by kelsey | Mar 26, 2015 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my Dad passing away. It has been a tough year. I don’t think a day has gone by where I have not thought about him. It is surprising to me just how difficult this has been. He has taught me a lot over the years, and as I have stated before, he was part of the inspiration of my consecutive exercise streak. He had been riding a bike anywhere from 15-45 miles a day, and I wanted to see what I could do. He was very active his entire life, and did manual labor for his job, always lifting, moving. It has also been an eye opener going through pictures of how we have transformed over the years. This first one was about 1 year prior to his passing away.
This next one was when my daughters were being baptized 20 years ago.
This last one was when I was around 6 or 7.
We had great times as a family, and those memories I will have forever. We were always active together, whether our early years, or later years. I will be thinking of you lots tomorrow Dad! I miss you! I will remember those things you have taught me, and I will be like you…exercising until I no longer physically can. You have been a great role model, Father, Husband, Grandfather. As long as we have memories, you will always be alive in our hearts. Keep moving everybody, and enjoy the time, and the days you have, to enjoy life to the fullest, with no regrets!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2736
by Dan | Mar 8, 2015 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We all have those days when life just seems hectic, and we have no idea how we are going to get everything done. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and remember what is truly important. My recent vacation in Mexico was a perfect time for “reflection”, and relaxation. What is important to me? Here is number one!
I have said many times in public, and on this blog, my main reason for the consecutive exercise streak is to try and help me stay healthy, and be around longer for my family. Here is the love of my life. Words can’t express what Sarah means to me. I am going to enjoy having her as long as I can.
There was time there for relaxing, and just listening to the ocean, where I got to just sit back and realize what I truly have, and to appreciate it all even more. Forget about the little stuff, because in reality, it truly is “little”, and won’t mean anything in the long term. Here are some views I got to witness, and was able to sit back and really have some quiet time to be able to truly appreciate what I have in my life.
It was easy to watch all of this and just forget about all of those other little, trivial things in life. Don’t take the days we have for granted. We don’t know what the future is going to bring. Enjoy life to the fullest! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2718
by Dan | Oct 23, 2014 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Nick has been having a much better senior year since his first cross country meet this year where he collapsed 300 meters before the finish line. Now, he is getting ready for the State Cross Country meet this coming Saturday. He is starting to get back to his usual self. Here is his last weekend with Molly and I at Tucks. One proud sister here, and another proud sister Megan, back in college in Virginia, who wished she could have been home for this too.
He has overcome a lot these last few months, and as I posted last week, our first obstacle for all of us to overcome is OURSELVES! We could not be more proud of you Nick.
Mom, Megan, Molly, and I are behind you all of the way. Mom and I will be cheering at the course, and Molly and Megan cheering from afar, but we will keep them posted. Go for broke in your final high school cross country meet. Do your best, and leave no regrets behind. This may be your last high school cross country meet, but your family will be cheering and supporting you forever. We love you. Families live together, support each, stay fit together! Good luck, but have fun, and enjoy your last State meet! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2582
by kelsey | Oct 14, 2014 | Diet, Family, Weight Management
It’s that time of year again. Not only are the aisles of Wal-Mart strewn with witch hats, zombie make-up and fairy wings, but of course there is the looming aisle of Halloween candy. It can be easy to over indulge on treats this time of year. Most of the candy passed out to trick-or-treaters comes in “fun size” or “mini” portions. However, looks can be deceiving; people often believe that since they are smaller in size, more can be consumed. Calories from Halloween candy can quickly add up. For example; 3 mini snickers bars pack 300 calories. To burn off that many calories you would have to walk at a brisk pace for 1.5 hours or run for 40 minutes.
Fortunately the 31st of October doesn’t have to mean automatic weight gain. Try waiting until the day before to buy treats to pass out. You will be less likely to feel the need to nibble if you don’t buy it a month ahead of time. Keeping it out of site, such as up in a closet you rarely use, can help you forget that it’s even in the house. The biggest challenge with Halloween candy is the leftovers. After the trick-or-treaters have come and gone we are often left with the reality that we stocked up for 400 doorbell ringers, and only got 15. Buying candy that you don’t like is an easy way to keep you from eating it both before and after the holiday.
Halloween Treats to Try
Sugar-free gum
Boxes of raisins
Animal crackers
Pretzels
Trail mix
Fruit snacks
Lollipops
Non-Candy choices: stickers, small toys, erasers, etc.
Halloween Tricks to Avoid
Candy bars
Caramels
Fudge
Skittles
M&M’s
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 1, 2014 | Family, Goals, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As many of you know my maiden name is Likness and my father is Dr.Clark Likness. I have discussed in previous posts about how growing up in a home where medical terms and science were discussed on a regular basis helped shape my interest and passion for health, wellness, and nutrition. Healthy eating and regular activity were norms in our household and have continued to be a focus for us as we all get older. Many of you have probably heard stories, rumors, or maybe the actual truth about what has been going on about my Dad recently. There seems to be a lot more of the rumors versus the actual truth going around about what happened, that Dad and I decided it was time to discuss it on our wellness blog to not only inform you all of the truth, but show how important healthy living, choices, and wellness checks with your regular doctors are.
“Dr.Likness” to many of you, “Dad” to me, “Clark” to friends, and “Grandpa Clarky” to my nieces and nephew has been out of the clinic on medical leave since the middle of August. He is doing well and will be coming back to the clinic to see patients in a few weeks. In the early summer, he noticed he was having some issues with his veins in his legs and decided to get it checked out. A small tumor was found on his kidney and after multiple tests and consults with various top notch health professionals, they concluded the tumor needed to be removed as there was a possibility of it being cancer. If removed, he was cured, no matter if it was benign or malignant. In the meantime, he was working on some landscaping at my parent’s lake cabin and blew out his rotator cuff in his shoulder and developed a hernia. In Dad’s early years (before becoming a doctor), he helped his grandparents and parents on the farm and worked road construction. The years of manual labor and hard work caught up to him this summer and basically his body was falling apart! So facing the fact that he needed to have all of these issues taken care of, he decided to do them all at once so that he could be out at the same time for them and not have to take multiple medical leaves of absence from the clinic. It may seem crazy to have it all done in the same time period, but he thought it was best for himself and his patients to not be out multiple times. In August he had the tumor on his kidney removed and the surgery was successful. The pathology report came back that it was benign, which means NO CANCER! We were relieved and thrilled with the news. A few weeks later, he had the hernia and his shoulder repaired. He is now recovering from that and engaging in therapy to get himself back up to steam and have full range of motion again. The picture above is from our last short boat ride around the lake this last weekend before we pulled everything out for winter. As you can see he’s looking good!
There have been multiple rumors going around that he has liver cancer, lung cancer, and is retiring, and we want you all to know NONE of these are true!! He is doing great and will be back to work and 100% health soon! Each doctor he saw through all of this remarked how he went into surgeries, surgeries were successful, and the recovery will be better all because he has kept himself in good shape. He exercises regularly and makes efforts to eat healthy. The benefits of making these daily choices are rewarding! In addition, regular check ups and screenings are essential for good health and prevention as if he wouldn’t have gotten checked out, there is a chance that the tumor in his kidney could have progressed into a cancerous tumor. Even though making healthy choices, practicing portion control and moderation, and making time for regular activity aren’t always appealing (yes it does take some effort and motivation!), we need to make these efforts to take good care of our bodies as we only get one! We decided to share his story to show you how important healthy living and proper self care is…and a little piece of me wanted to help set the record straight! 😉 Dad’s motivation continues to be his family (all of us below minus the newest addition, my niece Blair who was born in the spring) as he wants to be around to enjoy all of life’s events with us! We all need to find that certain motivation to help us stay on track with our goals and efforts! If you don’t have it now, I encourage you to do some serious thinking on what motivates you to live healthy. That motivation and incentive is your key for a long and healthy life!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Sep 25, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Etc., Family, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This last weekend, our Nurse Practitioner Beth Schultz and her family represented Brown Clinic in the Chili Cookoff. They made up an outstanding batch of chili that won 1st Place-Judge’s Choice! Chili is a great way to combine a bunch of healthy ingredients into one dish that everyone loves! Incorporating lean meats, beans loaded with fiber and protein, and plenty of great vegetables makes chili a balanced and healthy meal! Beth and her husband Auston along with their girls did a great job representing the clinic and showed how eating healthy can be enjoyable and taste great! Congratulations Beth, Auston, and girls!
Delicious Chili
BC’s Booth with Auston hard at work!
