by Dan | Sep 18, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We all want to be healthier, and be able to have the energy and stamina to do things, but it is important to be having fun along the way. Here our run club is getting ready to go for a run…and we are ready! Ready to not only go for a run, but to have fun, and spend time with friends as well. We all have goals in our life, and we want to improve with our goals. When we are running as a group, our times for how fast we run are really not important. It is a social time, and a time to see how everybody is doing, and how things are going for them in their lives. Many of us on our run club is getting ready to do the Twin Cities Marathon in 3 weeks, and many of us also ran last weekend in Sioux Falls doing the half marathon. In events like this, our times can be more important to us then, as we are continuing to drive and improve for ourselves. The next few pictures show Jill Makepeace checking her time as she crossed the finish line, and then the expressions of her face when she realized she had just set a personal record for her finish time.
This is also a driving force as to why we keep trying. We want to be healthier, but we are trying to improve ourselves along the way. If you don’t push yourselves at times, you have no idea how far you can go. Over time, we can amaze ourselves. As individuals, you can look back on your accomplishments, and really can see changes as to the progress that is made…it is also a great motivator! Our minds are usually our limiting factor, not our bodies. It is important getting support from people in our lives who help support us, and who help us achieve our goals. More importantly, they are usually the people who we have fun with as well.
Paula and Jill are having a good time following the race, and both celebrating accomplishments they just achieved. Our run club really can show off the fun we can have.
We can all be “goofy” together! After taking these pictures, we finally got back to running after we got done posing. So everybody get ready, and “jump” into better fitness and health!
Keep moving everybody! Exercise for the health of it! But, have fun along the way!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3278
by kelsey | Sep 15, 2016 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This week’s weather felt more like fall and with the change of season, we tend to change our pattern of eating to more soups, stews, and casseroles. These selections are a great way to pack a variety of nutrients into one dish. In addition, they can be very cost effective due to the excess garden produce present in our grocery stores and farmer’s market lately. Here are a few nutrition tips to consider when you’re prepping your favorite meal:
- When using store bought broths or soup mixes such as cream of chicken, choose the low-sodium or reduced fat varieties.
- Use herbs and spices to season rather than salt.
- Add more vegetables and lean meat to the recipe to give you more nutrition.
- Thicken with pureed beans, potatoes, or vegetables.
- Sprinkle your soups or stews with low fat cheese for added flavor and nutrients, without too many calories.
- Think about balance: incorporate something from each food group into your meal to provide your body with a top notch quality and nutritious meal.
- Practice portion control: it’s easy to dish up your plate with casserole or fill up a big bowl of stew and not realize how much you’re eating, so measure out your foods and eat mindfully to ensure appropriate portion control.
- Batch cook: soups are a great way to practice batch cooking. Make up a pot of soup and portion it out into smaller containers and freeze. They are easy to take out and unthaw when you need a healthy meal in a pinch!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Sep 11, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Sarah and I, along with quite a few of the Watertown Area Run Club members were in Sioux Falls this AM for the Half Marathon. It was a little windy, but the temperatures were very nice for running. I forgot what kind of hills there are in SF! It was a great morning for a run. Yesterday, they had an expo at the Arena where they would sell different things related to running. One of the booths had a truck where one side of it had the names of those doing the marathon, and the other side of those doing the marathon. We found our names pretty quickly!
I managed to take a picture of Sarah coming across the finish line. It got a little crowded at the finish. The medals were very nice this year as well.
Another adventure down! It was a nice run. It is always good to run with other people, and there was always somebody around you. If you have never tried, do it! Start with a mile walk/run, or a 5k. You might surprise yourself what you are capable of. We all have to start somewhere. Our bodies are usually not the limiting factor…it is our minds!
Remember, you cannot finish unless you start! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3271
by Dan | Sep 4, 2016 | Etc., Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
When it comes to running, or exercise in general, it is always easier when you have a training partner. Someone else who can help you be accountable, to help push you, motivate you…just to help be there with you. A training partner is someone who has the same interests as you when it comes to exercise. They can be a friend, relative, pet…anybody who will help push you. This is a recent picture of our run club. We all help each other with exercise, and we all like to run.
Over the years I have had multiple training partners. I have had several where I have included my dogs as well, and for this one today, I won’t include them. My training partners over the years include:
Tom Beaudry, one of my first training partners, and continues to be.
Steve Hauck, who is my neighbor, and have run several Disney marathons with, and Fargo.
And of course, my wife Sarah, who has been my training partner since we started dating. In fact, this is how we started dating.
Susan and Chris, my past nurse, and current (and always!) nurse. They have helped each other out immensely with achieving their goals.
As of these last few days, one of our run club members, Jen, got hurt. She is struggling with this, frustrated by this, and wants to keep running. She is going to be running the Twin Cities Marathon with us in October. The rest of us found out about it yesterday. Ever since then, it was like something was missing. When the rest of us were out running this AM, and she was not, we all felt bad for her. We are worried about her! We want her back running with us. She was out at about the 16 mile mark today to provide water, Gatorade, and oranges. She was still helping us out, but you could tell she was very disappointed that she could not be out running with us. We have all had injuries where it has limited what we as individuals can do to recover, but it is just as disappointing when someone you have been training with can’t join you. Something is missing. It is just not the same. Here she is trying to look happy, but getting ready to start doing some of the exercise and suggestions I gave her to help get over this quicker.
It was not the same running without you! You helped out the rest of us today with the water/Gatorade breaks, and it was greatly appreciated. I would have gladly carried my own water if you would have been able to run. I made her be a part of the group picture this AM. She is part of this group, and always will be!
Here is hoping for a speedy recovery. I know you really want to be getting ready for the Twin Cities, but bottom line, we just want you back running with us! We may all be training partners, but more importantly, we are friends!
We are there for you…thinking of you…wishing you were joining us! Here is to a speedy recovery. We will help get you ready for October. Just heal up! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3264
by Dan | Aug 28, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Accomplishments are something we need to be proud of, celebrate, and take pride in! When it comes to exercise, if it were so easy, then it would not be such a struggle to get people interested, or motivated, in doing it. Accomplishments can come big or small, and any improvement, and attempt at improvement, is an accomplishment.
Dig deep, keep going, those accomplishments will come. It is no different than starting to exercise, or lining up for your first walk/run 5K. You have to start sometime, somewhere!
You have to start in order to accomplish anything! Making that decision is probably the hardest part because convincing ourselves of that is what is hard, not the actual activity itself.
Is it a struggle some days to get out and get moving? Absolutely. Is it a struggle sometimes to finish? Absolutely. But, what you can really only describe by actual feelings after you have accomplished something challenging in your life is what it is all about. Words can only come close, but that feeling when you finish something, cross a finish line, or whatever that accomplishment may be, is truly exhilarating!
Pride! Joy! Relief! Happiness! “I did it!” Nobody can take your accomplishments away from you, and you are the one setting the tone! Go for it! Is it easy? No! Nothing worth working for is!
But when that work is done, you can sit back, relax, and truly enjoy the ramifications of that accomplishment, or the view that you can see afterwards! It can open up an entirely different perspective on your life!
Take it all in! After all, you earned it! Then relax, think about what you just accomplished, and I will bet you will tell yourself, “you know, that really was not that hard! Now what can I do next?” The sky is the limit!
You earned it. Celebrate well. Enjoy all the benefits you will get after being successful with what you accomplished. Then, put your head down, take a deep breath, and decide what you are going to do next! Just remember, make your accomplishment attempts reasonable. They don’t have to be like watching an episode of “Mission Impossible”. You set the tone. They are for you! Keep reality in perspective, and enjoy the ride along the way! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3257
by kelsey | Aug 25, 2016 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Family, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
School started today in Watertown! It’s always an exciting day for families! It also means getting back into the routine of school lunch and snacks after school! If you’re a parent with school age children, you have probably witnessed this scenario many times: your child comes home from school and they are starving! They rummage through the cupboards and try to find something “good” to snack on until supper is ready. Snacks in between meals help provide the body with energy and aid in metabolism and blood sugar control, but the key is making a healthy snack as junk foods will only provide empty calories, leaving you hungry and looking for more later on.
Below are some healthy snacks for kids. Print off this list and let them pick a healthy snack afterschool!
Healthy Snacks for Kids
Inside-Out Sandwich: Spread mustard on a slice of deli turkey. Wrap around a sesame breadstick.
Rocky Road: Break a graham cracker into bite-size pieces. Add to low-fat chocolate pudding along with a few miniature marshmallows.
Mini Pizza: Toast a whole-wheat English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
Spread mustard on a flour tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, low-fat cheese and lettuce. Then roll it up.
Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
Banana Split: Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.
Apple Pie Oatmeal: Make one packet of microwave oatmeal with low-fat milk. Mix in 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Sprinkle with apple pie spice or cinnamon.
Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.
Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole-grain crackers.
Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.
Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed cereal and freeze.
Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins.
Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with ricotta cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon.
Mix together ready-to-eat cereal, dried fruit and nuts in a sandwich bag for an on-the-go snack.
Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on two graham crackers and add sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich.
Microwave a small baked potato. Top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.
Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.
Toast a whole-grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and peaches.
Mix together low-fat cream cheese, mixed dried fruit bits and shelled sunflower seeds. Spread on a toasted English muffin.
Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie.
Make a mini-sandwich with tuna or egg salad on a whole-grain dinner roll.
Sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese over a corn tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with salsa.
Spread peanut butter on apple slices.
Reference: Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
-Kelsey
