Author: fritep15@uwgb.edu

Hide the Snacks!

It may be time to do a little redecorating at home! This doesn’t require moving the couch, but rather, making some simple changes in your environment that can help you eat less.

Fruit_bowl

An article in the Annual Review of Nutrition details how factors such as food storage and placement can affect how much we eat. For example, the less effort it takes to get food, the more we munch. Large portions and packages also may lead to overindulging, several studies suggest.

Here are some ways to help you put these findings to good use:

  • Stow away sweets and other temptations in a high cupboard.
  • Don’t place serving bowls on the table during meals, since they encourage seconds.
  • Replace the cookie jar with a bowl of fruit.
  • Inside the fridge, disguise unhealthy foods in foil and push them toward the back.
  • Move smaller bowls and plates to the front of the cabinet, so you can use them for everyday eating.

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

New York Strip Steak Salad

(Gluten-free)

A 3-ounce serving of the best steak possible is the centerpiece of this large salad. Cook the steak on an indoor, 2-sided contact electric grill.

  • About 1 pound New York strip steak, about 1 inch thicksteaksalad
  • 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
  • 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • 4 radishes, sliced
  • 2/3 cup slivered red onion
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
  • 2 ribs celery, sliced
  • 2 cups steamed and chilled broccoli florets

Heat grill to high. Rub a New York strip steak with crushed black pepper. Grill steak to desired doneness—about 5 minutes for rare (internal temperature of about 130°F) to 8 minutes for well-done (160°F). Let steak rest before slicing.

Arrange vegetables on 4 dinner plates. Spray lightly with olive oil and vinegar or use a light bottled vinaigrette dressing. Slice steak on a diagonal, trimming any fat. Divide equally among salad plates. Top with herbed horseradish cream sauce and serve.

Without the salad dressing, each serving contains about 270 calories, 28 g protein, 14 g fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 94 mg sodium, and 9 g carbohydrates.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Break Your Snooze Button Addiction

snoozealarm

When your alarm goes off, do you slap the snooze button again and again for just a few more minutes of glorious sleep? Actually, that extra sleep isn’t so great. It’s not long or deep enough to do any good. And it can make it harder to get going when you do finally get up. You can break the snooze habit! Read these tips. Make a plan today to put them into action. When your alarm goes off tomorrow, you just might find it easier to get up.

  • Focus on the reason you need to wake up. Use it as motivation to get moving.
  • Move the alarm clock away from the bed, so you need to get up to turn it off.
  • Try a sleep tracker alarm that wakes you in a lighter stage of sleep.
  • Go to bed earlier. Even 15 minutes each night could be what you need to get better, deeper sleep.

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

Herbed Horseradish Cream Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup low-fat sour creamhorseradishsauce
  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, cilantro, or other fresh herb

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle on steak.

Serves 4

Each serving contains about 23 calories, less than 1 g protein, 2 g fat, 6 mg cholesterol, less than 1 g fiber, 19 mg sodium, and 1 g carbohydrates.

To make this recipe gluten-free, use only spices or condiments that are gluten-free.  Read food labels carefully and contact the company if you have any questions.

Meat, poultry, and fish intake should be limited to 1 to 2 servings per day.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Aim for 10,000 Steps!

You know that physical activity is good for you, and that walking is an easy, low-impact way to get moving. But how far do you need to walk before you start seeing benefits? And what exactly are the benefits of walking?

The National Institutes of Health recommend you take about 10,000 steps a day, which shakes out to roughly 5 miles. That may sound like a lot, but remember, you don’t have to do it all at once.

steps

If 10,000 steps a day seems daunting, it’s OK to ease into it. First, use a step tracker for a few days without trying to change anything. This gives you a baseline for your fitness. If you currently take 5,000 or fewer steps a day, aim to increase by about 3,000 at most. Start working toward 10,000 steps today!

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

(Gout-friendly)

Ingredientsshrimp pizza

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 13.8-ounce package refrigerated pizza dough or a precooked pizza crust
  • 1 tablespoon cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
  • 1 pound cooked and peeled shrimp, sliced lengthwise
  • 6 cloves roasted* garlic
  • 2 cups shredded part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tablespoon crushed dried basil

Directions

*If you don’t have time to slow-roast garlic in a 325°F oven for an hour, microwave on high for about 30 seconds to soften cloves, then slice them.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray 10-1/2-by-15-1/2-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle cornmeal evenly over pan. Stretch refrigerated pizza dough across pan. Bake dough for 8 minutes. Skip this step if using a precooked pizza crust.

Mix garlic into ricotta and spread over pizza base. Add a layer of shrimp. Cover pizza with mozzarella and sprinkle with basil. Bake on the bottom rack of an oven heated to 400°F for about 12 minutes, until cheese is bubbling. Cut into 12 pieces and serve immediately.

Makes 12 slices

Each piece contains about 175 calories, 14 g protein, 5 g fat, 69.5 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, less than 1 g fiber, and 448 mg sodium.

This recipe is gout-friendly because it contains food moderate in purines. Meat, poultry, and fish intake should be limited to 1 to 2 servings per day.

 

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Build Core Muscles by Mastering the Pelvic Tilt

The American Heart Association recommends doing what you can to keep your waist circumference to no more than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women. Are you within the recommendations? Check today. To size up your waist circumference, wrap a measuring tape around your middle, just above your navel.

If your waist is larger than it should be, don’t think doing dozens of crunches alone will solve the problem. That’s a myth. You can’t whittle your middle just with targeted exercises. But an aerobic workout, such as walking, jogging, and running, can help burn calories and dissolve fat all over, including your midsection.

Also try this core exercise to help firm the underlying muscle, give you a solid center, and improve muscle definition—no crunches required.

Pelvic Tilt

Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Extend both arms out to your sides, forming a T, with your palms facing up. Exhale, engage your abdominal muscles, and push your lower back into the floor so that all of your back is touching. Hold this position for several seconds. Next, inhale and arch your back while keeping your hips and tailbone on the floor. Hold for several seconds. Return to your starting position and repeat.

pelvictilt

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

Seasoned Salmon for One

(Gluten-free)

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces salmon fillet, skin removed
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (without salt)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

Serve with

  • 1 cup cooked, chopped spinach with 1 tablespoon low-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup cooked instant brown rice, with 1/2 teaspoon butter

salmonseasoned

Directions

Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on both sides of salmon, pressing in lightly. In a small frying pan, heat olive oil until almost hot. Put fish in pan. Cook on medium-high heat about 4 minutes per side. Fish should be browned on the outside and moist inside. Fish should be opaque and flake easily with a fork (internal temperature of 145°F).

Serves 1

This complete dinner contains approximately 442 calories, 38 g protein, 18 g fat, 33 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, and 262 mg sodium.

To make this receipt gluten free, use only spices or condiments that are gluten free. Read food labels carefully and contact the company if you have any questions.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Try this No-Excuse 30 Minute Workout!

Try this 30-minute workout you can do anywhere.

Warm-Up—5 Minutesfallbiking

Slowly walk, bicycle, or go up and down the stairs.

Aerobic Exercise—10 Minutes

Choose an activity you enjoy—anything that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe harder, like walking briskly, jogging, dancing, bicycling, or jumping rope. Do it at least hard enough that you can talk but not sing. Comfortable? Then work harder so you can’t say more than a few words without stopping for a breath. This gives you more benefits in the same time. Pick different activities on different days to prevent boredom.

Strengthening—10 Minutes

Try to do each exercise eight to 12 times, then rest one minute and do eight to 12 more. Do only as many as you can while maintaining good form.

Squats: Stand with your back to a sturdy chair, feet shoulder-width apart. Reach forward in front of your shoulders. Bend forward slightly at the hips, back straight. Bend your knees, and lower your bottom toward the chair to a count of four until you’re almost sitting. Keep your knees in line with your ankles and behind your toes. Pause. Rise to a count of two.

Wall pushups: Stand facing a wall. Reach forward in front of your shoulders. The wall should be just out of reach. Lean forward slightly from your ankles, back straight, and place your palms against the wall. Bend your elbows, and lower yourself toward the wall to a count of four. Pause. Push up to a count of two.

Abdominal Curls: Lie down on your back. Bend your knees, and plant your feet flat on the floor, hands behind your head. Point your elbows out to the sides. Lift your chin toward the ceiling, and your shoulders and upper back should be off the floor to a count of two. Pause. Lower yourself to a count of two.

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

Herb-Crusted Tilapia for Two

Ingredients

2 tilapia fillets (about 3/4 pound)

1 tablespoon flour

1 large egg, plus 1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons mixed herbs

1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Sprinkle flour on waxed paper. Rub fillets with flour. Beat egg with water in a shallow dish. On waxed paper, mix panko with herbs. Dip floured fillets in egg wash and roll in herb-panko mixture, patting it gently so that it sticks to the fish. Heat oil in a nonstick frying pan to medium high. Saute fish about 3 minutes. Turn once and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

tilapia

Serves 2

Each serving contains about 317 calories, 39 g protein, 11 g fat (31%  calories from fat), 148 mg cholesterol, 15 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber, and 132 mg sodium.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.