Hello LMC Employees and Friends!
Thank you to everyone who signed up to receive the Monthly Wellness Newsletter by email. You are welcome to print or pass on this newsletter to anyone you think may be interested. If you are receiving this as a forward from a friend but you would like to receive it in your inbox, please email Katie Bangs and put SUBSCRIBE TO MONTHLY NEWSLETTER in the subject line. Or, if you would like to STOP receiving the newsletter, email Katie and let her know.
In This Issue:
Introducing TLC Committee!
Wellness Focus: Healthy Hydration
Healthy Recipes: Healthy Hydration
Upcoming Events
Introducing TLC Committee!
As a reminder, the Wellness Committee and EAC have joined together into one committee to serve you. The new name for the group is the TLC Committee, or Team Liberty County Committee! TLC also stands for the normal usage as well—Tender Love and Care. More information about TLC events and activities in the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter!
Wellness Focus: Healthy Hydration
With the heat of summer upon us, now is the time to focus on staying hydrated in a healthy way while working or exercising. The beverage industry is huge in the U.S., marketing products like designer coffee, bottled water, sodas of all varieties, energy drinks, and of course, sports drinks. These products are toted as being refreshing, even good-for-you, and are often targeted toward children. In fact, the best way to stay hydrated is to simply drink water. Soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and even some juices often have loads of extra sugar or high fructose corn syrup, which just leads to extra calories, and doesn’t help replenish fluids in your system.
What about electrolytes lost during exercise? Electrolytes are minerals that contain a small electric charge in your body, such as sodium, and can be lost in sweat. It’s true that you can lose electrolytes through intense exercise, but not by as much as sports drink companies would lead you to believe. For most people, replacing electrolytes is only necessary after high intensity, high sweat workouts of 90 minutes or more. Even then, 8 ounces of electrolyte-enriched fluid is enough. So that large 20 ounce sports drink may seem refreshing, but in the end, you would just be over-consuming unnecessary calories. Electrolytes occur naturally in many fruits and vegetables, such as corn, carrots, green beans, and citrus fruit, just to name a few.
Ultimately, water is the best tool you have to guard against dehydration. Bottled water, although it can be a convenience, is not necessarily any better than filtered tap water. It’s often just as easy, not to mention cheaper, to fill reusable bottles from the tap at home. After exercising, have an 8-10 ounce serving of water within 20 minutes of completing your workout to maximize rehydration benefits. To replenish electrolytes, add a slice of lemon or cucumber. Your body will thank you for not loading on sugary sports drinks. If you must have something other than water or 100% fruit or vegetable juice, keep your portion size small. Have fun, stay hydrated, and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Sources: www.choosemyplate.org, www.livestrong.com, and “Which Foods are High in Electrolytes?” by Megan Smith, eHow contributor.
Healthy Recipes: Healthy Hydration
This month, we’ll focus on smoothies, juices, and beverages that are good for you and delicious! You will need some special equipment like a blender and a fine mesh sieve, but it will be totally worth it in the end! If you don’t have a fine mesh sieve, you could try a colander lined with cheese cloth. Yes, there is sugar in each of these recipes, but it is minimal, especially when divided among 6 or 8 servings. If you’re averse to using straight sugar, you could easily experiment with substituting honey or agave. The other star of each of these recipes is lime juice, which is a little more subtle than lemon juice. Lime is loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C! Drink up!
Blackberry Limeade
All You Need:
6 cups water, divided
3 cups fresh blackberries, plus more for garnish
1 cup sugar
5-6 limes, depending on size *do NOT use bottled lime juice!*
All You Do:
1. Juice enough limes to procure 2/3 cup fresh lime juice. Set aside.
2. Place one cup of water and 3 cups of berries in a blender, process until smooth. Then press through a sieve into a large pitcher or bowl. Discard seeds and other solids. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring remaining 5 cups water and 1 cup sugar to a boil. Stir vigorously until sugar is dissolved, should be about 30 seconds to one minute.
4. Add sugar-water mixture to pitcher of blended berries. Add lime juice. Stir well to mix. Refrigerate until desired temperature is reached. Divide into 8 cups, over ice. Garnish with a lime slice and a few more blackberries.
* You can use almost any berry with this, but blackberries are especially delicious!
Source: Adapted by Katie Bangs from Cooking Light, June 2007 issue.
Watermelon Agua Fresca with Lemon, Lime, and Mint
All You Need:
1 ¼ cups water
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh Mint
1 Tablespoon grated lime rind (about 2-3 limes)
1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind (about 1 lemon)
12 cups cubed seedless watermelon
¼ cup fresh lime juice
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
All You Do:
1. Use a small grater or zester to obtain rind from lemon and limes. Combine rind in a small bowl and set aside. Then, juice lemon and limes to get ¼ cup lime juice and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Combine juices in another small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil. Cook 30 seconds or until sugar dissolves, stirring vigorously.
3. Remove from heat and stir in mint, lemon and lime rind. Let stand for 20 minutes. Then strain through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl; discard solids. This is your syrup mixture.
4. Using a blender, puree 1/3 of the syrup with about 1/3 of the cubed watermelon. Empty into a pitcher. Repeat twice until all syrup and watermelon are used up. Stir in lemon and lime juices. Serve over ice, or refrigerate for later. Stir before serving and garnish with a mint spring or lemon or lime wedge.
Source: Cooking Light, June 2011 issue.
Spicy Cucumber Juice
All You Need:
3 cups peeled, seeded cucumber (about 2 medium cukes)
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ of one Serrano pepper, finely diced. Or use jalapeno for a little milder spiciness.
3 cups water
Extra lime slices or cucumber slices as garnish.
All You Do:
1. Place first four ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Empty into a large bowl or pitcher. Stir in water. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove solids. Serve over ice with garnish.
Source: Cooking Light, June 2010 issue.
Upcoming Events
TLC Activities:
Family Photo Board- The theme for July is Summer Fun in the Sun. It’s not to late to put up your photo, or vote on the photos that are there. The board is located in the Ancillary hallway.
Pedometer Challenge- Step It Up will take place in September, but we will be signing up teams of two during the month of August. Start thinking about who you want your partner to be and stay tuned for more information!
Graze Anatomy II- A sub-committee of TLC is starting work on the second edition of the Graze Anatomy cookbook, which should be ready in time for the holidays. Round up your recipes now! You will be given more specific instructions on how and where to enter your recipes soon!
Events Further Afield:
Dr. Hodson’s Race Against Time • Saturday, July 27, Great Falls. Gibson Park. 8 a.m. A one hour timed race on a there and back course. The incentive is to beat the clock and race against time to get back in time for the raffle. The participant will earn tickets for every half mile they run starting at 1.5 miles (Every half mile they run out that is a half mile they have to return). The participant will have 30 minutes to collect as many tickets as possible, then on the return there will be no collection of tickets. Everyone will receive at least one raffle ticket in the swag, but for every ticket there will be a chance to win prizes at the end of the race. Over $2,000 in Prizes! Including chances to win free entry to the Dirty Dash or Color me Rad. Elite Runners will be recognized at the end of the race. (Women: 8+ MPH, Men: 10+ MPH) Cost $25 pre register and $30 (day of race-cash only) Register online at www.prerace.com Charity: American Diabetes Association. Kids Race: THE 8 MINUTE DASH (4 minutes out and back) 9:45 start time. 200 meters per ticket, with prize table at the end to redeem tickets. Cost $15, day of Race is $20. Contact: danghod@gmail.com
Race #1 SQUIRRELS IN THE HEADLAMP • Saturday, August 10, Great Falls. Great Falls/Race MT running Club 2013 Trail Series. 9 pm start. Ryan Dam Trail head North Shore access 3.13 miles. Race Starts at Ryan Dam trail head and will be marked by glow sticks. BYOH, bring your own headlamp. There is approximately 200 meters of wide trail so hurry and get in position, because it turns to single track after that. This first section is rolling hills for 1.7 miles with some technical sections. On the way back you will have a long and gradual climb with a nice section of prairie flats, then a short fast decent to the finish. This should be a leg masher! Limited parking, carpooling is recommend. Parking at trail head and down at Recreation Center near the dam, approximately ¼ mile away from start. Water will be provided at start and finish. Registration link is www.racemt.com/trailseries.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading my blog! I would love to hear what you think of this post in your comments.