by Dan | Jul 8, 2018 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
When I first started to see how long I could keep going with my consecutive exercise streak, I had no idea where it would take me. I was striving to see if I could maintain if for a year. I had no idea it would still be going yet…over 10 1/2 years, and counting. Some days though, it can be a real challenge to get out. Some of you may think this would be easy by now, but it is still an ongoing challenge. Trying to fit it in my daily schedule, with all of life’s twists and turns, can make it more challenging. Believe me, there are days when I don’t want to exercise. I could come up with many excuses to not go out. But, as time has taught me, I feel much better after I do. I need that stress reliever. I need that time to unwind, and either use it to get ready for the day ahead, or try and decompress from everything that life threw at me that day. “Uff Da” sums it up!
There are multiple things in life that pull at you for your time. You have to make the priorities and decide what is best for you.
There are always deadlines, pressures of work, and demands of people for your time. There are always hills to climb. But you have to face them. What do you do when you encounter this in your day? How do you handle the pressure of it all? Do you have any secrets to share with the rest of us? I would really like to hear from you! I certainly don’t have all the answers. I am trying to push myself, not to be better than anybody else, but to be better than I used to be. I only need to prove that to myself, and nobody else. Hopefully, over the long term, this will help me to be around a lot longer to spend more time with my family and friends. But you have to make if fun, or you won’t continue with it.
Sometimes I like to run, or walk, or bike, by myself. It gives me some time to clear my head, and think. The only one pushing me is me! I don’t have to wait to hear somebody else tell me advice, or try to expect an answer of help from someone else. I just need some time for me to process all this. Then there are those days when I really enjoy working out, or exercising with other people. What challenges are they facing? Maybe they have some advice or suggestions for me, or vice versa! I enjoy hearing how everyone else handles things in their life. We all have challenges, and we all work at them in different ways. How we go about it is individual to each of us. There are no two of us alike. We are unique to ourselves, and we have to figure those things out.
It sure makes it nice on those days when you are not by yourself, to have someone reliable to confide in, to bounce things off, to vent with, to exercise with! We all need those social times together to support each other, but we also need some of that alone time, to think and process things. Why do we do the things we do? The challenges we create really are of our own making. Turn them into a positive thing, and not another pressure of life. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to keep exercising everyday. I wonder what really is this proving. Then, after walking, or running, with time to process, I realize I am still doing this for me. I am the one benefiting by this. I am the one setting the tone for me. If maybe this helps get somebody else moving, and taking care of themselves, then great! If anybody has any ideas of what works for them to help get them motivated to exercise, please tell me! I always am willing to listen. If it works for you, then maybe it can work to help somebody else too. As individuals, we alone do not have all of the answers. As I wrote about several weeks ago, we all need to keep learning. But, we can also help teach each other things too. We all have something to offer, and we all have the ability to learn. Just do it! I can’t wait to hear ideas from you, so please, fill me in, and then I can help pass them on to. Some days I need help staying motivated as well to “keep my streak alive too”! We all need to help to keep moving!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3924
by Dan | Jul 1, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Life brings all kinds of challenges, some good, some bad. The same can go for the results. Life is like a roller coaster, with a lot of ups and downs, but there are always new experiences to be had. When the kids were little, we always had them with us when we would go to races. They were either spectators, or participants, but they were always with us. These pictures of them with their special made T-shirts were always a hit for me. I would come running by, and they would be cheering and yelling, and their shirts cheering me on: “Go Dad Go”. These are memories I will always cherish.
Now that they are older, I thought things would get easier to deal with. Wrong! As they get bigger, the problems get bigger. Sarah and I always worry about them. No matter what, they are still our “little kids”. Now that they are all 21 or older, we worry as to whether on not we did a good enough job raising them. We hope they appreciate what we did for them, and provided for them. But, we also want them to know how hard you have to work for the things you have. Nobody is going to just hand it to you. You have to earn it. We always were active, and wanted them to be active with us. You have to learn to take care of yourselves, and not rely on somebody else to do it for you. One of my daughters just texted me this week saying: “Ugh! This adulting is so stressful!” Yes it is!
We took them to our marathons that I was in, and tried to make it a vacation for all of us! I needed my personal cheerleaders with me!
We taught them young how important it is to keep active, and they continued with this as they grew up, whether running or swimming!
Our vacations included trips where we would go hiking, and exploring, and get to see things we would not have seen otherwise. We had fun doing it to! We did this as a family!
Last year we had them all back at the same time, and with boyfriends and finacees too! If you are going to be a part of this family, you will have to be active with us. We all were getting ready to do the Hump Day 5k run!
One thing will always be. I may be a doctor, and Sarah may be a doctor, but the biggest thing we want to be remembered for when we are gone is that we were a good Mom and Dad! That is what I would be most proud of. We may not have always done things right. After all, it did not come with an instruction manual. We had to learn this on the fly. We did the best we could, and hopefully it will pay off for them. That does not mean you quit worrying about them. When school struggles get tough, or work issues get tough, or just life in general gets tough, I hope they all know we are there for them. We love you guys! We want you to be successful. We want you to be healthy! We want you to be happy! Just like the back of your shirts told me at those races you were cheering me on with:
We love you too!
Keep moving everybody! Enjoy all that life brings you, the ups and downs, and learn from them!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3917
by kelsey | Jun 28, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Holidays, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
July 4th is such a fun holiday to gather with friends and family and enjoy delicious food and outdoor activities. Food is usually a very large part of this holiday, as it should be! Making fun recipes and eating delicious food is very enjoyable. There are a few very easy switches that you can make to improve the nutritional value of typical “grilling” type foods. Enjoy the day and truly embrace the quality time with your family!
- Switch to whole grains.
- This is one of the easiest switches you can make! Instead of purchasing white buns and bread, purchase things that are made of whole grains.
- Use fruit where you can!
- Everybody seems to love refreshing fruit on a hot summer day so add fruit in where you can. You can even do something as cool as making a watermelon cake instead of cupcakes or in addition to them. Another option is to make fruit kabobs and a fresh fruit salad.
- Add in your Veggies.
- Veggies can be added to many salads or slaws. A veggie pizza is always a good option and so delicious!
- Choose lean meats.
- Be sure to use meats such as chicken, turkey, or 90% lean hamburger.
- Offer non-alcoholic alternatives.
- It can be super easy to sip on alcoholic drinks throughout the day but if you have alternatives around it could help remind you to choose other options. Sparkling water with fresh fruit is very hydrating and satisfying.
These are a few easy things that you can implement into your 4th of July for a fun and healthy day! For more recipes and ideas for food to make, click HERE! Have a fun and safe Fourth with your family and friends!
Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student
by kelsey | Jun 27, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
It’s a wonderful time of year to stop by your local Farmer’s Market to pick up some fresh produce and many other products! This can be a popular place for members of the community to gather. There are a lot of benefits of shopping at the farmers market. Just a few of these include getting fresh produce, supporting local businesses, seeing a variety of products and connecting with the community! It can be a really fun way for you and your family to get out of the house and get active on a Saturday morning.
Here is a list of tips that can help you navigate your way through a Farmer’s Market:
- Have a list
- Make a list of the different items that you know you would like to pick up. Often times there is so much offered and so much to look at that it can be easy to get distracted and forget what you came for. Having a list will help you remember!
- Ask Questions
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the produce or products that are being sold. There may be a vegetable offered that you have never heard of before but would potentially love! You can even ask how they prepare their produce and get ideas that way.
- Explore
- Even if you are going for a few specific things, take some time to explore other booths and look around at all that is offered. Some booths even have fresh coffee, baked goods, and flowers!
- Pack Reusable Bags
- Many booths do not have plastic bags for you to take your fresh produce home in, so it is always a good idea to have reusable bags on hand.
- Have fun!
- Farmer’s Markets are supposed to be fun and upbeat! Socialize with others and get to really know your community members! You may make a new friend out of the deal.
Check out your local Watertown Farmer’s Market on Saturday’s from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Runnings parking lot!
Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student
by kelsey | Jun 26, 2018 | Diet, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Mindful eating is a way of eating that promotes health, wellness, and peace, control, and balance with food. Check out today’s post written by Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student. If you want to learn more about working on your own mindfulness, contact me today! Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
What is mindfulness? My personal understanding of mindfulness is being aware or conscious of whatever it is you are doing at that moment. It is being fully present. This may seem like an easy concept; however, I think many of us are eating and surrounding our food with very mindless actions and thoughts. What are you doing when you eat? Are you watching TV, driving, reading, or scrolling on your phone? All of these are examples of mindless eating. Even when you are cooking your food, are you paying attention to what you are doing or how you are cooking? Or are you again watching TV or talking on the phone? There are so many places we can incorporate mindfulness into the process of preparing and eating our food.
Benefits of Mindful Eating
- More satisfaction
- Less chance of overeating
- Acknowledge your internal body cues
- Avoid emotional eating
The benefits of mindful eating far out way not being mindful. When preparing your food, paying attention to how you are making it and all the time, energy, and love that goes into it can lead to a greater appreciation for the food. Having a greater appreciation for your food will hopefully lead to a greater appreciation for feeding your body the healthy food it deserves.
When actually eating your food, being mindful of each bite and chewing slowly will allow you to pay attention to your inner cues of being satisfied and stop you from overeating. You will also fully taste the food you spent your energy making and again, create a greater appreciation for the process.
The last thing I want to talk about it emotional eating. Our emotions have a mind of their own and can lead us to do pretty crazy stuff. There have been many times that I chose to eat and eat and didn’t really know why I was eating and it all had to do with my emotions. When I took a step back and asked myself, “Why am I eating right now?”, it wasn’t because I was hungry but usually because I was upset. When I was able to recognize this, I could channel those emotions in a more positive way such as journaling or going for a walk.
Tips for Mindful Eating:
- Pay attention to how you are preparing your food and appreciate the time and energy spent on this.
- Sit down at a table to eat with no outside stimuli.
- Chew slowly- put down your silverware between bites.
- Drink water in between bites.
- Pay attention to your internal cues for when you are full and satisfied.
- Ask yourself, “Why am I eating right now?” or “Is this what my body needs right now?”
- Pay attention to your emotions while you are eating. If you are not even hungry but you continue to eat, slow down. Maybe take out a journal and write down your feelings. It sounds cheesy, but it works.
- Eat foods that are beneficial to your body’s wellbeing.
I hope some of these tips and tricks help you out with your mindful eating! It is hard at first to break certain habits surrounded by mindless eating, but I promise your body and mind will thank you. You may even be able to work through certain emotions and things in a positive way because you will now be able to recognize them!
Kylie Serie, SDSU Dietetic Student
