by Dan | May 22, 2016 | Etc.

We have all had times in our lives where we feel we were “wronged” by somebody. Sometimes we can move on, and sometimes it just keeps “hanging on”, and we keep bringing ourselves back to it again. We have to learn to let it go! We need to be surrounded by others, whether family or friends who support us, and help remind us, that they are they for us, no matter what. Here are my 3 kids when they were little, and I was running the Twin Cities Marathon. They were a walking billboard for me that day. This was the message on the front of their shirts. It can be a reminder to us all to “Go”! Keep moving forward, and learn to forgive those things in our lives, or people in our lives, who we have had an issue with. Exercise is a great way to help relieve that additional stress.
Forgiveness is not the easiest things to do in some situations…but for many, is the only true answer.
But can it ever change things going into the future! A huge amount of stress can be taken off of our backs just by doing this. Sometimes we may need time to think, time to go workout and relieve that stress and figure out what to do, and at other times, we just need TIME!

Forgiveness can help us move on. Exercise can be a source to give us that energy, and time to think, to be able to move on! You don’t, or won’t know, how much until you try it!

We need to rely on people around us, and closest to us to help with this. It is amazing how much this can help as well!


As I was coming to the finish line of the marathon that day at Twin Cities, my kids all turned around to give me another message! I have never forgotten this…ever! And I don’t think I ever will! This was huge to me, and a reminder to me that I have people who care for me as well! We don’t need to always do things by ourselves, or have to get through those tough times by ourselves! That is what family and friends are for! The picture is at the end of this post!

Keep moving everybody! Learn to forgive…learn to let it Go! I frequently look back on this picture…it is one of my favorites!
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3159
Dr. Dan
by kelsey | May 19, 2016 | Etc.

Each Friday morning in the summer starting June 3rd.
Free of charge 9:00 a.m. for around an hour each week.
We will walk at a comfortable pace, so come and join the social aspect of being outside with friends and getting some exercise.
June 3 McKinley Park (by the picnic shelter)
June 10 Stokes-Thomas City Park (by the Veterans Memorial)
June 17 Mt. Hope Cemetary (by the front entrance)
June 24 Redlin Art Center (by the front entrance)
July 1 No Walk Scheduled because of the Fourth of July weekend
July 8 Joy Ranch (in parking lot near SE side of Main St.)
July 15 Jackson Park (in the parking lot across from Cattail Crossing)
July 22 Bramble Park Zoo (by the picnic shelter)
July 29 Eastwoods Park (by the playground)
August 5 Slumberland Disc Golf Course (in the parking lot)
August 12 Stokes-Thomas City Park (by the Veterans Memorial)
August 19 No walk scheduled because of the Local Senior Games
August 26 Senior Activities Center (in the park area out front)
For more information call Jeremy at the Park and Rec @ 882-6260
by kelsey | May 18, 2016 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health

I get asked about healthy snack options on a regular basis. Snacking can be included in a healthy diet as long as you are making a good choice and watching your portions. I encourage snacks to have a balance of nutrients–especially healthy carbohydrates and lean proteins to help keep energy levels stable and provide satiety. Give these a try!
- Peanut butter and banana or apple
- Greek yogurt and fruit
- Hummus and carrots
- Low-fat cottage cheese and red pepper
- Snack mix with nuts, oats, and dried fruit
- Oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts
- Beef jerky and apple
- String cheese and whole grain crackers such as Wheat Thins or Triscuits
- Half of a turkey sandwich
- Almonds and fruit
- Yogurt
- Light popcorn
-Kelsey
by kelsey | May 17, 2016 | Etc.

A support and education group for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) has scheduled an organizational meeting on June 2nd at 6:30pm at the west conference room of Prairie Lakes Hospital.
The group will work to educate those who are living with IBS and to increase awareness of the disorder. IBS is a functional bowel disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and diarrhea, constipation, or a combination of both. It is more prevalent in women than men by a 2:1 ratio. The cause is unknown. There is no cure for IBS.
The group will focus on sharing experiences and discussing symptom management through medication, diet, exercise, and stress reduction. Those attending should use the main hospital entrance and ask at the information desk for directions to the west conference room. Attendance is free! The group is intended for IBS only, not for those with other gut disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer.
If you have any questions you can contact Bruce Ford at 880-5213 or Kris Munger at Prairie Lakes Hospital.
by Dan | May 15, 2016 | Exercise, Motivation, Wellness/Health

As a runner, we continue to learn things on the “fly”. This is no different with any kind of exercise, or activity in our lives. If we surround ourselves with people who have either more experience than us, or can provide a different perspective from what we are used to, we can learn! Here are some of my training partners, Tom and Steve, and on the far left is world renowned marathoner Dick Beardsley. We met him at the Fargo Marathon Expo one of these past years. He was always one of my “running idols” growing up, and was also one of the sparks that got me into running. He is originally from Minnesota…a farmer…who ran for SDSU. He became more famous when he finished in second place to the then top marathoner in the world, Alberto Salazar, at Boston, losing by only 2 seconds. The famous “Dual in the Sun”, of which Dick wrote a book about, and I have an autographed copy of! Somebody else always knows more than we do, or at the very minimum, can write about, or describe in a different way of doing things that may click more with us. We are all individuals, and learn by different ways. We have to be more open to those different perspectives, and be willing to learn from them.

Last year we had Stephen Heidenreih, top miler and runner from Watertown, who came back to visit from Colorado and put on a class for education or runners, and yoga for runners, as well as a talk the day before about his experience as a runner. It was great! Another perspective on what running has done from somebody! Again, it does not have to be just running, but exercise in general.

The point is, we all have room to learn! More important though, we all have something different to offer and teach to someone else as well. We have to learn to tap into that potential. We just have to learn that sometimes we may need to ask.

Always Seek Knowledge Acronym

I can’t sum it up much better than this one!
Even though all of us on run club may do a lot of exercise/running…we don’t know everything…

…but we gain knowledge from each other! Every week we learn something else, from each other!
But, the biggest thing about knowledge…believe in yourself!

Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3152