by Dan | Jan 20, 2019 | Equipment, Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
Well, when the weather does not cooperate, you have to make a decision. Do you still exercise outside? Do you go indoors? Do you do a combination of both? What? That overall depends on the weather, and what exactly you want to put up with that day. Exercise is tough enough, but some days can be tougher when you are dealing with the elements. Here is SD, we get to put up with a lot of the elements. Snow, extreme cold, or like this morning, we had both? For me, I would still much rather be outside. It is not nearly as boring. You have to dress right for it, and overall, have the right gear for everything, including shoes, and traction with them. So today was a compromise. We have had several inches of new snow, and the temp was zero, with a wind chill into the -19. So, just trying to come back from my foot injury, I only did a couple miles outside, then hit the bike later. But you can’t use the weather as an excuse to not exercise at all. You may need to do some compromising, but you don’t have to skip it altogether. I joined up with the run club this AM, staring out later and running the route in reverse to catch up with them on the back side coming back. I did some strength training before then. 20 lunges, 15 pushups, then 15 body squats, with 30 second rest interval, then repeat. 5 rounds. Later this afternoon I will hit the bike.
The Wellness Center is great to exercise indoors. They have a lot of variety. You can see my shadow riding the bike on the side wall. I listen to music, and can watch a lot of other people there all doing the same thing…exercising. They may all be exercising for different reasons, but they are all there. It also helps to motivate yourself when you have other people around you trying as well.
I have been riding the bike a lot lately. It has been allowing me to let my foot heal, but it is also great not having to worry about the snow or ice outside as well. I have to either listen to music, or watch TV doing this. Otherwise, it is too boring to not have something else to occupy your mind.
They also have an indoor track, which I like much better than the treadmill. It too has been good recovering from my injury because I can have more control over how fast I go, and I don’t have to worry about dealing with the weather elements outside.
I have also been doing a lot of swimming this last 6-7 weeks. I am not going to say it is enjoyable yet, but I do have to admit there are days when it is getting easier. I just have to keep plugging away with this, and hopefully it will keep getting easier yet. It is definitely helping me get in better shape for biking and running!
Now my shadow is in the front, with me riding the bike. Bottom line with all of this is that even when the weather outside is frightful, you can still move, and exercise. You have to find the right combination of things for you. Choices are abundant. Keep trying some different things, and it may surprise you that there are other alternatives that you may like to do more, you just have not found it yet. The Wellness center is a good choice for getting started. Everybody up there is there for the same reason. Some are more experienced than others, and others may just be starting. But, we are all there trying to be active, and trying to take control of our own health and well being. So quit making excuses. Get off the couch. Do something! Try different activities. You never know what you may like until you try it. Just keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4134
by Dan | Jan 13, 2019 | Equipment, Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health, Winter
Well, I got back to some running this week. Trying to go slow on the miles, but did not really start out slow with the pace! After 6 weeks off with no running, I was a little excited to back to it. I have to force myself to slow down. This is a good month to get back into it. The Prairie Lakes Wellness Center is having a contest this month: The Indoor Ironman Challenge. The Ironman Triathlon consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and running a marathon, 26.2 miles. The real ironman you are doing them back to back to back. At least here, we have all month to accomplish this, at your own pace, and dividing up how ever you want. I would have always thought the swimming would be my challenge, but this month it is the running since I am just getting back into it. But it is helping motivate me to keep going!
You can still sign up. You just have to keep a log of your miles and record it there, beginning last Monday, January 7, and ends on February 3. Give it a “Tri”!
You have to do the biking on one of the pacing bikes, and at least at a level 10 or higher. You set your own pace.
Just like the swimming. You split it up however you want. Since I started swimming 6 weeks ago, this at least is not as big of a challenge as it once was. It still is tough for me to do, but getting easier.
It is a New Year, and a time for new goals, new challenges, new adventures. Give it a “tri”…you never know, there may be one sport or activity you end up liking more than you thought. Exercise is exercise! Just keep moving! Split it up. Have a variety of different activities, and if this contest does not suit your liking, then create your own contest to make things a little more interesting…and challenging! What are you waiting for? Leave the excuses behind, and go! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4127
by kelsey | Jan 9, 2019 | Diet, Food, Goals, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Many of you are working on your New Year’s goals and that may include improving your nutrition, activity, health, and wellness. Keeping track of your intake is an excellent tool to help you with increased awareness of your intake (what exactly are you eating and how much) and help with accountability (you may think twice about the choice or amount when you have to write it down!!).
Most of my successful patients do keep a food log at some point in their weight loss journey…thus it is at the top of my list of tools to help you improve your intake! You can write it out long hand in a notebook or journal or if you have a smart phone or use the internet you can use online trackers. These are very nice because they add up all of the calories and nutrition facts for you…you just need to select the closest match to what you are eating and the appropriate serving size!
Below are a few of my favorite sites. MyFitnessPal is the number one that I recommend….they have a huge database of foods and it’s pretty easy to use. If you need help with getting started, please contact me! I would be happy to set up an individualized nutrition plan for you to help you meet your goals!
•www.myfitnesspal.com
•www.sparkpeople.com
•www.livestrong.com
•www.loseit.com
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, , LN
605-884-4426
strive2survive@brownclinic.org
by kelsey | Jan 8, 2019 | Diet, Exercise, Goals, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
With the New Year and focus on wellness, we’ve had some questions and interest in our next session of STRIVE 2 Survive so we thought it was timely to let you all know our next session starts March 12th!! For those wanting to learn more about our 12 week wellness program, check out the details below and contact us today to get your spot reserved for the spring session! If you want to work on your New Year’s wellness goals now, I would be happy to see you individually in the clinic and work out an individualized plan for you! Insurance does cover this visit in the primary care setting. To set up an appointment, you can call 886-8482 and select scheduling or email me at strive2survive@brownclinic.org.
STRIVE 2 Survive:
Over 20 years ago Dr. Dan Reiffenberger wrote a grant for the American College of Sports Medicine about the development of a fitness program entitled STRIVE to Survive. The STRIVE represents “Securing Time for Regular Involvement in a Variety of Exercise”. Since that time, it has become our Brown Clinic Wellness Program, with modifications and improvements along the way. It is a 12 week program incorporating exercise and nutrition, with the goal of continuing these types of habits for a lifetime. Our dietitian Kelsey Raml has helped incorporate the nutrition component and Dr. Clark Likness, Dr. Jon McAreavey, and Deidra Van Gilder, PharmD are also involved creating a multi-disciplinary approach to health and wellness.
We the 12 week program periodically throughout the year. During the 12 weeks, we meet every other Tuesday at the Park and Rec Fieldhouse from 5:30-6:30pm. During the weeks we don’t meet, each participant gets a take home lesson focused on our two main components: diet and exercise. The meetings are held in a group atmosphere, but we can also work with you individually in the clinic if desired.
12 Weeks to a Better You!
Brown’s Diet and Exercise Wellness Program.
Who:
– The Strive2Survive Wellness Program is open to everyone, young and old.
– Conducted by Dr. Dan Reiffenberger, Board Certified in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine and Registered Dietitian Kelsey Raml.
What:
– Lose Weight- Gain Strength – Maintain Fitness- Improve Diet.
– Evaluations: lab work- lipid and glucose, body composition testing-weight, height, BMI, body fat mass and percent, muscle mass…all pre and post the 12 week program.
– Free T-shirt
– 6 class lectures and 6 take home lessons.
Where:
– Park & Rec Fieldhouse
When:
March 12: “Healthy Eating Made Easy” Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
March 26: “Exercise for the Health of It” Dr. Dan Reiffenberger & Dr. Eric Woolley
April 9: “Your Equation to Success” Dr. Jon McAreavey
April 23: “A Walk thru the Wellness Wheel” Dr. Clark Likness
May 7: “Medications…to do or not to do” Deidra VanGilder, PharmD
May 21: “Making Health a Way of Life” STRIVE Team
Cost:
– $130
Call, e-mail or use the contact form for more information.
Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
605-884-4226
strive2survive@brownclinic.org
by Dan | Jan 6, 2019 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This picture always makes me chuckle! It was following the Fargo Marathon a year ago. I borrowed it for a kodak moment from one of the real “elite” athletes who was running that day. What does it mean to be elite? Does it mean that those individuals run faster, and win their age category in races? Maybe it means someone who is always pushing themselves, trying to improve their own health, and their life. Maybe it means encouraging or motivating someone else to improve their life and health. We can all be elite to some extent or another. We all have good days and bad days, whether with our diet, trying to exercise, or just everyday life. Good days and bad days are a part of life. We keep going to enjoy all of those good days, and improve ourselves enough that we can endure those bad days when they come…because those bad days will come. How we handle them can also help define who we are.
Some days you may find yourself hanging on…literally! It is those bad days, those storms, that build us up. They make us stronger. They make us better able to adapt to those changes in life, and knowing that we don’t always have control over those changes in our lives. How we handle those adversities can define us as an individual. “Weather the storm!” We all encounter different things in our lives that make things “stormy”… challenging…difficult. How we handle them makes us who we are. Make the best of the situation, and good days will be coming to enjoy even more. How we help others also make a very significant statement as well.
Is there really any better feeling that this? I have taken care of people for years, both when things are good, and when things are not. We are all going to leave this world someday, and one of the things I hear the most from people is a recurring theme: “Did my life make a difference?” Make a difference to who? Your family? Your friends? You?
If you are there for somebody else when they need help, then you can safely say you made a difference. That should also be one of our goals. That would make us elite!
Running is still my favorite sport/exercise. I am learning new activities while recovering with my stress fracture/plantar fasciitis. I am getting closer to getting back to running. But, this has forced me to do other activities, and to believe in myself that I actually can do other activities. When I think deep down on this, this is probably going to be a good thing. At least I am taking advantage of learning new things while not being able to run. But, running will always be my passion. It is my escape, my time for me. There are those days when everything is just effortless, and I feel I can go on forever. Then, there are those bad days as well. Not everything can be perfect. I found this next picture that truly describes running for me.
Exactly! My time to figure things out. My time for me. When you don’t have something for awhile, and then are able to get it back, you appreciate it even more. That is what it will be like when I get back to running. I am hoping I am going to appreciate it even more.
That is the lesson here. Don’t give up on yourself. This is the perfect time to work on this. A new year to take control. A new year to make some changes. It is time to become “elite” in one way or another. Don’t stop believing in yourself. Believe, believe, believe! If you don’t, who will? The strength you find in those stormy days helps fulfill your life even more, and it makes those good days even better! Don’t stop believing! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4120
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
