest rated dishes make it into the Holiday Challenge.

Everyone who participated in the Taste Test filled out a ratings sheet and rated each dish on a scale of 0-3, with 3 being the highest. Dishes this year ranged from overnight pumpkin pie oats to chewy molasses cookies (YUM)!

We are so excited for you all to take part in this year’s Holiday Challenge. It is sure to be a fun seven weeks. For those of you who have not signed up, you still can- and it’s FREE! The Holiday Challenge promotes weight maintenance during the holidays by providing daily tips, tweets, and newsletters with healthy recipes every week. Mark your calendars for November 13th!

Learn More and Register for the 2017 Holiday Challenge