by Dan | Jun 23, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This morning was the 2nd Annual Race for Chase, a combine bike/run event covering almost 10 miles. It is a 2 person team, either both male, both female, or mixed. One bikes, one runs, but you have to both start together, and finish together, and can trade off as you like. You do not need to stay together during the race, so stategy is involved for who should run when, and for how long. It was perfect weather for this, as the rain had passed earlier this AM.
Here Sarah and Molly, one Team Reiffenberger, as they get ready to get started.
They won for the female team in a time of 1 hour 5 min.
But, the other Team Reiffenberger, Nick and I, won not only for the male team, but overall, with a new course record in 50:55, beating the old record by over 4 minutes. Nick ran 1 more mile than I did. Good job Nick! Wait until next year.
Here all 4 of us, The Team Reiffenbergers, X 2, proudly hold up our hardware.
Keep moving everybody. Enjoy the summer.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1731
by Dan | Jun 17, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. I hope you have a good day! For you kids, spend time with your dads and grandfathers while you can. These will be the times you will never forget. I never got to meet either one of my grandfathers, so in particular, spend time with them while you can.
Here, my dad is spending time with my son Nick. They are playing the bean bag game just recently. My dad was always one to be active, and at age 80, nothing has changed. Love ya Dad!
He has taught me a lot about being a dad. A lot of us guys can be fathers, but it takes a special individual to be a dad. I hope I can do as good of a job with my kids as my dad did with me. Thanks for all of the life lessons dad. They are greatly appreciated, and used. It is a different type of feeling watching your kids grow up. Before too long, they will be on their own. Hopefully we have led them down the right path. I know I am proud of all of them. Do you think it shows in this picture?
Keep moving everybody! Keep in mind the important things in life.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1725
by Dan | Jun 12, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This years Hospital Hill run/walk was once again a success! Our 16th year, and we had over 200 people in the walk or run. Here we are at the start line.
We had several members of our newly formed Watertown Area Running club, with several of us here, including Jackie, Steve, Steve, and Sarah.
Of course, Nick was all fired out and when out like a runner on a mission, wanting to win the race overall, which he did! His time was 18:02! Good job Nick. Here he is leading other runners to the top of the hill, which is the finish line.
Of course, the Hill proves to be a major challenge. We have more comments about how tough the Hill is. But remember, it is called “Hospital Hill” for a reason. Here, Sarah shows what she thought of the Hill, which is the same sentiments as a lot of us when we got to the top.
Keep moving everybody. Have a good week!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1720
by Dan | Jun 6, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This saturday, June 9, is the 16th annual Hospital Hill run/walk. It will begin at 8AM. Registration fee is now $20 if not pre-registered. There is a 5k run, 5k walk, and a 1 mile walk. All are welcome. Attached is the following registration form which can also be found at the clinics in town, and at the Prairie Lakes Hospital website. Hope to see you there!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1714
by kelsey | May 31, 2012 | Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
One of the best parts of our trip last week was that our Grandma got to come along at the ripe age of 83. Grandma Evelyn (and Grandpa Marshall who passed away a few years ago due to cancer) have always been great examples to us to show us how to live life to its fullest. It seems it runs in the family as Great Grandma Mary Likness also displayed these awesome qualities and lived life to its fullest all the way to age 95. Grandma Evelyn has some significant heart issues, but they rarely stop her from doing what she loves. She loves gardening, being outside, and spending time with her family and friends. Due to her heart issues, she’s had to slow her pace down a bit, but it still hasn’t stopped her from doing what she loves. Many of us attribute this to her stubborn Norwegian heritage, but I like to think it’s alot about her positive attitude about life.
We can’t always control what’s going on in our lives, but what we can control is our attitude and thoughts about that situation. Disappointments and failures are going to happen, but staying positive and motivated to reach your goal is what will help you eventually reach your goal. As we were standing and gazing over Niagara Falls, I told my Grandma how special it was for her to have come along and she told me she never thought she would have been able to take this trip again with us due to her health. It would have been easy for her to give up and just stay home where it’s easy, but she didn’t. Seeing her family and celebrating life helped motivate her to live life to its fullest.
She’s been a tremendous example for all of us in our family and I hope I can be half of the lady she is. As you are working on your goals, I encourage you to think about what motivates you and evaluate your attitude about the various parts of your life. Sometimes we get so stressed out with various parts of our life, such as our job, our kids, etc that the rest of our life results in chaos as well. Take time to prioritize and change your thinking to more positive thoughts than negative and the rest will fall in place! At our last meeting on Tuesday, as we were re-evaluating our goals, one of our participants said her new goal is to let go of what she can’t control. Even though this doesn’t exactly relate to your weight, activity, or eating habits, it’s directly correlated with overall wellness and is an essential part to a healthy you!
Below is a picture of our special Grandma Evelyn enjoying life and taking in all it has to offer. 🙂
-Kelsey
by Dan | May 26, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This was the common question going around in Fargo the day of the half marathon and marathon. Everybody asking “How ya doin’?” following the race. They want to make sure everybody is recovering, and nobody having any health issues following the race. I had to keep asking myself this same thing during the race, and wondering whether I really was or not. When the fatigue starts setting in, your mind starts playing tricks on you, and you have to try and convince yourself that you are OK. At least I did not have to worry about my latest training partner, Steve. I knew he was at the finish line waiting. As I mentioned in the last several posts, he had been having some issues with his heart that were brought more to light several weeks before the marathon day.
Here he is pointing at me, and congratulating me after finishing, and breaking the 4 hour mark. I was happy to have him there, and I am holding my finisher medal over his chest/heart. I wanted him running that day too, but it was much safer for him not to. I would rather have a friend forever, than to have a running partner for 4 hours that day. Having him be safe was far more important than some race. He was with me that day, and especially those last few miles. I kept telling myself: “What would Steve be telling me now? Steve, Carletta, and Sarah are waiting for me at the finish line…keep moving, one foot in front of the other.” Things are improving, and hopefully soon we will be running together on some long runs again. Initial plans and talks may be involving the Walt Disney World marathon in mid January. Some people might think that doing this is just plain “Goofy”, but when you are a runner, or you exercise regularly, you understand. If you don’t have goals in your life, then things just kind of stagnate. You have to be willing to push yourself (as long as it is safe!), in order to really experience life to its fullest. Life brings us challenges everyday, and we deal with it. Knowing that some of these challenges you create for yourself are attainable, it makes some of the everyday challenges we deal with so much easier.
I am going to discuss more over the next several weeks issues in relationship to heart disease, and how it impacts all of us, either directly or indirectly. Exercise is still very important, and very helpful in controlling heart disease, high blood pressure, and all the ramifications thereof, but you have to listen to your body. You have to be aware of the risks involved, and you have to get those risks under control. Once this is done, you can move on and enjoy life much more, and hopefully, it will be a long life.
Keep moving everybody, and be safe!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1703
