by Dan | Mar 3, 2019 | Equipment, Exercise, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
Sarah and I just got back from a week get away in Jamaica, and boy was it perfect timing. Everybody is so sick of the snow and cold, that just having some warmth, sun, beach, and ocean was better than any prescription treatment I could think of. Time to relax on the beach, listen to the ocean, read some books (for fun!), take a nap, go eat, and then repeat! No time schedule. No pressure. Do whatever, whenever. Perfect break. And…no snow, or cold! Sarah and I each year go somewhere warm in the Winter just to have a break. By the time we come back, we hope that Winter will be ending soon. It does not look like Winter will end soon this year, but still made for a great break.
The ocean views were great, especially sunrise and sunset. It is very relaxing to just sit and listen to the ocean waves, and not wind with snow swirling! Sarah and I went for at least a couple mile walk everyday along the beach, including the last day when we had to leave mid morning to go home on Friday.
They had a fitness center on the resort we were at, and we hit that everyday too. I did not run, but was biking and using the elliptical, and Sarah would get her run in. I am going to ease back into this again!
I did see a great name for a boat while we were there!
Some things just say it all. I am going to ease back into running again this week. I had a set back the last 2 weeks, and physical therapy has definitely been helping. I will resume that again this week. The rest of the exercise is just not the same when I can’t run. I have been having a really hard time trying to stay motivated. The weather is only making this worse. Everybody else is crabby because of the weather, but I think I am more crabby because I have not been running, and then the snow and cold just compounds it even more. My foot was doing pretty good with the walking, so time to start testing it again this week. Back to the pool again too! I sure hope by Spring when the weather does get better that I will be back outside on the road again running. I feel like I have been missing out on a lot this past 3 months or more. My daughter wrote in her blog this week that you really don’t know how much you miss something until you can’t do it. Right on! I have been struggling not being able to run more. At least I can do something to keep exercising, otherwise I would really be miserable! Sarah and I got in on the classes by the “fitness instructor” at the Sandals resort, Romario. He was a riot. He took this picture of Sarah and I doing our class on couples stretching along the beach. Who says exercising can’t be fun!
We are at least now into March. Even though we are hitting one of our coldest days this Winter with the wind chill again. This has to end soon, right? Stay positive, not only for yourself, but for others around you. After all, the saying goes: “What does not kill you makes you stronger!”. The only problem with this weather is it can kill you! Be careful. Stay active, just make adjustments and do it inside on some of the really bad weather days. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4176
by Dan | Jan 20, 2019 | Equipment, Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
Well, when the weather does not cooperate, you have to make a decision. Do you still exercise outside? Do you go indoors? Do you do a combination of both? What? That overall depends on the weather, and what exactly you want to put up with that day. Exercise is tough enough, but some days can be tougher when you are dealing with the elements. Here is SD, we get to put up with a lot of the elements. Snow, extreme cold, or like this morning, we had both? For me, I would still much rather be outside. It is not nearly as boring. You have to dress right for it, and overall, have the right gear for everything, including shoes, and traction with them. So today was a compromise. We have had several inches of new snow, and the temp was zero, with a wind chill into the -19. So, just trying to come back from my foot injury, I only did a couple miles outside, then hit the bike later. But you can’t use the weather as an excuse to not exercise at all. You may need to do some compromising, but you don’t have to skip it altogether. I joined up with the run club this AM, staring out later and running the route in reverse to catch up with them on the back side coming back. I did some strength training before then. 20 lunges, 15 pushups, then 15 body squats, with 30 second rest interval, then repeat. 5 rounds. Later this afternoon I will hit the bike.
The Wellness Center is great to exercise indoors. They have a lot of variety. You can see my shadow riding the bike on the side wall. I listen to music, and can watch a lot of other people there all doing the same thing…exercising. They may all be exercising for different reasons, but they are all there. It also helps to motivate yourself when you have other people around you trying as well.
I have been riding the bike a lot lately. It has been allowing me to let my foot heal, but it is also great not having to worry about the snow or ice outside as well. I have to either listen to music, or watch TV doing this. Otherwise, it is too boring to not have something else to occupy your mind.
They also have an indoor track, which I like much better than the treadmill. It too has been good recovering from my injury because I can have more control over how fast I go, and I don’t have to worry about dealing with the weather elements outside.
I have also been doing a lot of swimming this last 6-7 weeks. I am not going to say it is enjoyable yet, but I do have to admit there are days when it is getting easier. I just have to keep plugging away with this, and hopefully it will keep getting easier yet. It is definitely helping me get in better shape for biking and running!
Now my shadow is in the front, with me riding the bike. Bottom line with all of this is that even when the weather outside is frightful, you can still move, and exercise. You have to find the right combination of things for you. Choices are abundant. Keep trying some different things, and it may surprise you that there are other alternatives that you may like to do more, you just have not found it yet. The Wellness center is a good choice for getting started. Everybody up there is there for the same reason. Some are more experienced than others, and others may just be starting. But, we are all there trying to be active, and trying to take control of our own health and well being. So quit making excuses. Get off the couch. Do something! Try different activities. You never know what you may like until you try it. Just keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4134
by Dan | Jan 13, 2019 | Equipment, Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health, Winter
Well, I got back to some running this week. Trying to go slow on the miles, but did not really start out slow with the pace! After 6 weeks off with no running, I was a little excited to back to it. I have to force myself to slow down. This is a good month to get back into it. The Prairie Lakes Wellness Center is having a contest this month: The Indoor Ironman Challenge. The Ironman Triathlon consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and running a marathon, 26.2 miles. The real ironman you are doing them back to back to back. At least here, we have all month to accomplish this, at your own pace, and dividing up how ever you want. I would have always thought the swimming would be my challenge, but this month it is the running since I am just getting back into it. But it is helping motivate me to keep going!
You can still sign up. You just have to keep a log of your miles and record it there, beginning last Monday, January 7, and ends on February 3. Give it a “Tri”!
You have to do the biking on one of the pacing bikes, and at least at a level 10 or higher. You set your own pace.
Just like the swimming. You split it up however you want. Since I started swimming 6 weeks ago, this at least is not as big of a challenge as it once was. It still is tough for me to do, but getting easier.
It is a New Year, and a time for new goals, new challenges, new adventures. Give it a “tri”…you never know, there may be one sport or activity you end up liking more than you thought. Exercise is exercise! Just keep moving! Split it up. Have a variety of different activities, and if this contest does not suit your liking, then create your own contest to make things a little more interesting…and challenging! What are you waiting for? Leave the excuses behind, and go! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4127
by Dan | Dec 30, 2018 | Equipment, Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Holidays, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
There is nothing like spending the holidays at home…with family! The weekend before Christmas we were in SF spending a day with my family, then to Huron to spend a day with Sarah’s family. The best part though is that we had all 3 of our kids at home for Christmas! The times we are all together again have been getting too few and far between! It started on the December 21 picking up Megan and Nate at the airport.
It is nice to see how your kids react when they have not seen each for awhile! My twin girls missed each other, and it makes it so nice when we can get together.
We got to spend time with the future son-in-law, and boyfriend, as well. It is exciting to see what the future brings for expansion of this family. Many choices, taking chances…new adventures to be had by all of us!
Of course, with the holidays, it is time to really enjoy some of the great things to eat as well. My sister-in-law Michele makes some of the best “Monster cookies” I have ever had! Of course, when we eat more, we have to continue to keep working on the exercise aspect of things as well. No shortage of that around here, even when mother nature throws a curve ball blizzard into the mix of things.
This is looking across the road at the golf course…our view from our house. Almost a foot of snow. The snow does not mean we could not exercise. We maybe had to do some different things for the activity, or be creative with it.
Nate and Megan took advantage of the snow and went cross country skiing. Nate is originally from Virginia, so these kind of blizzards don’t come very often, and if they do, the snow does not last long. He loved it…not enough to live here, but enough for the visit!
We all took advantage of the “Reiflex Center”, my garage gym, and exercised in there. We even got Zeus involved in this!
Here Zeus is working on his hind leg squats! He just likes to get his butt scratched, and then he becomes “putty”. But, he wanted to be in the thick of things. He is part of this family as well, and helps keep us going as well. Sarah has been taking him for walks every morning with me recovering from the stress fracture. Hopefully I will be out there walking again soon too. The bike is getting a little bit boring, and I only made it swimming once last week. The other 2 days that I could go the Wellness Center to swim they were closed due to the blizzard!
This was our farewell breakfast before Megan and Nate were to get dropped off at the airport. It was a fast week, but a lot of fun. I am wearing off on my kids. We met for breakfast at 8 AM, and Megan was up early to workout as she would not be able to the rest of the day as they would be traveling. That makes me feel good! She feels the exercise is important enough to make it a priority, and like all of us, she had to plan and figure out when was going to be the time to fit it in her schedule. As parents, we set the tone, and our kids follow. So remember that everybody! You can make a difference on somebody else by staying healthy, watching our diet, and exercising regularly. That in and of itself can be motivation to ourselves knowing that somebody else, whether our family, or friends, is depending on us. Don’t let them down. Keep striving. Keep pushing. Keep trying. And…keep moving everybody! Happy New Year to everybody as well. New Year’s resolutions or not, make it a yearlong goal, not just a January goal!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4113
by Dan | Dec 16, 2018 | Equipment, Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
I was riding the stationary bike Saturday morning, listening to music, and a song came on: “Meant to be”…I lost count how many times I listened to it. It kind of opened my eyes. I have not been running for 3 weeks due to injury, feeling sorry for myself, crabby, bored…and then this came on. And during this song, it kept repeating the same line: “if it was meant to be, it’ll be…”; and also, “See where this thing goes!”. It made me start to think about not being able to run, and the fact that I can still do something else…biking and swimming! It made me realize that I maybe not be able to run, but I don’t have some life threatening illness. I can still exercise. I am learning new things. And as far as swimming, this was probably the only thing that was going to force me to get to the pool otherwise. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise. At any rate, I kind felt a lot of pressure come off my shoulders yesterday, and put everything in perspective. Time to quit bitching about the fact that I can’t run, and take the opportunity for what it is…a chance to take on a new adventure. I can’t go running with Sarah, which will still be tough, but we are both exercising, we both have our health otherwise. Those times running together again later will just be that much better. It is just like the saying…”absence makes the heart grow fonder”. I will be looking forward to those days again even more!
Sarah got me this bike a year ago for Christmas. I am really getting to use it now! Ride while watching TV, or listening to music. The monitor screen even has scenic tours across the country, so it feels like you are actually riding your bike in different parts of the country! I had it set on the track session today to see how many loops around the track I made.
Here it is at the start…
And this is where it is at the end! An hour later…an hour of getting to think about my situation, and overall, it really is not that bad. At least not as bad as I thought! If it was meant to be, it’ll be! Make the most out of every situation instead of just dwelling on the negatives. I admit, I have been crabby for 3 weeks…just because I can’t run. What about those people who can never run? The people who have been raising money for charity with Team FARA for the last couple of years! I have got nothing to complain about. My situation will eventually improve. I need to appreciate this time for what it is, and take advantage of gaining new experiences. Maybe, just maybe, I will come to like swimming some day! (Choke, choke, gasp…sigh!) Who knows. I don’t like it now because I am terrible at it. The only way I am going to get better at it is by continuing to try, and I know without a doubt that if it was not for being hurt, and not able to run, I would not be at that pool as much! Guaranteed! So maybe it truly was meant to be! See where things go from here!!!!!
The endurance for the swimming is not there yet. But, I am learning something every single time I get in the pool. Mark and Jason both are great for giving tips…all of which are welcome. Jason has sent numerous videos as well on what to work on, how to breathe, the timing…all of it. Something clicks every time. I have at least passed the first obstacle on not dreading going to the pool so much as I did when I started. You would have thought I getting to line up in front of a firing squad at the beginning! Fear does a lot of things. Fear of the unknown. Fear about getting out of your comfort zone. Fear of taking on new challenges. I am learning you need to face those fears head on, or they will just stay in your head as fears. Always afraid because you never really gave it a try. That is what it is in general for anybody starting out to exercise…exercise of any kind. You have to get in a routine. It has to start to become natural. It has to become like running already has for me…something I love to do and don’t have to think about doing. Running gives me the time to think of everything else in life, and to get my problems solved. I don’t like it when I have to think too much, like I am with swimming now. “See where this thing goes…”
This picture is hanging up in my exercise room. It is there for a reason, and I need to start paying attention to it again. Success…A journey, not a destination! All of these things, activities, adventures are a journey leading to success. It is an ongoing forever journey. Nothing related to this while we are here should ever be a final destination. We always have something to learn and experience. Take it for what it is. Learn something new. Get out of your comfort zone. And when all is said and done, more likely than not, it was meant to be! Positive attitude going forward. I am done complaining about swimming. Have fun with it, and learn something. This may just open up the door for me to do other triathlons, and not just the one here…going along the shoreline. I will actually be able to swim in them! See where this ride goes!!!! Keep moving everybody, and see how it was actually meant to be!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4099
by Dan | Dec 9, 2018 | Equipment, Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Well, it is now 2 weeks without running, and I honestly have not noticed anything different with my foot. I was hoping it would be around 4 weeks to get back to running, but may be more like 6 weeks or more now. I have to say, I am learning a ton with swimming, and maybe deep down this is what it was going to take in order to get me to swim better. I am taking a page out of my daughter Megan’s blog…swimming through life. She talks about her adventures, struggles, and accomplishments through her blog, and through swimming, like I do with running. But now the table is turned. I gave her pointers with her blog, and with her running, now she is giving me motivation and tips on swimming. I get a lot out of reading her blog as well, and would highly recommend it to everybody else as well! The aspect about swimming that is so foreign to me is the total concentration it takes for the timing of my breathing in conjunction with the arm stroke, and leg kicking. It is definitely all about timing. It is getting easier, and I am hoping as time goes, I won’t have to think so much about while swimming. That is what is so enjoyable about running…I don’t have to think about running, I can think about everything else in my life, and come up with solutions during that workout. I am like Forrest Gump…”I just like to run!”
It has been 2 weeks now, and I have swam 3 days a week. When I first started, I could not get across to the other side without stopping. I was in a hurry, and could not relax. Jason has been telling me and telling me, the whole thing is to relax, and go slower, and in the long run, you will become much more efficient. How true! My total distance the first day was 350 yards, and 3/4 of that was using fins! This last Thursday I could make it to the other side 8 times now without stopping, each of them one at time, and made it a total of 800 yards for the morning! It is coming. I am making progress each day. I still am constantly thinking of every movement, and the timing of my breathing, so by the time I am done and I am physically and mentally drained.
I am shortening the time I have at each end to rest. How many times I would hear from my daughter, and other people who swim, that running to them makes them feel “like a fish out of water”. Now I can safely say I feel “like a runner in the water”. They are completely different sports. Each takes practice. That is why I always tell people the best activity to do is the one you like to do, as that is the one you will stick with. No differences here either! For me, though, swimming is a lot like dealing with the struggles that come up each and every day. You have to keep focused, you have to concentrate. If you let your guard down, things start to fall apart, and you struggle. That is also what is great about Megan’s blog as well. I helped her come up with the title of “Swimming through life”, but she writes everything else. At this time, I am swimming through life, and can’t wait until I can get back to running through life again. With swimming, because you have to slow down, and relax, that is really what life should be like. It does not have to be this “hurry up” pace, and see “how fast can things get done”. Injuries in and of themselves are depressing, but you can learn other things from them. Take advantage of those opportunities when they come with the positives that they can bring. We always can learn something new. That does not mean it will be easy, and come naturally. But don’t give up! Keep “swimming” or “running” through life, just make sure you enjoy the adventure along the way.
Sarah has been coming with me to the pool at least once a week too. She does not like the water, so for her to do this, is great. It is another 45-60 minutes I get to workout with her, and spend time together.
Here she is by a bunch of the different type of equipment we can use to help get down some of those swim strokes. They really are helpful. The only way though that I/we are going to get any better swimming is getting in the water. So here is to “swimming through life”, one day at a time! Keep moving everybody, and never give up on yourself!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4092
