Healthy Snacks for the big game aka The Superbowl

If you are like most Americans you will be watching the big game on Sunday with friends and family.

What are some snacks you can eat, still stay on track and stick to our challenge?

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Celery and Ranch Dip
Trail Mix
Buffalo Wings
Chili 
Taco Bar with lots of lettuce and salsa
Kale Chips
Gluten Free Beer

I hope this gives you some ideas and plenty of time to get to the store.  Enjoy the big game but try to not go crazy!

Another week almost down!

It is hard to believe but tomorrow is already February 1st. I hope your January has gone well and you are feeling a little better every day. Living a healthy lifestyle can have its challenges but the reward is worth it! All the small steps you are making today will be big changes eventually and not seem so bad.

Here are some winter workout ideas for you all this weekend:

Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowball fights, shoveling and tubing.

Head inside to the gym, its always warm in there. You can also use OSR as part of our MOG membership. (www.osrpt.blogspot.com)

Mall walking, maybe just leave the debit card at home :)

In your house try a DVD, jump rope, jumping jacks, running up and down the stairs, or lots of cleaning.

When your watching TV try to stay active during commercials.

Have a great weekend, enjoy the big game and check out my blog this weekend for some Superbowl snacks that are challenge worthy!

Other good links

I put up a link about pop the other day and had some good feedback from it.  Here are a couple other good reads about diet pop and electrolyte drinks.

http://foodbabe.com/2012/07/10/the-secret-behind-gatorade-how-to-replenish-electrolytes-naturally/

http://www.coreygrenz.blogspot.com/2013/01/question-of-nutrition-1-negative-impact.html

I did have a little dairy yesterday, booo, I know.  Served me right because I woke up with my nose plugged and a headache.  It was good but defiantly a reminder to stay away from it most of the time!

Week 4

Is it really almost the start of our fourth week?  I hope you had a great weekend, stayed warm, and maybe indoors today!

I had a great weekend with the family and stayed busy as always.

I went to the body worlds exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota yesterday and learned some fun facts about the body.  It is always so fun to go to and see how our body is truly connected.  Also to see what smoking, overeating, arthritis and other bad things do to our body.

Some fun take a ways:
-Skin is the largest organ on our body
-An enlarged heart can get as big as 17oz
-Our intestines are about 25 feet long
-We are born with 300 bones but only have 206 as adults (if your wondering why ask me)
-We have 3 main nerve plexus
-We have 60 muscles in our face alone
-It takes 20 muscles to smile and 40 to frown
-The highest recorded sneeze is 165mph (cover your mouth)

We also went to Twins fest Sunday morning for a bit, then Addison and I played and watched lots of sports while Adam re-arranged some cupboards in our kitchen to make way for a new oven vent/microwave.

Have a great week!

Diet Soda, or pop

Are you someone who still reaches for that diet coke at 3pm every day?

Here is a good read on diet soda, or diet pop as some say:

http://www.rodale.com/effects-diet-soda?fb_action_ids=10200486787799212&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=.UQBeuud6eUk.like&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210200486787799212%22%3A315520888564602%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210200486787799212%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%7B%2210200486787799212%22%3A%22.UQBeuud6eUk.like%22%7D

New Format

Check out my new format!

I added a class schedule, info about me and great reads from the past!

Enjoy!

Fast Help

I know I don't always promote fast options, but sometimes that is the only option.  Here is some advice for you on days you need "fast" options.

1. Chipotle
• Get a Salad without the cheese and sour cream
• Burrito bowl with 1/2 the brown rice they typically add
2. Mill Valley Kitchen
• I know, not so fast but they have fantastic options with their nutritional facts all listed
3. Gas station
• Salad
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Fruit/Vegetables
• Jerky
• Nuts
4. Grocery Store
• Salad bar
• Rotisserie chicken
5. On the go snacks
• LaraBar
• Kit Bar
• Low fat popcorn
• Mixed Nuts
• Protein powder, pre-scooped in baggies

Websites with more info:

http://gf-blog.com/category/recipes

http://healthylivinghowto.com/recipes

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RecipeIndex

Sample food days

Here are some examples of challenge friendly food days....
When it says fruits and vegetables refer to our initial food handout for ideas.  You can even take that sheet grocery shopping with you for ideas.

1.

• Egg white omelet with vegetables, side of fruit
• Protein shake 
• Tuna with olive oil mayo, celery, lettuce, tomato and pickle
• jerky
• grilled salmon with vegetables and quinoa

2.

• Oatmeal with side of deli meat
• peanut butter and celery
• lemon pepper grilled chicken breast, fruit and vegetables
• Protein shake
• grilled red meat, brown rice and vegetables

3.

• full egg omelet and side of fruit
• almonds
• Salad of sliced ham, spinach, tomatoes, slivered almonds, olive oil
• grilled peppers
• lean pork, black rice and vegetables

4.

• oatmeal with walnuts and flax seed
• banana and peanut butter
• lettuce wrap of turkey, sprouts, tomatoes
• larabar or Kit bar
• broiled tilapia, vegetables and sweet potato fries

Some other tips:

• use brown rice or quinoa pasta for spaghetti, soups and other dishes
• have large cups of water with lemon or lime for dinner 
• Sea salt is a great seasoning
• When cooking at high temps use coconut oil
• Stir fry is a great way to get protein and vegetables in that will not take a lot of time

A great recipe shared from one of our challenge participants:
 [https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3N6dUjL6zM7U9cPx7hdeCoDOZpP3XUFTG5hDEi-EFYg5mK3VXp1dvg4KoORBwU4-HCmH8p5s-AIzObAjNvUuuhD00g49yBCkZjtdWorX4mUenC8m3Y0_c2_hjC3OyN2_zgaux69gQTg/s640/2012-10-08+23.35.24.jpg]<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3N6dUjL6zM7U9cPx7hdeCoDOZpP3XUFTG5hDEi-EFYg5mK3VXp1dvg4KoORBwU4-HCmH8p5s-AIzObAjNvUuuhD00g49yBCkZjtdWorX4mUenC8m3Y0_c2_hjC3OyN2_zgaux69gQTg/s1600/2012-10-08+23.35.24.jpg>;
Cilantro Lime Chicken

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).

Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese).

Tips for the next month

I hope everyone had a great weekend, enjoyed some time with family and friends and even made good choices!

I had a great weekend with my mom, baby girl, husband and co-workers.  I am actually excited for the Superbowl in 2 weeks, even though my Broncos will not be in it.

Did you fail this weekend or were you successful?  In case you maybe had a small or large failure just remember:

Here are some tips I have for you to be a success for the next month......

• Eat Smaller amounts of food more often, try not to go more than 3-4 hours between eating meals or snacks
• Timing! You have to plan your days.  Make larger dinners so you can take leftovers for lunch the next day
• All Carbohydrates are not the same. (brown vs white rice, cereal vs oatmeal)
• Breakfast, the most important meal of the day
• Protein, protein, protein (at every meal, all throughout the day)
• Good fats, good fats, good fats (because its low-fat dose not make it healthy)
• The rainbow (try to eat foods from all the colors of the rainbow, everyday)
• Supplements, I would not be able to make it though my day without mine
• At minimum I take:
• Protein powder
• Fish oil
• Multi Vitamin
• Probiotic
• Water, H2O, Aqua, no matter what you call it, make sure your urine is light yellow to clear all day

Have a fantastic week and stay warm!

ACL!?

Do you play sports or know someone active?  Here is some education on the ACL and how to prevent damage from occurring.....

http://osrptsports.blogspot.com/2013/01/acl-injury-prevention.html

Happy Almost Weekend

Hey! Its almost the weekend!

I truly hope your week has been going well.  That you are making positive changes (even if they are small) and still working hard toward seeing progress in our challenge.

Here is a great read on the MOG, check it out!
http://osrptfitness.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-mog-in-news.html

How is your weekend going to be?  Are you going to stay strong to see results, or cave in and make not so great decisions?  Try to start to form some habits to keep these good decisions up the rest of the month.

How am I going to stay on track this weekend:

-Plan ahead, have a general idea of what my day will consist of and pre-eat, or bring healthier options

-Drink water, I am going to still get 100oz per day

-Workout, I feel better and make better choices when I have a great workout

-Stay active, its very easy to be lazy when its cold and dreary, try to plan activities that make you move

I know I have a busy weekend that will pose lots of temptations but I will stay with it and feel better come Monday knowing I made good choices!

How is week 2?

How is your week 2 going?  Have you been continuing to make good choices or are you slipping off and giving in to temptation?

My last few days have been a lot of fun and a little more relaxing than my last few weeks.  I was able to escape to the south for some sunshine and visiting with family.  It was also a great opportunity to take a break from everything going on and sleep!

I feel I made fairly good choices.  We ate a lot of proteins, fruits and vegetables.  I didn't have a specific workout unless you count running through an airport with luggage and a car seat one.  We did stay busy though with the warm weather.

I don't want to discuss Saturday and the loss of the Broncos, it still hurts too bad!

It was nice to get back to normal today after a long day of delays and hanging out in an airport all day yesterday.  I started my day off with some eggs and ostrich jerky then a big chicken salad, and finally gluten and dairy free tacos for dinner!  I drank a lot of water and hope to get back to working out tomorrow.

Thursday Plan:
-Protein Shake
-Apple, peanut butter
-Salad bar, I still need to go grocery shopping
-ostrich jerky and maybe peppers if I am still hungry
-lemon pepper fish and asparagus
-big strength workout!
-a lot more water

Enjoy your Wednesday night and keep making good choices! Final weigh ins are just about a month away!

Here are a couple pictures from our trip!

look at that great running form

soccer with my gramps

Addi wanted to eat the bread that was for the ducks

on the plane!

Week 1

How is your week 1 going? I hope it's going well, your not too crabby and that maybe your starting to feel better. 

I will be out of town for the next couple of days but plan to stay on track with my food, get workouts in and still enjoy my trip. Even though I will be out feel free to send me successes, struggles and ideas you have for the group. There are almost 50 of us!

I apologize for not getting to all your body fats yet but I promise I will get to them next week and then send them out to you. 

Have a great weekend, plan ahead and focus on where you want to be in a month. Know it will take longer than a week to get there and that all these small steps will turn in to one giant leap, eventually. 

Something to think about this weekend!

Stephanie Winters, ATR, CPT

OSR Physical Therapy

Chanhassen / Eden Prairie

stephanie.winters@osrpt.com

www.osrpt.com

952.873.7400

My day 1

How was your day 1?  Mine was great!  I had yummy food, a great workout and took a ton of measurements. Nothing like pinching people all day to motivate you to kick some butt!

My Day 1
-Protein powder and water
-apple and pistachios
-salad bar at Kowalskis
-pickle and lunch meat wraps
-workout of strength and some basketball
-baked buffalo chicken strips, celery, quinoa
-lots of water and even more tonight as I watch Notre Dame try to beat Bama.

A view of my salad for lunch, lots of protein!

My fuel for day 1, and its not over yet.

A picture from one of our participants dinner, his advice for the challenge is TABASCO SAUCE

Feel free to send me your food ideas, pictures and tips.  It will only help us all succeed.  Right now we are over 40 participants and its still growing every day!  I am ready for more measurements Tuesday.

If you want to watch even my little Addison try to workout, check out her favorite sport!

Keep working towards where you want to be.  When you make choices and decisions ask yourself "Is this helping me get to where I want to be"?  Decisions can help you or hurt you, try to pick the things that help you!

Welcome to Day 1

If we have not met for measurements please let me know a time this week that works for you!
stephanie.winters@osrpt.com or 952-873-7400

As a reminder here are our recommendations:

1. Drink 80oz of water per day
2. Eat at least 7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
3. Eat protein at each meal
4. Completely avoid processed and fried foods
5. Avoid gluten, high fructose corn syrup and trans fats
6. Workout at least 3 times per week
7. Take a fish oil or similar supplement daily
8. Limit alcohol to 1 drink per week, or not at all
   
9. Limit dairy to 1 time per day, or not at all
   
10. Stick to these recommendations at least 80% of the time.  The closer to 100% you are the better the results you will have.

Here is a food list.  Try to eat from the left to the right on this list.  Start with your protein and then move on to your vegetables and carbohydrates.

As a reminder follow our social media streams for even more help:
www.stephaniewinters.blogspot.com
www.osrpt.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/stephaniewinters30
www.facebook.com/osrptep
www.twitter.com/osrptmn

Please pass this on to friends, family and co-workers!  It will be easier to be successful with more help. Any questions, tips or ideas you have please let me know, I am here to help!


Stephanie Winters, ATR, CPT
OSR Physical Therapy
Chanhassen / Eden Prairie
www.osrpt.com
952.873.7400

Almost time!

Are you ready for Monday?  Are you ready to see some more success this month?

It's almost time to start!  I hope you took some time to prep this past weekend and eat up or throw out the food you had left in the house.  From experience, if I have certain foods in the house I will eat them!

Here are a couple food ideas:

Some turkey sausage, eggs and decaf tea!

 Lettuce wraps with turkey, olive oil and mustard. Pickles and cut up potatoes baked with olive oil.

Some air pop, pop corn and sea salt

 A good point.....

 This is why we are starting NOW!

A way to think of our next few weeks!

More updates to come in the new few days!