August Newsletter
Logan's Wellness Workshop
Extreme Work-Site Wellness Ideas!

The health and fitness world is full of crazy contraptions to get you fit. Fitness equipment for the work place is the new frontier. While these things will most certainly work (they are designed to increasing you activities of daily living, the amount of energy you spend on your day to day movement) they can get a bit extreme. Check out these cool new toys:

  • Swiss Ball Chair - designed to engage your core and correct posture problems while sitting at your desk

  • Standing Desk - standing burns around 350 more calories per day than sitting (8hr work day).

  • Under the Desk Stepper and Elliptical: why not turn your desk into a stationary cardio machine? Try out these devices to get your work out in while you get your work done!

  • Treadmill Desk: the ultimate in work-site fitness equipment! The treadmill desk functions like a normal treadmill but has the capacity to hold all your work gear (computer and all). Walk, jog, or run all while burning off some major calories!


The good news is, you don't have to go to the extremes to get a work out at your work-place. Take 10 minutes to complete a simple warm-up, work out, and stretching routine at your desk or on break. Remember, just three 10 minute sessions adds up to the recommended 30 minutes/day! Click the links to download a copy of our work-site work out routines.
Beat The Heat

The summer is quickly passing but the high temperatures are just approaching.  In Missouri, the average high temperature in August is ninety degrees.  Add in the humidity and ninety degrees can quickly start to feel much higher. Don't give up on your workout because it feels too hot outside.  Our bodies are naturally warmer than the environment so when that temperature begins to change, our muscles regulate the heat through sweating which allows the body to cool itself.  Most importantly, in the higher temperature weather, when the body is sweating, it is losing fluid. Keep these five tips in mind while exercising this summer:

  • Stay hydrated.  This is the biggest concern when exercising in the heat.  As long as you remain hydrated, the body will be able to cool itself off.
  • Exercise early in the morning or evening.  At these times the temperature is going to be cooler and you will be able to beat the heat by choosing this time to exercise.
  • Slow down.   Exercising in the heat is not the place to try and gain a personal record.  Pushing yourself in the heat is not smart. Slow your pace and listen to your body.
  • Dress appropriately and wear sunscreen. Light colored and light weight clothing is going to be the best option for exercising in the heat. Avoid dark colors, heavy material and reflective clothing. 
  • Be aware. Listen to your body and know the signs and symptoms for heat related illness.  If you don't think you can handle the heat, take caution by stepping inside and exercising indoors.
-Sarah Vallez (intern)
BigTime Fund Raising


Thanks to our wonderful clients, BigTime raised
 $2,200 for Operation Home Front and Girls on the Run! Thats 2,200 repetitions performed by the BigTime staff (1346 of which were burpees! Thanks for that!).


No Bones about it

With my experience working at Missouri State, it has been eye opening how many young people I come across with high risk factors for developing osteoporosis!  I have tested several people under the age of 50 that already have T scores that indicate osteopenia (softening of the bone).  Asking people about their lifestyle it always comes down to lack of Dairy in their diet, no exposure to sun and lack of anaerobic training! 

From a Registered Dietitian's perspective, it's my duty to relay the message that dairy is ok to consume.  Calcium is actually more bio-available for your body to absorb in whole food versus supplement form.  The recommendation is to consume 3 servings of Dairy/day.  I personally like Organic Skim Milk, 100 calorie Greek Yogurt (Yoplait and Chobani) and 2% Cheese!  Switching to 2% cheese from full fat cheese can save you 22,000 calories per year or over 6 pounds of fat if consuming 2 servings per day! Also, vitamin D is pertinent to maximize your absorption of Calcium, which can be synthesized with only 15 minutes of Sun exposure per day!


 


 

From a trainer's perspective, you can effectively reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis with only 2-3 hours of anaerobic training (weight lifting)!  A study was conducted that showed doing 3 sets of 15 reps of "heel slams" per day drastically reducing your risk for a hip fracture.  Beyond the importance of decreasing your risk for osteoporosis, weight training can help you maintain or rebuild lean muscle mass that will support a healthy metabolism.  Remember, the more lean body mass you have, the more you can get away with eating!  People always say "I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and get away with it, now I look at a piece of cake and gain 5 pounds!"  The normal trend is that you lose 4-6 pounds of lean body mass per decade of life (after the age of 30), affecting your metabolism 10 calories/year.  This means, at the age of 50 you would burn 200 less calories per day!  Another depressing statistic is: if you consume an extra 115 calories/day over what your body needs it equate to a 12 pound weight gain by the end of the year!  That's not much; it's like eating one banana too many every day over the course of a year, but it adds up!

 

If you would like help with developing a safe customized weight lifting program give us a call. We can work with you 1 on 1 or on a consulting basis and develop a workout you can do on your own!  

 

-Noah Alldredge, RD


Strawberry Yogurt Squares

Ingredients

1 cup crunchy wheat and barley cereal

3 cups fat-free Yoplait Greek strawberry yogurt

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen unsweetened strawberries (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 cup light or fat-free whipped topping (optional)


 

Directions

Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with foil. Sprinkle cereal evenly on the bottom of the pan; set aside.

 

Place yogurt, strawberries and condensed milk in a blender; cover and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture over top of cereal, gently smoothing yogurt mixture to edges of pan. Cover with foil (or plastic wrap) and freeze for 8 hours or until firm. Use edges of foil to loosen and remove from pan; let recipe thaw for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into squares, top with whipped topping, if desired, and serve.

 

Storage tip: Squares may be individually wrapped and frozen for single servings.

 

Note: Create your own variations by using other flavor combinations of yogurt and fruit.

 

Nutritional Facts

Calories: 200

Total Fat: 0 g

Saturated Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 5 mg

Sodium: 150 mg

Calcium: 20% Daily Value

Protein: 14 g

Carbohydrates: 35 g

Dietary Fiber: 3 g


 

Recipe created by 3-Every-Day™ of Dairy

Total WHALEness Minute with Alyea

It's August and that means back to school! Whether you're a student or not- Our Certified WellCoach, Alyea Alldredge, can help make getting healthier as easy as ABC!


 

Earn a WHALE done! on your next health assessment by following these tips:

 

Always check labels. And here's a bonus A for effort- Avoid processed foods and artificial sweeteners.

 

Breakfast. Must eat this every. single day. Focus on fueling your body with foods that will start your day off right---Greek yogurt, fruit smoothie, egg white omelette---ask Noah if you need more ideas----he has this meal mastered and as a Registered Dietitian, can offer more nutritional tips.

 

Create a wellness vision for your month. What does your ideal self look and feel like? Create a vision board with goals, inspiring quotes and pictures that will motivate you towards that vision.

 



Drink lots of water!

 


Enjoy and appreciate the little things in your day- a great cup of coffee, cool mornings perfect for running outside (in August!), fresh fruit, sunshine, our freedom!

 

Farmer's markets. Visit your local farmer's market to make eating seasonally easy. Talk to the farmers and get to know the vendors.

 

Goals! Write down 3 goals that you can start working towards today. It doesn't have to be the lofty goal of running a marathon---and can just be the goal of drinking more water. Want more accountability? I can help you with that!

 

Healthy thoughts. Sometimes our stress and negative thoughts can derail us and make us feel discouraged. Turning a negative into a positive and believing in yourself can go a long way towards creating healthy change in your life.

 

Imagine your ideal self. Not necessarily your ideal weight, but your ideal self. What activities are you doing? I mentioned this earlier but I can not stress enough, the power of envisioning what it is you want to achieve.

 

Just do it. So many times we think we have to be ready to make all these huge changes in our life and that we have to wait until the stars align before we can start down our path to our best self. Start right now!

 

Keep a journal. Food journal, exercise journal, gratitudejournal---I don't care---just keep one.

 

Like your exercise. Now I didn't say love. I said like. And no, it's not always going to FEEL good...but pick activities that you actually don't hate. You won't continue it if you hate it. Need more ideas for your work outs? The trainers at BigTime can give you all the help you need!

 

Meal plan. Meal prep. I don't care what you call it---just make a plan. Then go buy your food and snacks.

 

Notice your small successes. This will help energize you to keep going. Lifted a heavier weight? Ran 10 minutes longer? Did ab work 2 times this week instead of 1? Give yourself a pat on the back---and hopefully you keep the celebration going!

 

Ouch! Does your workout hurt enough? No, I'm not saying, get hurt or continue doing an exercise if you legitimately are in pain...but you should be getting sore ever now and then from working out hard and pushing yourself. There is not greater feeling than feeling the lasting effects from a great workout which will turn into visual effects.  

 

Pay it forward. Share your successes with others and let them know what has worked for you. I always encourage having an accountability partner. Pick this person wisely---they need to be someone that won't let you off the hook each time you want to skip a workout or indulge in some cake!

 

Quit making excuses. There are so many reasons whybeing healthy may not be convenient, but start listing the reasons that you want to be healthy! No more excuses. No one has time----but those that make time, make themselves more healthy.

 

Reduce stress. Reduce your level of stress by delegating, meditating, finding your happy place, and taking time for yourself!

 

Share Your Goals. Read them out loud to someone. By putting your goals out into the world, you instantly start to work towards achieving them. Plus it keeps you accountable to yourself. 

 

Try something new. Never tried yoga? Boot camp? Salad?!!! Pick something new each day that you haven't ever done before. You never know if you have a new hobby, talent, etc. just waiting to be discovered by you!

 

Understand yourself better. Know your strengths and build on those. We tend to focus on what's wrong with ourselves and what we can improve upon. While this can sometimes be helpful, focusing on what we are already doing right or good at, can take us from good to great!

 

Variety. Mix up your workouts and meal plans each week and don't let yourself get bored. Yes, routine is good, but be mindful of when you need to switch it up. Noah keeps me on my toes----always encouraging me to try new foods. I must say it helps. 

 

Whole foods. Keep it simple. While this is hard to do 24/7, ifyou can try and eat real MOST of the time with less fake ingredients, you'll be on your way to better health.

 

X-ercise. Ok, so this isn't a real word...but you get it. Move as much as you can. This is not negotiable.

 

Yoga. I used to knock yoga....then I tried it. If you don't feel a "high" or sense of peace after doing it, you're not allowing yourself to truly get into it. The benefits of yoga are many, not to mention the stress-reducing quality it can provide.

 

ZZZZs. My maiden name was Azeez and when I ran forStudent Body President my senior year of high school, one of my campaign posters said, "Don't sit around catching your ZZZ's, wake up and vote for Azeez!" Ok, so I take that back-----GET YOUR ZZZ's! And get lots of them. Your body does so much restoration while you sleep and it's more important than you think to get plenty of sleep.

 

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Big Time Results | | [email protected] | 3343 E. Montclair
Springfield, MO 65804