by kelsey | Mar 27, 2013 | Wellness/Health
Are you tired of winter yet? Spring officially started last week, but it sure doesn’t feel like it yet! It seems like a lot of people I have visited with lately are suffering from the winter blues. We’re tired of snow, cold, and less than ideal weather conditions. We have had winter for about 6 months now and I think all of us can agree, we are ready for spring and summer to get here! When you’re feeling the blues, it can really get you down in the dumps which can result in overeating, less activity, and depression. I personally feel I suffer from a little bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)but I have found there are a few things that spark my spirit so I hope they can help you as well!
Tips for Overcoming the Winter Blues
- Get active! Activity produces natural endorphins that boost mood. I was exercising already, but to help ward off the winter blues, I have increased the amount of exercise and added some strength training to my routine. Try getting at least 30 minutes of activity in a day…if you can do more, the better.
- 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 SAD 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! I was fortunate to have gotten to go on family vacation to Cancun in February and enjoy this beautiful beach view for a week, however going to Mexico is not an option for everyone. Plan a family/friend trip to Sioux Falls, 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 Dan | Mar 24, 2013 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Click below to hear Dr. Dan’s “surprise” on KXLG’s morning show.
Day/2K KXLG Radio Show
Wednesday this week I went to the radio station, KXLG, to do what I thought was going to be a talk on our wellness program, Strive 2 Survive. Instead, it turned out to be a “set-up celebration” to recognize the 2000 days of consecutive exercise I have done. This was originally to be on monday, which was the actual 2000th day, but with the snow storm we had, I rescheduled because I could not get there. I did not know this was planned.
Sarah was there, after leaving earlier than me that morning, telling me she had to go to the hospital to do rounds first. Very nice surprise! It was great having her there. Afterall, if it was not for her, I would not have been able to stay on task to do the exercise. Thank you Sarah!
Here is the rest of the group…co-workers, friends, training partners, and radio station employees. A special thanks goes to Carol Zillgitt at KXLG radio station, who planned all of this, made the Tshirt, and worked with Barb at the clinic to get all of the set up. Very nice surprise! Thanks to all of you, especially to you Carol!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2006
by kelsey | Mar 20, 2013 | Food
Yesterday was National Ag Day, and as a farmer’s wife and dietitian, I thought it would be fitting to discuss the benefits we receive daily from our friends in agriculture! Many don’t think about where our food comes from or the effort it takes to put it on our tables. I myself didn’t have much of this knowledge or concept until I started learning more about South Dakota’s #1 industry from my husband Adam in college. There truly is an art and science to farming, raising cattle, and livestock. This includes planting techniques, seed technology, keeping the plants growing to produce a bountiful harvest, harvest timing, and the markets (selling the product). Successful farmers today truly have to have a vast knowledge of agriculture, animal science, and ag business.
A few fun facts for you about agriculture in South Dakota include:
- 8% of farms in South Dakota are family owned and operated – in fact, over 2,500 South Dakota farms have been in the same family for more than 100 years.
- The average size of a farm in South Dakota is 1,374 acres.
- The average age of a South Dakota farmer is 55.7 years.
- There are 46,000 producers in South Dakota on 31,800 farms.
- Each year, one South Dakota producer raises enough food to feed 155 people in the U.S. and abroad.
- http://sdda.sd.gov/education-outreach/agriculture-industry/
Producing the food that you put on your table, truly is a labor of love and hard work, so in celebration of ag day, I encourage you to thank our local farmers and ranchers for helping put that delicious food on your table….they deserve it!
Here are a few pictures from our life on the farm.
Loading corn to take to the elevator.
The “nursery” during last year’s calving season (notice no snow!).
Proof farmers can clean up and look nice! 🙂
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Mar 18, 2013 | Etc.
Today, March 18, 2013 marks 2000 days of consecutive exercise for our very own Dr. Dan. CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Dan on this awesome accomplishment!! Dr. Dan is a real inspiration to all of us to be more active and like he said in his latest post…there is no time like the present to get moving! Whenever I feel like taking the easy way out and not exercising, I always think of Dr. Dan telling us to “get out of bed, get out the door, and get moving!” Dr. Dan is a busy guy and if he can make time for exercise, we can too…it’s all about priorities and time management and once you get into the hang of it, it will be become habit and part of your daily life, just like it has for him! STRIVE 2 Survive and the Brown Clinic are fortunate to have a physician who practices what he preaches and leads by example. This picture is a great example of this as he poses with his good friend Steve following the Disney Marathon this winter. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Dan!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Mar 17, 2013 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The hardest part about getting going with an exercise program is just that: Getting going! We can come up with all kinds of excuses to put it off: I will do it later when the weather is better; I will start when I am not so busy; Once I get this project done, I will have more time to start exercising more. There is never a better time to start than now! Forget all of the excuses. Get out of bed, get out the door, and get moving!
We would sit and watch the pelicans on the beach while we were recently in Mexico. They would take off, fly around, and coast back in, and then just keep repeating the process. Well, it really is no different for us. First, we have to get going, so push off…
…once we get going, we need to “spread our wings”, and work a little…
…then, we can really take off! We can “spread our wings”, move around, enjoy the scenery, take all of our surroundings in, and in the end, feel better!
It truly is amazing how much more you can enjoy life if you take off and explore. See what is all out there. It is easy to take for granted those things that are around us all day, until we no longer have it. I forget how nice it is to look at something green, and not all the white of snow this season. I am ready for Spring, and can’t wait to really enjoy being outside again when it is nice. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1999
