52 to a Healthier You: Week 1

The turkey is put away and the leftovers are mainly gone.

But a few pounds may have crept on from the pies and stuffing last week. And with more holidays just around the corner it can be a daunting time of year to try to watch your figure.

That’s where Texas Health Fitness Center HEB can help. Fitness Center specialists have created 52 to a Healthier You – a 52-week video series designed to offer simple tips and suggestions to help you live a healthier life.

“We truly want to improve the health of the people in our community,” said Mike Lofland, director of Texas Health Fitness Center HEB. “Our focus is improving overall health and wellness not on offering a club-like environment. Regardless of their fitness level every person can find small actions to improve their health whether it’s launching an exercise program or incorporating an extra fruit or vegetable each day.”

This week we’re starting with Dr. Stephen Buksh, a physician on the medical staff at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford. Dr. Buksh offers the reasons behind the standard disclaimer that individuals should check with their physician before beginning an exercise program.





Check back next week for Week 2: How to safely start an exercise program and avoid overdoing it.

If you need help finding a physician, please call 1-877-THR-WELL or log on to www.TexasHealth.org.

Doctors on the medical staff practice independently and are not employees or agents of the hospital.

Lowering the fat content of holiday meals

The estimates for the number of grams of fat the average American consumes on Thanksgiving in yesterday’s blog, 229 grams of fat if you missed it, still have me wondering for ways to make turkey-day a bit healthier.

Diabetes educator Leslie Crawford, RDLD at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford, has compiled a list of tips for cutting back the fat content of recipes. Her tips cover everything from baking to dinners and can be used year round. Best of all most call for simple ingredients so the fixes won’t break the holiday budget.

Leslie suggests:

Heavy cream swaps:
As a substitute for heavy cream in a sauce, you could use low-fat ricotta cheese or low-fat cottage cheese, whipped in a blender, then stirred into low-fat plain yogurt.

Sour cream options:
For sour cream choose a low-fat or fat-free sour cream available for cooking or baking.    

1. Choose brands made from skim milk (you'll need to read the label).  Do not use imitation or nondairy sour cream, as they are frequently made from tropical oils or are made with hydrogenated fat.
2. Use a low-fat or nonfat yogurt or homemade Yogurt Cheese.

Not just for turkeys

Each year as Thanksgiving rolls around most people’s thoughts turn to turkeys and thanks and seeing relatives. But one thing that often is neglected is fitness.

That can be a dangerous combo.

The average American consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day and more than 229 grams of fat, or more than 2.5 times the average daily calorie count recommended and nearly 3.5 times the daily fat count recommended, according to the Calorie Control Council. The council also estimates that individuals may consume enough fat at Thanksgiving feasts to equal three sticks of butter.

I don’t know about you, but those numbers are a bit frightening to me and spurred me to look for tips on ways to combat the added calories.

So I turned to Mike Lofland, director of the Texas Health Fitness Center HEB.

Cutting sugar from holiday recipes

A group of about 10 people are gathered at the cooking demo station at MarketStreet, but they’re not watching a demo.

Instead, diabetes educator Leslie Crawford, RDLD at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford, is offering tips on how to control diabetes with healthy eating. The group then tours the store getting a quick lesson in label-reading.

As individuals ask about what to do since certain foods are off limits she gently shifts the conversation saying “it’s all about blood sugars and portion control.” To illustrate her point, Crawford offered up an easy dessert recipe using a cake mix, such as carrot cake, and a can of pumpkin. You combine and bake according to directions on the package – omitting the eggs, oil and water because you included the pumpkin. Having tasted the recipe I can vouch that it’s tastier and more moist than making it with the other ingredients.

Bedrest and twins: a surprise-filled pregnancy

Throughout her pregnancy Sonia Hays has encountered surprises.

Sonia (right) and Missy chat about the challenges of bedrest.

At 18 weeks pregnant she discovered she was having twins. Hays said she knew something was up well before that though. “I felt extra big at six weeks,” she says. Since twins run in both sides of her family Hays initially suspected that. But sonograms and other tests didn’t show that she was expecting twins until the 18 week mark.

Then came an even bigger surprise at her 25 week sonogram. Instead of a quick appointment they were worried about her cervix and noticed she was having contractions. She was immediately admitted to the hospital to stop the contractions.

Construction sneak preview

Visitors to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford in the last month probably have noticed lots of construction activity underway. The hospital is renovating the main entrance, lobby, chapel and gift shop. For more details on the overall project, please click here.

But while the crews are hard at work we thought we'd take a little look back at what the lobby looked like before work began. Scroll down for more recent photos of the work underway right now.

Here are a few snapshots before construction began:

Previous seating area as you entered main lobby

Admissions and seating area in main lobby

Main entrance doors

Chapel

In early November the prep work continues:

Driveway outside the main entrance

Interior section looking out to the driveway

Looking inside from the driveway

For updates on the project please visit our website at www.TexasHealth.org/HEB.

And stay tuned to the blog and Facebook page for more construction photos as the project gets further along. Check back soon for advanced previews of what the main entrance, lobby, chapel and gift shop will look like when the renovations are complete.

Thank you for your support as we work to update the hospital.

Photos courtesy of the The Beck Group

Second grader shows giving spirit to help Texas Health HEB cancer patients

At 7, Gregory has a vision to help others

Gregory Villasenor is your typical 7-year-old – he plays flag football and soccer, likes video games, does his homework, argues with his older brother.  But unlike many elementary school children, Gregory has become one of Texas Health Harris Methodist Foundation’s youngest donors.

Holiday bazaar offers one-stop shopping

Christmas is less than 9 weeks away.

I don’t know you about you, but that gives me some heartburn because I’m woefully behind on my holiday shopping. I’m still trying to figure out where the month of October went.

Volunteers help staff last year's silent auction

Luckily the Volunteer Auxiliary at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford has me covered.

From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5, the Auxiliary will stage its annual Holiday Bazaar. And we’re not talking a few tables with a couple of vendors selling crafts. The bazaar is a serious endeavor. An estimated 35-40 vendors will be selling everything from handbags to jewelry and candles to edible gifts.