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
by Dan | Jul 9, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Growing up as a twin had its ups and downs. You always had somebody to do something with, but at the same time it was a little harder to try and figure out who we were as individuals. We were otherwise always together, and when you are identical, have red hair and freckles, and are some of the smallest kids in your class, you tend to get picked on more. We relied on each for support on this. You could always count on each other when the going got tough, but that does not mean you did not have your own moments when we fought as well. We had some drag out, rolling on the ground fights as well. The name calling would start, and my brother-in-law always helps reminds us of what we would say to each other:
I remember this line! Maybe we were not the brightest color in the box at that particular moment, but I also remember a line out of the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen”. In that movie, the 12 kids of the family would have their arguments, and then would always be there for each other. As one of the siblings stated: “There are times I want to kill you, and other times I would kill for you!” No truer than with my twin brother.
I remember when I first started running, it was in middle school, and my oldest brother Ray went down to the park closest to our house and ran laps. For whatever reason, I joined him one day. I found out it really helped when it came to getting ready for the 600 meter run in gym class. You get tired of being picked on, or singled out, that you want to do anything to help improve things. Well, prior to that, I was toward the back of the pack. When I started doing some running, and we came to the end of our gym class, and got timed on a 600 meter for a grade, I got second place in my gym class, but losing to one of the kids who had been running track all of the time. I got asked to join track following that, but I was not really interested then. Besides, I had to figure out how I would get home after practices, and transportation was not the easiest thing then for us. I did do a lot of bike riding, and we rode bikes to school most days, which was between 2-3 miles. (I could say it was uphill, both ways, a line I always heard from my Dad, but I won’t!) We had lots of practice riding bikes back then…we did it every day as a kid!
I had done some other running after that, but very limited. I did not really get interested to the extent I am now until later in high school. That will be a story for next time. But needless to say, it gave me a taste of how things could improve, and how you could get noticed by running. My twin brother has done a marathon before too, but he is not has into it as I am. We both developed more of our interests, and this has evolved in different ways as we have gotten older. We get busy with our own families, and I live in Watertown, and he lives in Parker SD. We don’t get to see each other that much, but one thing still holds true: I would do anything for him, and vice versa. He is still my best friend!
Nothing will change this! We still have a sense about each other that is hard to describe about any other sibling. One day our sister took us out shopping, and one of us went to the Western Mall in SF, and the other to the Empire Mall. Neither of us had any idea what we were going to get, but we ended up each buying one thing, a book. Turns out it was the same book for each of us! One got it as a paper back, one as a hard cover, but the same book! Even that surprised us!
We went through school together, life together, and each had different experiences, but yet similar. That twin bond will always be there. We both still run, but his marathon days may be finished. It now is just more a stress reliever for him. Someday that competitiveness in me may finish, but I still really enjoy it. We both teach people, help people in times of need, and support them when needed. I am a family physician, and he is a Lutheran minister, and was a elementary teacher prior to that. He was Mr. R, now is Pastor Don, and I am Doctor Dan. Similar, but different. We found our own callings, but still managed to take care of our own health in the process. To my brother Don:
It has been a great life! Here is to many more years! Let me know if you got another marathon in you!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3571
by Dan | Jul 2, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We all have a beginning…a time when we were a baby, and how fast the years go as we grow older. But the tone that is set at that beginning can be a determining factor on how you will continue on with certain things as you get older. That is not to say that we cannot all change, but the effort involved in can be much easier if we start young. I exercise every day, and I will trace my roots back “to my beginning”. Here I am with my twin brother Don as we are being held by our older brothers, getting ready to be taken on a bike ride. Even back then, we were active. Of course, back then, we did not have all the electronics we have now, and only had 3 stations on a TV, and it was black and white. So we spend many hours outside playing, and being active. And, having our older siblings to follow, and learn from them.
My sister Mary had us out for a walk in our double stroller. The whole family could be out and be active. That is so important, even more so now today, with all the advancements we have, and all the different modes of entertainment we have to make us stay inside. Get out and get moving. When we were all small, we were all very active, and moving. We are made to move. We learned over time how to slow down, and maybe take the easier route. But we need to keep moving. “Use is or lose it”. I will tell that to my patients on an almost daily basis.
Here we are getting into everything. Always busy, always moving. Remember those days, and keep the same spirit of moving alive. My grandma would always tell us that we needed to get outside and play or the “moss would grow under our feet”. Words of wisdom!
So step up to the front. Become a leader to those around you. Most important, be a leader to yourself, and prove that you can be more active. I will continue to show over time as I grew older how activities were a part of my life…the life of a running doc! The only problem is we did not have the cameras readily available to take pictures all the time like we do now. I had to do a lot of digging to try and find these! My patients will hear me tell them everyday that they need to keep working on their diet and increase their activity, and hear from me that “I will be telling you this until you are not here anymore!”. Keep active, make it fun. “Play to joyous abandon!” Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3564
