by kelsey | Jul 18, 2012 | Goals, Wellness/Health
Many of our regular readers and my friends and family know about my heart issue that resulted in me having to readjust my fitness goals and aspiration. For those new readers of our STRIVE 2 Survive blog, you will have to refer back to a previous post (https://s2sbrownclinic.com/2012/05/the-reality-of-goal-setting/) to get more details. In short, my hopes and dreams of running a half marathon were diminshed when I learned my heart couldn’t take that amount of vigorous activity due to a congenital valve issue. This was a major let down for me, but I am a realist and I knew I had to move on as it wasn’t worth dwelling over and it definetely wasn’t worth dying over!
After a lot of self reflecting, I decided I needed a different goal that was better for my heart and for my spirit. Thus, I decided to sign up for the Beef & Eggs 5k race in Brookings. I also became a part of South Dakota Team BEEF thus promoting two passions of mine: running or activity in general and promoting the benefit of lean protein found in 29 cuts of lean beef. This last weekend, I fulfilled this goal and ran the 5k without any chest pain or shortness of breath. I ran with two of my best friends from college who were on the SDSU Equestrian Team with me and I couldn’t have asked for better support. My friend Anna, who is on the left of me in the picture, also a member of SD Team BEEF and my friend Katie, on the right, were a great support system for me. We weren’t too focused on time, but rather enjoyed each other’s company while doing something we all love.
Setting new goals isn’t always an easy task, especially when you didn’t meet the previous goal, however staying positive about your aspirations and being real about what you are capable of doing will help you. Setting goals pushes you to achieve more in life. In addition, it’s important to reward yourself when meeting the goals. My reward for fulfilling my new goal was a day spent with my friends after the race and it was totally worth it! I am thankful for having a great support system to help me get through the tough times and celebrate the good times.
Tomorrow I will discuss SD Team Beef, so stay tuned!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jul 12, 2012 | Exercise, Heart Health, Wellness/Health
Time to get back to previous discussion about heart disease, or coronary heart disease. We will discuss over a 3 part series, the first being about what is coronary heart disease, and what are the symptoms.
In short, coronary heart disease refers to the process where the arteries that supply blood to the heart “get clogged” with fatty deposits. Overall, this puts you at risk for having a heart attack. I had previously discussed some of the statistics related to the prevalence of heart disease in general, now to discuss the symptoms associated with this.
The symptoms of a heart attack can include: Pain, pressure, or discomfort in the center of your chest; Pain, tingling, or discomfort in other parts of the upper body, including the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach; Shortness of breath; Nausea, vomiting, burping, or heartburn; Sweating, or having cold, clammy skin; A racing or uneven heartbeat; Feeling dizzy, or lightheaded.
One very important thing to keep in mind is that people with coronary heart disease may have no symptoms, and in fact, the first symptom may be a heart attack. In the next 2 series, I will talk about tests that can be done to help with testing for coronary heart disease, and then how do you treat it, as well as how do you prevent it. The prevention is what we have talked about since we started this blog, continuing to exercise, and watching our diet.
Keep moving everybody.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1750
by Dan | Jul 4, 2012 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Happy 4th of July. To go along with our most recent ad campaign…”I’d Rather Be…” for the clinic, our parade float was made out with this same theme. As our commercial states, “…At Brown Clinic, we know there are things you would rather do than come in to get your physical”. We would rather be biking, gardening, coaching, fishing, golfing, anything we enjoy. That is exactly why Brown Clinic is here for you. We want to make sure you can do those things. Make sure to get your yearly physicals, stay healthy, watch our diet, and exercise. “I’d Rather Be…” preventing someone from getting sick, than take care of them after they are sick.
Here is the main parade gang, holding our award for the parade. Our float won for “The Most Original”. Way to go everybody. You saw us out there today walking, even with this heat and humidity. You get out and stay active. Take care of yourself. We are there to help if needed, just meet us half way! Keep moving everybody. Have a good 4th of July, and be safe!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1742
by Dan | Jul 1, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Weather, Wellness/Health
It was a great weekend to get out and enjoy the weather. Here is one stretch of the bike trail by Jackson Park. With the weather getting up into the 90’s this weekend, and continuing for the rest of the week, you need to get out early. Very peaceful and quiet out early, so enjoy the weather, before it gets too hot later in the day. Remember to be drinking lots of water during this time, and if you are out when it is hotter, it is even more important to drink often. The humidty causes us to lose a lot of fluids quickly.
Here is Nick this AM after he ran around the lake, about 14 miles. He and one of his cross country friends started early, but still the humidity was too much. I caught up to them later in the car, and kept supplying water. Nick managed to finish, but was totally soaked. I gave his friend a ride after about 9.5 miles. He was cramping too much with the heat and humidity. Everybody needs to remember this. We don’t have to be out running 14 miles for this to happen to us. Spending time outside, mowing, gardening, whatever, you lose fluids quickly. Water is the best replacement. Enjoy the summer, but be smart. Keep moving everybody.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise day #: 1739
by kelsey | Jun 27, 2012 | Family, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This last weekend, we celebrated my Dad’s 60th birthday. It’s not for another week, however we had to celebrate early due to my brother’s schedule. Our whole family only has the opportunity to get together about twice a year for 1-3 days at a time since my brothers live out of state and our schedules vary. Even though the visits are always quick, we cram as much as we can into them in true Likness style. I really don’t know if we know it any other way!
When I visit with my patients who are working on weight loss, improving lab values, etc, we often discuss WHY we should make the necessary changes that lead to improvements in these areas. Everyone’s goals and purposes are different however the common theme is that we want to be around to experience life and all it has to offer as long as we can and enjoy our loved one’s company while doing so. We are very fortunate to be able to celebrate 60 years with my Dad and we look forward to many more to come! My Dad (and Mom) have taught us kids to live life to it’s fullest and how eating healthy and being active can promote healthy living. Taking time out of your day to enjoy each other’s company and life’s blessings is essential to wellness. We weren’t able to enjoy tubing on the lake due to our crazy wind, but that didn’t stop us from having fun and enjoying life. As you can see in my picture, you don’t need water to enjoy the tube! My Dad and nieces had a blast sitting in it on the lawn!
Purpose in life fuels ambition, motivation, and determination. Finding your purpose and reasons to achieve a healthy lifestyle make the process so much easier and enjoyable. I encourage you to reflect on that when you hit a plateau or are struggling to move forward. Take one step at a time and those baby steps will add up to great success in the long run. Life is short so enjoy it!!
-Kelsey
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
