by Dan | Sep 18, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We all want to be healthier, and be able to have the energy and stamina to do things, but it is important to be having fun along the way. Here our run club is getting ready to go for a run…and we are ready! Ready to not only go for a run, but to have fun, and spend time with friends as well. We all have goals in our life, and we want to improve with our goals. When we are running as a group, our times for how fast we run are really not important. It is a social time, and a time to see how everybody is doing, and how things are going for them in their lives. Many of us on our run club is getting ready to do the Twin Cities Marathon in 3 weeks, and many of us also ran last weekend in Sioux Falls doing the half marathon. In events like this, our times can be more important to us then, as we are continuing to drive and improve for ourselves. The next few pictures show Jill Makepeace checking her time as she crossed the finish line, and then the expressions of her face when she realized she had just set a personal record for her finish time.
This is also a driving force as to why we keep trying. We want to be healthier, but we are trying to improve ourselves along the way. If you don’t push yourselves at times, you have no idea how far you can go. Over time, we can amaze ourselves. As individuals, you can look back on your accomplishments, and really can see changes as to the progress that is made…it is also a great motivator! Our minds are usually our limiting factor, not our bodies. It is important getting support from people in our lives who help support us, and who help us achieve our goals. More importantly, they are usually the people who we have fun with as well.
Paula and Jill are having a good time following the race, and both celebrating accomplishments they just achieved. Our run club really can show off the fun we can have.
We can all be “goofy” together! After taking these pictures, we finally got back to running after we got done posing. So everybody get ready, and “jump” into better fitness and health!
Keep moving everybody! Exercise for the health of it! But, have fun along the way!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3278
by Dan | Sep 11, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Sarah and I, along with quite a few of the Watertown Area Run Club members were in Sioux Falls this AM for the Half Marathon. It was a little windy, but the temperatures were very nice for running. I forgot what kind of hills there are in SF! It was a great morning for a run. Yesterday, they had an expo at the Arena where they would sell different things related to running. One of the booths had a truck where one side of it had the names of those doing the marathon, and the other side of those doing the marathon. We found our names pretty quickly!
I managed to take a picture of Sarah coming across the finish line. It got a little crowded at the finish. The medals were very nice this year as well.
Another adventure down! It was a nice run. It is always good to run with other people, and there was always somebody around you. If you have never tried, do it! Start with a mile walk/run, or a 5k. You might surprise yourself what you are capable of. We all have to start somewhere. Our bodies are usually not the limiting factor…it is our minds!
Remember, you cannot finish unless you start! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3271
by Dan | Sep 4, 2016 | Etc., Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
When it comes to running, or exercise in general, it is always easier when you have a training partner. Someone else who can help you be accountable, to help push you, motivate you…just to help be there with you. A training partner is someone who has the same interests as you when it comes to exercise. They can be a friend, relative, pet…anybody who will help push you. This is a recent picture of our run club. We all help each other with exercise, and we all like to run.
Over the years I have had multiple training partners. I have had several where I have included my dogs as well, and for this one today, I won’t include them. My training partners over the years include:
Tom Beaudry, one of my first training partners, and continues to be.
Steve Hauck, who is my neighbor, and have run several Disney marathons with, and Fargo.
And of course, my wife Sarah, who has been my training partner since we started dating. In fact, this is how we started dating.
Susan and Chris, my past nurse, and current (and always!) nurse. They have helped each other out immensely with achieving their goals.
As of these last few days, one of our run club members, Jen, got hurt. She is struggling with this, frustrated by this, and wants to keep running. She is going to be running the Twin Cities Marathon with us in October. The rest of us found out about it yesterday. Ever since then, it was like something was missing. When the rest of us were out running this AM, and she was not, we all felt bad for her. We are worried about her! We want her back running with us. She was out at about the 16 mile mark today to provide water, Gatorade, and oranges. She was still helping us out, but you could tell she was very disappointed that she could not be out running with us. We have all had injuries where it has limited what we as individuals can do to recover, but it is just as disappointing when someone you have been training with can’t join you. Something is missing. It is just not the same. Here she is trying to look happy, but getting ready to start doing some of the exercise and suggestions I gave her to help get over this quicker.
It was not the same running without you! You helped out the rest of us today with the water/Gatorade breaks, and it was greatly appreciated. I would have gladly carried my own water if you would have been able to run. I made her be a part of the group picture this AM. She is part of this group, and always will be!
Here is hoping for a speedy recovery. I know you really want to be getting ready for the Twin Cities, but bottom line, we just want you back running with us! We may all be training partners, but more importantly, we are friends!
We are there for you…thinking of you…wishing you were joining us! Here is to a speedy recovery. We will help get you ready for October. Just heal up! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3264
by Dan | Aug 28, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Accomplishments are something we need to be proud of, celebrate, and take pride in! When it comes to exercise, if it were so easy, then it would not be such a struggle to get people interested, or motivated, in doing it. Accomplishments can come big or small, and any improvement, and attempt at improvement, is an accomplishment.
Dig deep, keep going, those accomplishments will come. It is no different than starting to exercise, or lining up for your first walk/run 5K. You have to start sometime, somewhere!
You have to start in order to accomplish anything! Making that decision is probably the hardest part because convincing ourselves of that is what is hard, not the actual activity itself.
Is it a struggle some days to get out and get moving? Absolutely. Is it a struggle sometimes to finish? Absolutely. But, what you can really only describe by actual feelings after you have accomplished something challenging in your life is what it is all about. Words can only come close, but that feeling when you finish something, cross a finish line, or whatever that accomplishment may be, is truly exhilarating!
Pride! Joy! Relief! Happiness! “I did it!” Nobody can take your accomplishments away from you, and you are the one setting the tone! Go for it! Is it easy? No! Nothing worth working for is!
But when that work is done, you can sit back, relax, and truly enjoy the ramifications of that accomplishment, or the view that you can see afterwards! It can open up an entirely different perspective on your life!
Take it all in! After all, you earned it! Then relax, think about what you just accomplished, and I will bet you will tell yourself, “you know, that really was not that hard! Now what can I do next?” The sky is the limit!
You earned it. Celebrate well. Enjoy all the benefits you will get after being successful with what you accomplished. Then, put your head down, take a deep breath, and decide what you are going to do next! Just remember, make your accomplishment attempts reasonable. They don’t have to be like watching an episode of “Mission Impossible”. You set the tone. They are for you! Keep reality in perspective, and enjoy the ride along the way! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3257
by Dan | Aug 21, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We have all come a long ways in our quest for what we want to achieve in our life. We all need to have goals. If we didn’t have goals, what would there be to look forward too! We all need to challenge ourselves, and our goals for each of us as individuals are as individual as we are. Here is my nurse Chris…who is now an avid runner. She accomplished one of her goals this Spring by participating and finishing her first Half Marathon. But what is her real goal? She just participated in the color run here a week ago. This next picture says it all!
Here she is behind her grandkids in this run. The look on their face is priceless also. Bottom line, Chris gets to participate in things with her grandkids. She is an awesome grandma! That is what life is about…spending time with the people in our lives who are important.
You need to make a plan when it comes to your goals. Write them down…then they become more real. Just remember, it is not written in stone though. Your goals should be something to aim for!
Just remember to make your goals reasonable, or they won’t be achievable, and you will just get frustrated, and quit. Remember, it is something to AIM for! We all need challenges in our lives, but good challenges, not something that is only to make or create more stress in our life.
We all need goals to reach for. Goals is what makes life interesting! Be creative, imaginative, but also real! Your goals should be challenging, but the quest for them should also be fun and enjoyable. After all, the goal you come up with is for you!
Susan, my former nurse, is also a running maniac. Her goal…to be better today than she was yesterday. To be able to continue to improve. She is in no contest with anybody else…only to improve herself. You are doing is Susan!
To me, this picture of Susan sums it up great! Joy, relief, pride! This is an awesome picture of her that was taken at the color run. Good job Chris and Susan! “Go”al for it! Keep moving everybody! Keep working on your goals!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive exercise day#: 3250
by Dan | Aug 14, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Our new clinic ad campaign: Jump Start your Wellness by encouraging you to go out and get active! We provided many jump ropes to patients, and other individuals to start getting active, and jump rope! We all did it as a kid, so we want you to continue to do it now. It is like riding a bike…you never forget how! Now for some of you, just like me encouraging to get out and be active for years, it may take a little more encouragement!
You might think this may be boring, or you are not too excited to give it a try, but like most things, you don’t realize how much fun it can be. When we were shooting our commercial, and having all of our employees out jump roping, everybody was laughing, and having a great time! Who says exercise can’t be fun. This is how it should be!
Just get out and move! Jump Start your Wellness!
Don’t worry if you think you won’t look graceful starting! Like everything, it takes a little practice.
Sorry Joan!
Just like I have been saying for years, it is always easier to exercise, and have more fun, when you are doing the exercise in a group!
So, what are you waiting for? Grab your jump rope, and make time to jump start your wellness!
Keep moving everybody! Exercise for the Health of It!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3243
