We have had a mild winter in regards to temperatures, but we haven’t seen the sun much!! It can certainly wear a person out mentally and physically. When you’re feeling the winter blues, it can really get you down in the dumps which can result in overeating, less activity, and depression. Check out the tips below for overcoming the winter blues!
•Get active! Activity produces natural endorphins that boost mood. I was exercising already, but to help ward off the winter blues, I have increased the amount of exercise and added some strength training to my routine. Try getting at least 30 minutes of activity in a day…if you can do more, the better.
•Eat Right: healthy eating will make you feel healthier inside and out. Aim to get at least 5 fruits and veggies a day, include whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats. Vitamin D has been proven to aid in SAD (seasonal affective disorder) so be sure to get your 3 servings of low fat milk or dairy products. If you aren’t a milk drinker you may consider taking a daily multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D or a vitamin D supplement. Please ask your dietitian, pharmacist, or doctor for the correct dosage.
•Spice up your life: Sometimes getting a new shirt, going to the movies, reading a new and exciting book, or listening to some new tunes will help spice up your life and add some more excitement to your life.
•Get out! Plan a family/friend outing –can be COVID safe such as an outdoor activity when it’s nice! It’s easy to dwell in our sorrows by becoming a hermit and staying inside. We need to get out and get some socialization!
•Think Positive! Dwelling on the negatives can sure take a person down. Instead think about the positives in your life. Tell yourself one positive thing about yourself and your self-worth daily. Focus on the blessings in your life!
•If you feel you are suffering from the blues very seriously then I encourage you to contact your physician for further assistance as we can help you with this!
Stay positive, eat right, exercise, and get out…those winter blues will be gone before you know it and spring will be here soon!
We just had our annual South Dakota Family Physician conference this last 3 days. Normally we would have been out in Deadwood, but because of COVID, it was all done virtually this year. So we did this from home! Sarah and I always teach a section of the conference on the first day, which usually encompasses up to 4 hours for the entire afternoon. We have been doing this now for about 13 years. Well, this year we got presented with an award. We taught our section virtually from Carletta’s house, as she is our Executive Director for the South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians. The residency began giving out an award about 3 years ago to a physician recipient who “…exemplifies excellence demonstrated by commitment to community service, academic achievement, rural practice, full-spectrum family medicine, and care of underserved populations locally, nationally, or internationally.” It is called the Dr. Earl Kemp Excellence Award. Dr. Kemp was our residency director back in Sioux Falls when we went through the program. I am not sure how many years he was there before we started, but he just retired within the last 2 years, and we have been out of residency since 1994. He was a great teacher! I think that is the part that attracted us to Family Medicine to start with. In order to be a good Family Physician, you have to listen, but you have to be able to teach as well. Teach students, residents, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and of course…patients…everyday! Normally our conference room would have looked like this.
We usually have around a hundred physicians attend each year. But this year was virtual, and we still had around 90! We always have to learn, and keep up, as medicine changes continuously. Here was Sarah and Carletta with all of the setup for our portion of the conference.
We learned a lot this weekend, and the best part of all of it…we did not have to drive across to the other side of the state! I miss seeing all of our other Family Physician colleagues, though. It is our time to learn from each other, and catch up on how everybody else is doing, and how they are handling everything with this pandemic. Hopefully next year we will be back there.
Teaching is a big part of what we do everyday. Patients need to understand their own health, and what may be involved. We do not have all the answers, but we are giving our opinion on what we think is the issue, and how we may be able to help somebody. Every day is a challenge. We have to keep learning as well. Lifelong learning. There is always something new. There are always new challenges. It was a very special honor to be recognized. Dr. Earl Kemp was the epitome of teachers. We both learned so much from him, as did all of the other hundreds of residents who went through that Sioux Falls Program. I have always said with all of the doctors we have had teaching us when we were in medical school and residency, that we learned something from all of them. We learned what to do in certain situations, and what not to do. We learned how to interact with patients. Some taught me how I wanted to be when I was done, and others taught me exactly how I was not going to be when I was on my own. But, it was all a learning experience. We have had a good time over all these years teaching other students, residents, and colleagues. The underlying principle of Family Physicians entails lifelong learning, and passing that knowledge on to others. Stay healthy everybody, and keep moving!
With Superbowl Sunday approaching quickly, many are getting their grocery lists ready and starting to prepare all those tasty snacks. Here are some tips to help you enjoy without busting the calorie bank:
Be sure to eat consistently throughout the day and leading up to the party and game. If you fast all day to allow for extra eating during the game, you’re more likely to over-indulge as you’ll be extra hungry.
Include fresh fruits and vegetables into the spread.
Beware of the dips and sauces. They usually have a lot of extra calories, sugar, and fat. If you’re making your own, try using light or fat free to make your recipes healthier.
Choose your beverages wisely. Liquid calories are hidden calories and we often times don’t realize how much they can add up. Opt for sugar free or calorie free beverages or limit your portions.
Stay away from the fried and breaded items. Instead choose lean meats such as white meat chicken without the skin, lean hamburger, fish, or lean pork.
And remember that the food doesn’t always have to be the focus of the event, instead really take in and enjoy the fun and fellowship with friends and family!
I got a great present at Christmas, but had to wait until now before I could start spreading the word to everybody. My daughter Molly is expecting their first child toward the end of July. My last Christmas present to open was from them, and I did not even realize my son-in-law was videoing me doing this. I could not believe it when I opened it up!
I got a picture frame with an Ultrasound picture of my future grandchild! Wow, what a present!!! I can’t wait to be a Grandpa! With everything going on in life lately, I try to stay as calm as I can. But no way with this!
For those of you have read my blog posts in the past, or have been to one of our Strive 2 Survive sessions, you have heard me talk about my Grandfather. He died just before he turned 54, and never got to see any of his grandchildren. He had 10 kids, who went on to create 35 grandchildren. The first one was born one month after he passed away. I have always said that if I have anything to say about it, that was not going to happen to me. Well, March of 2019 brought some tough reality into play. That is when I had my major health issue, and I was 54! I could have been in the same situation. I am not taking anything for granted anymore. My grandkids are going to know me, and remember me!
Here is a picture from this week! Molly is an ultrasound tech, so she has been checking. Apparently I am going to have a grandson! Imagine what I thought when I found out my grandson will be named Daniel! Hee Hee! I just have to keep reminding Molly and Tanner how good of a name that is. In all honesty, I have no idea what name they are considering, but whatever it will be, it will be great!
I had to wait for Molly to put out her announcement before we could say anything. Do you know how hard that is? I am busting at the seams, but could not say anything! I can’t believe one of my little girls is old enough to now have her own child! Where did the time go! It was a year and half ago I gave her away to Tanner. Her wedding day was one of my favorite memories, I can’t even imagine what it will be like when she delivers.
I find myself looking back at her wedding pictures often. It brings me right back to that moment. These are the things in life that are important.
Tanner and Molly, you are going to be great parents! Congratulations! I hope…change that to I know…we are going to make great grandparents. Sarah and I are both so excited for this next adventure of our lives too. But, just don’t forget, this grandchild is going to be a part of the Reiffenberger family, and you know what that means…
…our grandkids will learn they get to work out with us…walk, run, ride bikes…all of it. They will be active with us! We have to keep doing this so we can keep up with them. If they are part Reiffenberger, they will be active along with us! After all, it will be in their blood! We are so excited for this next adventure in our lives too. I am one proud Grandpa to be! Keep moving everybody!
Many of you are working on your New Year’s goals and that may include improving your nutrition, activity, health, and wellness. Keeping track of your intake is an excellent tool to help you with increased awareness of your intake (what exactly are you eating and how much) and help with accountability (you may think twice about the choice or amount when you have to write it down!!). Most of my successful patients do keep a food log at some point in their weight loss journey…thus it is at the top of my list of tools to help you improve your intake! You can write it out long hand in a notebook or journal or if you have a smart phone or use the internet you can use online trackers. These are very nice because they add up all of the calories and nutrition facts for you…you just need to select the closest match to what you are eating and the appropriate serving size!
MyFitnessPal is the number one that I recommend….they have a huge database of foods and it’s pretty easy to use. LoseIt is another free app. Noom is a great site that encourages mindful eating along with tracking, but it does require payment to use.
If you need help with getting started, please contact me! I would be happy to set up an individualized nutrition plan for you to help you meet your goals! -Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, , LN 605-884-4426 strive2survive@brownclinic.org
Are you at a breaking point yet? Are you ready to lose it? Here we are half way through January, and how many of us have kept up with our plans for the new year yet? COVID has changed nothing yet, and now the stress is coming in relation to the vaccine. Who is going to get it? Who is going to get it first? Who ranks higher than somebody else? Why were they called before me? On and on it goes!
This is how it feels to me some days. How about you? Some days you just feel like you can’t do anything right, or make anybody happy. We all have days like that. We need to figure out how to deal with them. I used to go into my office and not come out until I counted to 1 million. I never got anything done then! We need to figure out what it will take for each of us to learn how to relax, and cope with stress.
All of these listed help! Prioritize them. The last one talking about making a list…exactly! Write it down! Follow it! Check if off when you are done so you realize you are actually accomplishing something. Each of us has different things that we like that is relaxing to us. Fishing, hunting, walking, sight seeing, taking pictures…whatever works for us. I love going out and taking scenery pictures. My mind is only focused on that for that time away.
No matter how many times I go out to take pictures, I see something different. Or I think I have seen it, but am seeing it differently now. No two days have been the same. Escape! Make something of it that makes it mean something to you!
Spend time with your kids, or grandkids, or pets. They always want attention. That is what has made COVID so tough to deal with is because of the social distancing. As humans, we want that social interaction. We need that social interaction. Believe me, our pets need it too. We all need to care!
Exercise! Blow off some steam. Work out your frustrations, and improve your health at the same time! The different exercises can be as creative as you want them to be.
Time to show people how tough you are! Have that mentality of “Don’t mess with me!” Laugh while you are at it. Enjoy life. It has been miserable enough this past year, so don’t make it more miserable then it has to be. It is going to take work, but it will be well worth it!. You don’t want to waste the days you have. You do have to look at things differently, and may have to be more creative, but there are things to do. Just do them!
Figure out when and where your stress free zone is at, and then go there frequently! Make it your escape place. Make it individual to you. What do you want? What do you want to accomplish? Where do you see yourself in the future, and how are you going to get there? Be creative. Imagine. Dream. Find your stress free zone frequently! And…keep moving everybody!
