Making Sleep A Priority

May 15th, 2012

Boni Wendel, MSN APNP-BCBy Boni Wendel
Nurse Practitioner/Facilitator, Women’s Heart Secrets Program 

Mental and physical stress soaks up your body’s energy in massive quantities. As a result, the useful energy available to deal with healthy, day-to-day life activities – such as metabolizing food or expelling toxins – is instead dealing with all the thought patterns associated with stress. Our bodies prepare themselves to deal with stress defensively by diverting energy to the muscles to enable the “fight-or-flight” response. When our body does this for prolonged periods of time we may feel lethargic, even ill. So how does one combat this? The answer is simple: get more sleep.

There are several lifestyle factors that sap physical and mental energy and block the flow of useful energy. Poor sleep patterns is chief among them. Studies show that many of us are spending increasingly less time asleep, giving our bodies less time to restore and replenish. There are times in our lives when we are not in control of our sleep patterns, such as tending to an ill loved one, breast feeding a child, working an off shift, or traveling across time zones.

According to The Sleep Wellness Institute, adults aged 30-60 need 7-9 hours of sleep per night and those over 65 need 7.5-8 hours each night. If you are falling short of that target, there are several environmental factors that you can change. Good sleep hygiene and limiting caffeine to only part of your day may aid in both the quality and quantity of sleep. Nicotine is another stimulant that interferes with quality sleep – yet another reason to quit. If, however, you feel as tired when you awake as when you go to bed or if you fall asleep while driving or sitting in a warm room these may be signs of a more serious medical condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea requires medical evaluation and you should consult your primary care provider.

Being mindful that sleep is an important factor toward developing a healthy lifestyle is taking the first step. Just as you schedule time for work and other commitments you should schedule time for sleep. Instead of cutting back on sleep in order to complete daily tasks, you should put sleep at the top of your to-do list.

Do you feel like getting a good night’s sleep is a serious problem? Columbia St. Mary’s has teamed with The Sleep Wellness Institute, a group of physicians and other clinicians dedicated to helping people sleep. You can find out how to contact them here.

 

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Lifestyle Changes, Sleep, Stress | No Comments »

Five Fitness Myths Busted

April 25th, 2012

By Kim Beyer, BS, Heart Secrets Exercise Specialist

The fitness industry is littered with misinformation, half-truths and often contradictory expert opinions. So what’s a person to do? I’ll break down some of the most pervasive fitness myths and give you the cold, hard facts.

1.     Crunches Will Get Rid of Belly Fat

If late-night infomercials are to be believed, the only thing standing between you and a rock-hard six-pack is 15-minutes a day on the best and newest ab machine. Sorry, but that’s not how it works. While crunches and planks are great for strengthening the abs and obliques, a defined six-pack is all about body fat – and you can’t specifically target belly fat.

2.     Weight Loss Requires More Cardio than Strength Training

It’s an all too common misconception: weight training is for building muscle and cardio is for burning fat. If you’re trying to lose weight, just do cardio. Not true! The bottom line is any successful weight-loss regimen requires both; however many women focus entirely on cardio at the expense of weight training. While cardio is great at burning a net amount of calories and boosting your metabolism in the short-term, because muscle requires more energy to maintain, regular strength training boosts your short-term and long-term metabolic rate.

3.     Lifting Weights Creates Bulky Muscles

This myth is probably the number-one reason women forego weight training in favor of a strict cardio plan. The truth is, due to women’s lower level of testosterone and their smaller and fewer muscle fibers, a regular weight training program won’t result in a bulked-up, Arnold Schwarzenegger body.

4.     When You Stop Exercising, Muscle Turns To Fat

I hear this all the time and it’s simply not possible from a biological standpoint. Muscle and fat are two distinct tissues and nothing you do or don’t do can make one turn into the other.

5.     You Should Drink At Least 64 Ounces of Water A Day

We’ve all heard this rule for as long as we can remember. While it’s not necessarily wrong, it is a tad misleading. The Institute of Medicine recommends women consume about 70 ounces and men about 100 ounces of fluids a day. Water is great – it’s free and calorie-free – but milk, tea, coffee and juice count just the same toward the daily goal. As for the exact amount required, that all depends on a variety of factors from the environment in which you live to your level of activity.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Exercise, Lifestyle Changes | No Comments »

Tasty Tailgating without Breaking the (Nutrition) Bank

April 17th, 2012

Kathy Redlinger, MS, RD, CDEBy Kathy Redlinger, MS, RD, CDE
Women’s Heart Secrets Program Registered Dietitian

It’s springtime. The birds are chirping, the grass is becoming greener with each passing day, and our beloved Milwaukee Brewers have started their trek toward the World Series. And all that means just one thing: tailgating. Burgers, hot dogs, brats, potato salad, chips, beer – it’s all a recipe for a diet challenge. But it doesn’t have to be. Below are some healthier options for those game-day festivities.

Brats
Many Brewers tailgate parties serve brats on their menu. Thankfully, our local sausage shops all carry chicken and turkey varieties of their famous links, which significantly cut down on fat and calories. Some even add seasonings such as spinach and feta to keep the sausages full of flavor. All of the lower fat sausages are still high in sodium, so it is best to limit yourself to just one sausage.

Burgers
For those who love nothing more than a burger, consider bison. It has all of the flavor of beef buthamburger and fries less of the fat. In fact, 3.5 ounces of bison (just under a quarter-pound) has just 143 calories, 2.42 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat – compared to 219 calories, over 10 grams of fat and 3.2 grams of saturated fat for beef. Better yet, why not consider a couple of other options – how about grilling a chicken breast, salmon, or a black bean or veggie burger?  With lettuce, tomato and barbeque sauce on a whole grain bun you have a great heart-healthy sandwich.

Potato Salad
Healthy potato salad might seem like a misnomer, but there are a few ways to lighten up this popular side dish. If you enjoy the creamy route, use reduced-fat mayonnaise and replace about half of the amount with nonfat plain yogurt – that will deliver the desired richness but with a fraction of the fat. A cup of regular mayonnaise tips the scales at an astonishing 1600 calories and 175 grams of fat. While light mayo is better at 800 calories and 80 grams of fat, there is no beating nonfat plain yogurt – just 100 calories and 0 grams of fat. Remember to leave the potato skins on as they add fiber and texture to your salad. For an even healthier option, consider making a sweet potato salad.  Adding pineapple, celery, red pepper, pecans and a little light mayonnaise to the sweet potatoes makes a nutrient-rich and colorful salad.  Or you can skip the potato salad altogether and whip up a fresh summer pasta salad with whole-wheat pasta, summer vegetables and a light vinaigrette dressing – you can even some canned tuna, grilled chicken or baked tofu to make a main dish salad. Consider adding a fresh fruit salad or raw vegetables with a low fat dip to fill up hungry tailgaters.

Beer
If beer is a part of the tailgate you really enjoy, I recommend you stick to light beer as much as possible. Even better, breweries now offer super low-calorie options with only 50-70 calories per 12 ounces. If you prefer the taste of “regular” beer, consider limiting yourself to fewer servings and filling in with bottles of water or other calorie-free drinks.

So, you see? Maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to interfere with your tailgating traditions. With a couple of slight tweaks, you can be out there cheering on the Brew Crew all summer long, all while keeping your diet in check.

 

Tags: , ,
Posted in Nutrition | No Comments »

« Older Entries