Sleep Could Be An Easy Fix

Want to reduce the stress you feel on Monday morning? Try getting more sleep on Sunday evening.

A full 7 or 8 hours a night can reduce stress, help control appetite, lower blood pressure and boost your immune system.

Have a better Monday!

Go Healthy, Not Hungry

Holiday EatingPlanning ahead can help keep eating under control, expert says.

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_92182.html

HealthDay
Robert Preidt
Sunday, November 22, 2009

SUNDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The holiday season means you'll be faced with a seemingly endless buffet of food temptation. While some people simply give in and eat too much, others deny themselves any holiday treats.
But there are ways to navigate between overindulgence and deprivation, according to Julie Redfern, manager of Nutrition Consult Services at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She offers the following advice:
Eat a light snack before you go to a holiday party. That will prevent you from arriving hungry and overeating or gobbling down foods high in calories and saturated fat.
When you're invited to a party, offer to bring a healthy food dish.
Research how you can use healthy ingredients in your favorite holiday recipes. For example, using 1 percent milk instead of whole milk and cream in a traditional eggnog recipe can save almost 200 calories and 20 grams of fat per serving.
Wear tight clothes, such as form-fitting slacks, to holiday events. People who wear loose clothing tend to overeat without realizing it.
Staying away from the food table at gatherings will help you resist the urge to eat.
Carrying a clutch or handbag will keep your hands busy and reduce the likelihood that you'll reach for every treat that passes your way.
Use a small plate or no plate. You'll eat less if you have to walk back and forth to get food.
Keep portion control in mind. A dinner plate should be half vegetables, a quarter protein, and a quarter carbs. Avoid going back for seconds and thirds.
You can have dessert, but keep the portions small.
Beware of high-calorie holiday drinks such as eggnog and apple cider. Have only a small cup.
Plan to go for a family walk after your main holiday meal.

SOURCE: Brigham and Women's Hospital, news release, Nov. 18, 2009
HealthDay
Copyright (c) 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Give Thanks With Each Bite

This Thursday eat slowly and consciously, savoring your food and your company. It can take several minutes for your body to feel full. Give it time to tell you what it needs.

It's the Holiday Time of the Year

Taking Time to Eat Properly

The pleasures of the holiday season include sharing time with friends and family, shopping, baking, and attending parties—and are in addition to our regular daily schedules. This translates to extra demands of our time and energy, which can increase stress. One of the first things to go when we’re stressed is our diet. Everyone responds to stress differently. For some, stress can trigger overeating, while it suppresses appetite in others.

With this in mind, plan ahead to ensure you eat as healthfully as possible. If you are a stress eater, don’t binge or grab whatever is in sight. Keep healthy snacks on hand such as carrot sticks, broccoli florets with low-fat dip, fresh fruit, pretzels, nonfat yogurt, and low-fat vanilla wafers. When the urge hits, go for the healthy snack instead of the holiday cookies.

Essential to any healthful diet is a proper breakfast. This will give your metabolism a kick-start and help prepare you for the busy day ahead. Also remember to take healthy foods to work to have on hand for mid-morning and afternoon snacks. Keep quick, healthy foods on hand such as fresh, canned, or frozen fruits, vegetables, and beans. Pre-rinsed and prepared spinach and lettuce leaves are also great when your time is limited.

If you know you are going to be attending an evening office or dinner party, eat sensibly throughout the day so you can enjoy something special later. If you are worried about overeating at the party, eat a healthy snack right before going. Don’t mindlessly fill your plate with whatever is available. Be selective and only choose foods you really want to eat. Minimize the fried foods and select more healthy choices such as boiled shrimp, crackers, bread, and fruit. If you want a dessert you don’t have to eat the entire piece! Many times, a few bites will satisfy the sweet tooth.

Adapted from an article by Michele M. Doucette, PhD
From the "America on the Move" website

Youth Cross Country Ski Program

Girls and boys, ages 5 to 12, (moms and dads are encouraged to participate also) should take advantage of this great opportunity to enjoy our outdoor winter wonderland. Learn the techniques and skills of cross country skiing.

Cross country skiing is a family activity, a great lifetime sport and an outdoor adventure. Ski days will be held on the following Sundays:

December 13 and 20

January 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31

February 7 and 14

from 1:30 to 3:30 on the Carey Lake Ski Trail Head Number One.

Registration and informational night will be held Sunday, December 6th at 5:00 p.m. in the Little Theater Room, in the Memorial Building. This program is offered by Hibbing Parks & Recreation in cooperation with the Minnestoa Youth Ski League Association.

Make Friends and stay active!

A Tip for Great Workouts

The most important tip for having a great workout is to do what you enjoy. There's no best exercise or best time of day to workout; it's up to you figure out what makes you happy. Experiment with different types of exercise at different times of day to figure out what you enjoy the most. You'll find it much easier to stick to your program.

Crispy Potato Skins

By Mayo Clinic staff

Dietitian’s tip:
You can use any number of herbs or spices to season the potato skins. Try fresh basil, chives, dill, garlic, cayenne pepper, caraway seed, tarragon or thyme.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 medium russet potatoes
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Wash the potatoes and pierce with a fork. Place in the oven and bake until the skins are crisp, about 1 hour.
Carefully – potatoes will be very hot – cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the pulp, leaving about 1/8 inch of the potato flesh attached to the skin. Save the pulp for another use.
Spray the inside of each potato skin with butter-flavored cooking spray. Press in the rosemary and pepper. Return the skins to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis (per serving)
Serving size: 2 potato skin halves
Calories 114
Cholesterol 0 mg
Protein 2 g
Sodium 12 mg
Carbohydrate 27 g
Fiber 4 g
Total fat 0 g
Potassium 332 mg
Saturated fat 0 g
Calcium 20 mg
Monounsaturated
Fat 0 g

You've Had a Hard Day! Don't Just Sit!

It is tempting to just sit in front of the TV after a long hard day. But just lace up those shoes and go for a quick walk first. Remember, walking will make you feel less tired. Just lying around can make you fatigued. Walking is invigorating – it encourages blood flow to the brain and other organs, boosting alertness and energy.

Begin Fresh Every Monday

Great advice for the "Healthy Monday" website.

Make Monday the January of every week. Begin fresh by reaffirming your resolutions. Recommit every Monday to sustain your healthier lifestyle and look forward to feeling great.

Great American Smokeout

November 19, 2009 marks the 34th Annual Great American Smokeout. During this day Americans from coast to coast will try to give up cigarettes for 24 hours.

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and affecting the health of not only the smoker but all of those around them. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits. Take a few minutes to make the decision to be smoke-free on November 19th and every day after.

But also remember, smoking is tough to do alone. Smokers are more successful in quitting when they have support from family and friends and use nicotine replacement products, prescription medication or read stop-smoking guides.

If you smoke ask your healthcare provider for recommendations.

Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix

By Mayo Clinic staff

Dietitian’s tip:
Instead of peanuts and pretzels, this Chex Mix version includes garbanzos and dried fruit. You not only increase the amount of fiber in the spicy snack mix, but also reduce the fat and sodium.

Serves 12
Ingredients
2 cans (15 ounces each) garbanzos, rinsed, drained and patted dry
2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 cup dried pineapple chunks
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 15 ½-inch-by-10 ½-inch baking sheet with butter-flavored cooking spray.
Generously spray a heavy skillet with butter-flavored cooking spray. Add garbanzos to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the beans begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
Transfer garbanzos to the prepared baking sheet. Spray the beans lightly with cooking spray. Bake, stirring frequently, until the beans are crisp, about 20 minutes.
Lightly coat a roasting pan with butter-flavored cooking spray. Measure the cereal, pineapple and raisins into the pan. Add roasted garbanzos. Stir to mix evenly.
In a large glass measuring cup combine honey, Worcestershire sauce and spices. Stir to mix evenly. Pour the mixture over the snack mix and toss gently. Spray mixture again with cooking spray. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from burning. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in airtight container.

Nutritional Analysis (per serving)
Serving size: ½ cup
Calories 154
Cholesterol 0 mg
Protein 3 g
Sodium 192 mg
Carbohydrate 36 g
Fiber 3 g
Total fat trace
Potassium 225 mg
Saturated fat trace
Calcium 41 mg
Monounsaturated
Fat trace

Don't Super-Size It!

Aim for 2000 calories per day. Ban the following words from your food vocabulary – jumbo, deluxe, super-sized, all-you-can-eat, and triple-decker.

Use the following visuals when thinking about portion sizes:

½ cup of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist.
A medium apple is the size of a baseball.
A three-ounce portion of meat, fish or poultry is about the size of deck of cards.
A single-serving bagel is about the size of a hockey puck.
1 ½ ounces of cheese is the size of a pair of dice.
One tablespoon of peanut butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.