by Dan | Apr 28, 2013 | Exercise, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Finally! We have a good weekend. Warm out, and you can all see how many people have been outside this weekend. We are either doing some yard work, out walking, riding, running…whatever! We just want to be outside. It has been too long of a Winter, and we were all anxious to get outside and enjoying things again. The snow, other than a few snow piles that had been really high, it now melted.
Even Buddy is outside in his kennel and just taking it all in. He can look around, and watch everything much easier from the outside than in the house. He has been on some walks too, and is definitely happy about it. So everybody, take advantage of this weather now, and get out, and get moving! This is exactly what this doctor ordered! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2041
by kelsey | Apr 25, 2013 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Eating healthy can be challenging. Some struggle with selecting the right choices, some struggle with the cost of fresh produce, others struggle figuring out how to plan and make a meal…especially when you’re in a hurry when you get home from work, others struggle eating healthy for 1-2, etc, etc, etc…there are all kinds of struggles and challenges to eating healthy but in reality they are just EXCUSES! You have a choice, you can let these challenges get in the way of you achieving a healthy lifestyle and in turn struggle with your weight and have increased risk for disease or you can face these challenges head on and work towards overcoming them. Even though I am a dietitian and this is my chosen profession, I sometimes struggle with this, just like you do…however I constantly work towards overcoming these barriers to make healthy eating a lifestyle. I am a firm believer in the concept “practice what you preach”…if I wasn’t trying to eat healthy, then why would anyone want to listen to what I have to say! I also believe that finding the balance in your life to eat healthy and make it work for your lifestyle is truly key to success.
Planning and time management are the best ways to overcome these challenges. Every Sunday I take a look at my freezer and my fridge and decide what meals I’m going to make for the week. I take the meat out of the freezer and make sure I have the appropriate ingredients for each dish. I will often times use the same meat in a few different meals to make things go smoothly…and example of this is I will take out a 2lb package of lean hamburger and brown half of it. I will use it in tacos, bbqs, pizza, spaghetti, etc. I can use the other half or meatloaf or meatballs, etc. Another easy way to prep your food is to put several skinless, boneless, chicken breasts in the crockpot on low and cook for a few hours…you can then use them in a variety of other dishes. The next step is to think like MyPlate and get the rest of the food groups included in your meal. You will need a veggie, fruit, and whole grain. Keep these items on hand and re-stock weekly. If you don’t have them, you won’t eat them! It’s also important to think about timing. We recommend a consistent intake of several small meals and snacks a day, which helps keep your blood sugars stable and aid in weight management. Eating late is common in my household due to the demands of ranching and farming. I recommend having a snack/light meal around 4-5 to tide you over until supper time. It may feel like you are eating more, but in reality, you will eat less when that supper time comes around at9pm because you won’t be as hungry! Eating a big meal late at night and then going to bed is not helpful…spread it throughout your day, but planning is the only way to make this happen!
When you don’t have a plan, it’s easy to resort to packaged, boxed foods that are high in sodium, fat, and calories and/or eat out. Since it’s just my husband and I, I will often cut my recipes in half so that we don’t have excess leftovers and we only eat what’s there which helps us use proper portion control.
Eating healthy does NOT have to be challenging. Change your way of thinking and attitude about it and then put it into action. You truly can be successful!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Apr 24, 2013 | Diet, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Coming up with a relevant and useful topic to our blog posts is sometimes a challenge as we want our information to be useful and we try to not repeat ourselves too much! As I contemplated what to write about today I thought about what I have been working on with my patients recently and it seems the majority are all in the same boat….this long, undesirable winter has caused the motivation to eat healthy and exercise to fly out the window. It’s hard to be motivated when every other day we’re getting a blizzard, the sun hasn’t shined for days, and we have to worry about driving in these poor conditions. Emotional eating becomes more prominent and the motivation to exercise is no longer there. I noticed my mood and attitude was much better yesterday as I woke up to the bright sun shining compared to the wintery weather I woke up to on Monday. If you have succumbed to this trap, it’s important to tell you that it’s never too late to get back on the band wagon! Below are a few tips to get you started:
- Why are you eating? The first step is to recognize why you are eating emotionally. Keeping a journal and reflecting on this question is helpful.
- What is missing? Are you neglecting a part of your life such as your spirituality, family, friends/social life?
- What areas need more focus? Food and eating is often used to fill an empty hole or void in your life. Figuring out what area needs focus will allow you to find effective ways to gain more balance in your life.
- Are you planning activities that do not involve food?
Food is always present at gatherings, activities, etc. Work on planning activities that do not revolve around food to help you learn how to enjoy life without focusing on food.
- Are you prepared? Meal planning and prep is really key to success. Take some time on the weekend to plan your week’s menu, take meat out of the freezer, pre-prep some of your items and keep healthy food choices in your purse, desk, etc….this will help prevent you from convenience eating and making poor choices.
- Focus, Determination, Motivate! Think of eating healthy and exercise like you do your job. No one wants to perform mediocre at their job, so why are you performing mediocre with your life choices. You only get one body and it will perform like you treat it…if you eat crappy, put on weight, don’t exercise, you will be sluggish, lethargic, and not able to enjoy the things you want to do. Instead, gradually work into a regular exercise routine and replace the junk foods with healthy ones and you’ll notice you have more energy, your sleep will improve, and you’ll be able to focus better. “You are what you eat” really does mean something!
We never expect these changes to happen overnight so focus on a few things at a time as you gradually work back into a healthy way of life. It can start slow with a 10 minute walk a day, adding a piece of fruit to your daily intake, keeping a food log, etc….it’s never to late to get back on track!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Apr 16, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
As a finisher of 8 marathons, soon to be doing the 9th in Fargo next month, where do you start to describe the scene near the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday? At first, shock, disbelief. Then denial–afterall, how could someone possibly do this? Now today, anger. The whole spectrum of emotions. A lot of these same emotions you experience when you are actually running a marathon. You start off excited, overjoyed, and can’t wait to get started. You are just soaking up the entire atmosphere, relishing in the fact of how hard you have trained to get ready for this event. It is fun, but make no mistake, it is work! After awhile, you get into a groove, and are just running. Somewhere along mile 15, fatigue starts entering into the picture. A little anxiety creeps in, and then as you get further into it, somewhere around mile 20-21, you start to get worried. The exhaustion starts setting in, and you begin to wonder “am I going to be able to finish?” Panic starts to set in, and you keep telling yourself, remember all of the work I have put into this, the hours running, and you are telling yourself “yes, I can do this!” You start to get within a half mile of the finish line, and you are fired up. The end is near. It is so close, it is like you can taste it. You approach the finish line, and everybody is out there, cheering you on, your family is out in the crowd, yelling your name. They have stood behind you always, and in particular, this last many months as you are training for this. You have trained to feel the joy and overwhelming emotion of crossing the finish line. You have done it! 26.2 miles! You start being overcome with emotions…tears come, exhaustion has reached its max, and you are happy and thrilled that you have completed your goal. Here is Steve and I as we finished the Disney marathon this January…the look of exhaustion on us, the emotions of tears starting on Steve’s face. No other words to describe it.
Now…go to yesterday afternoon. The shock, fear, chaos, all of this happening just before the finish line. You are overwhelmed with emotions already from running, and now several bombs are going off…your family who is out there to see you and cheer you on, are now hurt. Now to make matters worse, they held off all of these other runners back from the area…they no longer can finish when they are this close, and they have no idea if members of their family are ones that are hurt. Now talk about undescribable emotion! Where do you even begin? The race no longer matters…it is now about your family, and other peoples family who are hurt. How can an activity that can bring so much overpowering joy and emotion, become so devastating in the blink of an eye.
Running the Boston Marathon has been on my bucket list for the last 21 years. I have never qualified for it. I have never been able to run in it. This does not mean I still don’t want to. I could run it as a member of the medical team, but I have always wanted to run because I earned it. That does not mean any marathon, or other race I run, I would not help someone who needed medical help. That is a given…I would just do without thinking. This is what one running physician did yesterday. He was approaching the finish line when the bomb went off…he never crossed the line. He turned around and began helping whoever he could. One of the interviews on TV I saw say he was covered in blood, and someone asked him if he was hurt. His response, “I am a doctor, and I just want to help”. Nothing else matters at that point. It is no longer about a race. It is about life. Remember these runners, and their families going forward. I may not have been running Boston, and I may not have qualified for Boston, but I am still a runner…and if I have anything to say about it, I always will!
Keep moving everybody! Keep these Boston people in your thoughts and your hearts.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2029
by Dan | Apr 14, 2013 | Equipment, Exercise, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
With the weather we are having, it is easy to have all the excuses come out as to why you can’t exercise. “I am sick of snow!; I am too tired!; It is too cold; It is too windy; The sun is not out; I have too many other things to get done.” And on and on it goes. Believe me, I think I have used all of these at one time, plus about 1,000 others. If we waited for the perfect moment, we would never get out the door. Now, I am the first to admit, I am really tired of this weather too. It makes it very hard to get motivated to get outside. So, if the weather is not cooperating, then keep it inside yet.
Get on the treadmill, or the bike, and put on the TV or the radio, or use your ipod. Whatever it takes to help keep your mind off of the activity. I just got some DVD’s to use that have me running or walking out in the woods, or in California along the ocean. You literally get to follow along with someone else walking or running. They have a music background, so you can just lose yourself in the scenery, and it is the next best thing to being outside. The more you can keep your mind interested in something, the easier it gets. Which brings up some topics to discuss. What do you think about when you are out walking, running, or biking? What do you think of during that 20 or 30 minutes of time? Or if you are doing a marathon, like Steve and I, what do you think about during a 3-3 1/2 hour run? I will fill you in on what I think about, but would like to hear what you keeps you going as well. Stay tuned for future posts on this. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2027
by kelsey | Apr 9, 2013 | Motivation, Wellness/Health
I posted a few weeks ago about warding off the winter blues (https://s2sbrownclinic.com/2013/03/feeling-the-winter-blues/)….and since we are once again in a winter blizzard and it’s mid-April, I thought this topic was fitting again. We are all frustrated with the weather and really ready for spring and warmer temperatures and nicer weather to come, but no matter how much you complain and get down about this poor weather, we aren’t going to change it! So…pick your battles and don’t let this dampen your spirits!! Since you can’t go for a walk outside, get active inside! Dance to some music, do some stretching, walk around your house, do some jumping jacks, or use your inside exercise equipment. Whenever I look at this picture I took outside our hotel balcony on vacation in Cancun this winter, I immediately smile…it’s pretty, it’s calming, and nice to look at. Picture this when you’re feeling down and focus on the positives! The storm will move through and brighter, sunnier days will come!
-Kelsey
