Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Well, we’re halfway through the first month  of 2015. Have you started your resolution to start running, yet? Whether you have or are waiting until a warmer day, we discovered some great tips that could help you learn to love running. Do you ever watch marathons and wonder: How do those athletes keep going? Aren’t they crazy for wanting to put their bodies through that kind of misery? It is, after all, 26.2 miles. But running can be fun and challenging ““ and long distances can do wonders for you physically and mentally. Are you ready to stick to that…

Healthy eating is a priority for people with diabetes, but sometimes, fast food is the only option. Fast food restaurants are best known as the home of salt, fat and sugar, but with a little planning and a few smart strategies, it’s possible to get a meal that won’t send your blood sugar skyrocketing, according to the American Diabetes Association. How to make healthier choices in the drive-thru: Look for nutrition information A fast food meal can weigh in at 1,000 calories if you’re not careful. Most fast food chains have the nutrition information for every item on the menu…

The holidays are over, the daylight hours continue to be short and sunshine is less common than rain, snow and overcast skies. It is a fact that the higher latitude we live in, the more our body and our mood respond to these changes ” and it isn’t an especially happy response! If you feel like you’re getting the winter blahs, here are a few ways to cope: Exercise indoors or out It doesn’t have to be vigorous or lengthy, just getting active will help you feel better. Eat healthy Avoid simple carbohydrates and concentrated sweets because they contribute to…

Colder weather means one thing to many people: Comfort food. And, we’re pretty sure there is no better comfort food than a warm, yummy bowl of pasta smothered in cheese or some variation of sauce (don’t worry – we’ll cover the sauce next week!). In the video below, Karah Stanley, registered dietitian at the St. Elizabeth Physicians Weight Management Center, dives into which type of pasta to throw in your grocery cart this week. Healthier pasta means you don’t have to feel guilty when you’re snuggling under a blanket, enjoying mac and cheese during your latest Netflix binge – or…

We’ve now had about a week to think of and read about 2015 resolutions. Readers of the Cincinnati Enquirer  saw several  great articles written this week about resolutions. Most of us have (at least) made mental notes of ways to improve ourselves and our lives. Many others have written their goals down or posted them somewhere highly visible  in an effort to stick with them. What are some of yours? Eat right? Lose weight? Maybe you decided to avoid the diet and gym membership this year. Instead, you’re going to read more or get organized. These are all great goals,…

Vision problems, difficulties speaking and muscle weakness: do the symptoms add up to a migraine or a mini-stroke? Both, according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). Both phenomena are debilitating, but differences in symptoms can help determine which is plaguing you or a loved one. What is a migraine? A migraine is a potent headache often accompanied by an aura, or a set of warning symptoms signaling that a migraine is approaching. The aura can include visual disturbances, such as strange lights, numbness and difficulty speaking ““ which are all also warning signs you might be having a…

Physical activity is an important part of managing Type 2 diabetes, but cold, gray winter weather makes it easy to stay close to the couch. Here are a few expert tips to sneak in exercise on days when you’d rather be sneaking in a nap: Focus on the shoes Wear running or walking shoes as much as your schedule allows. The comfortable footwear makes it convenient to get in a quick stroll whether you’re at home, work or anywhere in between. Take the stairs If you can’t do stairs, park a little farther away from the entrance to a store…

In an effort to curtail overeating, a new app called Calorific is giving nutrition labels a visual makeover. The app ask the question, “What do calories actually look like?” Users can see beautifully simple photos of what 200 calories look like for more than 140 foods. Want a donut, but can only afford 50 calories? Calorific will show you exactly how much (or how little) of that treat you can eat. The New York Times also investigated what 2,000 calorie portions look like at several popular restaurant chains. The amount of calories and sodium in these foods may surprise you,…

Anyone who has made a goal to lose weight knows that eating better, burning off fat through exercise and cutting back on bad habits will help the numbers on the scale go down. But who knows where the fat goes once it’s lost? These guys. An Australian physicist, Ruben Meerman, was troubled by his own weight loss and pursued the lost fat with fellow researcher, Andrew Brown in results recently published in The BMJ (formerly called the British Medical Journal). The research team breaks down what happens when your body burns fat through a chemical formula. For those of us…

We always love discovering new healthy foods, so when we ran across a list of healthy foods you’ve probably never heard of, we were hooked. It turns out thinking we were covered by our consumption of kale and acai berries was completely wrong! While some look a little suspect – that’s right, salsify, we’re talking to you – but other seem worth a try. How many have you heard of, or better yet, tried? Share your favorite recipes with us on Facebook.