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October 19, 2010
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Healthy Thoughts/Healthy Actions Weight Watchers Newsletter #76
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Hi Everyone!
Could it be more beautiful outside? Fall has snuck up on us just when we were wondering if it was ever going to really be summer. I have to admit fall is one of my favorite times of year. The apples in my orchard, albeit a pretty knarly crop due to the late rains, are in insane abundance. The leaves on the maples and liquidambers are turning gold and orange. Pumpkins are everywhere. And Halloween is just around the corner. I just LOVE Halloween!
I know most of us consider Halloween to be a kid's holiday. They're the ones who dress in costumes and run around the neighborhood getting candy, after all, and that is not easy on us, because candy is everywhere. But there is also the joyful silliness of costumes and revelry which long ago was much more common in our culture. Nowadays we are all so darned serious...jobs, house payments, exercise classes, etc. When was the last time you dressed up in a costume and pretended to be someone else? When was the last time you danced until dawn? When was the last time you forgot all of life's challenges and just had a really fun time?
This issue is dedicated to having fun, dancing, silliness and joy. My mother loved every single holiday. Despite being Jewish we celebrated Christmas, and Easter along with Hannukah and Passover. If Kwanza had been in our culture when she was alive we most certainly would have celebrated it too. I think I have inherited her passion for the joys of these times. Don't let it pass you by. It doesn't have to be about the candy...that's the excuse. Its about allowing yourself to be someone else for a day or a night. If you've made up a story about how that is being immature, or how you don't have time, or whatever your reasons for not diving in, let them go. You deserve to have fun! |
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MEETING TOPICS:
WEEKS OF
October 19 & October 26, 2010
The week of October 19th we will discuss
CELEBRATING SUCCESSES! How often do we focus on all the things we do wrong on this journey? I ate the "wrong" thing this week! I didn't exercise enough this week! Etc etc...How about if we celebrated all the things we did right? You are muttering under your breath as you read this, "I didn't do anything right this week", aren't you? Betcha you did and just do not see it. Come find out how to recognize and honor all the small stuff. It can add up to one huge success if we just notice it! And the week of October 26th we will talk about
SURVIVING HALLOWEEN!!
Okay, Halloween can be challenging. Candy candy everywhere! What's a Weight Watcher to do? Come find out how to handle this sweet-filled holiday, and get my fabulous Halloween Candy Points List. Seriously scary stuff...
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RECIPES FOR THIS ISSUE
I have been trying to come up with ideas for breakfast, as I like to make special things on weekends. Below are two recipes: one which I love as it reminds me of my mother and years gone by, and the other was in a newsletter in the spring, but a member raved about recently, so I decided to republish it. Enjoy!
FOR MORE RECIPES CHECK OUT MY UPDATED WEBSITE RECIPE PAGE...
HEALTHY THOUGHTS/HEALTHY ACTIONS RECIPES
POTATO PANCAKES
Ingredients
spray oil
1 T olive oil
2 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup egg white or egg beaters
1/8 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste Directions 1) Spray medium-sized frying pan with oil, and add 1 tsp of oil as well. Heat until oil lightly bubbles.
2) Mix all other ingredients and stir well. Place in rounded tablespoons in frying pan. Repeat, using all the oil as you make consecutive batches. Makes 8 pancakes. 1.5 pts per pancake. Serve with applesauce and/or non-fat or low fat sour cream, and add points accordingly.
Ingredients
2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fat free milk (or almond milk)
1/2 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 Tbsp. xylitol (or sweetener of choice: Originally this called for brown sugar twin or splenda)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 325. Combine dry ingredients and add wet ingredients, mix well, pour into a square glass baking dish that has been well sprayed on sides and bottom with spray oil.
Bake for about 35-45 minutes. 4 Servings/4 points a serving |
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PRODUCT SUGGESTION
MORNINGSTAR FARMS ASIAN VEGGIE PATTIES
Thank you Marcia from the Palm Drive meeting for sending this recommendation. They are 2 points each, nutritionally you cannot do any better than these burgers, and...they taste awesome!!
If you have not explored the world of non-meat burgers, sausages, ground "meats", etc. I hope to convince you to take the leap and do so. The flavors are just fantastic, and variety is staggering. And as we are all on the path of eating healthier...this is beyond a doubt one of the best ways to do it! Morningstar Farms is just one company. Also check out Boca Burgers and Healthy Choice. I predict you'll be thanking me in due time if you take a chance and try them!
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DANCE DANCE DANCE!!!
Valerie in my Sonoma meeting, knows how much I love to dance and she sent this video. It is a fantastic mishmash of incredible movie dance moments. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYL3j27sSH8 My friend David sent this amazing dance video as well. Very unusual style of dance. The photo is crummy but the dancing is sooo cool! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRRnAhmB58&feature=player_embedded#!
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More on Dancing!!
Use It or Lose It: Dancing Makes You Smarter
Musings by Richard Powers
For hundreds of years dance manuals and other writings have lauded the health benefits of dancing, usually as physical exercise. More recently we've seen research on further health benefits of dancing, such as stress reduction and increased serotonin level, with its sense of well-being.
Then most recently we've heard of another benefit: Frequent dancing apparently makes us smarter. A major study added to the growing evidence that stimulating one's mind can ward off Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, much as physical exercise can keep the body fit.
You've probably heard about the New England Journal of Medicine report on the effects of recreational activities on mental acuity in aging. Here it is in a nutshell.
They studied cognitive activities such as reading books, writing for pleasure, doing crossword puzzles, playing cards and playing musical instruments. And they studied physical activities like playing tennis or golf, swimming, bicycling, dancing, walking for exercise and doing housework.
One of the surprises of the study was that nearly all physical activities appeared to offer no protection against dementia. There can be cardiovascular benefits of course, but the focus of this study was the mind. There was one important exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.
(This is a small part of this article. If you have an interest please email me and I will gladly forward the entire piece!)
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WHERE TO DANCE?
I am hoping all this dance stuff is encouraging you to consider taking the leap and learning to dance, if you do not already know how. In this area we have lots of options for dancing, so here are a couple of places I know and love:
Monroe Hall:
http://monroe-hall.com/
1400 W College Ave in Santa Rosa (kitty-corner across from G&G Market). They offer everything from Zumba classes to line dancing, west coast swing and jitterbug, waltz, polka, country two-step, contra and Jazzersize.
Ellington Hall
http://www.ellingtonhall.com/
3535 Industrial Drive in Santa Rosa (next to Goodwill, behind Payless/KMart center). They offer a zillion classes, including tango, bellydance, swing, salsa, tap and jazz. |
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An Interesting Letter...
Hi Janet,
My neighbor & fellow WW pal is really having trouble with the program because he has type 2 diabetes. The weekends are fine but during the week he is having trouble with lunch and finding snacks.
He owns his own business and is VERY involved with Sonoma acitivities. He does not cook and because he is gone most evenings so his wife does not cook for him because he is not home. Yesterday he was telling me that he went into a grocery store and was having trouble finding a snack or something that he didn't have to prepare. Everything has to be low carb.
Sure planning and preparation would be a sure fire solution but that ain't gonna happen. I am going to put together a list of things that he can grab off the shelf from the grocery store or get a cache from Trader Joe's. Would you please share some ideas or food ideas with me to pass on to him?
~Val
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Hi Val,
It is amazing to me that people do not consider fruits, vegetables or protein in choosing snacks. Last night I was hungry as I was driving home from my Sonoma meeting and had to drop my co-worker off at Olivers, so went in and at their hot bar they had a tray of roasted vegetables. Yum! I got a container full and ate them as I drove home. This morning I ate some figs as a snack that I picked from my neighbor's tree. Why is it "snacks" have to involve flour, fat, sugar and salt?
At Whole Foods (I am sure Sonoma Mkt carries them too) there are packets of dehydrated fruit called Sensible Foods. They are just fruit, nothing else, and taste like crunchy chips. How about healthy packages of jerky? TJs has ones without a lot of junk in them and that is an easy snack.
As far as lunches go, salads (does he have access to a good salad bar? Sonoma Mkt or Whole Foods have ones to die for), soups, or chunks of meat or chicken. At Trader Joes there are large packages in the refrigerator section of cooked chicken: teriaki or caesar I think, and some that are just roasted. Chunks of chicken make great lunch with roasted veges (from last night's dinner or the salad bar?) or use the chicken as a snack as well. How about a hard boiled egg or two? If his wife is cooking have her make twice as much so there are leftovers.
Our culture is so revolved around those darned addictive chips, cookies, crackers, etc. and there seems to be an automatic assumption that lunch needs to be a sandwich. Your friend is diabetic because of this food (and maybe alcohol as well, given you live in the heart of wine country), so he needs to rethink what a snack ought to be. Protein, fruit and veges are so much better for us, not to mention our pocketbooks and our addictive natures. Hope this helps!
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MY WEBSITE IS A GREAT RESOURCE!
If you have not visited my website find out why it is a truly helpful addition to your Weight Watchers efforts.
I have finally UPDATED my recipe and product page, so lots of new things on both! Check it out!! My Products Page features dozens of low-point food suggestions from Trader Joes and lots of other markets.
The Recipe Page has been updated but I have kept some classics, including the to-die-for oatmeal pancakes I talk about all the time.
The Healthy Tips page has lots of great ideas which we talk about in the meetings, but you might need to have at your fingertips when you are not in the meeting room.
And last, but not least, if you are coming to the meetings and finding yourself not actually taking the action you want to be taking to lose your weight, or maybe you cannot even seem to get motivated to come back to the meetings, maybe there is something deeper going on. I am a Certified Lifecoach, specializing in weight managment. I do free sample sessions and would love to talk to you about this or any other dream you have which is unfullfilled.
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There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. ~Vicki Baum
Lots of love and joy to all of you!
~Janet |
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