by Dan | Mar 17, 2013 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The hardest part about getting going with an exercise program is just that: Getting going! We can come up with all kinds of excuses to put it off: I will do it later when the weather is better; I will start when I am not so busy; Once I get this project done, I will have more time to start exercising more. There is never a better time to start than now! Forget all of the excuses. Get out of bed, get out the door, and get moving!
We would sit and watch the pelicans on the beach while we were recently in Mexico. They would take off, fly around, and coast back in, and then just keep repeating the process. Well, it really is no different for us. First, we have to get going, so push off…
…once we get going, we need to “spread our wings”, and work a little…
…then, we can really take off! We can “spread our wings”, move around, enjoy the scenery, take all of our surroundings in, and in the end, feel better!
It truly is amazing how much more you can enjoy life if you take off and explore. See what is all out there. It is easy to take for granted those things that are around us all day, until we no longer have it. I forget how nice it is to look at something green, and not all the white of snow this season. I am ready for Spring, and can’t wait to really enjoy being outside again when it is nice. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1999
by Dan | Mar 10, 2013 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
After another weekend of really rotten weather, I can safely say I am ready for Spring! It is getting really tough to stay motivated to exercise, as the treadmill is getting extremely boring. This is where you have to get creative. Music, TV, something to help keep your attention so you are not continuously looking at the monitor to see how far you have not gone!
I keep bringing myself back to Mexico, where it was warm, and I could be running or walking outside, and looking at all of the scenery. It even helps to have pictures of this coming across the TV as well, to help remind me of being back outside, where it makes running/walking almost effortless because it keeps your mind busy. Here are some of the pictures.
The colors are so cool to look at, it never gets dull. I will have some other scenery images coming to help get through this last part of Winter. Keep you chin up. Remember why it is important to keep doing this. We are on the home stretch of this phase of the season. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1992
by Dan | Feb 10, 2013 | Equipment, Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
When I got up this morning and looked outside, I knew I was not going to be able to run outside. Out here, there was already about 7 inches in the driveway. So I did go out and blow snow, and some shoveling, but was kind of dreading having to do a long run on the treadmill. Some days, no problem, but other days, it can be a chore trying to fire up to do this on a treadmill. I had just gotten back last night from a conference in the Black Hills, and ran hills out there. Well, not really hills, more like Mountains! I was still sore, and the thought of trying to knock off 12 miles on the treadmill was not my idea of a really good time. So I decided to bike instead. At the pace I set, I rode 36 miles on the bike, which when converted over based on the speed, was equal to just over 12 miles.
By doing the biking, it allowed my legs a little more recovery time from doing the hill workouts in Deadwood. Sometimes, you just need to listen to your body, and make adjustments. Next time, it probably won’t be an issue to be on the treadmill, but the outside option for me will always be first. Running outside is just so much more enjoyable, and you can look around, and the time goes by so much faster. Just remember, you can come up with an alternative way to exercise before saying you are not going to do anything that day. Be creative. Some people I know, Jill and Steve, ran their 11 mile run outside this AM. More power to them! In South Dakota, if we let the weather dictate whether we will exercise at all, whether inside or outside, we would not get much done. Stay positive! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1964
by Dan | Feb 2, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Last night Prairie Lakes Hospital held a Women’s Health Forum, talking on numerous topics, particularly heart disease. The keynote speaker was 2004 Olympian Carrie Tollefson, a native of Dawson, MN.
She took a picture with all of us after her motivational speech. I got to go because they presented me with recognition for my consecutive exercise streek, and it was great to be there. I got to bring the rest of the family along as well. Nick and I are the only male attendees that night, and we got to sit at the front table, right in front of the podium!
Before her talk, she took this picture with us, and we are holding two of the Runners World magazines I had with her on the cover (she has 4 total!), and she autographed them for me. She is 6 months pregnant right now, and could still kick our butt running! She gave an excellent talk, fired everybody up, and it was great seeing someone close, and from a town of 1600, do what she has done, and not forget where she came from. She was a journalism major, broadcasting, so her and Megan had a good talk as well as she wants to go into journalism. The kids were all amazed at her accomplishments as well. Sarah could not be there to start with as she was off delivering a baby, and they don’t wait! She did an excelllent job speaking to the crowd of about 450 people. Her line is: “Get after it!” Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1956
by kelsey | Jan 29, 2013 | Goals, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As we look to the end of the week, the long month of January comes to an end and February greets us. This also means that for those that made New Year’s resolutions, you’re a month into your new plan. How’s it going? What are you doing really well? What needs work? Take some time for reflection and think about these questions. When I work with my patients, we talk about a lot of different things from activity, nutrition, and behavior modification and it’s hard to tackle it all at once….and usually when we do we become overwhelmed and throw in the towel and start that viscous cycle all over again! In efforts of promoting life long habits, focus on a few things at a time and as you feel you have mastered those new habits, pick another few to focus on. Over time you will have a new healthy lifestyle that you can maintain! Use your calendar or your journal to keep track of your goals and be sure to reward yourself along the way!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jan 24, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Sarah competed in the Half Marathon at the run Disney weekend. She did a great job! Here she is coming through Epcot. Originally were told that there were 39,000 people registerd for this, but 23,126 finished. Sarah finished in 45th place for her division, and 484 for female finishers. She came in at 1:55:57, and her goal was again to break 2 hours.
She is coming across the finish line here, with all of the confetti on the ground. She too had a great time, and wants to do it again next year.
Here she is proudly displaying her medal for finishing! It is great when you can accomplish your goals, and then get a medal to show for it as well. It was great the rest of the time we were in Disney, because all of the finishers for the half marathon and marathon wore their medals each day while at the theme parks, all grinning ear to ear, and proud of what they had accomplished. It made the moment even bette! Keep working on your goals, whatever they may be. No goal is too small or too big, as long as you make it for you! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1947
