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The Alaska Club

TAC Board: The Alaska Club Blog

Go Fish!

Summer in Alaska is the perfect time for outdoor activities, and going fishing is one of them. We are fortunate to have an abundance of different types of fish here, and I hope you had the chance to harvest your own. For the first time this year, I caught my weight in red salmon. While fishing, it was delightful to hear people exchanging recipes on the beach. Another popular topic was the health benefits of salmon.
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3 Ways to Make Your BBQs Healthier

To make the most of summer, get together with family and friends for a barbecue. Instead of the usual hamburger, ribs, hot dogs, and sausages, you can be creative and make it healthier by grilling more fish, lean meats, fruits, and vegetables. By adding fruits and vegetables, you add more color, variety, flavor, and nutrients. You may be surprised to find out that grilling fruits and vegetables can actually enhance their sweet flavor.
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Drinks That Increase Inflammation in the Body

When we think about inflammation, we think about the reaction of our immune system to a foreign object such as a virus or bacteria entering our body. However, in modern life, one of the most common causes of chronic inflammation besides lack of sleep and poor stress management is what we eat and drink. When the body is exposed to ongoing inflammation, we are at increased risk of chronic and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer, GERD, body pain, and others.
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Having Salad Today?

on Apr 8, 2021 1:52:33 PM By | Elize Rumsley – RD, LD, CDE, MS, PhD. | 0 Comments | Nutrition Healthy eating
Eating a salad has a connotation that one is eating a healthy meal. Salad, by definition, is a cold dish with a mixture of leafy and colorful vegetables, with or without topping and a dressing. More and more people are choosing salad over other meals thinking that they can lose weight.
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How to Lose Weight without Depriving Yourself

Every year, a great number of people make weight loss their New Year’s resolution. There is no question that for some people weight loss is a challenge. Too many fad diets are promising quick weight loss, but they are neither sustainable nor healthy. They are often very restrictive and remove an entire food group from the diet, commonly carbohydrates. The problem is that too restrictive a meal plan increases craving, a feeling of guilt and failure with each minor lapse, even eating even a piece of bread or, perish the thought, a slice of pizza. Eventually, people quit this diet and regain all the lost weight plus more. I see this scenario play out often in my dietary practice.
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Member Testimonial: Brian Crouse

My journey began on September 22nd, 2019. My best friend called and during our conversation, she told me she had lost 80lbs in the last 8 months. She showed me a pic and she looked amazing. I was not about to have her show me up, so I asked "HOW?". She was eating healthy. She had cut out most carbs and sugars. I was 386lbs and had already thought about getting healthy; and this was the last straw.
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Less Screen Time, More Play Time

Just two weeks ago, I attended an education conference in New York City on learning and brain activity in youth and children. The chief concern at this conference was the preponderance of screen time, primarily cell phone usage, teachers witness among their students. While studies have not made a direct correlation to the rise of anxiety and depression seen among children and youth to electronic device habits, bullying and obesity have been positively correlated to cell phone usage by these groups. Consistent with these findings is a greater sense of social alienation found among children and teens who are now logging long hours on their electronic devices and becoming sleep-deprived in the process.
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Don’t count on fad diets for long term weight loss

Many people watch their waistlines and experiment with different fad diets to lose weight. While there are anecdotes galore of short-term success, these efforts generally end in weight regained and frustration. Instead of following one of the many crazy diets for temporary weight loss, try the following tips:
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Combating the Change of Seasons

on Oct 8, 2018 10:12:41 AM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition mental health healthy living winter
The termination dust has settled, cruelly taunting that winter is indeed coming. The upcoming winter season offers little light, which can result in vitamin D deficiencies, which can be so severe at times, many develop seasonal affective disorder. The acronym appropriately spells out SAD. Symptoms of SAD can include anxiety, sleep deprivation and depression.
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Can Someone Tell Me What Clean Eating Is?

on May 17, 2018 10:36:46 AM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition Clean eating healthy living weight loss diet
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A Survey of Weight Loss Diets

on Jan 24, 2018 11:20:37 AM By | Barbara DuBois | 1 Comment | Nutrition food Clean eating cooking weight loss diet
Losing weight is high on almost everyone’s list of New Year’s resolutions in this country. According to Angela Haupt, assistant managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report, weight loss experts ranked the top 10 diets based on the following criteria:
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Irish You’d Eat More Greens

on Mar 9, 2017 11:02:24 AM By | Barbara DuBois | 0 Comments | Nutrition
There’s more to March than the traditional Irish dish: potatoes, boiled cabbage and corned beef. While it’s a delicious meal, the nutrition from this fatty, starchy food doesn’t possess the necessary nutrients to give you energy for any upcoming Irish jigs. So what should we be putting into our body? The answer is vegetables filled with fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. Here are just a few of the examples of good-for-you veggies: Kale-This leafy green is not just for health fanatics. It’s low-calorie, high in fiber and possesses zero fat. Not only is it easy on the digestive track, but also the vitamins, folate and magnesium make it nutrient packed. And for those lacking in iron, kale is an excellent source. Spinach-For the cholesterol conscious, spinach is your best friend. It’s low in fat and can reduce cholesterol. It’s rich in antioxidants, containing 250 mg of calcium per cup, and is one of the best sources of potassium (it puts the banana to shame). We should also mention it’s only 27 calories for a whole cup! Broccoli-Your parents were just looking out for you when they nagged you to “eat your broccoli.” Broccoli is considered one of the most nutritious vegetables, and reduces cholesterol and inflammation. It’s rich in vitamin K and calcium, making it great for your bones as well. And as a good carb, high in fiber and low in sugar, a cup of broccoli is the perfect side for the health conscious. Brussels Sprouts-Brussels sprouts are a great solution if your digestive system needs a little boost. These little guys also pack a lot of protein - and you don’t have to eat too many to feel full and meet your vitamin C and vitamin K needs for the day. All it takes is one serving.
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A Super You Starts with a Super Diet

on Jan 12, 2017 6:10:32 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
It’s a brand new year that hopefully leads to a brand new you. If you’ve made a resolution for 2017, there’s a one in five chance that it was about losing weight and/or eating right. Unfortunately, instead of reaching for common, healthy food options, some dieters jump into detox diets or gorging on the latest superfood.
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Nutrition: work with your body, not against it!

on Mar 4, 2016 6:26:46 PM By | Patrick Curtis | 1 Comment | Nutrition
Have you ever had someone tell you a factoid that you accepted as true, simply because they said it with confidence? Maybe it just seemed to make sense, or maybe you've heard the same thing before? Perhaps it was the statement "Humans only use 10% of our brains.” Or the popular "If you swallow chewing gum, it will take your body 7 years to digest it." These statements don't seem so unbelievable as to warrant severe doubt immediately, and the fact you've probably heard a handful of people say the same thing makes them easy to believe. But it also turns out... they aren't true at all! Same thing with NUTRITION! We continue to learn more and more about what foods are best for our bodies and how foods are processed, and yet all of us probably have a nutrition misconception or two lingering in our brain. So we're going to callout some of the truths about nutrition and see if it helps!
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Are You Eating Enough Fiber?

on Jan 25, 2016 5:40:29 PM By | Elize Rumsley – RD, LD, CDE, MS, PhD. | 0 Comments | Nutrition fitness fiber
Fiber is part of the carbohydrate group that can’t be digested by our gut, but is essential for good health. Fiber promotes bowel regularity, provides fullness, helps with weight management, blood sugar control, constipation, diverticulosis, colon cancer and depending upon the type of fiber, helps lower blood cholesterol.
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Osteoarthritis: How to Keep Your Joints Healthy

on Jan 11, 2016 5:18:16 PM By | Elize Rumsley – RD, LD, CDE, MS, PhD. | 0 Comments | Nutrition
One in three Americans are now considered obese and the more weight a person carries, the more likely a person can develop osteoarthritis (OA). OA is a condition involving the breakdown of cartilage characterized by pain and stiffness in the knees, hips, and other joints. It impacts people in their daily lives by imposing constraints upon physical movement at work and play. Extra weight increases stress upon joints and increases inflammation throughout the body. Chemicals associated with inflammation can break down the cartilage. This is why some people can develop OA in the hands, even though they are not weight bearing. Obesity doubles the probability of a person developing OA. This is a preventable and modifiable factor. Recent studies show that a small weight loss of 5% of body weight can significantly improve body function – affording greater range of motion, better ability to bear weight, less pain and greater ease in climbing stairs. Besides weight, other factors such as weak muscle strength, repetitive use of joints, age and genes, can contribute to the onset of OA. So, what can you do to protect your joints?
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Clean Eating Halloween Treats

on Oct 29, 2015 4:30:00 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
16 Healthier Halloween Candy Recipes to Make at Home Published at greatist.com By Nicole McDermott
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Do you need sports drinks?

on Aug 17, 2015 5:00:00 PM By | Elize Rumsley – RD, LD, CDE, MS, PhD. | 0 Comments | Nutrition
Do you need sports drinks? Having experienced such a hot and dry summer, I have been asked whether people really need to hydrate with sports drinks. If not, what is the best way to keep hydrated?
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Is Your Gut Healthy?

on Jun 17, 2015 5:00:00 PM By | Elize Rumsley – RD, LD, CDE, MS, PhD. | 0 Comments | Nutrition
You have probably noticed that probiotics are making headlines. But, do you know what they are? Probiotics are the microbes or the good bacteria just like those living in your intestinal tract. We have over 100 trillion of them living in our gut. More probiotics in your diet means that you can help repopulate your gut with beneficial bacteria. Studies are showing that these good bacteria can reduce inflammation, autoimmune disease and even weight gain. Probiotics are used to treat eczema, arthritis, asthma, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, constipation, lactose intolerance, obesity and more. However, the beneficial effects and the degree of benefit appears to vary from person to person. Because there is little to no potential harm in including probiotics into a diet, it is recommended that we incorporate these healthy bacteria into our diets.
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Energy Bars – which ones to choose?

on May 15, 2015 5:00:00 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
Grab and go has become the modern way of living for many people. But, which ones are actually healthy?
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Re-learning a healthy diet

on Apr 13, 2015 12:42:02 PM By | Elize Rumsley – RD, LD, CDE, MS, PhD. | 0 Comments | Nutrition
We often hear parents complaining about children who are picky eaters. Are we born to prefer some foods over others? Not really, according to Dr. Susan Roberts, professor at Tufts University. This appears to be more of a conditioned response to eating repeatedly the same types of foods. Because most women are in the work place, few actually cook baby food from scratch.
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Making Sense of Nutritional Basics

on Mar 24, 2015 4:00:00 PM By | Patrick Curtis | 0 Comments | Nutrition
If you have not had the benefit of either working with an expert or the opportunity of studying nutrition yourself, getting a firm handle on the basics as they relate to exercise can be one powerful way to boost your results. So much of what we do with exercise is about efficiency and getting the most out of time spent. Nutrition should also be thought of in this way; however, many of us do not balance our approach to food the same way we might with workouts. Here are a couple brief examples of stories from real exercisers that tell this tale:
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Fitness Friday! Healthy Eating Tips

on Mar 20, 2015 11:16:00 AM By | The Alaska Club | 1 Comment | Nutrition
Here are some Healthy Eating Tips from darebee.com. Yummy reading all!
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Is there an increase in protein need if you exercise?

A person who is physically active spends more energy than someone who is sedentary and needs more energy and nutrients to recover from intense work out. Protein is necessary to help repair and strengthen muscle tissue, but how much is really needed?
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A Word On Water

on Feb 26, 2015 2:11:29 PM By | Patrick Curtis | 0 Comments | Nutrition Gym and Health Club Exercises
While most of us have heard that the average person should consume eight 8-opunce glasses of water a day, there are a few more bits of information useful to the exerciser. Proper hydration helps all bodily functions to be more efficient, including performance during exercise and water further enhances our results from our workouts, especially weight loss. Although the general recommendation above is a good starting point, most of us, and particularly those of us actively participating in exercise, need a little more. A good measure that applies to most active exercisers would be two and one-half to three large size (32-oz) water bottles daily.
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Lean & Mean Turkey Meatballs

on Feb 18, 2015 4:00:00 PM By | Moira Trott | 0 Comments | Nutrition
(Just like Mama used to make…) Growing up in New Jersey with my Italian, Puerto Rican and Polish mix of a family meant food was always important and always present! Trying to eat healthy has always been a struggle in a world full of pastas, fresh breads, rice and lots of potatoes.
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Is a High Protein Diet Right for you?

on Feb 4, 2015 10:12:00 AM By | Elize Rumsley – RD, LD, CDE, MS, PhD. | 0 Comments | Nutrition
A few people have asked me whether a high protein diet is healthy for elders. It is known that a high protein diet is not recommended for those with kidney disease, but if a person has normal kidney function, a slight increase in protein intake may be beneficial for elders. The current recommended intake for protein is 0.36 grams per pound of weight or 65 grams of protein a day for someone weighing 180 lbs. This recommendation originates from studies based on "protein balance" of younger adults, but not of elders who may need extra protein to cover loss of muscle and immune function. We cannot avoid muscle loss as we age regardless of our total weight. In fact, after age 30 to 40, we start losing about 1% of our muscle every year. Without muscle it is difficult for our body to maintain balance and to perform daily activities. So, how much do we need as we age? Some observational studies are showing that elders who consume higher amount of protein can stay healthier longer. In the Women' Health Initiative Study, women above 50 years of age who consumed 0.54 grams protein per pound of weight every day were less frail, had better grip strength and standing capacity than those who consumed 0.45 grams at the end of a 3 year study, even though it did not demonstrate improved mobility. Muscle metabolism is a constant dynamic of synthesis and breakdown. Between meals there is more breakdown; after a meal, more synthesis. According to a small short term study, it appears that the muscle synthesis is higher if protein consumption is spread out throughout the day instead of having one large protein meal a day. It is not clear yet whether elders can actually make more muscle after meals to overcome the breakdown of muscle between meals. What we know for sure is that the best way to build muscle is to do some resistance training, even in old age. More research is needed to clarify whether the amount of protein in the diet affects skeletal muscle size, strength or function. Until more data is available, one should consume at least the minimum amount recommended by the Institute of Medicine or 0.36 grams per pound of body weight and if possible, aim to 0.5 grams per pound.
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Did you make a New Year’s resolution?

on Jan 14, 2015 12:00:00 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
According to 2014 J.Clin. Psychology, 45% of Americans make a New Year's resolution. Weight ranks as one of the top 10 resolutions; however, only 8% or fewer are able to achieve their goal. How can we improve the odds of success? First and foremost, one doesn't need to go on a crazy diet. Think long term - and a diet that is sustainable. Make small changes at a time. We know that changing a habit is disruptive. When it comes to weight loss, it can also be very challenging. We live in a society immersed in high calorie foods and lifestyles that often leave little time for physical activity. We need to take the initiative, think about what we are eating and how to be more physically active.
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Exercise to prevent weight regain

on Dec 16, 2014 2:06:36 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition Gym and Health Club Exercises
Last month we talked about limiting weight gain by being conscientious about calorie intake during those many upcoming holiday foraging festivities. Although diet has greater influence on weight, we cannot forget the importance of physical activity or exercise. You may lose weight by eating fewer calories, but to avoid gaining all those pounds back and then some, it is crucial that you exercise. Current guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week to prevent weight regain. The guidelines also suggest resistance training at least twice a week.
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Avoid gaining weight during this holiday season

on Nov 4, 2014 2:10:00 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
As we approach the holiday season we anticipate gathering with friends and family and enjoying delicious seasonal treats, but there is also resignation that, come January, 1-2 more inches will be glued to our waistlines. During holiday months people tend to gain more weight and this is usually accompanied by guilt for overindulgence.
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Can nutrition supplements protect you against flu?

on Oct 8, 2014 1:28:00 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
As the flu season approaches, you will see more and more people wandering around the nutrition supplement aisle seeking the miracle remedy or preventative for flu's symptoms. But do extra vitamins and minerals actually help boost your immune system or protect you against cold and flu?
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Blueberry-Pecan Quinoa Bowl

on Jul 3, 2014 8:21:00 AM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
Who says Quinoa is only for dinner? The Blueberry-Pecan Quinoa Bowl is the perfect healthy breakfast.
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Carrot Cake Shake

on Jul 3, 2014 8:16:00 AM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
You crave the dessert, quench your thirst with the healthy doppelganger, the Carrot Cake Shake.
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Turkey at the Stoplight Stuffed Peppers

on Jul 3, 2014 7:52:00 AM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
Celebrate Independence day with Turkey at the Stoplight Stuffed Peppers, a quick and healthy meal for the skillet or even healthier when roasted on the grill!
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Muscle Making Lean Beef Spinach Meatball Pasta

on May 2, 2014 9:30:00 AM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
We're kicking off May with this tasty recipe from the Personal Trainers at The Alaska Club Wasilla. For a quick and healthy meal any time or a weekday family dinner, nothing beats turkey meatballs with veggies and a light pasta.
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Protein Peanut Butter Cups

on Apr 16, 2014 8:40:00 PM By | The Alaska Club | 0 Comments | Nutrition
What better way to launch The Alaska Club's new blog than with a delicious recipe from our Wasilla Fitness Director Josh Harth?
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