by Dan | Oct 22, 2017 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The wind is blowing. The leaves are changing color, and disappearing. The temperatures are dropping. But it is a great time to spend outside. Get moving, get active, and appreciated the view we have. This first one is Sarah and I earlier this month out by Gettysburg for a meeting, with a view of the river behind us. We took some time sitting out on a deck overlooking this view. Breath taking!
There are lots of nice scenic views right here as well. Go out and hit the trail, and take in all of the changes in color, especially around the lake and golf course.
But don’t keep waiting to go out and see the views. The leaves are going fast, especially with how the forecast is looking as far as wind.
It is always better seeing it with other people as well.
Our run club meets every week, and will continue throughout the Winter. Great times, spent with great people, and staying healthy. That is what it is all about. This is how we strive to survive! This is what life is about. Don’t let life fly by, and miss the important things. Take it all in while you can. Appreciate the experience, the ride, the views along the way. You won’t regret it…but you will if you miss out on it. The days go fast…time goes fast.
Take in all these days before the sun sets…and then watch the sun set sometime as well. It is beautiful to look at, and a great time to just sit and think. We don’t take enough time to just sit and think. Everything is hurry up and do this, and to do that, and much of which is really not that important to begin with. Enjoy life along the way…just take the time to do it! Strive to Survive! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3676
by Dan | Apr 23, 2017 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
We spend Saturday morning at Jackson Park as part of the Clean and Green activity picking up litter/trash. It was a great day out, warm, no wind. The Optimist Group was out as well cleaning up sections along the bike trail leading to Jackson Park. It is amazing how much garbage is out there each year, and how people cannot throw things into a garbage can, even when the garbage cans are right there for them! It was a great way to get an hour of walking in as well, and working on the legs doing squats and bending over while picking up the garbage. We had a good crew from the H2O Watertown Trail Committee.
We are doing good by picking up garbage and keeping the community clean, but we also got to get outside and enjoy the weather, and keep active. From Jackson Park you could look across at the other section of trail and see the Optimist group out cleaning up the section of trail that goes by it.
At the end of the hour, this is what we had collected, just in Jackson Park!
When you volunteer, you are not only doing good, but feeling good about what you do to help with the community. We all live here, and we all need to help take care of it…and we get some exercise as well!
By volunteering, you get to meet new people, take part in worthwhile activities, inspire others, be involved…and above all else…you get to make a difference!
Getting some activity out of it for our own benefit is just icing on the cake!
And then when you get done, you get to see how nice everything looks, the beauty in nature that is out there for all of us to enjoy. Just remember to do your part, and put garbage where it is supposed to go. If we all did this, we would not have to go out and pick it all up!
Make a difference…volunteer! Become a better you, and get exercise out of it as well! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3494
by Dan | Mar 26, 2017 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
It is that time of year. The time when Winter is about done, and you can hardly wait to spend some time outside. Spring officially is here, but he weather needs to be continually reminded of this. It is going to be in the 50’s this entire week coming. The snow, other than a few little scattered, isolated piles, is gone. The trail is in full use. People’s moods in general are starting to pick up. This is the perfect time to take advantage of this and get out and move. Time to work on getting some exercise and activity…time to become better…in health, mind, and body.
So take advantage of this time of year, and Spring into Spring! It is probably the easiest time of the year to start getting motivated, especially when we have been stuck inside for all of the Winter. Get out and enjoy the scenery. There are many things to see along the trail, and in particular, when you go around the lake.
Even Zeus likes to stop and take it in. It is a great time to go think, get some fresh air, and work on your health at the same time. Don’t let the excuses for not doing this start rolling into your minds. Just get out and move!
Our run club has been getting out all Winter on Sunday mornings for a run. The smiles on our faces say it all…the weather is improving! It is great to get outside. Time goes much quicker when you exercise outside versus inside on a treadmill. It is much more boring inside. We have our route going around the zoo. It never gets dull here. We were hearing the trumpeter swans in full chorus this AM!
It is time to party! It is time to celebrate! Who needs New Years resolutions when Spring is so much more accommodating for getting things accomplished in this regards. Take advantage of this. You don’t know what you are missing until you do. And, take advantage of the trail system. The scenery really is very nice to look at, and just get lost in your thoughts, and at the same time, getting some exercise. It involves taking the time for you…to become a better you!
Here was a view overlooking Lake Kampeska from the bike trail earlier this week. The clouds and colors at Sunset were impressive! I did not even feel like I was out walking and working. I was out observing and thinking. It is a great time to solve issues/problems that went on from the day. You don’t know what you are missing until you try it, and then…you will be hooked. Get out and move, and appreciate what life has to offer. Then, you will realize your life is all that much more rewarding and special. Become a better you, and get out and appreciate what living here has to offer! You won’t regret it!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive exercise day #: 3467
by Dan | Mar 5, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Sarah and I just got back from a vacation trip to Mexico. The weather was great! We lost a day trying to get there because of the blizzard in SF, but still had 6 days to enjoy. We had a little twist thrown in when Sunday night we got a call from our son, Nick, that he was in the ER and was told he needed to have his appendix out! What a wreck we were. I had a ton of help from my brother Tim who was in SF, and helped with everything. Nick was home later in the morning on Monday, did well with surgery, and my brother Tim told us now to relax and have a good time…everything was under control! After that, we really did need to unwind and relax, and the beach and ocean was the perfect place for it. We got to just unwind, read, take a nap, listen to the ocean, and spend time together!
We still got our exercise in! We either ran or walked on the beach early in the mornings, and then in the afternoons, we always went for a 4 mile walk along the beach. Talk about relaxation, but yet we were still active. There were also other things to stay active with while we were there.
The paddleboards were a great way to get out and enjoy the water and weather, but had to work a little at it. Sarah even got into some yoga and water aerobics at times during the days.
Best of all…we got to spend some time together. We don’t seem to get to do this much unless we are literally out of town. We have to keep working at this as well. We have to become better to each other, which will overall make us better! It was great to get out and enjoy the scenery along the ocean as well.
The pelicans would fly by and then dive down into the water for food. It was really cool to see.
Best of all, I got to walk and talk with Sarah! We have all heard about the movie “Beauty and the Beast”…well, this is my picture that I have called “Beauty and the Beach”!
The sand on many of the sections were so soft, and then we would walk back and see our footprints. We got to see where we had been, and yet still had an idea of where we were going!
We become better when we spend time with those who mean the most to us! We become better when we take the time to relax and enjoy life along the way. We all work, or have worked if we are retired. We all have different degrees of stress in our life. If we don’t take time to relax, the stress will eventually get to us all. Exercise is also a great way to relieve that stress, but listen to our bodies, and recover when we need to. Become a better you, and take the time to relax, and enjoy life along the way! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3446
by Dan | Jan 29, 2017 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
How many times do you hear somebody say, “if you want it, you need to take a chance!” Exercise, just like life, is the same way. You never know what you are truly made of until you take a chance. Here Sarah is showing her muscles, getting ready to take on another race. She has done many half marathons, but never a marathon. She has always said she is only “half stupid”. Well, come October this year, she is going to be doing her first ever marathon…26.2 miles! She is taking the plunge. I have no doubt she will finish, but she is nervous. She has never done one before. Just like for everyone else, we don’t know what our body is capable of, until we “take a chance”. People don’t take a chance because they think it is impossible, too risky, or even pointless.
Those who have heart say, “Give it a try”. Only by going too far can you truly know how far you can go. We take chances every day in our lives. We take risks, we worry, we may even think some of the things we do are “stupid”. But if you have heart, the sky is the limit. Who knows what you are capable of achieving. We even surprise ourselves many times.
But you have to start. You have to start somewhere. You have to start sometime. The time is now. 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then you are doing a mile, then a 5k. What is your end point? Who knows! We ourselves don’t know what are limits are…and then most of those limits are created in our heads. We don’t believe we can do them, so we don’t even try. Unless you start, you will never know!
Our run club has been going on for over 4 years now. We started our very small…so small that for much of that first year it was the “Dan and Sarah club”. It keeps growing every year. People start to see that it is more than just running. It is about socializing, making friendships, …laughing. It is about taking a chance. Taking a chance on becoming a better you! Everyone starts out slow, and then you keep building. Quality takes time! Overcoming our fears, and our minds, tend to be the biggest obstacles.
When my daughter Megan was home over the Christmas break from school, she came running with our run club on Sundays a couple times. It was much colder here than it was back at school. She had to overcome her resistance to the cold, but once she got going, she ended up going 6 miles with us! That is the furthest she has run! Now she has been talking about doing a half marathon sometime in the future. This is a swimmer talking about running! We need to get out of our comfort zones, and if no exercise is our comfort zone, then we just need to get moving!
In life, you have to take chances. If you don’t take chances, life gets pretty boring. Be adventurous, take a chance…you will surprise yourself with what you are capable of achieving. This whole process will help you become a better you in every aspect of your life!
If you get a chance, take it! If it changes you, let it! I have said many times things worth having or doing are never easy. That is why accomplishing them makes them so much better! Don’t go through life having regrets, wishing you had done this, or done that. Go do it! What is stopping you? Yourself! Believe in you! The return on the investment of you is incredible. You are priceless…you only get one life. Live it to the fullest!
What are you waiting for? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? How about today! Today is a great day to become a better you…so take a chance on you! I have a feeling you are worth it!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3411
by Dan | Mar 27, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Do you have Fortitude, that firmness of spirit, a steadiness of will in doing good in spite of difficulties faced in the performance of one’s duty? In achieving one’s goals? We all face challenges when it comes to exercise, and the biggest factor is the continuation of an exercise plan. We all get busy, we all face challenges, and we are have those days when exercise is not really what we want to do. These are the times when we need fortitude more than any other time. That strength of mind to keep going, especially when we know the benefit can be very high.
We need to push ourselves, especially when our mind tells us otherwise. If we can convince our minds, we can make it. Our bodies can take a lot more than we think. Here Sarah is pushing it towards the finish line of one of the 5k races we did. It does not mean that she did not have to work for it though.
When we push it, we know it! We will recover, but in the end we know that we gave it our all. That goes for all of it. As stated many other times, unless we are able to push past our comfort zones, we will never know how far we can actually go, or how much we can actually achieve! You would be surprised as to how much you can amaze yourselves as well.
But, in South Dakota, we also get to face the weather conditions as well. This in and of itself can be a huge challenge! A challenge that tests us physically, but even more so, mentally! Our bodies can take it if our minds are willing to take it on.
Here Sarah and I are coming across the finish line of the Turkey Day Race on Thanksgiving. At this time of year, the temperature can be very cold, and can be tough to convince yourselves to get out and just do it! When it is a race like this, it is always helpful when there are more people involved. It helps motivate you to keep going, and to go out and exercise, whether running or walking. Otherwise, when it is cold, or snowing, it is very easy to say “forget it, not today!”. Been there, done that. It makes you stronger overall when you still exercise in conditions like this. Life is always throwing curve balls, and the saying “adversity makes you stronger” comes even more into play. You feel like you can handle anything that life throws at you when you can go exercise in conditions that are far from ideal.
Regardless of the conditions, you can do it. If you wait for conditions to be perfect, you will never get anywhere. It is very rarely perfect. But boy when they are, it makes it even more worthwhile!
Have the courage to face that adversity, and potentially poor conditions, and see what you are capable of doing…just like life in general. The daily grind of everyday life can take its toll as well, and it is easy to feel frustrated by it. Stick to that strength of mind, that firmness of spirit…that Fortitude!
Here Steve, one of our run club members, and friend, sums it up well with his shirt…run forever! That can translate to exercise forever, walk forever…keep moving forever! Use it or lose it. You need to have the fortitude to continue at those times of adversity in order to make us stronger in general.
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3103
