Wellness

@ Moraine Valley

Kelly Devine Rickert

7 No Nonsense Tips for Long Term Results!

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It’s that time of year. The time where we want to jump-start our systems, head back to the gym, vow to lose those pesky pounds. In lieu of crash dieting in 2022, here is some real life weight loss advice from a realistic dietitian!

7 tips for long-term permanent success when it comes to weight loss, weight maintenance and overall health.

  1. Start planning! It’s not glamorous. It is MOST definitely NOT fun (for most). But it works. It truly does. If you plan out your breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner you are less likely to be hungry, to watch your portions and be less tempted to go through a drive thru. (and it saves money. Lots and lots of money!)
  2. Go shopping weekly. And make a list!
  3. Exercise! Have to have to have to. Find something you love or at least something you don’t hate. And do it often. Wear a pedometer and increase your steps daily. Take a class. Join Fitrec. But just get moving. Your body is not meant to be idle. If you sit all day and all night, you need to constantly get up and move to offset this. Get that heart rate up. Lift some weights. Do some stretching. Your body, metabolism and heart will thank you down the line!
  4. Plan your dinner meals each week. No need to be a short order cook. Eating healthy is for the whole family! You can bake instead of fry. You can add vegetables… steamed, roasted or a nice salad. You can have fruit for dessert. The possibilities are endless. When I hear someone say, “I can’t eat this way, I would have to make 2 meals, 1 for myself and 1 for family”. I cringe. You can make food that is kid friendly but healthy. TRUST ME.
  5. Make small changes. Make a small goal and then work towards it. Baby steps are better than none at all. I am not a fan of the “I’ll start my diet Monday” approach. What about your next meal? Can you squeeze a workout in today after work? Can you increase your pedometer step goal? Small changes add up over time. I had an almost wheel chair bound patient of mine increase her steps from 1,000 to almost 6,000 a day just by using this approach. You can do it! Stop listing your excuses and instead list what you can accomplish!
  6. Please ditch the sugary drinks. Please, please, please. Your body, heart, pancreas are not a fan. Wean yourself off as much sugary beverages as you can. Drink LOTS of water. Ice cold, water. From a BPA free container. All day. Throw a slice of lemon or berry or cucumber in there. But drink water. It will energize you and help you burn more calories.
  7. You only get one life. Let’s make the most of it shall we? Instead of constantly dieting, taking pills, hating on our bodies, embrace life and the body God gave you! Make goals, stop waiting for Monday to press the restart button!!!

~Kelly Devine Rickert, RD and Moraine Valley Community College Wellness Coordinator

devinerickertk@morainevalley.edu

Fitting in Fitness Through the Holidays

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Don’t forget about your fitness this holiday season! Here are some ideas to help you fit more physical activity into your day. Even just 10 minutes of exercise can blast 100 calories!

• Look for short periods of time (at least ten minutes) during the day in which you can do some physical activity.
• Do a 10 minute interval workout.
o Alternate the following exercises for the first 30 seconds of each minute followed by 30 seconds of rest.
 Pushups
 Sit-up’s
 Planks
 Burpees
 Jumping Jacks
 Stairs
 Walk/Run in Place
 Lunges
 Squats
 Tricep dips

• Park at the far end of the parking lot when at the store, mall or work. (When safe to do so!)

• Be active during lunchtime! If you bring your lunch to work, you may have time to take a brisk walk.

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

• Plan and prepare meals ahead of time, so you’ll have time to exercise.

• Get your family to exercise with you. It’s a fun way to spend some quality time together.

• Leaves still hanging around? Rake leaves for the evening.

• Keep a daily log; this can help you see where you can fit in more physical activity.

• Exercise inside using machines or DVD’s (PX90, Leslie Samsone, On Demand etc)

• Track your pedometer steps. Increase your goal each week!

  • Hit up the FitRec after work

Kelly Devine Rickert MVCC Wellness Coordinator

5 Reasons to Put Down that Soda/Pop and drink some WATER!!!

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  1. A study from Tufts University looked at the link between sugary drinks and the nutrition habits of over 900 adults. Results showed that those who drank the largest amounts of sugary drinks were at a higher risk of obesity and had a lower intake of fiber.
  2. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams for women, and 38g for men of ADDED sugars a day be consumed.
  3. Check out how many grams of sugar are in some popular drinks:

Monster 16 oz 200 cal, 54 g
Frappuccino Café Vanilla 420 cal, 70 g
Coke 20 oz bottle 239 cal, 67 g
Medium McDonalds Sweet Tea 184 cal, 45 g
16 oz Lemonade 232 cal, 62 g

Water is… 0!!

  1. Water helps to…. energize you?!?
    Sure does! Many times when we feel tired we are also most likely a little dehydrated too. Drinking some ice cold water and even having a snack in the afternoon can be just as good or EVEN BETTER than drinking a pop or coffee!
  2. Ditch those plastic water bottles!!!
    Did you know Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year? However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year.
    The recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400.
  3. Water can aid in..
    weight loss, improves skin, digestion, metabolism.. you name it!

Hydrating Hack!

  1. Sometimes just water gets a tad old. Try adding some natural flavor to your water bottles.. For best flavor, add some slices of your choice of produce into a pitcher and keep in fridge for 4 hours. You can also purchase a fruit infuser water bottle as well. (Cyber Monday deals are out there today!)
  • Produce to add.. lime, lemon, berries, cucumber, strawberry slices, mint leaves, oranges and more

Happy Hydrating!

Kelly Devine Rickert

MVCC Wellness Coordinator

Dinner at home.. tips and benefits!

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The age old question…. what’s for dinner?

In the last 14 years as a Registered Dietitian, I have noticed that the one meal a day people struggle with the most is dinner.
Here are some of the common reasons people give me for not eating dinner at home
– no time
– rushing around with work and kids
– don’t want to just cook for 1 or 2 people
– don’t know how to cook
– too many picky eaters at home… and many more.

But the fact is, it is MUCH LESS expensive and MORE healthy to eat at home than anywhere else. If you sit down once a week and plan your dinner meals you are more likely to stick to your menu, decreasing any chance of you ordering last-minute take out food.

Not only is it less expensive to eat at home but it also has some other great benefits as well!
– You consume less sodium, fat, sugar and overall calories when eating at home.
– Family dinners are more important than play, story time and other family events in the development of vocabulary of younger children.
– Frequent family meals are associated with a lower risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs in preteens and teens ages 11 to 18.
– Adolescent girls who have frequent family meals and a positive atmosphere during those meals are less likely to develop eating disorders.
– Children who eat most often with their parents are 40 percent more likely to say they get mainly As and Bs in school than children who have two or fewer family dinners a week.
– Dinner with family can be a stress reliever. Believe it or not, if you have a demanding job, finding time to eat with your family may actually leave you feeling less stressed.

Tips for dinner meal planning:

  1. Sit down once a week with your calendar to see what nights you will be at home to make dinner and what evenings you need to have something quick and easy to go (grilled chicken wraps with fruit)!
  2. Shop the sale ads on the weekends to plan which protein’s you will have that week with dinner.
  3. Start with your protein first, then figure out your sides (add a whole grain starch and some veggies to each dinner).

Pasta with Zucchini and Roasted Garlic


Ingredients
• 1 pound Rotini, Twists or Spirals, uncooked, whole grain
• 8 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 5-6 cups)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450.  Place your garlic on a 12-inch square piece of foil on the counter.  Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary.  Pour the oil over the garlic and herbs.  Draw up the edges of the foil and make a sealed packet. Bake 20 minutes.
2. While the garlic is baking, cook pasta according to package directions.  Two minutes before pasta is done, add the zucchini to the pasta cooking water. Cook two minutes. Drain zucchini and pasta.
3. Open the foil and mash the garlic lightly with a spoon. Toss with the pasta and zucchini, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Sides: Serve with a side salad and whole-wheat dinner roll.

Happy planning!

Kelly Devine Rickert MS RDN LDN
Registered Dietitian/Wellness Coordinator

Fall Snack Ideas

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Try some of my fall favorites this November! Great for snacks!

* Pumpkin peanut butter dip for apples
Ingredients:
1/2 can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I use Splenda)
1/4 cup smooth peanut or almond butter

Roasted pumpkin seeds: Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and add a layer of pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle the seeds with a dash of sea salt, and then roast them at 325 F for about 25 minutes, or until toasted.

– Popcorn: Place kernels in paper lunch bag, spray with olive oil cooking spray, fold down top of bag two times and microwave on popcorn setting. Add some fall spices to spruce your popcorn up! (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and ginger or I love garlic powder with some Italian seasonings).

– Honey Crisp apple and slice of cheese

– Thomas’ Pumpkin Spice English Muffins with natural almond butter or peanut butter. Try to limit the topping to one tablespoon.

For nutrition/exercise questions or for more tip ideas, email Kelly at
Kelly Devine Rickert, MS, RDN, LDN,