Get Healthy

A cop attacked me last week, but he was doing me a favor.

It was the last exercise in a women’s self-defense class hosted by the Schererville Police Department. I lay on my back and Detective Patrick Rosado crouched over me and pinned my wrists to the ground. It was awkward. But my desire to free myself trumped that awkward feeling. I slipped my feet under his, lifted my hips and rolled, flipping him on his back and gaining myself the upper hand.

It was empowering. Even in such a vulnerable position, I could get away.
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Read about fitness, healthy eating, local health care news and events in this week’s Get Healthy newsletter. Not a subscriber? Check out Get Healthy’s weekly newsletter online or click here to subscribe and get the latest health news delivered weekly, straight to your inbox.

From the Get Healthy Inbox—We’re committed to keeping you informed on health care news and ideas throughout the region and nation. Here’s today’s recommendation, submitted by the American Institute of Healthcare & Fitness:

A new study released this week estimates that if obesity trends continue on their current path, more than 40 percent of adults in the US will be obese by 2018, quadrupling the epidemic to a 344 billion dollar problem. The study, issued by the United Health Foundation, Partnership for Prevention, and American Public Health Association, estimates that 21 percent of all money spent on health care will go towards obesity in 2018, up 9 percent from today.

These alarming statistics, coupled with millions of Americans trying to save money and cut costs during this difficult economy, only exacerbates the problem. With the luring temptation of dollar menus and fast food drive-throughs, many Americans are trying to save money by eating as cheaply as possible–which often means super-sizing, five dollar foot longs, and other unhealthy bargain deals.

If this is the case, how can we reconcile the economic crisis and cutting back on spending with the surging rates of obesity? One instrumental component in working towards a solution for this problem is education. Learning how to eat healthy while on a budget will be absolutely crucial in this epidemic, notes John Rowley, Director of Fitness & Wellness at The American Institute of Healthcare & Fitness.

John offers tips for consumers looking to eat healthy while also maintaining their budget:

1. Use a pre-planned grocery list. Plan ahead for how you will maneuver the grocery aisles by bringing along a list of all the foods you need to support your lifestyle. This will prevent you from buying on impulse by sticking to the list you made ahead of time. You can even get grocery lists for your phone now that you can save and use to compare prices of certain products in competing stores. This also makes putting your list together a snap.

2. Buy in bulk. You can buy tons of great food in bulk that can be stored in your pantry or freezer. Tuna, Nuts, Olive Oil, Beans, and other healthy items can be bought in bulk to save money and can go right into your pantry. Frozen chicken breasts, turkey breast, lean beef, fish, etc. can go into your freezer, saving you a ton of money and preparing for months ahead. A full pantry and freezer loaded with the essentials—healthy items—is a must.

3. Buy generic. Shop for value. Brand loyalties are a thing of the past, as many store brand items are just as good as the highly marketed name brand foods, just less expensive. This goes for some of your nutritional supplements as well.

4. Fruits and veggies are important. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins, minerals and fiber than processed foods and are a healthy and economical staple for a healthy diet. While they can be expensive, get friendly with your local produce expert at your local grocery store and ask for the best deals. Buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season, so the prices are cheaper during that time. In addition, frozen fruits, veggies and meats like chicken breast and fish can often be less expensive than the fresh alternative. The fruits and veggies are picked at the height of ripeness and flash frozen so the flavor and nutrients are preserved. Meats are also great to keep stocked in your freezer for meals that are easy to whip up.

5. Shop the perimeter. What’s located around the perimeter of the store? Most likely this is where you’ll find your dairy, meats, vegetables, fruit, and fresh fish…all of which are essentials of a healthy diet. Processed and “junk” foods are mainly found in the middle aisles so stick to the outer perimeter as much as possible and you will be eating healthy.

6. Pack healthy snacks when on the go. Nothing can ruin your budget faster than being so hungry that the drive-through lures you in. Once your blood sugar drops, so does your willpower. Items such as homemade trail mix with nuts and seeds and other foods will help with this. One great way to prepare snacks for the week is planning ahead at the beginning of the week. Cook up a batch of food in the beginning of the week and the divide it into ziplock bags. When you are getting ready to leave the house you simply grab a zip lock bag or two and you have all your meals for the day. The crock pot is also an incredible tool for those wanting to eat healthy on a budget and save time. Simply put chicken in the crock pot in the morning and then when you get home at night add some veggies and you have a meal. Take the leftovers and use them for meals later in the week by using the ziplock bag trick.

(Photograph by Jodi Davis.)

Even at the early age of 10, Jodi Davis knew she was overweight. Her family members were all thin, except for one aunt, who would be the person Jodi long blamed for her weight issues. The verbal jabs from Jodi’s grandfather regarding her weight didn’t help, either. “I ended up eating more to try to ease my pain,” she says.

Throughout her teen years, Jodi continued to gain weight, despite repeated attempts at several diets. Later, she married and had three kids. Being a stay-at-home mom took a toll on her waistline. Every night, after the kids went to bed, Jodi felt the need to treat herself to something indulgent and would take to snacking, particularly enjoying chips and dip.
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LeeAnn Schreiner, left, Jean Jannasch and Pam Uhrina are co-owners of Nature’s Remedies in Valparaiso. The business opened Sept. 15, six weeks after the closing of the former health food store in the same location. (Photograph by John L. Hendricks/The Times.)

Organic foods, herbal supplements and natural vitamins are among the products stocking the shelves of store whose name explains its function. Nature’s Remedies opened Sept. 15, six weeks after the closing of the former health food store in the same location. The new shop is owned and operated by Pam Uhrina, Jean Jannasch and Leeann Schreiner.

“We took over the location, but not the business,” Uhrina said. “It’s a brand new everything.” The three Valparaiso residents worked in the closed health food store and now help staff Nature‘s Remedies.

“We share the stress, and that’s the good thing,” Uhrina said.
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Healthy recipes, positive role model spice lesson for Chicago students

Julian Coleman, a sophomore at Gary Comer College Prep in Chicago, eats a meal of low-fat macaroni, baked chicken, and salad Sunday at the U-Cook program in Merrillville. The program focused on the importance of healthy eating.
(Photograph courtesy of Kyle Telechan/The Times.)

A couple of healthy dishes, nine interested students and one positive role model proved the perfect recipe last Sunday.

Chef Glennard Brooks spent the afternoon talking to students from Chicago’s Gary Comer College Prep, a charter high school, about healthy eating habits and how he became executive chef at the Hilton Garden Inn in Merrillville.

“He talked about what I want to go to school to learn how to do,” said Jamani Jones-O’Bryant, 15, a sophomore who said he watches cooking shows and cooks at home.
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The lengthy menu of group fitness programs at most gyms can be overwhelming. Here is advice from personal trainers on finding one suited for you:

Observe it first. Ask the instructor if you can stand in the back of the room and watch a class in action. You also can talk to some participants afterward and, if you like what you hear, get a few tips on tackling the first day.

Talk to the instructor. Find out the usual pace of a class and its fitness goals, whether it’s overall toning, weight loss or working on specific body parts. A program also may be more or less intense on certain days of the week.

Determine your “impact” level. Aerobics classes usually are divided into low, medium and high impact. If you haven’t exercised regularly and get out of breath fairly easily, start out low and aim to move up over time.
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The holiday season’s busy pace and easy access to unhealthy food can make these merry times dreary for diabetics.

“Sometimes you have to attend parties and gatherings, and you find food that you are not supposed to eat. You end up taking a little of everything and then soon enough your sugar level gets too high,” said Roberto Moldonedo, 68, of Highland Park, who has battled diabetes since his youth.

Lewis Landsberg, dean emeritus at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said that to get through the next months diabetics will “require a little more discipline.” He added that “the holidays are hard for everybody, but it’s harder for people who need to stay on an appropriate eating regiment.”
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Federal task force counters American Cancer Society’s long-standing recommendation

A 33-year cancer survivor, Ann Peters recalls finding a malignant lump in her breast herself. Now 66, Peters was shocked Monday to hear a government task force is advising not only that women wait until age 50 to get mammograms but that breast self-exams are of no value.

“I can’t imagine not doing it,” Peters said. “I don’t know a woman who wouldn’t share my thoughts.” Peters is president of the Pink Ribbon Society, which provides services to scores of breast cancer patients and their families throughout Northwest Indiana.

The new guidelines were issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose stance influences coverage of screening tests by Medicare and many insurance companies. The panel recommends getting a mammogram every other year after age 50. The advice is a major reversal that conflicts with the American Cancer Society’s long-standing recommendation of annual screening starting at 40.
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Settings, 120 S. Main St., is sponsoring a drive to supply new pajamas for women and children at St. Jude House.

By picking an ornament off the giving tree in the store’s window, shoppers will buy and wrap a new pair of pajamas for the nonprofit that provides services to victims of domestic violence.

Pajamas can be brought to Settings now through Dec. 20. The store will have a holiday open house Nov. 21 and 22. Those who bring wrapped pajamas will be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate.

For more information, call Brenda Matz at 219.662.7062.