by Dan | Dec 30, 2018 | Equipment, Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Holidays, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
There is nothing like spending the holidays at home…with family! The weekend before Christmas we were in SF spending a day with my family, then to Huron to spend a day with Sarah’s family. The best part though is that we had all 3 of our kids at home for Christmas! The times we are all together again have been getting too few and far between! It started on the December 21 picking up Megan and Nate at the airport.
It is nice to see how your kids react when they have not seen each for awhile! My twin girls missed each other, and it makes it so nice when we can get together.
We got to spend time with the future son-in-law, and boyfriend, as well. It is exciting to see what the future brings for expansion of this family. Many choices, taking chances…new adventures to be had by all of us!
Of course, with the holidays, it is time to really enjoy some of the great things to eat as well. My sister-in-law Michele makes some of the best “Monster cookies” I have ever had! Of course, when we eat more, we have to continue to keep working on the exercise aspect of things as well. No shortage of that around here, even when mother nature throws a curve ball blizzard into the mix of things.
This is looking across the road at the golf course…our view from our house. Almost a foot of snow. The snow does not mean we could not exercise. We maybe had to do some different things for the activity, or be creative with it.
Nate and Megan took advantage of the snow and went cross country skiing. Nate is originally from Virginia, so these kind of blizzards don’t come very often, and if they do, the snow does not last long. He loved it…not enough to live here, but enough for the visit!
We all took advantage of the “Reiflex Center”, my garage gym, and exercised in there. We even got Zeus involved in this!
Here Zeus is working on his hind leg squats! He just likes to get his butt scratched, and then he becomes “putty”. But, he wanted to be in the thick of things. He is part of this family as well, and helps keep us going as well. Sarah has been taking him for walks every morning with me recovering from the stress fracture. Hopefully I will be out there walking again soon too. The bike is getting a little bit boring, and I only made it swimming once last week. The other 2 days that I could go the Wellness Center to swim they were closed due to the blizzard!
This was our farewell breakfast before Megan and Nate were to get dropped off at the airport. It was a fast week, but a lot of fun. I am wearing off on my kids. We met for breakfast at 8 AM, and Megan was up early to workout as she would not be able to the rest of the day as they would be traveling. That makes me feel good! She feels the exercise is important enough to make it a priority, and like all of us, she had to plan and figure out when was going to be the time to fit it in her schedule. As parents, we set the tone, and our kids follow. So remember that everybody! You can make a difference on somebody else by staying healthy, watching our diet, and exercising regularly. That in and of itself can be motivation to ourselves knowing that somebody else, whether our family, or friends, is depending on us. Don’t let them down. Keep striving. Keep pushing. Keep trying. And…keep moving everybody! Happy New Year to everybody as well. New Year’s resolutions or not, make it a yearlong goal, not just a January goal!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4113
by Dan | Jul 22, 2018 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Don’t you wish everything in life was great, exciting, and worth jumping up and down about? Unfortunately, that may not always be the case. It doesn’t mean you sit and dwell on some of those bad circumstances. What are you going to do about them? They are part of your life. Are you just going to try and ignore them, or will you learn from them? The choice is yours. You can either be crabby and angry, and figure out how you can improve from them. We all have days when nothing seems to go right. But, we also have those days when nothing can go wrong! What was the reason for this? I would venture to say our attitude had a lot to do with our interpretation of that day. We decide how we are going to cope with it.
Last week, many of us here in Watertown did the Kampeska Mini Triathlon. Here we all are getting our instructions before the event was to start. Wouldn’t it be great if we had instructions on what was all going to happen in our lives that day? On one hand, our lives would be a lot more structured, planned, and maybe even boring. But life does not come with an instruction manual. Most of the time we are flying by the seat of our pants. There may be things that come up during the day we were not planning on, and we have to adapt to it, and figure out how we are going to handle it. Life is an adventure. This is also what makes life exciting. We don’t know what the future holds. It is a continuous adventure.
Granted, there are times when the days can be stormy. We don’t know what is going to blow our way. Thankfully, many of those times “go past us quickly”. Who knows, that same storm may look terrible one minute, and then next minute, have a totally different outlook.
The stormy looking clouds, and this picture were both while I was on the same walk. One minute I am thinking I better be turning around, and the next minute, they drift apart, and have a whole different look. This cluster of black clouds developed after those other “marshmallow” ones disappeared. To me, it looks like a group of birds with their wings spread out taking flight…taking flight on a new adventure. That is what can happen for us. Ride the storm out, and see what comes behind it, giving us a brighter outlook.
We all have those moments when we wonder why we do certain things. Why do we try to take care of ourselves, and try to work on doing more exercise? It is work! Are the rewards what we want them to be? I say yes! But, sometimes that realization may take a little longer to come to some days!
All of a sudden, things start clicking! We are in a groove, feeling good, doing things we enjoy to do. We are enjoying life! We start to see things differently. We appreciate things, and people, more!
Here is this same area of the lake the following morning after the above storm. Things are clearing up, we may even see reflections of where our life is going. We see things in a totally different way! These are the times that life rewards us. This is why we want to be around longer. This is why we need to take care of ourselves. This is why we need to strive to survive!
We need to be ready for anything. The Kampeska Half Marathon was yesterday. The finish line was at City Park, and the start was at Lunkers. We had to get that 3/4 mile to the start. People were piling into a few cars to get there. Keven drove us, but the car was packed. Sarah sat on my lap, and Amanda was crammed into the far back. We needed to adjust to the situation, and get to the point where the race was going to begin. Where today was going to begin for us. We laughed and joked on the way over. Now we will have another moment to laugh about later. Memories! Life! I can’t wait for the next moment! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3938
by Dan | Apr 15, 2018 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
This extended Winter is getting really tough to handle. We rarely ever get Spring anymore. Patients come into the clinic as well, and they are not happy. Everybody is crabby! We have all had enough of this weather. The only good point to make about it is we all have to contend with it. It is not just some of us, but all of us, have to contend with it. So, you can either make the best of it, and continue to whine and complain. Bottom line: we still have to put up with the extended Winter.
Here was our run group this AM. The paths were not cleared yet, as it was still even snowing yet. The roads were not all plowed, so we ran down 3rd avenue to at least get somewhat of a relatively clear path to be able to run. It was icy, and still had a lot of snow. It was a tough run…tough on the feet today. There was lots of complaining…probably even mainly from me! I was ready to be done when our group made our first stop back at the zoo. Sarah did not want to do anymore at home, such as finish on the treadmill, or the elliptical. She wanted to keep going, and be done. We were trying to finish 10 miles today as we are getting ready for the Fargo Half Marathon, now 5 weeks away. So Tom continued on as well, and Paula, and Jill. It was like a domino effect. By ourselves, we would have probably all quit. Together, we kept going. As Tom said this morning, “One plus one, plus one, plus one, etc, and we keep going”. It is easier to keep going with friends. You need other people to help push you through those tough times, those tough weather days, and even though days when you just don’t feel like running, or working out at all…period! We can all keep complaining, or we can act like Patricia did in this picture. You can be happy, ready to take on the day…or just be glad the run is done. Either way, you are in control of your mood, and attitude. Accept the things we cannot change, and keep working on the things we do have control over. When all was said and done, we were able to finish the run. We were able to finish because we had help from our friends. Which, as you can see by the next pictures, the weather makes it a little tough to get fired up about running, or working out, outside.
So, don’t be a whiner! A complainer! Be a doer! Be in charge of your health, your activities, your situation. You can either do the best you can under the current situation, or let ii take control of you, and then be even more angry, upset, crabby! Spring has to be coming. It is testing all of us, and our patience. Remember why we need to keep working out, and working on our health. We want to be around. We want to spend time with friends, and family. We want to live. So, put our head down, your mouth shut, and keep your feet moving forward, regardless of what type of exercise you want to do. Help others get there too. That does not mean we can sometimes express our true opinion of what we think of the weather. I did! But now that I am done, I am thankful these other people helped push me on. The next time it may be me pushing them on. We can all help each other, and be there for each other, and live life to the fullest. Bring it on! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3840
by kelsey | Apr 12, 2018 | Food, Weather, Wellness/Health
With the impending winter storm coming, I thought it was appropriate to review food safety recommendations for power outages. I am hoping we all keep our power, but it sounds like rain is coming first, then turning to ice/snow so there is a possibility we could lose power. These poor conditions are not ideal, but we can’t change the weather so we must do what we can to keep safe. Without power to the fridge and freezer, many may be wondering how to keep their food safe. Keeping cold foods cool and hot foods hot may be a challenge without power so follow these recommendations to keep your food safe in an emergency.
- Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. Watch the temp on both using a thermometer. You want your fridge to stay under 40 degrees and your freezer under zero degrees F.
- The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
- A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
- If are you able to, get dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days.
- If you are wondering if your food is safe to consume, you need to evaluate each item separately using a thermometer as you cannot rely on the appearance or oder! If the food still contains ice crystals or is 40 °F or below, it is safe to refreeze. Refrigerated food should be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 °F for 2 hours. The way it sounds, this will be case for many in the Sioux Falls area. Remember…it’s better to discard and buy new than risk it and get sick!
For more tips and detailed recommendations please visit the USDA’s website: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp .
Stay safe and warm everyone!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Apr 11, 2018 | Exercise, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Weight Management, Wellness/Health, Winter
Are you tired of winter yet? Spring is here, but it sure doesn’t feel like it….and we are facing another blizzard this weekend! C’mon weather man….enough already! I think one thing we all have in common right now is that we’re tired of snow, cold, and less than ideal weather conditions. We have had winter for about 6 months now and I think all of us can agree, we are ready for spring and summer to get here! When you’re feeling the blues, it can really get you down in the dumps which can result in overeating, less activity, and depression. Below are a few tips to help perk you up and help you stay positive about life!
Tips for Overcoming the Winter Blues
- Get active! Activity produces natural endorphins that boost mood. Try getting at least 30 minutes of activity in a day…if you can do more, the better.
- Eat Right: healthy eating will make you feel healthier inside and out. Aim to get at least 5 fruits and veggies a day, include whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats. Vitamin D has been proven to aid in SAD so be sure to get your 3 servings of low fat milk or dairy products. If you aren’t a milk drinker you may consider taking a daily multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D or a vitamin D supplement. Please ask your dietitian, pharmacist, or doctor for the correct dosage.
- Spice up your life: Sometimes getting a new shirt, going to the movies, reading a new and exciting book, or getting new tunes on your ipod will help spice up your life and add some more excitement to your life.
- Get out! Plan a family/friend trip to Sioux Falls, bum around downtown Watertown, or plain just get out of the house! It’s easy to dwell in our sorrows by becoming a hermit and staying inside. We need to get out and get some socialization!
- Think Positive! Dwelling on the negatives can sure take a person down. Instead think about the positives in your life. Tell yourself one positive thing about yourself and your selfworth daily. Focus on the blessings in your life!
- If you feel you are suffering from the blues very seriously then I encourage you to contact your physician for further assistance as we can help you with this!
Spring and warmer temperatures will be coming….hopefully sooner than later! Stay positive, eat right, exercise, and get out…those winter blues will be gone before you know it!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Mar 25, 2018 | Equipment, Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
What are you waiting for? I tell my patients this many times when it comes to getting ready to make a change in their life, and work on diet and activity. I hear all kinds of excuses: It is too cold; it is too icy; it is too hot; it is too wet; I have this big project to get done at work; as soon as things slow down with my kids activities; I don’t have enough time; trying to exercise costs too much; and on, and on, and on! Always an excuse. I hate to tell everybody this, but there is always something that will come up in your life that will get in the way. We are all busy. But, we all have the same hours in the day as everybody else. It is time to make a commitment, and get fired up about it!
This was me after finishing the Dopey Challenge at Disney in January…a 5k on Thursday, a 10k on Friday, a half marathon on Saturday, and a marathon on Sunday. This was me after crossing the finish line of the marathon. I did it! I set a goal, worked for, and completed it! We all need to set a goal. We all need something to shoot for, whatever that may be for all of us. We are all on a different level, and at a different stage in our lives. Only we as individuals know what each of us is going through. Nobody is in our shoes. You can either do something about, and keep complaining about your situation. Exercise is also a good escape mechanism. The weather is not always going to cooperate with us either, especially in South Dakota.
I took this yesterday as we got hit with out Winter storm, during the first week of Spring! Life, and weather, does not always cooperate. But, if we wait until the weather is perfect, we will never get started. It will just serve as another excuse. It was no different when our run group met this morning for our weekly run. As far as the weather, the cold, the wind, the icy roads, nobody really wanted to be out there. If we had all been on our own, we would have probably struggled, and ended up doing something else. Yet, we were there for each, and because of that, we all got out the door. We were held accountable to each other, which can really help you get started on things when it comes to exercise.
Life is not always going to be easy…having time to daydream, and look at the ocean, and forget all of our problems. This works good as a vacation, or a break, or as a means to get our heads back on, but it is not going to be everyday. Things in everyday life get tough. Who needs to watch any of the reality TV shows now? Just wake up and face your own day. I think that is enough reality for all of us. Who needs to sit and watch about other peoples problems. Don’t we all have enough of our own? We can sit and choose to just sit there and dwell on it, or get off our butts and go do something about it. Will it be easy? Ha! Life is not easy, but getting out and exercising is a great stress reliever as well, and it can sure make your day go better, and more manageable as well.
Of course, there will be days where you wonder if it is all worth it. It is work! You are going to get tired! But, you are conditioning your body to handle anything that may come your way. You will be able to handle it better…tolerate it better…and feel better as well.
There will be days when you feel like you are “sucking air”, or just having every last bit of energy feel like it is being “sucked out of you”. Do something about it! You are in charge of you…nobody else. Be in the driver seat, and take control. You only live once, so what are you waiting for?
Sarah went to Huron this weekend to spend some time with her mom. They spent it quilting and sewing, and they both love this. But this morning, when the rest of here in Watertown were going out for a long run (we are getting ready for the Fargo Half Marathon in May!), Sarah went out by herself, and ran it by herself. Facing the cold, the wind, on her own. She had us back here, knowing we were doing the same thing, but it is tougher by yourself. How bad do you want something? What are you waiting for?’
When all is said and done, you will be happy you did it. You will feel better knowing your accomplished something that many other people would not even think of doing. Bottom line, you have to give it your all! You are the one who will benefit. You will have more energy. You will get to spend more quality time later with your friends and family. Time to reach for the top…your top! Where that is only you will know. Just don’t settle for something less than your best. Be happy with you! So come on…what are you waiting for?
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3819
