by Dan | Feb 5, 2017 | Equipment, Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, weight lifting, Wellness/Health, Winter
We all have things we would like to accomplish. We all have ways that we think will help to get there. But, one of our main obstacles is our own mind. We start doubting ourselves, we think we can’t do it…we are afraid. Each of us needs to find our inner courage to be able to accomplish those things we want in our lives. It always helps to have the support of family and friends to help get there as well.
Get past our fears, and start looking at the positives that can come out of it. We will have more strength, energy, and overall live a more happy life because we are getting past our fears, and living our dreams. We have to think of all of the obstacles that we may encounter, and what we may need to do to get past that, or come up with an alternative instead.
When we live in South Dakota, weather is always a factor. If we did not get out to exercise because of the cold, we would miss 6 months of the year! Now, whether we are outside in extreme conditions or not, we need to come up with alternatives that would work that we could still exercise, and keep moving. Anything inside…a stationary bike, a treadmill, a soft mat or carpet to do body weight exercise, and even lifting weights in general.
I found out for myself that I had to work at it continuously when it came to working out with weights. I was out of my element. After I got going on it, I found it to be very enjoyable, and it also helped work on other areas that running, walking, or biking did not utilize. You definitely get sore in areas you did not know you even had doing this. But, that is always what keeps things more interesting…you get to experience and do different things that you normally would not have done.
But again, in order to accomplish this, you have to get past your fears, find your inner courage, and get creative. Do different things. You never know, you may come across something with exercise that you really enjoy, and that would work into your schedule, and…have fun with! Finding that courage though is the challenge.
Get past your own mind as the obstacle. If you can dream it, you can do it. There are always problems that come up, but there are always solutions! You just have to keep working on the solutions until you find the right one! Once you do this, your life opens up, and allows you to experience a whole different world. It allows you to become better!
If we did not have dreams, life would be pretty boring. All of us want to have a better life, a more fulfilled life, but we may not always want to put in the effort or work to accomplish it. More often though, we are afraid to try, afraid of what somebody else may think or say, so we quit. Don’t ever let anybody else dictate what should or should not be with your own life! You are in the drivers seat…you are the one this is about. Dream, and dream big! Then, have the courage to keep going, and working, and adjusting, and adapting, and then…enjoying you! Find the courage that will make you…a better you! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3418
by Dan | Jan 29, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
How many times do you hear somebody say, “if you want it, you need to take a chance!” Exercise, just like life, is the same way. You never know what you are truly made of until you take a chance. Here Sarah is showing her muscles, getting ready to take on another race. She has done many half marathons, but never a marathon. She has always said she is only “half stupid”. Well, come October this year, she is going to be doing her first ever marathon…26.2 miles! She is taking the plunge. I have no doubt she will finish, but she is nervous. She has never done one before. Just like for everyone else, we don’t know what our body is capable of, until we “take a chance”. People don’t take a chance because they think it is impossible, too risky, or even pointless.
Those who have heart say, “Give it a try”. Only by going too far can you truly know how far you can go. We take chances every day in our lives. We take risks, we worry, we may even think some of the things we do are “stupid”. But if you have heart, the sky is the limit. Who knows what you are capable of achieving. We even surprise ourselves many times.
But you have to start. You have to start somewhere. You have to start sometime. The time is now. 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then you are doing a mile, then a 5k. What is your end point? Who knows! We ourselves don’t know what are limits are…and then most of those limits are created in our heads. We don’t believe we can do them, so we don’t even try. Unless you start, you will never know!
Our run club has been going on for over 4 years now. We started our very small…so small that for much of that first year it was the “Dan and Sarah club”. It keeps growing every year. People start to see that it is more than just running. It is about socializing, making friendships, …laughing. It is about taking a chance. Taking a chance on becoming a better you! Everyone starts out slow, and then you keep building. Quality takes time! Overcoming our fears, and our minds, tend to be the biggest obstacles.
When my daughter Megan was home over the Christmas break from school, she came running with our run club on Sundays a couple times. It was much colder here than it was back at school. She had to overcome her resistance to the cold, but once she got going, she ended up going 6 miles with us! That is the furthest she has run! Now she has been talking about doing a half marathon sometime in the future. This is a swimmer talking about running! We need to get out of our comfort zones, and if no exercise is our comfort zone, then we just need to get moving!
In life, you have to take chances. If you don’t take chances, life gets pretty boring. Be adventurous, take a chance…you will surprise yourself with what you are capable of achieving. This whole process will help you become a better you in every aspect of your life!
If you get a chance, take it! If it changes you, let it! I have said many times things worth having or doing are never easy. That is why accomplishing them makes them so much better! Don’t go through life having regrets, wishing you had done this, or done that. Go do it! What is stopping you? Yourself! Believe in you! The return on the investment of you is incredible. You are priceless…you only get one life. Live it to the fullest!
What are you waiting for? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? How about today! Today is a great day to become a better you…so take a chance on you! I have a feeling you are worth it!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3411
by Dan | Jan 22, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Ever have that moment when you would like to accomplish something, and those thoughts in your head start getting in the way, trying to convince you that it can’t be done? I think we have all had those at one time or another, but we need to look past that. We need to quit listening to all of the negativity that our mind will try to produce, and only think of the positive. Here my nurse Chris, and former nurse Susan, just completed their first half marathon. I have written on them in the past. These are 2 people that if I would have told them 10 years ago they were going to run a half marathon, they would have told me I needed medication. They worked hard, they worked and supported each other, and accomplished what they set out to do! They just had to convince themselves that it could be done.
If you can imagine, and then believe, you will achieve! If you convince yourself of this, you are half way there. We tend to be our own worst obstacles when it comes to exercise, and not believing that we can do something. We can! You have to have the belief first, and then keep working on it, and believe it with all your heart.
Sarah and I both try to practice what we preach. We tell our patients all of the time that they have to work on their diet, and exercise. My line is “I am going to keep telling you this until you are not here anymore”! We need to keep working on this for as long as we are alive. Maybe, it will help us stay alive longer too. Life becomes much more fulfilling, adventurous, and rewarding when we do this as well. We have also tried to instill this upon our kids as well. Megan is the swimmer…I still am not sure how she got this, because neither one of us really like to swim. Molly and Nick both run…that they got from us! We can have our fun competition as well.
We can show how tough we are before the race! But what was even funner for me?
Crossing the finish line with one of them! Here I am finishing one of the runs with Molly. Sarah and I are planning on going to Disney again next January. Sarah wants to do the half, I will do the marathon. Megan, my swimmer, says she wants to come along and run the half! I am going to make a runner out of her yet. When she was home over Christmas break, she ran a few times with us at run club. I loved that! We are rubbing off on our kids!
No truer words have been spoken! Never give up on yourself. You have no idea what you can accomplish yet. When that day comes, and we are no longer here, we want to be able to say I did all I could, and lived my life to the fullest. No regrets!
I will summarize with this quote by Mark Victor Hansen.
Believe, and good things will happen! Believe that the greatest gift you can give your family, and the world…is a healthy you! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3404
by Dan | Jan 15, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
These are my kids coming towards the finish line of the Grandma’s Marathon one year…my official cheerleaders. What a vision that was to behold. But what was even better was when they turned around…the message almost made me lose it on the spot. A vision that definitely left a lasting, forever memory for me! They were cheering me on, and my running. Running had been a big part of my life already prior to then. A quotation by Joel A Barker: “Vison without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” It can certainly change your world. What is your vision? What are you doing to try to achieve it. Exercise has always been a part of my life. I started running when I was in middle school. My older brother got me interested. What helped me the most is that it gave me confidence. I was small for my age, and tended to be a target to be “picked on”. Running brought me into my own…especially when I beat one kid in particular in a 600 meter race in gym class. This particular kid was also one who tended to give me an especially hard time…until I beat him. That day gave me the vision that I could be a success…at running. That running carried on to success in many other aspects of my life, and also helped me decide on my career choice.
Here Sarah and I are one Halloween during the early years of our residency of Family Medicine. We dressed up as doctors…even though we were already doctors! We practice what we preach! Being Family Physicians we spend our whole day convincing people, and their families, how important it is to take care of themselves…to promote wellness and a healthy lifestyle, so they can spend more time with their families, and enjoy life better. It is just as important for us as well. We don’t just tell our patients to do this, we also do it ourselves! We as individuals need to find out what our vision is.
Whatever it is, have a passion about it. What is important to you? And if it is important, what are you willing to do to achieve it? Are you all talk and no action, or are you going to go after it? There will be obstacles, but are you going to let them rule your final outcome? What is important to you? What is your true vision?
You truly can do this! You will have to work for it, but don’t take no for an answer. Work at it everyday. I have been exercising on a frequent basis for the last 40 years, but my consecutive streak of not missing a day is in the process of my 10th year. What is in your future?
In order to figure out your future, you need to have a vision to focus on. A vision that will help you become a better you! A vision that can be as individual as you, because it is for you! And hopefully there will be things to inspire you along the way. Here is what I got to see from my kids coming down the final mile of one of my marathons. First was the “Go Dad Go”, and then when they were screaming for me to get my attention, my 3 kids turned around to give me the true message for that day…
After seeing this, I almost broke down, with less than a 1/2 mile to go. But, I was no longer tired…I was so pumped after this I was flying into the finish line. I was incredibly happy at that point, and not because I just finished a marathon, but because I have a great family. A family that cares about me! They are my vision! They are my life! My vision to becoming something more in my life, and with my life! I find myself looking back at this picture many, many times over the years. It is one of my favorites!
Find your vision, and then never lose sight of it! Ever!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3397
by Dan | Dec 18, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
I really like a statement made by Matthew Kelly in his book, Rhythm of Life. In it he states: “Greatness is attained beyond the pursuit of our own fulfillment. True greatness is achieved by making a difference in other people’s lives. What moves a person from success to significance? Making a difference in the lives of other people.” We can have help and support from our friends, but it is these same people that maybe we are making a difference to as well. Each of us…making a difference to each other, in one way or another.
We all do different things in our lives. We all have a different profession. But we can all make a difference in what we do, and how we do it. Thank the people around us. Make a difference in their lives, because ultimately it will make a difference in our own lives. Exercise can help us along the way, whether biking, walking, swimming, running…whatever the activity may be. These activities can be a challenge, but they can also help us navigate through the challenges in our lives as well. It can make the difference of being successful or not, or getting things accomplished.
It truly does teach us…it teaches us how to get through tough things that we may face everyday, and can make it a little easier to contend with, or just even helping us get through it, period! At the same time, we choose how we want it to handle us. How do we want it to define our lives? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
One of my previous posts was about choice. We do have a choice, and we can choose how we want to handle it, or how it will handle us. But, as individuals, we can make a difference, not only for ourselves, but for others.
Make a difference. It is not that hard. We need to also make this a habit, a habit that we also do everyday. Make a difference in somebody’s life!
We all have different goals. We all come in different sizes, shapes, personalities. We are all different, but that is what makes us unique. We have the ability to offer something different from anybody else. We all can learn from everybody. Think about it…how many people in this world, and we all have something unique to offer.
How does it feel to be a super hero? Another quote by Matthew Kelly hits home: “Finding our place in the world, finding our place in our local community, and making a difference in our own way all give meaning, purpose, and a deep, deep sense of fulfillment to our lives. We must not only find it for ourselves, but help every individual to find the same.”
For those of us in the Watertown Area Run Club…you know exactly what I mean! And together, we can do it…and we are doing it!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3369
by Dan | Dec 11, 2016 | Diet, Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We are all busy with our lives, always having things to do. But are they always the most important things? Are they things that need to get done? Maybe. The priority of how fast it may need to get done is probably the debatable part. If we take a step back and really think about the things that we need to get done, all of a sudden, there may be more time that will become available.
What is it you value most? What is important to you? And if you want certain things to take on a higher priority, then what are you doing about it?
If you keep focused on those things that truly are important to you, then things become easier to handle, and the order of the things that need to be done are also more manageable. We all have 24 hours in a day. We all have 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. So why then are some people always seeming like they have their life in order, and seem to manage thins much better, and with much less stress? Part of it may be that they hide their stress very well. But more to reality, they have their priorities arranged in a order that is more important to them, and they keep their focus on this.
Some of us may think we are too busy, but the reality of it is that they are no busier than anybody else!
Your priorities need to be adjusted over time. The main focus of where you place your priorities needs to be clear, but how you go about getting there will change. You have to make it a high enough priority in order for it to push out something else in life that really is not a priority…it is more just a time waster, and never really helps you accomplish anything. That is where the exercise, and your diet, come into play. If you make it a high enough priority, and work on these things, the amount of energy, and how well you will feel will take over, and it is amazing how much energy you actually have to get those other little things in your life done faster, and more efficient. And still have time for what is really important…your family and friends!
It is not just going to fall into your lap. You need to plan. You need to adjust. You need to make adaptations. You need to make and continuously rearrange your priorities!
Now is the time to really sit back and think about it. What is important to you? Why is it important to you? How are you going to make sure it remains important enough to you to keep working on it, or making sure that you are going to be around longer to be able to enjoy those things in your life? It is up to you. All of us have different priorities. Keep focused. It is not that hard for each of you to decide what really matters to you.
I have said over and over again…my family is my central focus point, and everything I do centers around this. I want to be around longer for them, to enjoy their lives as well. That makes my life more fulfilling. It helps make me a better me! Enjoy life to the fullest. Don’t take anything for granted. Work on your priorities, and above all, make them a priority! Enjoy the ride along the way!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3362
