Power Superbowl Dip

Skip the cheese, sour cream and beans with lard.
Instead: 
-Blend 1-2 cans vegetarian pinto beans with 1 tsp cumin and spread on bottom of a dish.
-Add a layer of smashed or scliced avocado.
-Add chopped lettuce or green peppers.
-Pour a jar of salsa.
-Top with corn, chopped onions and/or black beans.

Grocery Shopping Tips

Here are a couple tips for grocery shopping, feel free to print this out and take it with you next time you head to the store.

Beforehand:

Do: Plan meals/ snacks and make a list of items you need to prepare these.

Don’t: Go on an empty stomach, this will cause you to buy more and make it more challenging to make smart choices.

Produce-

Do: Begin your shopping trip here and experiment with new colors and flavors.

Don’t: Limit your selection to only fruits and vegetables you are use to.

Healthfood Section-

Do: Get some good alternates which are more natural and many times limited in added sodium.

Don’t: Buy additional “junk” food here because it is “healthy” junk food.

Meat, Dairy, Eggs-

Do: Choose lower fat options and if possible buy organic.

Don’t: Pay extra for gimmicks such as “hormone-free eggs” or “natural milk.”

Juice, Crackers, Cookies

Do: Choose 100% juice and 100% whole grain crackers such as Triscuits.

Don’t: Buy crackers/ cookies with more than 1/3 of the fat saturated fat and avoid trans fat.

Canned and Starches-

Do: Choose canned fruit “in its own juice” and vegetables with “no salt added.” Choose brown rice and 100% whole grain pasta.

Don’t: Purchase canned meats/ meals high in sodium.

Dried Fruits and Baking-

Do: Pick dried fruit with no added sugar and whole grain flour.

Don’t: Buy artificial sweeteners.

Breakfast Items-

Do: Choose oats, whole grains and natural peanut butter.

Don’t: Purchase too many caffeinated beverages.

Drinks -

Do: Choose bottled water if you prefer this for convenience and seltzer water if you prefer some extra pizzazz!

Don’t: Buy soda.

Snacks-

Do: Choose baked chips, lower sodium popcorn/ nuts.

Don’t: Buy a large bag if it will be too tempting to eat too much at a sitting.

Frozen-

Do: Choose fruits and vegetables to add to dishes or eat plain.

Don’t: Buy high fat/ high sodium highly processed meals.

Deli-

Do: Choose salsa and hummus.

Don’t: Purchase high sodium meats and fried choices

Things to consider-

DO: Be patient with yourself and others, learning to grocery shop a healthier way can take some time.

Don’t: Expect perfection.

New Years Resolution 2012

Making a goal for the new year? Write it down along with answers to the following 2 questions.

-What are 5 reasons you want to make this change?

-What are 5 reasons you will be able to accomplish this goal?

Happy New Year 2012 from Workout for Wellness!

Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday  

from Workout for Wellness!

Skip a Step

Stairs are a great way to get physical activity throughout the day and can be a great workout themselves. However, stairs bother many people's knees. If this is you, my advice is...skip a step. The angle is widened when a step is skipped and this puts a lot less pressure on your knee joint. Whether you are experiencing knee pain taking the stairs at work or doing stadiums for a workout...SKIP A STEP. Skipping a step gets heart rate up quick since it engages major muscle groups; be patient and build up the amount of steps you take over time.

Give the Gift of Health!

Still debating on what to get your loved ones for Christmas? Give the gift of health this year; here are some examples:

• Massage Gift Certificate
• Gym Membership
• Yoga Studio Classes
• Group Fitness Classes 
• Exercise DVD
• Workout Clothes
• Personal Training Sessions
• Healthy Cookbook
• Health Food Store Gift Card
• Farmer's Market Membership
• Basket of Healthy Treats such as Fresh and Dried Fruit
• A Blender
• Subscription to Health Magazine such as Nutrition Action Healthletter

BMI

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a popular tool used by many health professionals. However there is some confusion of what this really is and what it really means. BMI is simply a calculation of the ratio of weight to height; the number is then associated with a classification. BMI is found by taking weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared OR weight in pounds multiplied by 703 and then divided by height in inches squared. The current classifications are as follows:

BMI	Classification
<18.5	Underweight
18.5-24.9	Normal
25-29.9	Overweight
30-34.9	Obese
35-39.9	Severely Obese
>40	Morbidly Obese

What BMI does NOT measure is body fat percentage. Other means estimate this such as skinfold testing, hydrostatic weighing, and DEXA scanning. During my undergraduate work, I found BMI classifications to be inaccurate amongst several of my classmates since it does NOT take it to account muscle mass or bone density. Therefore, a body builder who is in very good shape could be classified as overweight and a small framed woman who is of a healthy weight could be classified as underweight. For these reasons I ruled out BMI as inaccurate and thought it not to be beneficial.

Since this time I have worked in various locations with the general public and found BMI to be a fairly accurate dipiction of weight classification. For the most, BMI gives an appropriate weight classification for the GENERAL PUBLIC; this does not include everyone such as athletes and those with certain diseases. BMI is just ONE way of  measuring health status and is a quick tool for health professionals. It is a good tool, but does NOT give the whole picture of health. That being said someone could have a "normal" weight and be very unhealthy. Continue to maintain or work towards a "normal" BMI, but more importantly work on being HEALTHY!