by Dan | Jan 1, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Holidays, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
2017 is done, and 2018 is here! How was the year for you? Did you accomplish things you wanted? Is there anything in particular you want to accomplish in 2018? What is it you want? That is a good question for all of us. We have to decide what is personally important to us, and how bad do we want. At the same time, what kind of work are we willing to do to achieve. In general, New Years Resolutions don’t always have a good track record. It may be a good time to try to focus on things, and we all have good intentions, but the secret is how are we going to keep doing this year round, year after year? You need to keep going back to your original goals, your original reasons as to why you even want to accomplish certain goals. Why is it important to you?
Here we celebrated yesterday Jill reaching her 1000 mile running for the year, and Jenn reaching 1500 miles. Is the total important? No. It was a goal for them, and they achieved it, and we helped celebrate by running outside with them for the final mile, in what was unquestionably the coldest day of the year! That is what friends do…that is what family does…in this case, our running family. It always makes goals more achievable, and more meaningful, if you have someone else helping you along the way, motivating you along the way!
How truer can this be! Don’t think about it too hard, it will just give you more time to back out of your goals, or come up with excuses not to work for something you know would be of benefit to you. Just Go!
This was the group that came out yesterday to go for their final ceremonial run. We all did a mile (well, a couple of us did 3.5 miles!). I spent 45 minutes on the elliptical prior to going to meet for this run because of the cold…-22, with a wind chill of -40! Far from ideal, but also, if you wear the right clothing, far from impossible as well. We did it, and we helped them get to their final goal. Then we all went out to Caribou to celebrate! That is a reason to do this…spend time with your friends and family…people who truly do care about you, and who you care about. We want to be here more to have more of these moments. Always striving…
I will be the first to admit it…it was cold. If we were not meeting for this specific reason, and for a mile, there is no way I would have gone outside on my own. My workout would have been inside for all of it. It does prove to yourself as well how tough you really are (or stupid! Sometimes this is a very thin line!). You always have to take into account the conditions, the weather. When you are in a group, we all look out for each other. If I had been out there on my own, I would have been worried. What if I would have fallen, and it was that cold out? You have to be smart in this regards as well.
We stick together…look out for each other…are there for each other! There is even more of us when the weather is good! Your friends and family who help push you when things get uncomfortable make things or goals what would otherwise seem impossible, possible! Sometimes you even amaze yourself what you are capable of. Our biggest limitations tend to be between our ears! Believe in yourself, and good things happen.
Just remember, there is never a perfect time. If we keep waiting for that perfect time, we won’t get off of the couch. We won’t achieve our goals, and we won’t live our lives to the fullest that it could be. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Don’t wait for perfect weather. And…normally, I would say don’t wait until Jan 1 to make a start…start anytime, just keep it going. Since today is Jan 1…then this is a good day to start. Come on, what are you waiting for? We are not guaranteed tomorrow! Live today, achieve our goals, be happy, and be around to enjoy the things in life we find worthwhile! Just be safe as well!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3750
by Dan | Dec 24, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Holidays, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
It was a great run this AM…not because of the temperature. It was cold outside, with a wind-chill below zero. It was great because of who I was running with. We had our weekly Watertown Area Run Club, and Sarah and I were running with our friends! Our running family. None of our group runs are really about running, but it is about spending time with people you care about, and who also happen to like running. Going out this AM by myself was probably not going to happen otherwise. As soon as I saw the temperature, a 1000 different excuses started going through my head to come up with something else to do for exercise other than running outside. But, my running family was going to be there…so you get up, put more warm stuff on, and get out the door.
It was our second annual Christmas run…and we were all decked out in our Christmas gear. Even Santa Claus was there in full garb! That also made it fun. We were quite the force going down the road. The only problem was we started at 6 AM, so there were not many cars, or people, out yet at that time. Several cars honked, and even rolled down the window to say Merry Christmas! That also kept us motivated to be out there.
We all posed in our Christmas garb in front of Makepeace jewelers. All smiling, laughing, then running…just spending time together. I had to go on a longer run yet today, and was not too eager to run on my own another 5 miles in this cold, and would have easily just headed to the car and left. Amanda decided she was going to run 10 miles too, and she was dressed as Mrs. Claus. We probably looked liked quite the sight running down highway 81. We kept each other going! Thanks Amanda! It made the cold tolerable! Now we both can enjoy the rest of the Christmas holiday!
Here are the rest of many of our run club members who could not be here this AM…but we were thinking about them this AM.
Merry Christmas to all my running friends…my running family, as well as to the rest of my family! Merry Christmas to all of you as well…take care of yourself. Get out and keep moving…be around longer to spend more time with your family as well. Strive to survive! All of this activity is part of this running Doc’s life…make it a part of your life as well! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3742
by Dan | Dec 17, 2017 | Etc.
There is nothing like reaching your goals you set for yourself! But, nobody gets there on their own. We all have help, whether working out beside us, or if our family members, they may be taking over more responsibilities at home to allow you the time to do this. Be sure to thank those people for what they do for you. I have said numerous times that Sarah has been my main training partner. Yesterday was another example. We are planning on running at Disney in the next few weeks. We will be running the half marathon with our twin daughters, one running with each of us. Then, I am also doing the marathon the next day. I had my last long run in yesterday getting ready for this—20 miles. The weather was great. I did the first 5 miles, and the last 5 miles on my own, and then Sarah ran the other 10 miles with me. Overall, it is the difference of being able to accomplish this or not. Whether we are running 20 miles, or 2 blocks, it does not matter. If we have someone out there helping to push us, or motivate us, it is so much easier to accomplish. And, not to mention, that much more enjoyable. That is the benefit of our run club as well. We all run 4 miles together every Sunday morning. We run to see how everyone is doing, not to just run. It can be the highlight of the week!
We are there for each other, supporting each, motivating each other! Running friends who are like family. We may run together as a group, but there are always some individuals who do even more for you.
I refer to this picture as the three stooges! Steve and Tom always make for a good conversation on the run. Speed is not the objective. It is about friends working out, together, and having a lot of “fish stories”, even the ones that got away, or the tall tales!
Sarah and my daughter Molly ran with a bunch of the other “girls” from our run club for a “Tree Skirt Run” in SF last month. They all got to deck out in their Christmas garb, and have fun running a 5k run. They had a ball!
So what are you waiting for? Most of the time it tends to just be another excuse for not doing exercise. It won’t ever change it you don’t make an attempt. But, when you have others to support you, it is so much easier, not to mention so much more fun! Rely on those people. They need your support as much as you need theirs! Help each other. That is what it is all about! Life can be challenging enough, don’t make it harder than it has to be. When you are offered help, take it! It makes those individuals giving the help feel better too! Here are some pictures or our run club getting ready to take off…to take off and have fun!
Cheer for each other…be there for each other. There are days when we all need some help. Everybody! Our lives can depend on it! Nobody said doing exercise was easy…but you can make it easier. We all need some help in achieving our goals. Cheer each other!
What are you waiting for? Don’t make another excuse. The next year is coming upon us soon. You still have a few more weeks to plan on how you are going to go at this. There is no time like now…we don’t know everything about our future, so don’t keep putting it off. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3735
by Dan | Dec 3, 2017 | Exercise, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Well, we all have things that we were planning on doing, and changes in our schedule, or daily routine happens…or you get sick. That was me this week. I have a marathon coming up in January that I am trying to do some long runs yet, and this weekend was going to be one of my 20 mile runs. The weather was going to be great, and we still have no snow. But, I ended up starting to get sick on Monday, and as the week went on, it only got worse. The coughing was non stop, and by Friday, I had to stay home as every time I started talking, I was coughing. I went in to get myself checked, to make sure I did not have anything more than something viral. One of my nurses asked me, “What is going to happen to your exercise streak?”. Well, to be honest, at 8 AM, this was the last thing I was worried about. I ended up going back home, and slept until 4PM. Just what I needed. By then, I was so achy from laying all day, then I went for a walk on the treadmill. I did not have to worry about the weather, the wind, and I could control how fast I went. I managed 3 miles, slow pace, but actually felt better. Exercise streak intact! But, there was no way I was going to be doing a 20 mile run the next day. That is ok…I want to be healthy first! The weekend is now going to be in the past, and I will just plan, or change my plans, going forward. It is no different than anything else in life. Things don’t always go as we would like. You can either accept it, or dwell on it…or make excuses. Bottom line, you still have to deal with it. Adapt, and overcome. Tomorrow is another day…we hope! It helped running with the run club this AM as well. It always provides more motivation. I did not know how far I was going to go when I started, but told myself I would do what I felt comfortable doing. No excuses. Just keep moving. I am feeling much better, and hopefully I hit the peak of this a few days ago. As physicians, Sarah and I are always taking care of somebody else, but, we get sick too. You just make the best of things, and move on. It is always great having my own doctor at home all of the time too! Thanks Sarah for helping to take care of me…and hanging with me running this AM.
You keep pushing me, motiving me…loving me, even when I am sick, and crabby! Thanks for hanging with me. This is how we strive to survive. Be there for somebody, at some time, because sooner than later, you will have the favor returned to you!
Love ya Sarah! Thanks for everything you do for me! Keep moving everybody! Don’t make excuses, just do it!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3721 (Still intact!)
by Dan | Nov 26, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Food, Holidays, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Thanksgiving! A time to spend with family, eat good food, watch football on TV…and exercise! “If you want to eat, you gotta move your feet”. The annual Turkey Day DASH took place on Thursday, a 5k run, and 2 mile walk. 360 people participated in this event. It is a great way to start out the holiday, and get your activity in, and then eat and enjoy the rest of the day as you want.
We had absolutely perfect weather for this as well. Ended up being at race time in the low 40’s, and then got into the mid 50’s by the middle of the afternoon. Great time to go for a walk to work off some of that noon meal as well. Nick came home from college, and brought my mom up with him, so we got to spend some great family time together as well. Sarah’s family made it up for the day as well. Great food, and great company.
The Turkey day DASH is becoming a family tradition for us now as well. You are out exercising with hundreds of other people, and then work up an appetite to eat, and not feel as guilty later because you already worked out. Thanksgiving is one of those times when we all indulge a little, and that is ok…but still good to keep within reason. And, there is no excuse to not exercise that day as well. There is always some time, you just have to figure out when is that time.
Here was my plate when we sat down. Turkey with stuffing, gravy, corn, a bun, and my moms famous noodle salad with grapes! Delicious!
It was a good time spending with family. We all had more than enough to eat. We then watched the Vikings win in football, and then the weather was so nice out, we went out for a walk, and just spent time outside and enjoyed the warm weather. We have had days where the temperature has been -25 degrees, so this was great!
They were taking pictures of everybody coming across the finish line at the race. After we crossed, I reached my hand out to Sarah to high five her…we came across together…and she was not looking at me right then. So I turned towards her more, and then she saw me and high fived back, but the angle of the camera looks like I am smacking her in the face! Truly, it is just the angle of the camera!
But it was a great way to start the day. Many of the run club members…friends…were there as well. This, too, is becoming a tradition as well.
There is always time to take care of yourself, stay in shape, and spend time with friends. You have to figure out how you are going to do this, and how you are going to make time for it. Is this always easy to do? No! It takes some effort to figure out when this will get worked into your day. You have to plan…you have to learn to make accommodations…you have to make an effort. When all is said and done, you will be happy you did it. Learn to make adjustments. Invest in you. Are you not worth it? The days go by fast. Don’t waste the time we do have. Take advantage of it, and enjoy life to its fullest. Strive to survive! Spend the holidays with family, and make them special. Those same people will not always be in your life. Make life count! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3714
