by Dan | Jan 22, 2014 | Etc.
Well, the Goofy Challenge has come and gone, but it left memories to last a lifetime. Steve and I made it. Disney 1/2 marathon saturday, followed by the Disney marathon sunday. 39.3 miles total. As they say there: “Yeah, we did 39.3 miles, because 40 is just crazy!” Over 25,000 people each day! We had to learn to pace a little smarter to try and make sure we could do it all. We were very consistent. Half marathon on saturday we completed in 2 hours 22 minutes. The first half of the marathon on sunday was 2:23, and the last half marathon was 2:22! Can’t be much more consistent!
Here we are coming through the tent after the finish line, and getting our medals. A total of 3 for the weekend. A Donald Duck medal for completing the half marathon, then here on sunday, a Mickey Mouse medal for finishing the marathon, and the coveted Goofy medal for finishing both. Needless to say, it was fun, but we are wiped! Afterwards, our legs were tightening up so bad we had to have help from our wives getting into and out of the bus to get back to the hotel.
Our families surprised us by being at the finish line! Here Steve is with his wife Carletta, son Noah, and daughter Carissa, who also ran the half marathon the day before. There son Jeff cheered from home.
Here is my family. My son Nick, daughter Megan, and my wife Sarah, who ran the half marathon saturday. My daughter Molly started back in college earlier, so she cheered from Brookings! It was a great time, great weather, and hard to describe the emotions by completing this, and being surrounded by people everywhere. It makes it easier to stay motivated to run. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2311
by kelsey | Jan 16, 2014 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health, Winter
On a blustery day like today, I can’t help but imagine myself on a beach (like the one in my picture I enjoyed last winter in Mexico), drinking a tasty fruit drink, and soaking up the sun. Instead I am inside, with wool socks on and a warm and snuggly sweatshirt. The lack of sun, cold temps, and blizzard temperatures can really bring our spirits down. Here are some tips to help you spark your spirit and stay motivated with working on your wellness goals.
- Get active! Activity produces natural endorphins that boost mood and it will aid in a healthy heart and weight. Try getting at least 30 minutes of activity in a day…if you can do more, the better. Vary your activities to decrease the chances of boredom.
- Eat Right: healthy eating will make you feel healthier inside and out. Aim to get at least 5 fruits and veggies a day, include whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats. Vitamin D has been proven to aid in seasonal affective disorder, so be sure to get your 3 servings of low fat milk or dairy products. If you aren’t a milk drinker you may consider taking a daily multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D or a vitamin D supplement. Please ask your dietitian, pharmacist, or doctor for the correct dosage.
- Spice up your life: Sometimes getting a new shirt, going to the movies, reading a new and exciting book, or getting new tunes on your ipod will help spice up your life and add some more excitement to your life.
- Get out! Plan a family/friend trip, bum around downtown Watertown, or plain just get out of the house! It’s easy to dwell in our sorrows by becoming a hermit and staying inside. We need to get out and get some socialization!
- Think Positive! Dwelling on the negatives can sure take a person down. Instead think about the positives in your life. Tell yourself one positive thing about yourself and your selfworth daily. Focus on the blessings in your life!
- If you feel you are suffering from the blues very seriously then I encourage you to contact your physician for further assistance as we can help you with this!
Spring and warmer temperatures will be coming. Stay positive, eat right, exercise, and get out…those winter blues will be gone before you know it!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jan 14, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management
It’s the end of the day and you’re tired and ready to relax on the couch, but you must first cook yourself supper….a daunting task at times. You’re not sure what to make and you really don’t feel like putting a whole lot of effort or time into it, so you settle for a frozen meal, boxed dinner, or calling in pizza. Sound familiar? I too have felt this way and it’s a terrible feeling! You know you need to make healthy choices, but you lack the energy to do carry them out so you resort to an unhealthy, quick and convenient type of food. On the days I am in the clinic, I typically get home around 7:15-7:30pm as I work till 7. The last thing I feel like doing is spending hours in the kitchen working on a meal. To help me make better choices and save on time, I have turned to meal planning and batch cooking. On a weekend day that I have a little bit of time, I look at my schedule for the next week and figure out a basic plan of what I’m going to make or have prepared based on the schedule. On the days I have a little more time for making supper, I choose a meal that may involve a little more prep time. On the days I am short on time, I choose a quicker meal. I then make sure I have everything needed to make those meals and that always includes the basics meal planning step of ensuring I have a fruit, vegetable, whole grain, and lean protein. I like to use frozen veggies as they are something I can always have on hand and the steamer bags are easy to pop in the microwave and cook up in a few minutes. You will want to take your meat out of the freezer to un-thaw (in the fridge!) and you may even consider doing some prep work if you can.
To help you understand how this is put into action, I will give you some examples. This weekend, I decided I was going to have spaghetti and salad one night, chicken noodle soup and grilled paninis one night, and another night chicken tacos. I took the lean hamburger out to thaw for the spaghetti and made sure I had salad on hand. I made a batch of chicken noodle soup so that it’s all ready to eat when we are ready and I slow cooked a few chicken breasts in the crockpot so they were ready for the tacos. When it comes to supper time this week, I am ready! I have everything prepped and on hand now to make meal time enjoyable and healthy. Some other options for batch cooking are to brown up 2lbs of lean hamburger and use them in several recipes over the course of the week: tacos, chili, spaghetti, etc. You can also do this with chicken. Another favorite of mine is pork loin or roast. Slow cook it on the weekend and then it’s ready to go to make into soups, have with some potatoes and green beans, make into sandwiches and add a salad or soup to it, etc. Make sure you incorporate your fruit and veggies with your meals!
It may take some getting used to, but if you haven’t already, I encourage you to batch cook and meal plan. You will be amazed by how much easier and enjoyable supper time is!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jan 8, 2014 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
We are getting ready to head out to Orlando for the Disney half and full marathon again. Sarah will be doing the 1/2 marathon saturday, and Steve Hauck and I will be doing the Goofy Challenge: doing the 1/2 marathon on saturday, and then the full marathon on sunday! Little nervous, but fired up as well. First time for doing this. Steve and I did the full marathon last year. It was Steve’s first.
The weather should be great! It will be a little tough being this hot right away. Temps to be in the 60’s to start off, and end in the low 80’s by the finish line. A far cry from 40-50 below zero! Our goal: We are just going to finish. We are not worried about time. We will take our pictures with all of the characters along the way. Training partners sticking together! Stay moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2297
by kelsey | Jan 2, 2014 | Diet, Family, Goals, Holidays, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Happy New Year!! It’s hard to believe another year has gone by! I have been a little quiet on the blog lately as I took some vacation over the holidays. Adam and I enjoyed celebrating the holidays with family and friends for 10 days straight! It was a great time, but we were wiped out by the end of it all! I am sure many of you enjoy special holiday traditions and spent quality time with family and friends, making it a fun and memorable time of the year. One of my favorite holiday traditions is making cookies with my mom. Nothing beats Christmas sugar cookies!! Now these are not low in calories or a healthy choice, but a little bit of indulgence every once in awhile isn’t going to hurt you! They tasted as good as they looked (see picture below)!
Another tradition is that someone usually has to make meatballs. Since it didn’t work out for us to enjoy my Grandma Evelyn’s meatballs, my mom and I made my version of meatballs which uses a BBQ sauce, not a gravy. Now these are a lot healthier for you than the cookies! I use very lean hamburger (Raml beef of course!) and old fashioned oatmeal. This is a recipe from Adam’s grandmother and it is one of our favorites!
As the Christmas and New Years holidays wrapped up, many of our conversations led to New Years resolutions….a common topic for the month of January. Personally, I don’t really like resolutions…I don’t think you need to wait for a certain time of the year to focus on your health! You can do that anytime! I also don’t really agree with the mentality we have of binging on everything over the holidays followed by a “starvation” period in January. What fun is that!! Usually those drastic changes don’t last and you are back to eating normally and once again stuck in that revolving door of overeating followed by guilt and then restriction…which then leads us back to overeating because we can’t stick with it! Instead, I like to focus on healthy living all year round. I enjoyed all of the goodies and special foods over the holidays, but in moderation. I made sure I included fruits and veggies into my daily intake and got my exercise in most days of the week.
Choosing a few small things to work on over time will help you create new habits that you can stick with. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Eat balanced! Strive for well balanced meals and snacks that are nutrient rich and portioned. Make half your plate fruits and veggies, a quarter lean protein, and a quarter whole grains.
- Eat consistently-eat several small meals and snacks a day instead of one or two big meals. This will keep your metabolism going and prevent you from being starving which always leads to overeating.
- Start your day off right with breakfast- this will help get your metabolism going and provide adequate nutrients to fuel you through your day.
- Focus on health, not weight. We put so much focus on the number on the scale it can drive us half crazy! Instead focus on healthy habits such as getting more fruits and veggies, using smaller plates and portions sizes, engaging in regular activity, etc etc. The weight will come when you achieve healthy habits!
- Eat dinner as a family. Take time to visit and enjoy. This will slow down your eating process and allow you to think more mindfully about your hunger and fullness. Ask yourself: Should I stop now? Do I really need seconds? etc.
- Get active-strive to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week. If you can get up to 60 minutes, even better! Can’t do it all at once? That’s ok, research has shown that even 10 minutes at a time provides benefit so split it up between your day. We all have a million excuses to not exercise, so you need to throw out the excuse book and just put your mind to it! Start with 5-10 minutes and go from there. You will most likely find that you feel so much better after you exercise which makes doing it so much more enjoyable!
- Think positive- winter is a tough time for us…it’s dark, cold, and dreary. It can really wear us down at times, so instead focus on the positives. Positive thinking will help you be healthier instead and out!
- Get help from a qualified professional. If you need assistance with reaching your health goals, reach out for help! A Registered Dietitian (RD)/Licensed Nutrition (LN) like myself is your best source of reliable and credible food and nutrition information. Our next group wellness program STRIVE 2 Survive starts March 4th, but I can certainly work with you individually now!
Baby steps turn into big ones, so start slow and small and put more of a focus on health and wellness long term versus the quick fix! You CAN do this!
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
