Many of us enjoy one or more cups of coffee each morning and although the caffeine and wake-up call it provides may be the motivating factor, perhaps some of the drink’s other benefits can play a role in your continued enjoyment of it! Coffee has been shown to help with brain function, perhaps prevent some diseases, and increase calcium intake when milk is added. Coffee also contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties as well. Important vitamins and minerals such as potassium, niacin, vitamin E and magnesium are also present in coffee. One thing to keep in mind about your morning pick-me-up may be to choose wisely. Some of the fancy coffee drinks found at popular coffee shops can also contain loads of sugar and fat, which may contribute empty calories to your daily intake. When choosing a coffee drink, choose low or non-fat drinks or plain coffee, or plain coffee with milk to ensure the most benefit from your coffee. During the hot summer months, enjoy cold-brew coffee or iced coffee as a seasonal way to reap these benefits! -Kelsey
Well, it has been a busy week with the 4th of July. Lots of things to celebrate, with freedom at the top of the list. Freedom to choose as we want, and live as we want. Freedom to spend time with who we want. Freedom to choose things in our lives, both good and bad. It started with the Freedom Run/Walk put on by DASH here in Watertown on Tuesday night.
It was a 5k run/walk. Calm winds, but really hot. It takes a while to get used to the heat, especially when we get it all at once. But never the less, a fun event. A lot of us try to dress up as patriotic as we could. Sarah and I each managed to win first in our age category. Thankfully, there were not many in our age category! Ha!
At least I am out running again. 5k has pretty much been my limit here, so will just have to see how time goes. It just feels good to get outside and do something again! Thursday morning, on the 4th of July, our run club met at 7AM for a patriotic run before everybody got busy for the day with their plans, family activities, fireworks, etc.
Another great morning to go out for a run, and celebrate! So, remember to celebrate those things in your life that you appreciate, that you have worked hard for, and that have that special meaning to you. Family, friends, health. You don’t really appreciate what you always have, until you don’t have it anymore. Live life to the fullest. Don’t waste time, days, memories.
Keep working on your own health by trying to do more exercise, and watching your diet. But, also spend time taking care of your mental health. Spend time with family and friends, and enjoy the memories that will come with it. Those are the memories that will mean something…and not only for yourself, but for somebody else as well. So celebrate well, and take care of yourself as well. Keep moving everybody!
This weekend we went to Fargo to join in on the annual Wonder Woman run! Sarah and a bunch of the other girls from the run club ran the half marathon, and I ran the 5k…as the “husband of Wonder Woman”. It was a fun weekend to spend with my “wonder woman”! The weather was very hot and humid, which made all of those who ran the half marathon even more incredible. The next several pictures are ones we took of the group from Watertown.
It was a fun weekend Sarah, Paula, Amanda, Tracy, and Karla. I thought it was tough enough doing the 5k, and you “wonder women” all did the half marathon. Way to go!
We even ran into Elvis!
Here is the finish line where Kevin and I were waiting afterwards for all of the girls from Watertown to finish. Everybody was cheering everyone who came across.
Here I am finishing the 5K. All things considered, I felt pretty good. The heat was definitely tough, and I am more conscious now than ever about having to keep drinking and staying hydrated with what happened to my right kidney. I am not pushing past the 5k for a while, and if over 80’s, I am not running. I am not going to push it yet.
Here Sarah just finished. She was wiped! The heat and humidity took its toll. I was just glad she had finally finished. Now we were waiting for the rest of our group to come across. One for all, and all for one! Everyone did just fine. It was not a day to set records, but it was a day to just enjoy the activities associated with it. It was a record of sorts for me. I ran faster than I thought I was able to, and felt overall pretty good. It has been one tough road up to this point, and I definitely have a long ways to go yet. I was just told Friday that the hole in my heart is not sealed by the procedure they did in March. They had a group discussion, and recommend that I give it another 3 months to allow more scarring of the device I had placed to seal the hole. If it is still leaking at that time, I need to go back and start again by having another device placed. Patience…patience…patience. I will just need to see what time is going to bring. But, one thing is for sure…
…I will have my Sarah at my side…”My Wonder Woman”, because I am the “Husband of Wonder Woman!” Thank you for all you do for me. Thanks for helping me get through these last 3 months, and to help keep me motivated for what may come in the future. I am relying on your “super powers” to help me. You truly are Wonder Woman…a great mom, a great wife, a great doctor who will do anything for your patients. I don’t know how you juggle at this stuff. You truly are a “Wonder”, and I am just glad you are with me! For all you guys out there…realize and appreciate your “Wonder Woman”! Keep moving everybody!
The road of life bring many challenges, and many changes. You learn to adapt, and go with it, or you suffer longer from the consequences. For all of you out there who do exercise, you have undoubtedly suffered some injury or setback of some kind, at some time in your life. The timing is never good. Nobody ever wants to be hurt, or be held back from doing the things they enjoy. But, welcome to life. Recovering from injury, or health issues, really puts things in perspective. We are human, and we have weaknesses. It can be frustrating, depressing, maddening…going through every emotion you can experience. By the time all is said and done, hopefully you have grown, learned something, and appreciate truly how precious things are in life that we often times take for granted.
Sometimes, you have to just take a deep breath, after all the anger comes out, take another deep breath, and then figure out how to go after it again. It can be easy to feel defeated. But if you let it, you will feel even more defeated later. Some things come up that we truly have no control over. We have to listen to our bodies, because it is telling us something. It may not be what you want to hear, but ultimately you may not have any choice.
Relax, take a deep breath, get you mind back on track, and then you can start getting your body back on track. I guess I have to listen to what I tell my patients all of the time: “Now you know why we call you patients!” You have to be patient with the process. You have to be patient that in the long run things will get back to a “comfortable normal” for you again. There will be ups and downs, but overall, we hopefully keep making progress forward.
I have Sarah by my side! I need her to help motivate me. I need her to help keep me on track. I need her…just because I need her!
Each day can bring new challenges for all of us…good and bad! Our attitude is what separates the people who succeed from those who fail. We choose how to deal with it. We choose what decisions to make. We choose…I choose, what my attitude is going to be like going forward. Things are going to be changing again soon. I need to hang with it, and be “patient”.
I am going to follow Sarah. It has always worked for me in the past. Be flexible. Be patient. Be trusting. I am going to do my best to keep moving…forward. Just like you should! Keep moving everybody!
One of the most challenging aisles in the grocery store is the cereal and granola bar aisle as there are so many choices and it’s hard to know what’s good and what’s not! For those regular followers of our blog, you probably know by now that you should choose a whole grain cereal, but from there…how do you decipher which choice is better than another?!
Here are some tips to help you make a healthy choices:
• 8 grams (g) of sugar or less/serving, if the cereal contains 3 g or less of fiber/serving
• 16 g or less of sugar/serving, if the cereal contains 5 g or more of fiber/serving Note: raisin bran contains 20 g of sugar/serving and is the exception to the rule—still a great choice due to its higher fiber content)
• Instant hot cereals should contain no more than 100-150 milligrams (mg) of sodium/serving. A better choice is cooking oatmeal the old fashioned way on the stove from the canister as the instant packets have a lot of sodium.
In addition, be sure to fully read the nutrition facts label and not rely on the manufacturers marketing claims as they can often be misleading!
A way to make breakfast a more balanced meal is to add a source of protein and a serving of fruit to your meal. With the balance of protein, fiber found in your cereal, and some natural sugars, you are set to start your day off in a great way!
-Kelsey
Eating healthy on the go can seem difficult at times, however there are many things you can do to make it a little easier! Here are 4 tips that will save you time while still eating healthy nutritious food!
• Plan Ahead: On Saturday or Sunday, take a look at what your week ahead is going to be like. It can be very helpful to write out your schedule so you can see the times in your week where you may be on the go and extra busy. From there, decide on a few meals that would be easy to prep and that will provide you with energy for those busy days. Also, decide on some easy to grab snacks that you can keep with you. • Meal Prep: If you have looked at your week and you know you will not have time to cook for yourself, meal prep a few staple items that you can easily grab out of the fridge on your way out the door. This can be something as simple as brown rice, baked chicken, and a side of vegetables. A few breakfast ideas include overnight oats, protein balls, hardboiled eggs, and precut fruit that you can throw in a blender and make a smoothie with. Whatever your food choice may be, meal prepping can be a helpful way to prepare meals for a few days at a time.
• Prepare Extra Food: If meal prepping isn’t really your thing, it’s okay! Another easy way to save time is to prepare extra food when you do cook. If you have time to prepare a healthy dinner, make a few extra servings that you can save for lunch the next day.
• Snack Up: Having healthy snacks on hand will keep you from purchasing quick and unhealthy choices when life gets a little busy. A few good ideas include fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, trail mix, cheese, pretzels and hummus, yogurt, and peanut butter on whole wheat bread.
• Hydrate: This last tip is so important! The last thing you want to happen when your busy is to become dehydrated. Keep water with you at all times and drink it throughout the day. You can always spice your water up by adding in fresh fruit or sipping on unsweetened iced tea.
Utilize a few of these tips to make healthy eating a little bit easier when you have a busy schedule or when you are on the go! Eating healthy and staying hydrated will provide you with the energy that you need to get through your day!
