FHN Virtual Get Fit 2024
Are you still having trouble getting up and going each day?
We have good news for you! Today (April 3) is National Walking Day! Each year, the American Heart Association invites people to move more and stress less for a longer, healthier life. Here are some Facts to Move You:
Walk more. Stress less. Walking is one of the simplest ways to get and stay active.
- Walking is the most popular form of exercise. No wonder! For most people, it’s safe, low- or no-cost, and it’s easy to stick with. (And did we mention it’s fun? Especially with friends.)
- Research has shown that walking can have a significant impact on your health by lowering your chances of heart disease.
- Walking at a lively pace at least 150 minutes a week can help you think better, feel better and sleep better.
Make a move. One in four U.S. adults sits for longer than eight hours each day. Sitting for too long can hurt your physical and mental health.
- Why not swap it out? A recent study found that swapping just 30 minutes of sitting with low-intensity physical activity reduced risk of death by 17 percent. If everyone increased their activity, even by a small amount, we would see an improvement in health and lower the cost of disease in the United States.
Sweet dreams. Prioritize sleep and aim for seven to nine hours a night.
- Getting a good night’s sleep every night is vital to cardiovascular health. Too little (or too much) sleep is associated with heart disease, studies show. Good sleep improves mood, memory, and reasoning.
Check the stress. Money, work and family responsibilities and health concerns are top sources of stress.
- Chronic stress can impact your emotional and physical health. Stress can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.
- Workplace stressors – such as long hours, finances, job security and work-family conflict – are as harmful to your health as secondhand smoke.
Pets? Let’s! When we see, touch, hear or talk to our furry friends, we feel a sense of goodwill, joy, nurturing and happiness.
The American Heart Association shares a lot of information on its Walk More. Stress Less. microsite, including a 4-week plan to incorporate walking into your daily life.
The last day of this year’s Get Fit program is coming up – Sunday, April 14 – and this is our final newsletter. The Walk More. Stress Less. plan could be a nice way to set a new goal and keep moving!
Our favorite resource, though, is these tips to Fit in Walking Morning, Noon, and Night.
Final Screenings
It’s almost time for our final Get Fit screenings! They are set for Tuesday, April 16 and Saturday, April 20. Your final screening is at the same time and on the same day of the week as your entry screening, again at the FHN Family Healthcare Center – Burchard Hills in Freeport. Remember, you can’t get points for your progress unless you attend both your beginning and final screenings!
If you can’t remember what time you signed up for, please give us a call at 815-232-2121 or drop us an email at getfit@fhn.org!
Working Out Isn’t Just About the Crunches
FHN Physical Therapist Kristin Rabideau, PT has some tips for us this week on a part of exercise that you may be forgetting about – core stabilization and balance.
Doing exercises like the ones Kristin goes over in this week’s video can help you improve your overall balance and help you prevent some aches and pains! Give them a try!
Quiz #5 Winner
Congratulations to Jen L. our winner for Quiz #5. She’ll be getting a $25 grocery gift card – we suggest the simple ingredients to this week’s recipe, Baked Parmesan Tomatoes, below!
Make sure you’re in the running for our final grocery gift card by completing Quiz #6.
Grab Some Bonus Points
FHN’s Walk with a Doc program begins April 13 with some information on heart health and a nice walk around Freeport’s Krape Park. Make sure to sign in at the gathering point (we gather at the Krape Park concession stand at 8 a.m. every second and fourth Saturday through the summer) for 5 bonus Get Fit points! Take a look at this year’s Walk with a Doc lineup.
Don’t Put Away Your Slow Cooker Yet!
You might think your slow cooker is all about warm, cozy cold-weather stews and soups. You’re not wrong, but it’s not time to put this particular time-saver back on the shelf! As spring activities ramp up, try some healthy warmer-weather fare, like this Slow Cooker Chicken Stew.
We found this recipe (and a whole lot more) on The Clean Eating Couple blog. Be aware, there are plenty of ads to scroll by and some invitations to join their mailing list, but they have some pretty good-looking ideas!
Don't be afraid to look around for “clean eating” or “healthy eating” blogs to get new recipes, and keep trying new recipes! We're coming into Farmers Market season, so why not combine a walk around the stalls with trying a new veggie or two?
Look here for nearby farmers markets.
Fresh Veggies, Yum!
This week’s recipe is a nice, simple side or snack that will showcase the flavor of the fresh tomatoes you’ll soon be picking … in your yard, at the farmers market, or the grocery. Enjoy some Baked Parmesan Tomatoes!
Getting Fit with a Little Help From My Friends
Sticking with it, accountability, being in it for the long run … according to our last quiz answers, that seems to be the most difficult part of working on a healthy lifestyle.
As funny as it sounds to say it, you really aren’t alone in feeling that way. That’s why Get Fit is here – to give you interesting, healthy ideas to try out. Any good nutrition and exercise information is better than none, and we hope you find a thing or two that sticks with you for good.
Yes, (You're a) Chef!
In our last newsletter, we talked about slowing down and really focusing on the movements you’re making when you exercise. This time, let’s talk about the easiest way to improve your overall diet – cooking at home!
The American Heart Association has a good “Top Ten” list of tips to help you get started cooking healthy at home: (You can find their article here, complete with links to all sorts of great information:
- 5 ounces per week of nuts, seeds, beans, peas, or lentils
- 6 to 8 ounces per week of seafood, preferably oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, cobia, striped bass, herring, or sardines
- ¼ cup cooked beans, peas or lentils
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) tofu
- ½ ounce nuts or seeds or 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 ounce cooked seafood, meat or poultry
- One egg or two egg whites
#1 – Try new stuff – new foods, new spices, even new cooking methods. We share a recipe in each newsletter, but we aren’t the only good source for healthy recipes. Check out some healthy cookbooks or magazines, cooking shows and blogs or websites for inspiration.
You know we love eatright.org around here – it’s the website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and they have all kinds of tips, from recipes to food safety, cooking, and more.
#2 – Choose healthier meats and proteins, like chicken, fish, and beans. The American Heart Association recommends 5½ ounce servings of protein a day, including:
#3 –Add color to your meals with fruits and vegetables. And remember, fresh, frozen, canned and dried are all good choices, just watch out for excess salt and added sugars.
#4 – Make healthy substitutions when you can. Take baby steps over time to replace less-healthy ingredients in your family favorites.
#5 –Be conscious of how much salt you are using, and learn new ways to give food great flavor, including herbs, spices and other seasonings.
#6 –Think “outside the plate.” A bowl of greens or grains can be the start of a delicious, healthy meal. You don’t even need a recipe – just pile in your favorite fruits and veggies and protein and top with a healthy dressing.
Here’s the American Heart Association’s easy vinaigrette recipe: Whisk together ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar and ¼ teaspoon ground mustard. Add a dash or two of black pepper and toss into a salad for four or more people.
You can jazz it up with tasty ingredients like chopped fresh herbs; diced veggies with lots of flavor, like onions, garlic or scallions and/or a squeeze of citrus juice (orange, lemon, or lime.) Experiment by adding small amounts of those add-ins to the following vinaigrette recipe, taste testing as you go.
#7 –Upgrade your fats. Use healthy vegetable oils (canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, or sunflower) instead of butter, lard and tropical oils.
#8 –– Give your pantry a good spring cleaning and restock. If your cabinets, fridge and freezer are well-stocked with the right staple ingredients, it will be easier to make healthy meals.
#9 –Don’t fry; learn new cooking methods and techniques. The AHA shares great information on healthier ways to cook here.
#10 –Relax and have fun. If you love peppers and onions, try roasting some healthy fish with peppers and onions for supper. Sometimes the best recipe is the one you make up yourself.
Quiz #4 Winner
Congratulations to Shaneka C., our winner for Quiz #4. She’ll be getting a $25 gift cardcard to get started on that Spring pantry makeover!
Make sure you’re in the running for the next grocery gift card by completing Quiz #5.
While We’re Having Fun…
Relaxing and having fun also can help you stay on course with exercising. There are a lot of “fitness influencers” online, some of whom are professionals – physical therapists, athletic trainers or otherwise educated in exercise science – but others are just like you and me, people who are interested in exercise.
You can use these kinds of sources as a way to “spice up” your workout, like finding a choreographed workout to your favorite song, trying an old favorite, or even a way to make a game out of moving around!
Use your own judgment on what you can do, of course, but if you like taking a dance break or rolling the dice to decide what exercise to do, have fun!
Healthy Substitution is a Good Game Plan
Speaking of fun, if you’re planning on watching some basketball this week, give some thought to what you’ll snack on. Have some fruits and veggies handy, and try our dietitians’ Baked Chicken Nuggets instead of wings!
Slow Down, and Keep it Simple!
It’s March already!? Well, happy March, and we hope you all are enjoying the … really changeable weather.
Those first warm days can really get you up and moving – it’s just glorious to be out in the sun and fresh air! “Yeah,” you’re thinking, “I am going to do this every day, it’s so awesome!” And the next day, it snows.
Getting – and staying – motivated is something most of us deal with. There are going to be snowy (or rainy or busy) days, but your body still needs that movement! One idea is to bring your focus in just a little bit, slow down, and work on the basics. FHN physical therapist Kristin Rabideau talks about working on your balance and core stabilization and shares some great exercises here.
You’ll notice Kristin talks about holding a pose for 30 to 45 seconds, or for a certain number of deep breaths. That’s because, even though you aren’t jumping around, you are giving your body the mindful movement it needs.
Take your time and don’t rush through these important exercises – think of each movement as a “biiiiiiiiiiig streeeeeetch.”
If you’re interested in learning more about balance and movement and the intricate system that connects them, sign up for our Movement and Balance Workshop coming up from 9 – 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 22 at the Family YMCA of Northwest Illinois. FHN Audiologist Anneliese Hartman, AuD and Physical Therapist Baylee Alderman, PT, DPT will talk about – and move through with the class – the link between your inner ear and your balance.
Because this event asks participants to join the presenters in some simple exercise and movement, registration is limited for this FREE event. Register today at fhn.org/Balance or by calling 877-600-0346, ext. 901.
Cooking Healthy
While we’re on the topic of slowing down and taking it seriously, let’s talk about eating. One of the simplest ways to eat healthier is to just cook at home. Seriously, even if you’re microwaving frozen broccoli with cheesy sauce, the simpler your meal is, the better.
MD Anderson Cancer Center shared 17 healthy cooking tips. You’ve probably already adopted one or two of these tips already!
FHN’s dietitians have provided us with yummy, healthy recipes for meals and snacks for our newsletters, and this week is a two-fer! Give one or both a try:
Banana Nut Bread and Green Power Protein Smoothie.
Quiz #3 Winner
Congratulations to Darcy S., our winner for Quiz #3. She’ll be getting a $25 gift card to help her put those healthy cooking tips to use!
Make sure you’re in the running for the next grocery gift card by completing Quiz #4 here.
Pick Up Some Tips – and Some Points - Saturday
It was nice to see so many of you at our Celebrate Your Heart event earlier this month! Remember, you can grab another 5 Get Fit points by checking in with us at the Boys & Girls Club Community Health & Wellness Fair. Join the fun from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Boys & Girls Club, 511 S. Liberty Avenue in Freeport.
FHN will have a lot of activities at this great event, including:
- Free blood pressure and cholesterol screenings
- Child developmental screenings (0 – 3 years old)
- Great information on food label reading from our Registered Dietitians
Choose Your Workout
We have been sharing a lot of recipes on Facebook, and it’s all your fault!
No, really: We asked what kind of recipes you’d like to see as part of Quiz #2, and you guys had some great ideas. We’ll continue to share recipes and other ideas, so if you haven’t seen what you’ve suggested yet, you will.
Now, let’s focus a little bit on exercise. Finding interesting things to do for exercise will be much less of a challenge soon, when gardening, yardwork, golf and even just going for a walk will be possible. But what do we do until then?
As a Get Fit program participant, you have free access to some really great places to work out in the area. If you haven’t checked out our Fitness Partners and the special deals they’re offering for GetFitters, make sure you do!
Looking for workout ideas online can be good, once you get past the “GETRIPPEDABSIN27SECONDSADAY!!!!!!!!!!!” silly stuff. You don’t need to pay a subscription fee for a “better bod in 28 days,” either – there are a lot of free resources out there. (Plus you have us to help!)
We’re going to ask what kind of workouts you’d like to see in Quiz #3, but until then, here are a few ideas:
A 14-minute cardio workout for home
What is chair yoga?
A 15-minute chair yoga routine
An 18-minute beginner strength training workout for home
You can even play dice to help you put together a workout!
Quiz #2 Winner
Congratulations to Pam W., our winner for Quiz #2. We’ve increased the amount of our grocery gift cards this year, so she (and all our other quiz winners) will be getting a $25 gift card!
Don’t forget to take Quiz #3 here.
Eat the Rainbow
You know you should be aiming for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, but we have a new twist – eat the colors of the rainbow! This article shares how each color helps to improve your health.
Super-Easy, Super-Tasty No-Recipe Main Dishes
If you’re trying to cut down on your meat consumption, there’s more to the world than cheese pizza and Friday fish frys. You can bake pretty much any kind of fish in your oven, no recipe necessary!
Baking fish in a foil packet takes about 20 minutes, depending on the size of your filet. (For safety’s sake, cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.) The clean-up is pretty nice, too.
You can flavor your fish however you’d like with spices (or spice blends) or by including fruits and/or veggies in the packet. Try lemon slices for a nice, simple filet, or add tomatoes, corn, peppers and onions for a Tex-Mex taste.
(You can use foil packets to cook proteins other than fish, too – here are a few suggestions!)
FHN’s dietitians are sharing a tasty Tex-Mex recipe with us this week – Skinny Burrito Bowls. The recipe serves 6, so you can plan to use any leftovers for lunches!
Put These Healthy Heart Events on Your Schedule!
Happy American Heart Month! The changes you’re making as part of the Get Fit program help to make your heart healthier, so you are celebrating the best way.
FHN is celebrating Heart Month, too, with two fun events focused on healthy habits:
Celebrate Your Heart from 5 – 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 at the Family YMCA of Northwest Illinois, 2998 W. Pearl City Road, Freeport (on the Highland Community College campus).
FHN and the YMCA are teaming up to offer heart health and wellness tips, heart-healthy snacks, exercise, and more!
- Live exercise demonstrations by YMCA staff
(please bring or wear athletic attire and tennis shoes) - Informative Sessions with FHN Heart Health professionals
- Heart-Healthy snack station
- Free blood pressure screenings
And, just for you, Get Fitters who check in at the FHN booth will earn 5 Get Fit points for attending!
Our second event this Heart Month is the Boys & Girls Club Community Health & Wellness Fair. Join the fun from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Boys & Girls Club, 511 S. Liberty Avenue in Freeport.
FHN will have a lot of activities at this great event, including:
- Free blood pressure and cholesterol screenings
- Child developmental screenings (0 – 3 years old)
- Great information on food label reading from our Registered Dietitians
And again, check in quick at the FHN booth to earn 5 Get Fit points for attending!
Take Advantage of FHN’s Health Screenings
Tracking your blood pressure is a good way to keep an eye on your overall health, and we’re happy to help you! FHN offers quite a few free blood pressure screenings around the area. Through the Get Fit program, we’ll share FHN Facebook posts on upcoming screening events, and you can always see what’s coming up on our screening calendar online!
If you want to get a closer look at your heart health, FHN is offering a special on two different screening tests for American Heart Month. If you have no known coronary artery disease and no prior heart issues, you can schedule a Standard Walking Treadmill Test or Calcium Scoring CT Heart Scan for $129 this month.
- If you’re able to walk, the non-invasive Treadmill Test involves walking on a treadmill while a specially trained registered nurse monitors how your heart is working through an electrocardiogram.
- The CT Heart Scan uses 64-slice CT scanner technology to detect plaque in the arteries. It’s non-invasive and doesn’t take long to complete.
The time is limited on this special, though – you must make your appointment by Thursday, Feb. 29 to schedule at this price. (The test must be scheduled anytime before May 31, 2024.)
Call 815-599-6860 to schedule your heart screening!
You’re Not Wired to Exercise
Adding exercise to your schedule sounds so easy, but we’ve all experienced how difficult it can be. Don’t feel guilty, though – according to research, our brains are wired to get rest when it’s possible! Check out this interesting Time article, which shares some strategies to trick your brain into exercising!
The Key is to Get Started
Sometimes, just getting started is the hardest part. FHN physical therapist Kristin Rabideau can help with some great tips to help you get stretched and warmed up!
Winner, Winner, Healthy Dinner!
We had some great recommendations for “keeping track” apps from our first quiz! Thank you for sharing! Here are some of the apps Get Fitters are using – they’re not all free, but looking around can help you find the right app for you:
A Little Lighter
We’re still focusing on a main dish for this newsletter’s recipe, but we’re going in a slightly different direction with a tasty baked salmon recipe.
FHN’s dietitians have recommended all of the recipes we feature in our newsletter.
We’re pretty much always thinking about food, though, so keep up with the Get Fit Facebook page to see more healthy recipes, and feel free to share anything tempting with all of us!
Quiz Time
Congratulations to our Quiz 1 winner, Megan T.! Enjoy some free groceries on us!
Don’t forget to take Quiz #2, and follow us on Facebook for more fun tips and recipes!
Welcome to Get Fit 2024
We’re so glad you’ve joined our quest to get healthier! If you’ve been a Get Fitter before, you know we aren’t too keen on the idea of “being on a diet.” So we’re focused on eating healthier food and giving our bodies the exercise, stress relief and sleep they need.
Haha, that said, drop and give me 10 pushups.
Just kidding. We do, however, suggest you start keeping track of some healthy-type stuff. Keeping track of what you’re eating, drinking, and doing each day can help you stay accountable to your fitness goals.
We’ve always kept our Get Fit goals simple – eat “5 a day” (5 servings of fruits and vegetables) and drink 8 glasses of water each day. Achieving both of those is always going to be a good thing.
If you took part in our initial screenings, your goal is to decrease your weight, BMI, and overall cholesterol level, and we’ll measure those at the end of the program to see who wins our big prizes.
If you didn’t participate in the screenings, you’re out of the running for the big prizes, but you are very much a part of Get Fit, and we have prizes you can win, too!
With each newsletter, you’ll get a link to a fun quiz – it won’t be tough, we promise! Answer just 2 questions and hit enter, and we’ll draw a $20 grocery gift card winner from among the people who answer each quiz. You’ll find the week 1 quiz link at the bottom of this newsletter.
Let’s Get Moving
Ah, Illinois. The snow on the ground and the bitter cold air don’t make a nice walk around the neighborhood sound like a very fun idea. That’s why we partner with fitness centers around the area to give you a chance to try out some indoor exercise!
Check out our fitness partners and this year’s deals here.
If leaving the house isn’t an option (that happens a lot around here), get creative! Fire up some music and get your groove on, doing your housework to the beat or just dancing around. As long as you’re getting your heart beating a bit faster than normal, that’s exercise!
If you prefer a more formal workout, try following a video on our TV, computer, or tablet. Start slow, with some warming-up and stretching, and move on to some low-impact moves to get your heart beating.
Many fitness tracking apps have exercise suggestions, too!
Slow Cooking
Speaking of starting slow, we’re excited to share one of the least “diet-y” recipes suggested by FHN’s registered dietitians. We love it, because it’s a great example of how a healthy lifestyle can absolutely include delicious, filling food. It’s also a great, changeable recipe – add some additional veggies to help you reach your 5-a-day goals!
Plus, it’s a slow cooker recipe. Give it a try!
Some Resources
We shared links to some activity and nutrition apps on our welcome page , but we have a few more suggestions for free trackers:
MyFitnessPal.com
Cronometer.com
FatSecret.comm
And of course, we are BIG fans of the tools and resources available on MyPlate.com!
One last thing: Here’s a big list of snacks that are 100 calories or less.
Quiz Time
Don’t forget to take Quiz #1, and follow us on Facebook for more fun tips and recipes!
Happy New Year, Get Fitters!
We’re so glad you signed up for our program this year – we have a lot of fun and learning planned. First, though, we need to get a few details ironed out.
The primary way we’ll share information is through our bi-weekly newsletters, which will be delivered to the email address you gave us when you registered.
All of the information we share in our newsletters will be added to this special Get Fit site, too.
If you’re on Facebook, make sure to follow us there! (If you aren’t a Facebook-er, you’ll be able to see our latest FB posts on the Get Fit site.) Look for your first “official” Get Fit newsletter on Wednesday, January 24 – throughout the program, we’ll have tips, links to videos, and a quiz that gives you a chance to check in, ask questions or submit a request.
Now for the fun part – let’s talk about points and PRIZES!
We’ve switched things up a bit this year, and added beginning and ending health screenings for Get Fit participants. If you want to be eligible for this year’s big prizes, you’ll need to complete both of those screenings.
You must register by Friday, Jan. 19 to schedule and take part in the Saturday, Jan. 20 screening to earn points toward this year’s big prizes. The person or team with the most points at the end of the program wins:
Individuals:
- First place – $100
Second place – $50
Third place – $25
Teams (each team member will receive):
- First place – $100
Second place – $50
Third place – $25
How do I earn points?
We’ll award points based on your progress from the first screening to the last screening. Your goal is to decrease your weight, BMI (body mass index), and overall cholesterol level. You’ll get a point for each pound lost, each BMI point lost, and each decrease in your overall cholesterol level. That can add up fast!
If you gain in any of the categories or don’t show up for your final screening, you’ll lose points.
You’ll also be able to earn points by:
- • Going to events we’ll identify (we have a couple coming up in February!)
• Completing each newsletter’s quiz
Those quizzes give you a chance to double up on prizes – like last year, we’ll draw at random a gift card winner from those who complete each quiz. (Any Get Fit participant, regardless of whether they participated in screenings, is eligible to win quiz prizes.)
Look for your first newsletter Wednesday, January 24 – we’ll talk about getting started, share, a delicious recipe, and more – and in the meantime, check out our Fitness Partners!
Tracking Your Progress
One of the most effective ways to bump up your healthy habits is to hold yourself accountable. Keep track of what you eat, how much you move, whether you’re drinking enough water and getting enough rest. There are so many different ways to track your nutrition and exercise, from old-school paper journals to super-snazzy wearables and even snazzier apps.
You're the best judge of what will work for you, so take a look at some of the best activity and nutrition tracking apps.
We are quite partial to the free resources made available by the USDA MyPlate program – check out their app here!