Walking

Went on a walk with Dad today after my trip to San Diego. There are some nice walking paths in Newport Coast with some good hills. Mom and I are starting Zumba this week!!

In other news, Mom made fried chicken for dinner tonight. A little setback, but hopefully we will get back on track as the week goes on.

Shout-out to ROO, possibly my only reader. :)

Breakfast and vitamins!

Breakfast has many benefits, giving you:

-A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals

-Improved concentration and performance in the classroom or the boardroom

-More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity

-Lower cholesterol levels

My Dad HATES breakfast, but he said he could probably stomach something around 7 am after being awake for a couple of hours.  I sent him off with Kefir, granola and blueberries. 

Kefir is a cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your “inner ecosystem.” More nutritious and therapeutic than yogurt, it supplies complete protein, essential minerals, and valuable B vitamins.

I also sent him off with some vitamins. There are a lot of different vitamins to choose from, but I try to stick with a multi-vitamin, fish oil (for Omega-3's) and vitamin D (because it's the best). 

My Mom gets back from her trip tonight and then I leave for San Diego tomorrow for a couple days, so we will get back on the program on Monday... The weather is beautiful here in California! Love!

Bison Burgers

I cooked Bison Burgers tonight!  The American Heart Association recommends bison meat for a heart healthy diet due to its low fat and cholesterol content. Buffalo is high in protein, iron, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamins B6 and B12. Plus IT'S YUMMY!

When you click on the recipe above, you'll also find the recipe for the yogurt dressing accompaniment.  It gives the dish more moisture.  I used Udi's gluten free buns!  My Dad was skeptical, but he liked it :)


A little bonfire to go along with the bison...

Satisfied customer!

Not a bad view for dinnertime!

I talked with Mom about joining Zumba and she is all about it.  

More posts to come... Love!

I interviewed my Dad today.

I asked him about sleeping/eating/drinking habits and how he copes with stress.  Also asked him about his arthritis in detail to understand what triggers it, what hurts the most, etc. 

I wrote down all his favorite and least favorite foods and set out a feasible plan of attack for eating. I don't think my Mom will be as excited about this as Dad.  Tomorrow I will hit the grocery store and do a test run of some of the meal ideas we came up with together.  

I found $89 ON THE GROUND TODAY. Ridiculous. Thanks for reading! my! exciting! blog!

Prep

Welcome to my new blog!  I have set out to help my parents lose weight through healthy eating and exercise with the added task of combating my Mother's foot pain and my Dad's arthritis.

First steps in the process:

1. Evaluations with each parent identifying their (1) eating and exercise habits, (2) underlying musculoskeletal impairments contributing to their pain, and (3) stress and sleep cycles.

2. Exercise Testing: UIC has an exercise testing program including (1) BodPod (accurate way of measuring body fat percentage), (2) V02 Submax Test (how many calories burned during exercise), and (3) Resting Metabolic Rate (rate at which you burn calories throughout the day).

3. Obtaining free weights, heart rate monitors and comfortable exercise clothes for my parents.

4. Finding Zumba classes for Mom and mapping out walking trails for Dad.

5. Surveying them on what foods they like and dislike.

I will post weekly photos with weigh-ins as well as monthly body fat percentage updates.  I will also be posting recipes throughout the week. Thanks for reading!