by Dan | Aug 20, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This past week has been really nice going out for an early morning run. The fog along the lake makes you feel mesmerized by nature, and you don’t even feel like you are exercising. That is that special feeling that comes on certain days of running…not all days, but certain days, where everything is just clicking on all cylinders. Everything feels good, the breathing is easy, you get lost in your own thoughts…and the scenery makes it easy for that to happen. When that alarm clock goes off, and some mornings it usually ranges between 5 and 6 AM, many excuses flow through your head as to why I should not run that day. Sometimes I do change plans then, but on those days when I make myself get up to get ready, I don’t regret it. Especially when some of the views showing up next are what I get to look forward too.
It is so easy to get lost in your thoughts running by the lake. Either the sun rising, the clouds and reflections along the lake, the moon still out before the sun comes up…all make it easy to forget your problems, and to get fired up for the day ahead. That is where it really helps, when I know I am going to have a busy day, either in clinic, or with meetings, or both. I can help plan overall how I am going to take this all on, and how to stay organized and on task. I can have a lot of the stress put at ease just because I have mapped it all out in my head before hand, and know how I am going to tackle things. It is fun on those days when I run with a group, but those other days when I either just run with Sarah, or by myself…those days are just as important. I may be exercising my body, but I am exercising my mind too. Just me and my thoughts! These are my “Calgon, take me away” moments.
Sarah and I can go through things that have been happening with our kids, or things at work, and we need another opinion. We can lean on each other. Other times, we may run together, and not even say a word. We are running as a team, just listening to each other breath, and relax on our own, but together.
And those days when you are alone, you don’t have to worry about getting in an argument with anybody, or trying to help solve everybody else’s problems…you can have some quiet time on your own…time to reflect, on both good and bad; time to problem solve; time to escape; time for me! Everybody earns, and deserves, some time to themselves. I told my family all along when I would run or work out, that I got 30-60 minutes for me, and the rest of the day was for my family and my patients. In order to do a better job for my family, and my patients, I need some time to me. This is what running does, and especially those early morning runs…before the rest of the world gets up, and all the demands of the day start coming into play. Remember that! We all need some quality time to ourselves…to think, to escape, to exercise…just to take care of ourselves! Going out for some activity, whether running, walking, biking…just moving…can help accomplish that! Keep moving everybody! Then feel more prepared to take on the world!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3613
by Dan | Aug 13, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We had our annual Hump Day 5k walk/run this past Wednesday. Here I am with fellow organizers Owen and Jenn McElroy. All proceeds were going to be donated to the Watertown Arrows Cross Country team. It may have been a fundraiser, but it is much more than that. It was another way to promote health and wellness by increasing our activity. Young and old were encouraged to participate. The main point of these events is to get people out and move. Even if it means I have to wear a camel costume in the process…if it means people will get out and get active, then so be it! Even in disguise wellness can be promoted.
Here we all are at the start of the event. The weather cooperated and the rain stopped about 10 minutes before the official start. We do have to make sure it is safe for all to participate as well, and not be out in lightning. We also had to make arrangements before hand to have police help at 2 points along the route where we cross busy streets. This is all part of the coordination of events like this. We want everybody to come out and participate, and have fun and be active, but we also want them to be as safe as possible. We especially want to encourage kids to come out and be a part of events like these as well.
Here are two great examples! Kate and Gracie McElroy, ages 8 and 6. They are out working hard, and competing, but also having fun. We want to continue to promote activity for these young kids so as to set the tone for their future health. They are in charge of this, and they can have some control over this as well. That is where we as parents, friends, and health professional also need to set an example for them to follow. I tell my patients all of the time that they need to stay active, “use it or lose it”. I am out there doing this every day also. Who would really listen to me if I just said this all of the time, but never did it myself? What kind of credibility would I have with what I do? Again, lead by example. The proof speaks for itself.
Here are a bunch of members of our Watertown Area Run Club. Quite a few of us had already left before this picture was taken. We are out there every week working on our health, and increasing our activity. I have heard many comments from patients that they will see us running down the road, or on the trails, and those days when we have a lot of us showing us, it is something to behold. Take charge of your health. Do something about it! Sarah and I have tried to pass that trait along to our kids as well. They saw us all of the time working out or exercising, and still do. It was only natural that they would pick up those traits as well. Lead by example! Do it, don’t just say it!
Here we all are just prior to getting started for the race. All 3 of my kids were home! Megan flew in that day, and got to spend 4 days at home! Molly and Megan’s boyfriends, Tanner and Nate, also participated. The family that works out and plays together, stays together! And we all had fun!
Nothing like coming to the finish line…together! We help out at many races, and our sponsors for many races, for that particular reason: We want to promote exercise in our community, and keep us all moving! This particular race I happen to be in disguise, but the bottom line…if it helps get people out and moving, then so be it! Hope to see you all out at different events during the year. There are a lot to pick from! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3606
by Dan | Aug 6, 2017 | Diet, Exercise, Family, Food, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
My patients will hear from me continuously to keep working on their diet and increasing activity, and “I will tell you that until you are not here anymore!”. But, you also have to take in some compromising points as well: We still need to be happy, but there are ways you can still indulge at times, and still be healthy. You have to learn to pick and choose, and decide which times you may have some of these more “unhealthy” things, and how much each time. So here I am after just finishing a 15 mile run, and we were celebrating Steve’s “runaversary” date…he started running 7 years ago. His wife brought us cupcakes to help celebrate. The only problem was, I still had a mile to go to get home yet, and I had to either run or walk. I decided to run another mile, so then I could eat my cupcake faster! I had to run by Cattail Crossings golf course to get home, and boy, did I get the looks running holding a cupcake. They were just all jealous!
Tom and I were all pumped up when we heard there would be cupcakes when we got back! It is ok to indulge…sometimes. Like I said, you need to pick and choose, and you make up some of the difference by what you do with your activity. You just have to remember to have fun, and do what we did when we were kids: Play! We had fun playing. There was no pressure coming from having to get other obligations done, work or family, and really no other responsibilities, especially during the Summers! So we need to get back to those days…play, have fun, but be healthy in the process.
And don’t worry what somebody else may think. If you get strange looks, they just don’t understand. That does not mean you can’t help them to understand. Just like me going by the golf course, running, holding a cupcake. I earned that cupcake, but I had to get home first. So when I finished my last mile, and was coming up the driveway, needless to say I did not make into the house before the cupcake was devoured. That was my reward. I earned it! Don’t worry what other people may think either, especially if the things you are doing are helping you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
Sarah and I did some biking when we were out in the Black Hills a few weeks ago. It was a great time. It was like being a kid again, and just going out on your bike, and not really worrying about anything else. Now I do have to admit thought, with some of those hills out there, I did some worrying about how we were going to get up those hills. But the scenery was something to take in…and being on the Mickelson trail, we were able to see things up closer, and with a different perspective than we would have if we had stayed in the car and just drove. In the process, you continue to make great memories…memories for a lifetime.
Memories, and having fun doing it! What more can you ask for. Things that we try when we work on our health doesn’t always work. We may try different diets, or different types of activities, and they may not all be enjoyable. But, you learn from those times, from those mistakes, and then you stick with what you do like. That what life is about…trial and error. The important point is to learn from those mistakes, and don’t keep making the same ones over and over again. Progress is when we make mistakes, learn from them, and then make other attempts to improve. Failure is when we make mistakes, and then keep repeating them thinking we are going to have a different outcome.
Have fun in the process. Remember to get back to “play time”…stay young at heart. You are only too old to do something that you would enjoy once you are no longer here. Enjoy life along the way, take some breaks, continue to keep working on improving our health by working on our diet, trying to stay active, and remembering it is ok once in awhile to indulge and enjoy some of the things we really like in life…once in awhile!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3599
by Dan | Jul 30, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Sarah and I spent the end of last week/weekend out in the Black Hills for a family get together. One of my older brothers was getting married, and so we spent a few days out there to take in the sites. Of course, before we left, Sarah and I got in a half marathon run at home here since we were going to be gone on Saturday when they had the Half Marathon around Lake Kampeska.
It was hot, and very humid, but we helped each other get through this, and then took off for the Black Hills. Once we got out there, it was still hot, but really no humidity. It was time to start enjoying the scenery, and doing activities that we are not able to do here at home. On Friday, we set off for a hike up Harney Peak, now called Black Elk Peak.
It was 4 miles up, and 4 miles down. It took us 4 hours to complete. Of course, we took a lot of pictures along the way, and took in the scenery.
It was great! I had a patient several years ago, she is currently 95, but when she was 89 years old, she hiked up Harney Peak. She says it was a thing to do on her bucket list! Now I admit, it was work doing this now, I am not sure about when I am 89…I don’t even know if I will be here yet at 89! Now that was impressive. You cannot describe the view you have, and the things you see along the way, until you are actually up there, hiking it, and seeing first hand! Well worth the time, and effort!
We had rented a cabin in Hill City, and at the bottom of the entrance for this place was the Mickelson Trail…109 miles of converted railroad when you can walk, run, or bike and get to see first hand the Hills.
And boy are there hills! You have some stretches where you coast down for awhile, and then will spend stretches of continuous hill climbing that range in distance from 4-6 miles…and then back and forth. We covered 30 miles that morning on our bikes!
You cross bridges, go through tunnels, and wind your way around the Black Hills. There were actually quite a few people out riding then as well. It was a great view, but it was work.
Until you get out there and try some different adventures, you have no idea what you are missing out on. We may have been on vacation, but our vacation involved staying active, and getting a first hand view of the sites, and enjoying the adventures. We really did not have specific plans of what we were going to do each day, but wanted to at least cover these areas. It was well worth it. Don’t miss out on those special sites, unique experiences along the way in our life. Take advantage of those opportunities when they come. This is what I call a vacation! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3592
by Dan | Jul 16, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
![IMG_8563[1] cropped](https://s2sbrownclinic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/16-6038-post/IMG_85631-cropped.jpg)
High School for the first few years was tough for me. As I mentioned in my last post, as a twin, and being small, it was a little tougher for us to get adjusted. Our sophomore year was really tough. There were a group of kids who liked to single us out, and they had the same lunch period as we did. We would get harassed all the time, they would throw food at us, and it did not matter what we otherwise tried to do, it did not change, until one day just before Thanksgiving. This particular day they were throwing food again, and I got hit in the head with an apple. I had taken enough! I had a banana, and stood up, and went over to the kid who threw the apple, and smashed into his hair, and then I threw the first punch. We managed to get several more hits in each before it was broken up, and long story short, we both got expelled for three days. But you know what…it all ended after that. No more harassment, no more food throwing…it ended! I like to think they realized I was not going to take it anymore, or maybe that first punch actually hurt…who knows. I did not care, it was done.
I was still trying to do some running on my own at that time, but still felt intimidated. I did not think I would be good enough. I think deep down I just did not have the confidence in myself to believe it. My Junior year went by, and nothing really changed. Then the Summer before my senior year, I did more running. I ran quite a few different 5k and 10k races, including the Diet Pepsi 10k race that changed my outlook. I finished right behind 5 other Washington High School Cross Country runners, and all of us were within 10 seconds of each other. I felt like I could actually compete. I decided after that I was going to go out for Cross Country no matter what, or regret my whole life not participating in sports in High School. I had a very good coach, Coach Dick Brook. He helped me believe in me! I owe a lot of this to him. He was bringing out the best in me, and it took me awhile to realize this. I remember him like it was yesterday. Whoever says coaches/teachers don’t make a difference doesn’t know what they are talking about. He had many motivating speeches and talks, and this definitely made an impression on me. I had a great senior year in Cross Country and Track…memories to last forever as well.
That running experience gave me lots of time to think, plan, socialize, make even more friends, and build confidence in me…confidence to believe in myself, and to stand up for myself. Later in Track that Senior year, this same kid who I had gotten in a fight with my Sophomore year, wanted to go out for track. I beat him so bad in the first race that he ended up quitting after that. I did not want him to quit…after all, I would have liked to have beat him many more times in races (ha!), but it was not meant to be!
When you are surrounded by crowds during a race, and pushing yourself to keep going, and to dig deeper than you ever thought you could, you feel like you can take on the world. I am running right behind the front runner in this picture. This was a JV race I was in, and following this race, I got moved onto the Varsity team. In Cross Country, when it came to deciding who was going to go to the State Meet, only the top 7 runners count for team scoring. You were allowed to take 2 alternates in case somebody got sick or hurt. I was the first alternate…this after only going out for the first time my Senior year. The year only got better as I learned so much about running, training, getting in shape, what it took to be involved, and many life lessons.
Coach Brook would always give us a pep talk before we lined up for each race. In this picture, I am right in the middle, at the front. Those speeches got you going, and made you believe in yourself. He always talked about “intestinal fortitude”–When the going gets tough, do you settle for something less than your best effort? Or can you endure some pain and discomfort and stay ahead of your nearest opponent? Just like life! Life always has big challenges. Are you going to keep pushing yourself, and just settle for ok? This coach had a huge influence on me…an influence I will never forget. Coach Brook had a speech framed on his wall of his office, and it was written by a Coach Ray Graham. Now, I don’t remember who Coach Graham was, but I remember my coach. This speech was the following:
“Cross Country is a sport which requires no specific physical endowments. Anyone can excel who has the desire to run, and the will power to keep running past the point when it seems the price is too much to pay for the rewards received. This athlete works hard, while realizing they will receive little praise, as Cross Country is not a glory sport. Their rewards are the few seconds they shave from their last effort, the spirit of competition, and the sense of accomplishment from hard work and a job well done. In learning to endure physical work beyond the point of discomfort of pain, the Cross Country athlete gains psychological advantage. They are better able to handle their mental processes in all aspects of their life. These are the lessons of a sport that will last a runner a lifetime!”
Perfect! Any runner knows this! To all my friends on our Watertown Area Run Club…you get what running does for you! You get what it takes to accomplish your goals, the work you have to put in to do it. The life lessons learned by this are countless! The influence coaches and teachers have on us growing up can either make us or break us. Coach Brook…I will remember you forever! Thank you! I have been running ever since, with no foreseeable end in sight! The “intestinal fortitude” lives on. The confidence and determination running taught allowed me to accomplish what I have done so far in my life! I firmly believe running helped me not only become a doctor, but become the kind of doctor I am!
Keep moving everybody…whether running, biking, walking…whatever…just keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3578
