Many of us were in Brooking yesterday running either the Half Marathon or the Marathon. We saw signs out on the road talking about “Forrest Gump”, and his line “I just felt like running!” Well, that got me thinking about a lot of similarities yesterday in relation to the movie Forrest Gump. You will see me use quite a few quotes from the movie as well to make my point. That initial heading could just as well have said “I just like to run!’, or “I just like to exercise!”, or “I just like to run with my friends!”. Take your pick. But, as you will see, there are many similarities, and lessons to learn from this movie.
First, we have 2 people in our run group, WARC, Watertown Area Run Club, that actually look like Forrest Gump with their thick beards: Owen and Greg. Yesterday, Owen had a great day, running the marathon and qualifying for the Boston Marathon! You have no idea how difficult that is to do!
Here Owen is coming through the finish line and his wife and daughter are there to greet him, after cheering for him all through the race. This is Owen saying “and this is my Jenny!” (but he calls her Jenn!, and his daughter Kate) They were so proud of him, as were all the rest of us in WARC! We were all cheering each other on, because this run club group is special. We are all like “Bubba, my bestest good friend!” We help each other, cheer for each other, and train with each other. But, not all races go as planned. We can have the best training plan, work our butts off, and then the day of the race, everything, for whatever reason, falls apart. We have all had it happen, and there is no explanation. Running a race is “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get” on actual race day. But, you for sure will get support from the rest of us.
Erika and Jill did not have a day like they were hoping for. We helped get them to the finish line. Helping Erika get to the finish line, with several of them helping her run the last 8 miles!
I was out helping Jill get through the Half. She had also trained very hard, with a goal of trying to finish under 2 hours. It just was not in the cards that day. The last few miles she kept apologizing to me for having me run slow just to help get her in. I told her she missed the whole point. It is no longer about time. It is about running, because we like to run. I told her I was just happy I was out running a Half Marathon again. 2 years ago I did not think I would ever do this again. I thought my running was done. I came close to being completely done! Who cares about the time! We have to figure out what our “destiny” is.
We all got a medal for finishing when we crossed the finish line. I am dangling my medal in front of Paula with a tenth of a mile to the finish line to help entice her. Just like Forrest gave Jenny his medal of honor in the movie. “I just got this (medal) because I did what you told me to do. Run…run as fast as you can!” We all need that extra push at times.
We all had that finish line in sight. There is no better feeling when you turn the corner and see this in front of you. Relief! Accomplishment! Joy! Friendship!!
We did not have the McElroy’s in this picture, but we got everybody else from WARC who was there yesterday. As I stated above, we all have to figure out our “destiny”. Before Forrest’s mom died in the movie, she told him “you have to figure out your own destiny”. At the end of the movie, he says “I don’t know what my destiny is. I don’t know if my mama was right, or if Lt. Dan was right.” I don’t know for sure either what our destiny is for each of us, but one thing is for sure, especially from yesterday, it is about doing the best you can, whenever you can, and be willing to accept a little help from our friends. If we do this, we will have a “destiny” to be proud of. Be there for not only yourself, but for others. If you do the best you can, at that particular moment, then you are a success. Do what you love doing, with the people you love hanging out with. I started running 45+ years ago because “I just felt like running”, but I keep running because I love it! Find your destiny! Keep moving everybody!
Summer is coming and the kids will be out of school soon and home more and they’re going to be eating more of the foods that you keep stocked for them at home. Active children burn through their energy stores very quickly and need to replenish them often. Snacking is an important part of keeping your kids energized for their play-filled summer days. Snacks should be a combination of fiber and protein so that they are filling and satisfying.
Some ideas are:
•An apple and a teaspoon of peanut butter
•Mixed berries with yogurt
•String cheese and a whole wheat crackers
•Baby carrots and hummus
•Low-fat yogurt and granola or nuts
•Trail mix
•Celery sticks filled with peanut or almond butter.
Just be sure to keep in mind that snacks are just to get by until the next mealtime, so snacks should not be a significant source of calories. Kids have small stomachs so keep the portion sizes small as well. This is a good time to instill healthy habits in your child so try to avoid having the TV or video games going during snack time in order to discourage mindless munching. Any fruit, vegetable, low-fat dairy product, or whole wheat grain product makes a good snack so find out what your child likes and get creative with the combinations! -Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there, especially to my mom, and to my Sarah! You truly are a Wonder Woman Sarah! Thank you for all you do with, and for, our family!
These are just a sampling of some of the job duties that a Mother is responsible for! Your day never really is over as a mother. You are there 24/7 for anything that may come up with the family. You are the glue holding everything together.
A special shout out to my mom as well. This pandemic has been tough for how much we have been able to spend together. But, that does not mean I don’t think of you all of the time. We all worry, just like you do. We want the best for you, and there is no question, you want, and do, the best for us. Thank you for all of the years you have invested in us kids!
Once the kids got bigger and left the house, you took over Sarah many times as a fur mama! Always someone to help take care of! Dakota loves being your new “kid”, and appreciates all of the walks everyday, no matter the weather, or temperature!
Dakota helped us yesterday by running the Avera Breast Cancer 10k, in honor of all the mother’s who have had breast cancer. Dakota ran the first 4 miles of it with us, and loves spending time with us. Sarah especially loves it because she gets to help take care of somebody else at home, besides me!
Sarah, you are always by my side as well, helping to take care of me! Running is always easier when we run together. The weather is now getting better too so we can enjoy it even more!
Thank you Sarah for all you do, for our kids, Dakota, and for me! Your tireless effort and work truly make you more than “Wonder Woman”. It truly makes you a “Mother”! Spend time with your moms as much as you can. Time really does go fast. Let them all know how much you appreciate them! Keep moving everybody!
Raml Boys with three cute calves! Corbin (5), Adam, Carson (1).
May is National Beef Month so I thought it’d be fitting to talk about this powerhouse lean protein! I get asked a lot about if beef can be part of a healthy diet and it certainly can! There are actually 29 cuts of lean beef! As many of you know, my husband Adam raises beef cattle with his dad and brother. Our sons are the 6th generation of Raml Cattle. Cattle and ranching aren’t just their jobs, it is truly their passion and they do anything in their power to make sure their cattle are healthy and well to produce a top notch protein on your plate. Ranching and farming are not easy in today’s world, but we are blessed to be able to raise our boys on the ranch and show them how hard work, perseverance, and passion can pay off.
Now you may think I am just bias, but science doesn’t lie–I’m putting on my nutrition hat now and want to share how lean red meat can be included in a heart healthy diet! Did you know that beef is 20% leaner than it was about 15 years ago? There are at least 29 cuts of lean beef which means they meet the government guidelines for lean, meaning each cut has less than 10g of total fat, less than 4.5 g of saturated fat, and less than 95mg of cholesterol (in a 3 oz serving). Lean beef is also a great source of multiple vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, iron, and choline.
Here are some tips for you to make beef a part of your heart healthy meals:
• Look for key words such as “round” or “loin” …these are typically leaner cuts.
• Choose 90% or greater lean beef. This means in a 3oz serving there is less than 5g of fat in it.
• Use healthy cooking methods such as grilling, broiling, baking, roasting, or braising. The less tender cuts can be marinated in a tenderizing marinade such as salsa or light Italian dressing.
• Trim the fat! Trimming the fat before cooking will help eliminate some of the fat from the cut.
• Cook with fresh ingredients such as lemon juice, peppers, onions, garlic, and herbs instead of adding extra fat to the cut.
• Practice portion control. Select the 3-5 oz serving over the 10oz. Balance is key to a healthy diet, so be sure to include your fruits and veggies and whole grains along with your lean meat to create a healthy plate.
• All meat is required to have the nutrition content (label) posted by it in the grocery store. Be sure to use this when you’re selecting your cuts of meat and pay special attention to the total fat and saturated fat content.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of beef and explore healthy recipes check out these websites: www.beefnutrition.org and www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com.
Below are some of my favorite pictures of our world on the ranch.
Eat beef, it’s what’s for dinner!
Kelsey
Corbin checking out the show calves.
Corbin loves the baby calves! He enjoyed a break from working cattle with this little one last summer.
Tough guy ready to work those calves. 🙂
Helped his dad deliver twins last spring!Adam giving the cows some mineral. We like happy, healthy cows!
This week continues where I left off last week. I have 10 Life Lessons I learned from running distance, especially the Dopey Event 3 years ago. 4 days, 4 races. I went through the first 5 last week, so here goes the next 5!
6. Push the Boundaries: We can’t always stay in our comfort zone. Whenever we start feeling comfortable with where we are with our exercise, or running routine, we need to increase the challenge. If not, you will never find out how far you can go. This is me holding my medals for completing the marathon portion of the Dopey race, the “Goofy” medal because I did the Half Marathon and Marathon, and the coveted “Dopey” medal, for doing all 4 races over 4 days. This final day was the last 3 medals, but I earned 7 total for those 4 races.
Life Lesson: Only those willing to push the boundaries will be ready for the next challenge that comes into their life. If you are unwilling to challenge yourself, or push yourself, you will stay right where you are, which can become boring and dull in a hurry.
7. Do not burn out:
There is a reason why you need a rest day when you exercise, or at least have recovery days. If you don’t give yourself a break, things become much more turbulent, and you start to not be as efficient, become frustrated and angry, and have an even harder time getting sleep.
Life Lesson: If you continue to push yourself running, or exercising in general, without taking the time to rejuvenate, you will become less effective in everything you do. We all have to take a break, and learn to recover. Your health depends on it!
8. Cross Train:
We may have certain exercises that we like to do, but we have to be able to engage in other activities in order to work other muscles, and prevent breakdown of other muscles. Cross-training can help build up those other muscles, build endurance, and help with recovery from other activities. I have to emphasize this a lot to my running friends. We cannot just run! We have to do other things, and we have to learn to let our bodies recover.
Life Lessons: We cannot just become good, or interested in one thing. We have to have other interests, and explore other hobbies. Life can get really boring otherwise. Besides, you never know what other things you may really enjoy by exploring, and “testing the waters” of other things. It is also a great way to become more motivated in general as well.
9. To each their own:
Each runner, or athlete, (of which we are all athletes!), has their own unique physical and mental attributes. They may work out alone, or in a group, or may like walking, or biking, better. Whatever! The best exercise to do is the one you are going to do!
Life Lesson: There are many unknowns in life, and each person is unique. You have to be able to focus on your own strengths, and continue to keep working on your weakness’s. Just because somebody else may do things one way, does not mean that it may work for you. The opposite holds true as well. You may do things better than somebody else, and where you are strong at, others are not. Play to your own strength’s!!!!
10. Celebrate your success:
Whatever you set as your goal, once it is achieved, it brings about much satisfaction and joy. So celebrate it!
Life Lesson: No matter how small or big the goal, it deserves a celebration, and someone to celebrate it with! Chances are, those same people you are celebrating with helped you achieve those goals in the first place. They deserve to celebrate too! You should not need to have a reminder for this! Just do it! Then things just seem to flow much better with everything in life. You become more efficient. You enjoy life better. You appreciate your life better, and also those people in your life! Then just remember to keep moving everybody!
Warmer spring weather is finally here! With longer days and warmer temperatures brings the chance to get outside and enjoy some physical activity. Along with a well-balanced eating plan, exercise is important both for losing weight and maintaining an overall healthy body and mind.
It is recommended that adults engage in a minimum of 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 90 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week. With planning ahead and setting aside time, you can easily fit 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity into your routine most days of the week. Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities: walking, water aerobics, bicycling (under 5 mph), tennis (doubles), or ballroom dancing. Examples of vigorous-intensity activities: race-walking, jogging, running, swimming laps, bicycling (faster than 10 mph), tennis (singles), or aerobic dancing. Be sure to chose an activity you enjoy doing!! I included some pictures of my son Corbin–he loves being active–running, playing tag, biking, soccer, you name it, he loves it. Sitting still is not his specialty–something we could learn from! 😉
Choose activities that you will enjoy and can fit into your daily schedule. If you are starting from little to no daily physical activity, begin with five to ten minutes per day. Then increase your duration every week by 10-minute increments until you are up to 30-60 minutes most days of the week. It is important to remember good nutrition is needed for physical performance; carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water are all a part of a well-balanced and healthy diet. No excuses anymore now that the weather is getting nicer!! Get out and get moving!! -Kelsey
