FHN Virtual Get Fit 2023
This year's Get Fit program has ended, but that doesn't mean your personal fitness goals need to!
We’d love for you to join us for this year’s Walk With a Doc kick-off on Saturday, April 22! We meet at 8 a.m. every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month through October. Meet us near the concession stand at Freeport’s Krape Park for a family- and pet-friendly walk and chat with a healthcare expert.We’ll also be hosting Miles and Minutes again this summer, starting May 27, so you can make your movement count for the area school of your choice. Keep an eye on the FHN Facebook page for more details!
Quiz Biz
Congratulations to Bobbi D., who won a $20 grocery gift card from our Quiz #6!
Special congratulations to our overall Get Fit winners:
1st Place: Sue K. who won a $200 Gift Card from Brown’s Shoe Fit Co.
2nd Place: Haley G. who won a $100 Gift Card from Farm and Fleet
3rd Place: Kayme M. who won a $50 Gift Card from Nature’s Way
Thank you all for participating in this year's Get Fit journey!
We hope you’ve had fun, checked out some new workout spots, and picked up a few healthy habits along the way!
This seems like a really good time to talk about goal setting. Remember our Monday resolutions? You don’t have to wait for January 1 to pick up a good habit (or drop a bad one). Keep setting small, attainable goals throughout the year. Here are a few to start you out.
This week, I will:
- Try a new vegetable – you can find some great ideas in Eating Well’s Eat More Vegetables Challenge!
- Have a glass of water when I get home from work or school – here are some some good tips from the Mayo Clinic!
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park farther away from the store when I go shopping – check out these fun ideas to “sneak” some exercise into your days!
- Take a walk outside – treat yourself to a nice walk through a nearby park and enjoy the signs of spring! We’d love it if you’d join us for this year’s Walk With a Doc series of events! We meet at 8 a.m. every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month while it’s warm near the concession stand at Freeport’s Krape Park for a family- and pet-friendly walk and chat with a healthcare expert. We’ll also be hosting Miles and Minutes again this summer so you can make your movement count for the area school of your choice – keep an eye on the FHN Facebook page for details!
- Go for whole – every time you have a choice, choose 100 percent whole grain. Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic.
- Check out my health insurance wellness benefits. Your plan should cover wellness checkups and recommended screenings, but it also might be a great resource in living a healthier lifestyle! Some health plans include things like special programs to help you keep high blood pressure or diabetes in check, and many offer some sort of discount or free subscription to an online fitness tracker. You’re paying for those benefits, so make use of them!
Just Keep Moving
If you prefer to make your exercise more intentional, we’ve found some good information that can help you put together a routine. Here are the 10 best exercises to tone all your muscles every day, and here’s a nice at-home beginner workout routine
If you’re feeling stuck or bored (or it’s raining or too cold to get outside for a walk), there are thousands of different types of workout videos on YouTube. We’ve already recommended SilverSneakers and DocJenFit.
Many YouTube videos will ask you to enroll in a (paid) program or try to sell you something, but watching the videos and working out to them is free. (They’ll like the clicks, too, so you are giving them something.)
If you like dance-oriented videos, check out Team Body Project. If you’re focused on getting your steps in, look for a walking workout.
Do you like celebrity-trainer style workouts? Check out MsJeanetteJenkins.
MyTrainerCarmen offers workouts targeting specific areas of the body.
If you like yoga, YogaWithAdriene offers workouts from beginner to stretches for back pain, balance, and some nice morning yoga workouts.
It’s More Than a Diet
The Mediterranean diet has been in the news lately, because a new study has linked it to a reduced risk of developing dementia.
CNN notes that the Mediterranean diet is plant and seafood based, and the CDC outlines it with a few simple points.
- Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts.
- Using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter or other oils.
- Limiting dairy products and red meat.
- Limiting sweets, added sugars, sodium (salt), and highly processed foods.
Like any diet, it basically comes down to healthy choices.
If you learn one thing from this year’s Get Fit program, we hope it’s just that – it all comes down to healthy choices! Choose the healthier option for the little decisions you make each day – from what you snack on to where you park.
And remember, all of this year’s recipes and newsletters are available to you at any time on our website!
Last Chance for Fitness Partner Specials!
Don’t forget, our Fitness Partners across the area have special deals for Get Fit members, and you can take advantage of most of them at any point in the program! The link is always on our special site – just under the Facebook feed – or you can use the link above.
Quiz Biz
Congratulations to Marcia J., who won a $20 grocery gift card from our Quiz #5!
Remember, everyone who has participated in all 6 check-in quizzes will be eligible for our BIG prize, a $200 gift card to Browns Shoe Fit in Freeport!
All Get Fit participants are eligible to win the second-place prize, a $100 gift card to Farm & Fleet, or the third-place prize, a $50 gift card to either Fitness Nutrition Center or Nature’s Way.
If you’re new to Get Fit, missed one of the quizzes, you can find links to them in each newsletter.
Take a minute for the – Week 6 Quiz.
Cooking Corner
We’re sharing a two-fer this time, because one recipe’s leftovers can make a great part of the other recipe!
Greek Yogurt-Marinated Chicken
Healthy Eating on the Run
Smart Tips for Successful Meals
How are you feeling?
It’s our fifth newsletter already?! If you started Get Fit on January 9, you’ve been at this for about 8 weeks.
As for us, we’re EXCITED, because it’s March, which means that A) warm weather is closer, and B) it’s National Nutrition Month! We have some extra recipes to share in honor of that.
Winning Every Day
Remember our “Monday resolutions?” Getting healthier isn’t a decision we make just once a year. Setting attainable weekly goals can be much more productive, and if you think about it, we’re making those decisions all the time:
- Taking a walk instead of watching some more HGTV? Excellent healthy choice! Great job!
- Ordering that grilled salmon on the menu instead of your regular cheeseburger? Way to go, healthy eater!
- Choosing a water instead of a soda next time you’re stopping in at the gas station? Awwww, yeah. (Bonus points if you choose a healthy snack like popcorn over a bag of chips!)
Every time you choose the more healthy option, that’s a win! These next couple of weeks, don’t think about how you’ve “slipped up.” Think about all the times you’ve made great choices, and then go out and make some more!
Reduce Your Fatigue
One of the most common reasons people give for avoiding exercise is that they’re tired. We get it. (Oh, boy, do we get it!)
Let’s try turning that negative into a positive. We found this great video with yoga moves to help reduce fatigue. The story references “ending the year 2020,” but remember, good health is a choice you make every day.
Give that gentle yoga workout a try – it’s easy, and you could end up feeling like you’ve had a great big, refreshing stretch, and ready for more movement!
Recipe Break!
We weren’t kidding earlier about loving National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme is “Fuel For the Future,” focusing on an Earth-friendly healthy diet. Yep, we’re talking veggies again.
But you don’t have to cut meat out of your diet to be healthy. We found this delicious-sounding recipe for Cinnamon-Poached Chicken and Rice on eatright.org. Doesn’t it sound perfect for right now, and – be honest – can’t you smell cinnamon right now?
And Now, a Workout
Now that we have you thinking about food, let’s talk about devoting some serious time to exercise. There are SO MANY ways to get moving, it’s hard to focus on just one, so we like to stick to recommending “entry-level” workouts that are do-able for just about everyone.
Feel free to ignore the “silver” references in this 30-minute strength and cardio circuit . It’s a part of the Silver Sneakers program, but that just means that the exercises shared are easy on the joints.
The Silver Sneakers “channel” on YouTube. It’s a part of the Silver Sneakers program, but that just means that the exercises shared are easy on the joints.
We Love a Good Deal
Don’t forget, our Fitness Partners across the area have special deals for Get Fit members, and you can take advantage of most of them at any point in the program! The link is always on our special site – just under the Facebook feed – or you can use the link above.
Family-Friendly Goodness
We promised some extra yummy goodness in this newsletter, so here’s a recipe for No-Bake-Chocolate-Cherry-Oat Bars! It’s easy (and kid-friendly) to make, and a delicious, healthy treat!
Quiz Biz
Congratulations to Darcy S., who won a $20 grocery gift card from our Quiz #4!
Remember, everyone who has participated in all 6 check-in quizzes will be eligible for our BIG prize, a $200 gift card to Browns Shoe Fit in Freeport!
All Get Fit participants are eligible to win the second-place prize, a $100 gift card to Farm & Fleet, or the third-place prize, a $50 gift card to either Fitness Nutrition Center or Nature’s Way.
If you’re new to Get Fit, missed one of the quizzes, you can find links to them in each newsletter.
Take a minute for the – Week 5 Quiz.
Cooking Corner
This week’s recipe Vegetarian Tacos don’t require any cooking, which makes it easy for you to put together a quick and easy vegetarian meal and be on your way. The bean mixture is also delicious when topping a salad of mixed greens. You can make these tacos vegan by simply leaving out the cheese.
Tips to Get Fruits and Veggies in Your Diet
Happy Presidents’ Day!
OK, we might be aging ourselves a bit, but some of you might remember striving to win a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in grade school. You had to complete six different tests:
- Sit-ups (timed for one minute)
- Push-ups (as many as possible without resting)
- Pull-ups (as many as possible) or flexed arm hang (as long as possible)
- A 30-foot “shuttle run”
- The “V-seat reach” (to gauge flexibility)
- A one-mile run
If you scored at or about the 85th percentile (national) on all the tests, you received the Presidential Physical Fitness Award. Those who scored in the 50th to 84th percentile received the National Physical Fitness Award, and everyone else got a Participant Award.
That program was dropped in 2013, and replaced with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, a part of the national Move Your Way program. (We’ve shared that link before – it really is a great resource for exercise ideas and even inspiration!)
This year, in honor of Presidents’ Day, give the test (or at least the parts of it that don’t involve gym class equipment) another try – see how many sit-ups you can do in a minute, do some push-ups, walk or run a mile. What would grade school-you think about your grown-up results?
Ugh, Adulting
Little-kid you probably didn’t give a lot of thought to your diet, other than wondering “what’s for dinner?” Grown-up you has to think about that kind of stuff – you might even have kiddos asking you “what’s for dinner?”
We asked FHN’s dietitians for some advice (and recipes), and they shared this article which starts off with one of the best tips we’ve seen:
Put vegetables at the top of your shopping list and plan your meals around them instead of what kind of meat you’re going to prepare. Formula: more veggies; less meat. Beans are a vegetable, so have tacos with beans instead of hamburger, and add plenty of freshly chopped salsa, tomatoes and lettuce. The same goes for your lunch. Make sandwiches with less meat, and pile on the veggies. Go beyond lettuce and tomato! Add cucumbers, sprouts, spinach and sweet bell pepper strips. Hold the mayo, or use the low-fat or fat-free kind.
If you’re the type of person who wanders into the produce section and wonders “how do I cook that?” or even “what is that?” don’t fear Betty Crocker is here!
If you’ve already tamed your fear of veggies, we found this article really good, too – it shares the secrets to delicious roasted veggies, how to season your veggies, and more.
Celebrate Heart Month!
Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States? FHN is celebrating American Heart Month in February with special pricing on two tests that can give you and your provider a good look at your heart’s health.
Call 815-599-6860 by Tuesday, Feb. 28 to schedule a Standard Walking Treadmill Stress Test or Calcium Scoring CT Heart Scan and pay just $124 for each test. You can find more information here. Tests must be performed by Friday, May 26 to qualify for the special rate.
Keep Moving!
Don’t forget, our Fitness Partners across the area are offering special deals for Get Fit members! The link is always on our special site – just under the Facebook feed – or you can use the link above.
T-Shirt Winners!
Thanks to all of you who sent in your “get moving” photos – we have six t-shirt winners:
- Linda S.
- Tina S.
- Deanna K.
- Bonnie H.
- Oscar W.
- Terri H.
Cooking Corner
This week’s recipe Black Bean Soup is a Mexican classic packed with fiber and protein, making it a perfect entrée soup. Because this recipe calls for fewer than 10 (bonus – they’re budget friendly!) ingredients and about 20 minutes of cooking time, you can get dinner on the table quick!
Quiz Biz
We have a winner from our third check-in quiz! Congratulations to Tina S., who won a $20 grocery gift card.
Remember to check in with us after each newsletter – our easy quiz gives you a chance to let us know what you’re interested in, a chance to win $20 for groceries, and a chance at this year’s BIG prize, a $200 gift card to Browns Shoe Fit in Freeport! (You must have completed and returned all 6 quizzes to be eligible for the $200 prize.)
All Get Fit participants are eligible to win the second-place prize, a $100 gift card to Farm & Fleet, or the third-place prize, a $50 gift card to either Fitness Nutrition Center or Nature’s Way.
Take a minute for the – Week 4 Quiz.
Happy Early Valentine’s Day!
If you’ve been in a store recently, you may have noticed that Valentine’s Day is coming soon. How are you supposed to maintain a healthy diet in the face of All. That. Candy???
Nobody expects you to go treat-free forever. The key is moderation. This might help: Take a look at this Eating Well article about how much sugar is in some common candies. Yikes!
If that doesn’t inspire you to cut down on Valentine’s sweets, try substituting a healthy snack for a piece of candy. We shared a printable “cheat sheet” of snacks that weigh in at 100 calories or less on social media last week – if you missed it, make sure to look it over.
Celebrate Heart Month!
As if Valentine’s Day isn’t enough, we’re also at the very beginning of American Heart Month, a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of heart health. Check out this great tip sheet with 28 small things you can do for your heart in the next 28 days.
It’s pretty easy to get a good idea of your heart’s health – have your blood pressure checked! FHN offers lots of free blood pressure screenings throughout the area – you can find one that’s convenient for you on our online calendar.
Get Moving – And Get a T-Shirt!
Adding movement to your days really can be as simple as walking, but if you’re looking for a little more structure, we asked FHN’s Rehab and Physical Therapy team for some good exercise tips.
Dr. Jen Fraboni is a physical therapist who has some mobility issues, which she incorporates into her active lifestyle. She shares all kinds of exercise videos on her YouTube channel – from How To Touch Your Toes If You Can’t to HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts, yoga, and Proper Foam Rolling.
And remember, our Fitness Partners across the area are offering special deals for Get Fit members! The link is always on our special site – just under the Facebook feed – or you can use the link above.
Any way you do it, it’s important to get up and get your body moving, and we’d like to reward you for that! Starting tomorrow (Feb. 7), look for a contest app on our Facebook page and share a photo of you exercising! If you aren’t on Facebook, you can email a photo to us at getfit@fhn.org. We’ll draw 5 names from all those who submit photos to win a free Get Fit team t-shirt! The random drawing will be early Monday, Feb. 20, so make sure to get your photo in by then.
Cooking Corner
Before we share this week’s delicious recipe, we have one more good link to share. FHN’s dietitians work with all kinds of people to “healthy up” their diets, and for American Heart Month, they’ve shared some great tips on Cooking to Lower Cholesterol. Check it out for some easy ideas on creating a heart-healthy diet!
This week’s Frozen Yogurt Bark recipe is a delicious, protein-packed, and healthy snack that’ll help you rack up those 5-a-day points:
Quiz Biz
We have a winner from our second check-in quiz! Congratulations to Tina S., who won a $20 grocery gift card.
Remember to check in with us after each newsletter – our easy quiz gives you a chance to let us know what you’re interested in, a chance to win $20 for groceries, and a chance at this year’s BIG prize, a $200 gift card to Brown's Shoe Fit in Freeport! (You must have completed and returned all 6 quizzes to be eligible for the $200 prize.)
All Get Fit participants are eligible to win the second-place prize, a $100 gift card to Farm & Fleet, or the third-place prize, a $50 gift card to either Fitness Nutrition Center or Nature’s Way.
Take a minute for the – Week 3 Quiz.
Two Weeks In – How Are You Feeling?
"Starting is not most people’s problem, staying, continuing, and finishing is."
– author Darren Hardy
First, let’s have a little check-in. How many days in the past two weeks have you:
- Had enough water? (Remember, if you feel thirsty, you’re probably a bit dehydrated.)
- Had 5 servings of fruits and vegetables?
- Gotten your body moving around for at least a half hour total during the day?
It's OK to be honest, and it’s OK if your answer isn’t "all of the days" for all of the questions above. That's why we're here! So, let’s get to work!
FHN's Executive Director of Behavioral Health Clay Cunningham was a guest on the Big Radio Dial-a-Doc show recently, talking about what drives us to make resolutions, and how we can keep them.
A resolution, he said, is really just a goal we have for self-improvement. We're kind of hard-wired to make "New Year’s resolutions," but it’s OK to set much shorter-term goals. You can make a resolution, he said, anytime – New Year's Day, your birthday, even just every Monday!
He also shared some good advice about just being aware of "where you're at" in terms of your goals. "If you are feeling like you’ve lost your resolve," he said, "First of all, applaud yourself that you’re aware of that!" That awareness can be your first step toward renewing your focus.
We kind of like the idea of an "every Monday" resolution. How about, starting today, we resolve to add one fruit or vegetable serving to each of our meals? A banana at breakfast, carrot sticks with lunch, green beans with supper. (This week's recipe just so happens to feature a yummy side of green beans!)
Let’s Get Moving
You can make a Monday resolution about getting more exercise, too. What have you been doing for exercise these first two weeks? Make a resolution to try something different in the next two weeks.
Our Fitness Partners across the area are offering special deals for Get Fit members – have you checked any of them out yet? The link is always on our special site – just under the Facebook feed – or you can use the link above.
It's good to get out and see how different places feel. With our weather, walking outside may not be possible, but you can walk inside – on a track or a treadmill – at most fitness clubs. Check out what’s available and give some of the equipment a try. You might find an activity or exercise that makes you feel great!
We found this short, interesting article (you can listen to it, as well) on how to start exercising and stick with it.
It also introduces a "geeky but cool resource," the Compendium of Physical Activities, which measures all kinds of movement using a value called metabolic equivalent. It truly is geeky, but quite fun – you can look up everything from playing the accordion to roofing, washing a car, and bathing the dog to ice fishing or ballet dancing.
Quiz Biz
We have a winner from our first check-in quiz! Congratulations to Oscar W., who won a $20 grocery gift card.
Remember to check in with us after each newsletter – our easy quiz gives you a chance to let us know what you’re interested in, a chance to win $20 for groceries, and a chance at this year's BIG prize, a $200 gift card to Brown's Shoe Fit in Freeport! (You must have completed and returned all 6 quizzes to be eligible for the $200 prize. To access previous quizzes, use the past newsletter links below.)
Take a minute for the – Week 2 Quiz.
All Get Fit participants are eligible to win the second-place prize, a $100 gift card to Farm & Fleet, or the third-place prize, a $50 gift card to either Fitness Nutrition Center or Nature’s Way.
Recipes
You’ve Been Waiting For It ... and here it is – a recipe for air-fried tofu! The neat thing about tofu is that it's basically a blank slate, taking on the flavor of whatever marinade you're using. This recipe uses soy sauce, but here are a few other marinade ideas.
Not ALL of you answered "willing to try tofu" on our first quiz, so we have another recipe for you from FHN’s dietitians. This one-pot casserole is easy and cheap, and features delicious green beans on the side!
One-Pot Tuna Casserole with Green Beans and Almonds
This one-pot American dish is easy to make and easy on your wallet – make sure to check out the tips after the recipe for a healthy swap idea and some ways to make recipe prep even easier!
Guide to Good Nutrition
Hello! Let’s Get Started Having Fun and Getting Fit!
We’re glad you’ve joined us, and we hope to help you make some healthy changes in the next 12 weeks.
We’re so glad you’ve joined us for Get Fit 2023. If you’ve made a resolution to try and include healthier foods and more movement in your life this year, you’re in the right place!
You may have noticed that “getting skinny” isn’t one of our stated goals, and that’s by design. We’re all about trying new, healthy stuff – foods, exercises, fitness clubs, and more – and incorporating some of that into our daily lives.
Let’s take tofu, for example – you probably made a face when you read that, didn’t you? But what if you tried it in a delicious recipe and loved it? Boom – you’ve got a brand-new low-fat, plant-based, calcium-rich protein to include in your meals!
WebMd recently had a feature on why it’s best to focus on fitness, not “fatness.” It isn’t a long read – we hope you’ll take the time to check it out.
Keeping Track
It can be useful, however, to identify some goals and keep track of all this good stuff you’re doing. We’re aiming to eat “5 a day” (5 servings of fruits and veggies) and drink 8 glasses of water each day. Keep track of these – on a sticky note, a calendar, on the fridge – and even if you don’t hit your goal each day, keep working on it! (We’ll help, with recipes and tips.)
As for exercise, it seems like there are as many ways to track your exercise as there are ways to exercise. Here’s a rundown of some very good workout and fitness apps that can not just track your movement but suggest new ways to move!
If you’d like a little help putting together an initial exercise plan, we’ve found Move Your Way is a great place to start – there’s even an interactive tool to create a weekly activity plan.
You’re not on your own, though, and we want to hear from you! So, just as a chance to check in every couple weeks, we’re going to quiz you. Don’t worry, it won’t be difficult – you’ll be able to answer easily if you’ve read the newsletter – and there are just 2 questions each time. That doesn’t sound TOO bad, does it? We’re going to make it even better – we’ll draw a $20 grocery gift card winner from among the people who answer each quiz. Take the Week 1 Quiz now!
But wait, there’s more! At the end of this year’s Get Fit program, everyone who has participated in all 6 quizzes will be eligible for our BIG prize, a $200 gift card to Brown's Shoe Fit Co in Freeport! (All Get Fit participants will be eligible to win the second-place prize, a $100 gift card to Farm & Fleet, or the third-place prize, a $50 gift card to either Fitness Nutrition Center or Nature’s Way.)
Follow Us on Facebook!
We’ll be sharing information here and on Facebook often. If you’re on Facebook, make sure to Like or Follow us there – FHNGetFit. If you’re not on Facebook, don’t worry; you’ll still have access to all the information we share here.
Recipe
Pork Chops with Balsamic-Peach Glaze, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
This recipe sounds fussier than it is – it’s an easy, delicious recipe from the American Heart Association that will give your 5 a day a big boost!
Welcome to this year’s FHN Get Fit program!
We’re glad you’ve joined us, and we hope to help you make some healthy changes in the next 12 weeks.
Let’s get started by choosing a way to keep track of your progress. There are hundreds of apps and programs available to help you with this, not all of them free. We are going to focus on keeping it free!
First, does your health insurance offer a fitness or wellness program? This is a good place to start looking, because these kinds of programs are free (they’re part of your insurance premium) and can even offer rewards!
If you aren’t looking for an app-based (or phone-based) program to help you get active, check out the Move Your Way Activity Planner. It’s a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Move Your Way site, which is a really nice resource if you’re looking to try new, fun ways to get moving!
While you’re on your computer, check out MyPlate, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s healthy eating site. Go ahead and take the MyPlate Quiz! There’s so much good information on this site, from great healthy recipes to tips for eating healthy on a budget. There’s even a free app to help you on your healthy journey!
One of the easiest-to-use apps to help you track activity and nutrition is MyFitnessPal . It’s free to download and use (you can subscribe for about $10/month to use all of the app’s features) and helps you track calories and fitness activities and has more than 350 workouts.
Fooducate is a neat app that can help you make good food choices. It has a barcode scanner that will “grade” your grocery choices and really details the nutrient content of food. Plus, nice recipes! It’s free to download and use, though there are in-app purchases for added features.
If you’re looking for workout ideas, check out Daily Workouts Fitness Trainer. It gives you access to exercise videos and workout routines with on-screen instructions and a timer. It has workouts of different lengths, from 5 to 30 minutes, and was developed by a certified personal trainer. It’s free to download and use.
If you’re looking for a more specific app – something that pairs with your Apple Watch or features yoga, for example, check out this article on the 10 Best Fitness Apps.