by Dan | Sep 30, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This week the consecutive exercise streak began its 12th year! I have been off on my counting over the years, and so I double checked with an app the number of days from 9/26/07 when my streak began, until today, and I was off by 14 days in my counting. My actual consecutive days of exercise as of today is 4022! The important part is the day I started, so I guess I can allow myself some leeway of not having the number of days right over that time period. It has been fun, but it has also been work. The first year was still the hardest, and the now the rest is habit. I still have to plan at the beginning of each week when I plan on working out each day that week. It is still work, and takes a commitment on my part to stick with it. Many obstacles have gotten in the way over the years, including illness and some injuries, but nothing severe enough to bring the streak to an end.
Weather definitely plays a part when you live in SD! Rain, snow, ice, below zero temps…but what it boils down to if I were to miss is that it would just be another excuse. Once the excuses start, it is very hard to stop. You just put your head down and dig a little deeper.
Some days are tougher than others, but I have learned to hang on. I made this commitment to myself, and it was, and is, important to me. That I guess is really what is important. My goal of telling everybody I see every day that they need to work on their health by working on their diet, and trying to exercise, at least I practice what I preach! If you want it, you have to earn it!
I have had many training partners over the years, both 2 legged and 4 legged. They have all helped me to stay motivated to keep going as well, and hopefully the same as occurred in return for them. We all need help at times, so if it is ever offered, then take advantage of it. That day will come when you can return the favor. So, with that…
…the consecutive streak, just like the races, will continue. Every day is a new record. As long as I am in control, it will continue to keep going. Other things make it easy to keep this going as well.
When you work out, or exercise for a purpose, especially when it can be to the benefit of someone else, is always a motivating factor!
The friends made along the way has become priceless. Running is what brought all those relationships together, and we all work together to keep each other going. No task is too large when you have a automatic group of support backing you up along the way. Feel free to join us anytime, and if that does not work for you, then create your own support group that will work for you. Maybe you are tired of waiting for someone else to start it, so you start it! It has to start with, and by, someone! What are you waiting for!
I am planning on having a lot of running adventures with Sarah over the coming years. I have now ran in 33 of the 50 states, so now have to start hitting some of the rest of those states so that I can say I have been in all of them! There is always something to strive for. What is it you want? What are your goals? Have you told anybody else your goals? Make those goals known. When somebody other than you knows them, you become even more committed to making them a reality. What are you waiting for? Keep moving everybody…and have fun along the way!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4022 (after having those days in I miss counted)
by Dan | Sep 22, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Today marks another milestone in the consecutive exercise streak: Day #4000! In less than a week, I will have completed year 11, and moving onto year 12 of not missing a day of exercise. A lot of different things have gone on over all of these years that could have created a lapse in this record. But as I have said many times, it would have just been another excuse otherwise. Again, I don’t know how long this will go, but it will keep going as long as I have a say in it.
Over the years a lot of people have helped me in my consecutive day quest, and you have seen many pictures of them over the years, but a huge shout out goes to all of them as well to help keep me going. Hopefully, I help keep you going too!
But today, there is more for me to be jumping up and down with, and celebrating. My twin daughters, Molly and Megan, also turn 24 on this milestone day! Now that to me is what is really worth celebrating! With Megan living yet in Virginia, I don’t get to see her as often as I would like, but we talk multiple times a week, and text daily. Molly I get to see more often, but I am gone this weekend, so I could not celebrate her birthday with her. I am definitely thinking of you both, and will make up for it again the next time I see you both!
This is when they were 6 months old! A lot has changed since then. I love them and care about them even more now. I will always be their Dad! I love spending time with them. When all 3 kids were home the first week in August it was wonderful. I hope we have many more times like that.
Even many things have changed since you graduated from High School. The one thing that has not changed is how much we care about you! I hope they always remember that too! Sarah and I have tried instilling the right way to do things as they have grown up. We have always been very vocal on staying active. We love running with them! And Megan, we are going to start working on our swimming within this next month, so there may be some joint swim time to spend with you on this also! But the person who has helped me the most with my consecutive exercise streak, and my life in general, is Sarah!
We run together, spend time together, work together…be together. I love you and thank you for everything you do and have done for us, and our family. The competitive nature does not quit over time either. We are always ready to take on the next challenge, and you are always right there with me!
So I say “Bring it on”! I will keep going as long as I have the support from you Sarah! I want to be around more to spend time with you and our family, and our friends.
So for the rest of you, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and just make sure you “get out of bed, get out the door, and get moving!”
After all, there are a lot of things in life yet to go see, and do, and people to spend it with. Be in control of your health as much as you possibly can be. Strive to Survive! Happy Birthday Molly and Megan! Love you! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4000!
by Dan | Sep 16, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Sarah and I have been Family Physicians in Watertown since 1994. We have gone through many transitions during that time, clinic changes, family changes, countless patients. When you look back at all of it, you start to realize how fast things go. At the pace of how things go each week, it is no wonder things go by fast. This week had started out in SF with the two of us doing the Half Marathon in SF, along with many of our running friends from Watertown. I have lost count how many Half Marathons I have done, but have counted the marathons, which is at 16. The number for all of them really does not matter. The reason we run is what is important. We spend each day, day after day, trying to tell patients that they need to do more to help take care of themselves. I am a firm believer is living by example. If I am going to tell my patients they need to watch their diet, and be more active, then I better be doing it myself.
I hear many times how “crazy” we are with all of the exercise that we do. For me, it is not only about being healthy and taking care of myself, but also about having some time to myself. Time to think, time to unwind. Time to decompress from all of the issues from the day. This week was no different. We spend all day in the clinic seeing patients, handling one crisis after another. You go from one room where you are seeing an infant who is 5 days old, to the next person who is 98 years old. Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart disease, anxiety, depression, insomnia, fractures, lacerations, or someone who acutely needs to be set up for emergency surgery. I had to tell one patient, who I have taken care of for years, that it is time for him to be in the Nursing Home. Tears flow from everybody. I have to help be there for the next patient whose wife passed away a month ago, and he does not know how he can go on. I get to break the news to someone that they now have terminal cancer, and the battle ahead is not going to be easy. I do my best to try to stay on time, but some patients just need more time to figure out what is going on with them. Then I have to try and calm down the next patient who is angry because they had to wait while I was dealing with someone else’s emergency. Some days I wonder why I do this. All of the medical record documentation, the quality measures for insurance and Medicare, not to mention all of the requirements just for Medicare. Some days there is not enough time in the day to get it all done. But I became a Family Physician because I care about Family. Family is the core of everything. When we take care of a patient, we are also taking care of the Family, or helping this patient attempt to be able to spend more time with their Family. That is why I/We do this! That to me is also what defines whether someone is a good physician or not.
Take care of the patient who has the problem/disease, not just the disease! We are all individuals, and we all handle illnesses differently. A big part of our practice to teach…to teach not only our patients, but also other health care professionals. So this week we started off with a new group in our Strive to Survive program, attempting to teach them how to help take care of themselves. This, of course, after teaching this to my patients 20+ times a day. Thursday morning Sarah and spent teaching Pediatric Advanced Life Support to health care professionals to help take care of pediatric patients. Then Thursday night I spent on live TV with the TV Program “On Call”, answering any questions that were asked by patients calling in for an hour! Much of this education also revolved around taking care of yourself, and helping with your diet and increasing exercise. The more you can do on your own, the less medications you may be on later, and the healthier you can be. Of course, sports also come into play, and was on the sideline Friday night for the football game to help out in any way possible to ensure safety.
I don’t have an answer to everything. Some things cannot be fixed. But that does not mean you don’t do anything about it. You have to help your patient come to terms with their issues. To help them figure out how to cope with it, adapt to it…live with it…or how to cope with the fact that they are going to die from it.
The more you can keep working on it yourself, the better things can be. You keep going, just like I keep telling my patients. “Don’t quit”. “Dig deep”.
These are the reasons I run. I practice what I tell my patients to do. It helps keep me organized. It gives me the energy to put in these longs days to help with my patients…to help “keep me going”.
Life as a Family Physician is a lot like running an endurance event. Put my head down, concentrate, push through, come up with a plan, and then finish! Then onto the next. Each day is different. That is what makes Family Medicine enjoyable. No two days are alike. Some things are more predictable because we see it a lot, but many times you have no idea what you may encounter when you walk into a room.
Spending time exercising makes it easier for me to concentrate and focus…and to spend time with my Family. Those moments go by quickly, so don’t waste them! There is nothing that makes a Family Physician happier than seeing our patients work on things to help themselves. We can help instruct, coach, sympathize, empathize with you, but we cannot do the activity for you. I had a physician teacher when I was in medical school who was a smoker, and weighed over 300#. The cigarette pack would be in his shirt pocket hanging out, and he would tell his patients that they needed to lose weight, and quit smoking. How many patients do you think actually listened to him? I often times wonder how many times my patients listen to me! I keep trying, showing, and living it. This interaction is also a “team effort”. I can’t do it alone, and neither can you. Together, we have a much better chance of success!
Sarah and I finished another Half Marathon. We worked at it together, and with the help of training with our run club members. We all work together, but we all have to make the individual effort as well. You need both aspects. We as Family Physicians want to help you spend more time with your Family. Meet us half way, and make the effort to work on what you can, and we can help guide through the rest. The combination can create a very productive “A Team”! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3994
by kelsey | Sep 13, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Family, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
School is in full swing now! Are you in need of some school lunch ideas? Check out these ideas below!
- Conventional sandwiches—deli turkey, chicken or roast beef, peanut butter (if it’s a peanut safe school) and jelly, cheese, bagel and cream cheese, bagel and peanut butter, vegetarian pita pocket, tuna fish, chicken salad
- Unconventional sandwiches—hummus and pita bread, cheese and crackers, cream cheese and jelly, cream cheese and olives, sunflower butter, soy-nut butter, wrap filled with vegetables and cheese or deli meats, quesadilla, calzone, stromboli, Canadian bacon with lettuce and tomato
- Conventional alternatives to sandwiches—dinner leftovers (meat/chicken/fish/pork, grains, pasta or potatoes, vegetables), cheese and crackers, leftover pizza, soup, stew, takeout leftovers
- Unconventional alternatives to sandwiches—single-serving cereal or cereal from home in storage container (just add milk), scrambled eggs or hard-boiled eggs, yogurt with granola, chili, pancakes or waffles, nuts (if school allows), homemade smoothies, bean salad, homemade muffin, string cheese.
- Fruits—apple, pear, banana, grapes, berries, orange, grapefruit sections, canned fruit in juice, fruit cocktail, grapefruit sections, cherries, pineapple chunks, melon, pomegranate, guava, papaya, tangerines, clementine, fruit salad
- Vegetables to eat raw, steamed, or with dip—cucumber slices, celery, carrots, green beans, snow peas, blanched broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, beets, corn, salad, guacamole, bean salad
- Snacks—fruit snacks, sunflower seeds, baked potato chips, pretzels, multigrain crackers, high-fiber granola bar, graham crackers, applesauce, multigrain chips or tortilla, dried fruit, tube yogurt (try freezing), cereal bars, dry cereal, banana chips, dried peas, breadsticks
Always be sure to give them some money to buy their milk to go with their meal as well! Adequate calcium intake in childhood is essential for bone strength later in life!
-Kelsey
(Adapted from http://www.consultant360.com/n411/content/lunch-box-suggestions-children)
by Dan | Sep 9, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Success means a lot of different things to different people. What does it mean for you? Did you accomplish a goal you set out to do? Did you lose weight? Did your cholesterol improve? Did you help someone else achieve a goal they were striving for? It may all mean something different to people, but it still means something was achieved. What makes it even more special is when it truly means something to you. That was this weekend for the Watertown Area Run Club. Many of us went down to do the Sioux Falls Half Marathon this morning, but one of us in this group was running their first marathon…26.2 miles. That person was Patricia Roth. She has been working incredibly hard this entire Summer to achieve her goal. We all saw it. We all wanted her to get it. Today, we all helped her get across the finish line! Her emotions afterwards holding up her medal, and knowing that she had just achieved something she did not think was possible for her. Our goals and our achievements are limited more by what is between our ears, than our physical abilities. She proved that over and over, and it was something special for the rest of us as well to see her achieve this goal.
Many of us started out Saturday night by going out to eat, and loading up on carbs. Spaghetti and pasta was the main course choices before hand. We were all getting ready for the next morning.
Patricia had to start first. The marathoners started 30 minutes before the half marathoners. We were there to get her fired up and to show our support. “This is it Patricia! This is what you have been working for. Go for it!”.
We got done with our race, showered, and headed out on the course to cheer Patricia on. We found her coming to mile 24.
A few of us started running with her to keep her going. Then, Owen and Amanda, after running their Half Marathon earlier, ran with her the entire last 2 miles of the marathon to keep her going. She did not stop! Smiling, and going strong. This is what she was working for! She wanted this!
The rest of us headed back to the finish line to cheer her for the last 100 meters coming in. Coming in strong, smiling, waving…grinning ear to ear!
This is Patricia coming into the final 100 meters, with Amanda and Owen on each side of her. She was giving us the “thumbs up”!
We were cheering so loud, yelling, screaming. Look at the smile on her face. She was about to accomplish her goal! She did it! She is now a marathoner!
Success again means different things to different people. Many of us had a good race today. We feel good about what we individually accomplished. But believe me, nothing felt better than how we all were cheering her on, helping her these last months achieve her goal! Seeing the look on her face, the tears flowing with joy afterwards. This is what running does for you. More importantly, this is what running friends do for you! We are a close knit group. We are there for each other. Now I call that a successful weekend. A success not only by the runners, but the spouses who help make it possible for all of us to run. They show support, they are out there cheering, taking pictures, driving back and forth. A special thank you to all of them as well. What does success mean to you? Keep moving everybody…you too will be successful!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3987
by Dan | Sep 2, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Holidays, Motivation, Wellness/Health
It has been a busy Labor Day weekend! We went down to Huron to stay with Sarah’s parents, and of course, there was a 5k race on Saturday morning that we ran in. We have done this race many times in the past. Andy’s Annual Road Race. My daughter Molly and her fiancée Tanner also joined us. Then we spent rest of the time at the SD State Fair, and went to the Night Ranger/Foreigner concert Saturday night. Wow! All the music from our days growing up. Great time. The running has become part of the tradition for this family. Whenever we go somewhere for a vacation, or a break, we have to see what running races may be going on.
Andy’s is a race Sarah grew up with when she lived in Huron. It is also the first race I did with her when we first starting going out, with the first one being after we started dating for a month. It brought back a lot of memories. This time one of our kids was able to run it with us. Great job Molly and Tanner! Tanner, you are starting to figure out first hand what it will be like to be a part of this family!
Tanner is wearing the shirt from the race. Very nice colors, and will be great for running! Tanner took 3rd place for his age group, and Sarah and I each won our age group divisions for the 5K. Bringing home more medals is just icing on the cake! Later that morning Tanner, Molly, and I went to the Fair. Sarah stayed home with her mom and spent the rest of the weekend quilting. Nothing is going to get in the way of quilting!
Then Saturday night came for the concert. Night Ranger was good, but nothing like Foreigner! All of the songs were hits when we were growing up, and they did not miss anything that night. Incredible concert! We loved every minute of it!
Every song was great listening, but the last one hit it home once again. It was a good way of summing of everything in life so far. “I gotta take a little time, A little time to think things over. I better read between the lines, In case I need it when I get older. In my life, there’s been heartache and pain. I don’t know if I can face it again. Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far, to change this lonely life.” And then of from there. We all face adversities. We all face challenges. But we need to take the time to spend with our family and friends. That is the only thing that matters. The relationships you make. The people you meet. We all need to learn how we have “gotta to take a little time” to be with those that are important to us, doing things that are important to do! Stay active, stay healthy, live life, with all of it ups and downs, with no regrets when we look back in time. Just keep looking forward, and enjoy the scenery, the adventures, and the ride! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3980
