[Music] if you've been guilty of over complicating a healthy lifestyle fix that in this episode of being well we're talking with a panel of professionals from the Sarah Li ncoln Center for Healt making nutritious meals doing so on a budget and tips to combat working a sedentary job when Sarah Bush Lincoln opened in 1977 it was with the promise to serve the community's health care needs it has grown into a two hospital system with nearly 60 clinics that provide trusted Compassionate Care for over 50 years Horizon Health has been keeping you and your family healthy and although some things have changed Horizon Health's commitment ever-changing needs of our community has remained the same Horizon Health 50 years strong Carl is redefining Health Care around you innovating new Solutions and offering all levels of care when and where you need it investing in technology and research to Healthcare Carl with Health Al always at the Forefront to help you thrive [Music] foreign [Music] thank you for joining us for this episode of being well I'm your La cey Spence and today we are un complicate the process of finding a healthy lifestyle we've got three fabulous guests here today all the way from Sarah Bush in Mattoon welcom being well some familiar faces and a new face as well yeah well thank you for coming on today I would love for everyone at home to get to know you I'll start closest to me and if co uld just introduce yourself some tell us a little bit about yourself th anks Lacey it's great to be here name is Michelle Schultz I'm a registered dietitian at Sara working primarily out of the He althy Living I was trying to think the beginning here how long I've been at Sarah Bush now but i years but I have been doing this line of work for much longer than that really enjoy being able to connect with individuals and as you said maybe what's complicated a little bit more simple for them so that ca n see the value and good nutr the impact act it has on their health definitely Melissa my name i premer I work in our Wellness department at Sarah Bush and I've been at Sarah Bush for the last 11 years I'm fa new to the wellness department so we go out and do Wellness screens for corporate companies and our and do some health coaching while we're there before that I was in our fitness center as our as a trainer and I did Health coaching and teaching people how to exercise and work out so it's got kind of a nice diverse background and we work with people helping them make healthy lifestyle changes al yeah you've heard of a jack of all trades we've got a Jill of a exactly right love it instead Se th valan I'm a native from Casey I'm an Alum of Eastern here I work at my bachelor's in exercise science my Master's in exercise physiology currently I work as an exercise specialist at Sarah Bush so the previous position Melissa had I also am an American Council of exercise certified health coach so I hope people li rehab trying to continue strengthening people Bariatrics trying to lose weight and then we work with a lot of geriatrics as well I continue to stay active and healthy awesome well welcome back to ei to great to have you back on campus So today we're we're talking about trying to uncomplicate having a healthy lifestyle I know I've been guilty of the yo-yoing or trying to do something way extreme and then it's not sustainable and kind of hopping off that wagon so we're going to talk about a variety of things we've got n recipes and combating working a sedentary job is there any anywhere that sounds great that one of you would like to start with no pressure let's go ahead and dive in to nutritious meals so as far as finding some healthier options it's me there may be a good way to go about that when you're shopping a grocery st yeah I'll start you know I think on the things that I would like to just mention is that I thin of making things harder than what they need to be okay so one of the th at I know all three of us are excellent at is re simplify for individuals getting down t a basic like what's one goal that you could set for yourself what' change that you would be willing concentrate on because we know in one so to your question um you know how to go about like looking at the grocery store I thin the best strategies is you need to have an idea before you even set foot in store about what you're going to purchase too often we're goin tired or hungry and guess what that is reflective on some of the choices that we might make if we aren't w prior to going into the store and I might add I know a lot of individuals have found great help in onlin grocery order placement they're not as tempted perhaps to put things in their shopping cart because it's already been pre-ordered I think so many ti complicate it too they're trying to do everything all at once you know ea t my vegetables and fruits and I have to get plenty of protein but we en courage our clients to pick one goal that you need to improve on are you only getting one vegetable a week okay well where could you sneak some veggies in either lunch or supper let's start wi that like it doesn't have to be I'm going to quit drinking soda and I'm gonna quit eating processed ev erything all at once we really encourage them find a sm easily attainable that you can make a habit and build from there so don't do it all at once makes a big help yeah I mean to build off of that I think um another really good small thing that I try to focus on people is just their water intake like we all need wa ter um and a lot of people rea maybe it helps out with some appetite depression or appetite suppressio um and just all of our bodily functions rely on water to stay hydrated so another thing just um trying to drink The Thirst an sure that you're having water on and then you're more likely to in the intake to help with some appetite suppression now if you're doing the like the flavored Waters is that does that count or does that negate it because like about some people who they say well I just I can't get that much in al ways going to the bathroom and all of those kind of things yeah su sometimes like um you don't have to be so hard yo urself right so like a and sure it may have some artificial sweeteners but that's better than like those added sugars and that's a op tion say your Coca-Cola right or some of those other like sodas or like sweet tea that has a lot of sugar in it so it's and that's like a baby step that you can take to try to make those small steps to improve your health yep times it's health y Health it's a change in what you have been doing it doesn't me going to stay there fore start and so sometimes just giving them permission to see it that way it's almost a sense of relief to them because they're not used to the relationship that we try and build with those we work with and we're going to partner with you we're not here to tell you what to do and bye see you next week but we them feeling empowered like you know I get why they're they're suggesting that I think I want to really give that a try that's that's something that I know all really pride ourselves in is getting their buy-in oh yeah yeah and again can talk about that mental game too because we've kind of gone into it that pe ople like to go in full force or if if I make one slip up I'm done that's it like you know the weak shot the day shot whatever it is um but some of the maybe the mental tools or encouragements that you al pass along to potential patients w always recommend setting small goals for yourself no matter what that is and it where you're starting you know if you already drink water we don't need to set that as a go find your small goal and be proud of yourself every time you reach that because you can if you go in yo u're trying to hit four or five different things all at once you are you're saying if I'm going to work out seven days a week an Wednesday you're like well ma start again next week but if you say know I'm gonna make it to the gym two or three times this week and then you can feel really good about achieving that and then you can build from it 's easy to get discouraged when you're trying to take on you know the whole thing all at once so setting those small goals even if you feel like that's going to be so easy sometimes those easy wins are enough to keep you going and really boost your confidence that yes I can do this and I can keep going and like making those kind of steps along the way too because I was reading about someone who was saying I want to be somebody who does and it's like okay well why don't you just start with four and do four and they were like don't want to do four that seems like you know lower level but it' you can't stay consistent in the small things you definitely want the things exactly whe lifestyle changes we're looking at long term we're looking at where do you want to be in five to ten years not ho can we achieve in four weeks so it's it we're playing the long game here so you want to build on each little step little by little that doesn't mean that's where you're going to be forever so mi ght be 4 000 steps if that ea sy then next week we might push for five or six depending on how well did so I think really drawing fa ct that the desire is to help them establish a habit again kind of li ttle bit of that pressure off of I've got this short amount of t strict rules that I'm trying to so if I don't hit that exact I'm failing right we put a lot of meaning and value on things that we probably shouldn't just because so cietal pressures so I think again adding on to what Melissa said it's all about the long game and it's really about just encouraging I go Lo rd in power a lot these people that we work with quite often they've had multiple failed attempts and so we have to do a lot of of that kind of that mindset change of you know you can do this and it is about the process and I always say learn as you go don't don't look at any situation anything other than an opportunity to learn now and up the idea of the long game becaus had another one of your providers Andrew with debit on last season and he s the same thing where it's like we get kind of caught up in diet cultur media and I remember growing up and watching all of these movies where it's like I've got a cr lose you know 10 pounds for th at's two weeks away and that's just it's not sustaina another thing that um he hit on and I know that you all are hitting on is making it a lifestyle making these changes that you're actually going to like and stick with so how importan that to kind of weed out really important um you know if you're trying to adhere to a fad diet let's say it's a low carb diet and you really love carbohydrates the fact that of you sticking with that for a long time is not gonna go we yes you may lose weight on it initially and you might be able to stick to it short term but that's not go good long-term solution for you now if you love that way of eating and that where it really works well for you by all means and I would say th of the things that we really work on is meeting that person where they're at there's no one size fits all exercise program for them um you know we're working on what's going to work best for you wo rks good for you is not going wh at's best for me so that's im portant and if somebody is life where they would like to substantially lose mor able to help them navigate that where for a season maybe they are something but then working o working back from something so extreme is that something you all do too yes fo sure um y these healthy habits we kind of take it slow and there's always a time where you can dial it in and be really aggressive in your goal whether it's you know weight loss or training for a half marathon or whatever that migh those really intense goals are are hard to maintain long term so I think there's always a season to really dial it in reach your goal and then there's a season of I'm going to live my best healthy life too absolutely to build off of what Melissa said you know a lot of times people that I wo with will talk about you know there's going to be certain times in your life that doesn't matter who it is wher maybe your activity levels are go decrease and that could be because of work stress we've got kids you know you're taking kids here and there after work maybe you have an injury so mebody has a knee replacement a hip replacement and one of the r things I always suggest to people is there are going to be times where we can we can push it and try to like the training like trying to train for a certain event to get in better Fitness but we also have to realiz going to have these decreases in activity for multiple and tying back into nutrition that's usually the one thing that we can continue to control okay so um just trying to trying to eat well and be healthy and be mindful over eating we can usually always control that in those down periods of activity one thing I'll add to everything that's been mentioned too is that the fact that we're able to have that communication with them and we're reinforcin that this is short term because of so that they don't fall into this I'm going to have to do this all the time I think that there's a lot of advantages again of really seeking expert wh enever you are perhaps wanting to go about something a little bit more aggressively again focusing on staying in on the straight and the narrow during that time but really having deep conv what's occurring why it's occurring and then what what does life look like after said event or said goal has been achieved yeah and I mean ag mental impact because it's really to get in your own head for in wh ether it is exercise or keeping up with nutrition um and while you all are here I do of want to Circle back to if we st art diving into like nutritious or budget-friendly options just because I'm trying to get some of that information out there and pe ople would probably be kind of sure I'll start with just so these two will definitely I want their input also but you know I th the most important things to kind of think about is you know what is budget and being realistic common things that I hear people comment on is that you know it's it's very expensive to eat healthfully and we certainly hope that through conversation we can help them identify ways ca n select the foods and also by not buying some of the you know foods that they have been eating that that's going to be a cost savings y you know we talked about fruits and vegetables and their imp I encourage all forms meaning fr Frozen and canned because I know for everybody that's going to hit a different price point accessibility is also going to be a factor that drives whether or not they're purchasing or not so sometimes just knowing that they can and all three are certainly part of a healthy well-balanced eating Focus that ve ry helpful now I give strategies of course can tends to be one where people pump the brakes so we'll talk abou buying fruit and juice so ge tting those extra sugar calori rinsing off the vegetables so you're not getting that extra sodium but it's amazing how even just that simple suggestion kind of gives of relief of okay well there are some some options in that area as far as building healthy meals we always recommend having protein at every meal whether that's animal protein or plant protein having fruits and vegetables and a complex carbohydrate like a whole grain of rice something like that too so whenever you lay it out like that it's a little bit easier to build your meal around that if you kn okay well I have ground beef at home I have some broccoli and I have some rice well maybe I can make a teriyaki bowl something but those are usually the foundations that I focus on of let's break down your meal into those little groups and then let's plan your meal around that I had a guy stop me Wa lmart the other day and actually comment to me I was shopping for how expensive it was and he was trying to buy lots of different varieties of produce and I mentioned I said you know you don't have to buy everything that's here you could just buy a couple o things this week and then get someth different next week he's like thought about that so don't feel you have to you know buy everything fresh because like Michelle mentioned that is a little bit more costly frozen fruit is great canned vegetables are great frozen vegetables and they last a lot longer in your house too so if you don't get to them this week they're always there next week but are some of the basic principles that we go over is just trying to plan your meals and then sprinkle in the fun stuff too because you got to have a little of that yeah yeah I think um one little I use is um you know like all take a list and I'll go to the grocery store and I'll write down okay what are ve getables I see here wh vegetables I enjoy protein sources and um I mean I meal prep almost every week and part of that is because of budget um so I mean most weeks honestly I can I prep my lunches and dinners and I can usually do that for forty dollars or less honestly for just me um and so I'll just go through that list and I'll pick okay here's three to four vegetables that I like three to four fruits and then that'll be like that's going to be my week I'll find a couple protein sources and then the I' ll go down that list and use those other options as well but that's an easy way to give yourself variety and another big thing for people is uh and Michelle will probably touch base on this just trying to eat like eat the ra little bit and give yourself variety greens are good but there's al fruits and vegetables of different colors or give us give us more an d minerals that are essential in our diet so I'm glad you brought up pr epping too because um I I see both sides of i someone who has to sit down and I don't know how long it takes you do you ha it'll so I usually try to do it Su ndays and sometimes it can take um anywhere from like an hour to three hours but then again like steamable vegetables are like my friend I can throw them in the microwave for minutes and uh get a lunch a out of one bag or so so yeah I think it's important too you can meal prep as much or as little as you want if you are new to meal prepping maybe it's as simple as planning what you're gonna have that week and then making it day um like Seth and I for a long time so it's no for us to make all of our lunches and breakfasts for the whole week but that might seem really overwhelming to somebody so maybe it's as simple just gonna plan what I'm having for lunch this week and maybe I'll make a couple and have it ready to go so again just like all all of your other healthy habits it doesn't have to be no thing it could be a little bit of what's what's going to suit you you have two hours on Sunday okay I'm gonna make a batch of scrambled eggs and I have breakfast for the morning easy as that yeah absolutely um I know some people that I've turned with in the past and they have stressful positions you know wo rking long hours getting home th e last thing that they want to do is cook right so yeah I know if you do have a little just a little time I mean start with start with making two to three meals put it in your fridge and those days that are really long and the last thing that you want to do is cook and then you're more temp to use those to eat those unhealthy options it's right there ready for you to warm it up I think too some comes in having the right kitchen equipment to assist you know we're talking about quick and easy an for many air fryers are extremely popular they can be a time-saving kitchen tool same as pressure cookers or instapods if you are perhaps looking for ways to do a little bit better than what you have been but again it takes just a little bit of thought and a little bit of you know challenging li ttle bit of that stretch but it can really help so what Meli what Seth has also mentioned I think you know identifying what might be what takes you the longest amount of it getting your vegetables washed and cut and if that's a yes why not do that when you get home from the store versus tucking them in the refrigerator per to forget about them I know for my family it helps if our protein cooked in advance so that I can then grab it and quickly add vegetables and a grain and then our meal is ready in no time flat and I'm sure you all are providing ideas as well and then I think about just the infinite amount of resources um online too between social or um like a Pinteres know the recipes the ideas people are so creative and inventive so if you wa find that stuff it's out there from those varying levels of diff time as well yeah absolutely and so we're in our last couple of minutes here um I don't want to skip out on th moving your body portion as well so I know a lot of people work sedentary jobs and so if they're sitting at a de day that's and all those sorts of things so how can we work in some activity to sc ooch in a little more start off with waking up in the morning okay and a lot of people were re guilty of this we'll set our alarm and we'l five six times so wonder and it this can be hard to really break this habit but like trying to set your alarm and just get up and go start with that and try to get maybe maybe it's just a 10 minute walk in the morning maybe you have half an hour and you can go do some resistance training mayb ride your bike but every trying to do a little something activity wise it doesn't always have to be high intensity but the goal is to be consistently active just like we want to be consistent for the most part healthy with our nutrition as well people who do have sedentary positions you know our hips are in a flexed position a lot of times people have some chronic back pain with that and that can also be th is sedentary behavior and so um I know some people that have like little bikes to put under their ju st trying to get up do some st that can be another form of activity um and one of the great things like we'll do high intensity interval training for somebody that maybe once more higher intensity training yo we can get a very quick effective workout in and 20 minutes 15 minutes 30 minutes um as long as you're you're moving quickly you don't necessarily have to have an hour to work out either to burn those calories so we always recommend breaks througho the day too if you're sedentary you're kind of tied to your desk this is where also drinking plenty of water comes into play how many times do you have up and go to the restroom af well maybe you can pick the that's you know on the other si building instead the one right next to your desk so you can get a few mo steps in or setting a timer and at the end of every hour to you get up and you make a lap around the building little movement breaks like that can make a huge difference in your day and up over time the old tricks of parking further away taking the stairs instead of the elevator you hear them a lot but when you put those into practice they can add up to a few thousand steps throughout the day which makes a bi difference on your goals and I think anytime you can inco activity with an activity that you're already doing we see a lot of individuals who enjoy reading as Leisure activity well could you wh ile you're on a stationary bike or perhaps if you're coordinated enough maybe get on a treadmill and do gr anted that's not for everybody but it might help spur some ideas where people can be a little bit more creative and identify how they can again find those opportunities of getting that exercise in well I think all of you for coming on our show today are fabulous panel from the center for Healthy Living for Sarah Bush if anyone is lookin information they can find it on the website find you all in person so t for coming on today and thank you to our viewers for joining us for this episode of being well we hope to see yo time Carl is redefining Healthcare around you innovating new Solutions and offering all levels of care when and where you need it investing in technology and research to optimize Healthcare Ca with Health Alliance is always at the Forefront to help you thrive for over 50 years Horizon Health has been keeping you and your family healthy and although some things have changed Horizon Health's commitment to ev er-changing needs of our community has remained the same Horizon Health 50 years strong when Sarah Bush Lincoln opened in 1977 it was with the promise to serve the community's health care needs it has grown into a two-hospital system with nearly 60 clinics that provide trusted Compassionate Care [Music] foreign [Music]