by Dan | Jul 1, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Weather, Wellness/Health
It was a great weekend to get out and enjoy the weather. Here is one stretch of the bike trail by Jackson Park. With the weather getting up into the 90’s this weekend, and continuing for the rest of the week, you need to get out early. Very peaceful and quiet out early, so enjoy the weather, before it gets too hot later in the day. Remember to be drinking lots of water during this time, and if you are out when it is hotter, it is even more important to drink often. The humidty causes us to lose a lot of fluids quickly.
Here is Nick this AM after he ran around the lake, about 14 miles. He and one of his cross country friends started early, but still the humidity was too much. I caught up to them later in the car, and kept supplying water. Nick managed to finish, but was totally soaked. I gave his friend a ride after about 9.5 miles. He was cramping too much with the heat and humidity. Everybody needs to remember this. We don’t have to be out running 14 miles for this to happen to us. Spending time outside, mowing, gardening, whatever, you lose fluids quickly. Water is the best replacement. Enjoy the summer, but be smart. Keep moving everybody.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise day #: 1739
by kelsey | Jun 28, 2012 | Cooking Tips, Food
With the 4th of July right around the corner, you may be busy making plans with friends and family which always involves planning a menu. Summer gatherings are known for picnics and outdoor eating, and often times food safety is overlooked. One small mistake of food safety can result in foodborne illness and sicken your whole crew. Here are some tips to avoid foodborne illness.
1) Wash your Hands: many times foodborne illness can be avoided by simply practicing proper hand washing techniques. Be sure to wash your hands before cooking, after handling raw meat, and before eating. If running water is not available, bring hand sanitizer and rub it all over your hands, inbetween fingers, and around your nails.
2) Use sealed containers for packing your coolers: If juices from raw meats drip into your cooler and mix with other items, it creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grown. Use ziplock or sealed tight containers for packing your goods. If running water isn’t available, be sure to wash your produce before you leave home!
3) Avoid cross-contamination: bring two sets of utensils and plates to avoid cross contamination. One set for the raw food and one set for the cooked food.
4) Use a good cooler: Make sure your cooler is up to par for keeping your foods cool and be sure to leave enough room (1/4) of it for ice, ice packs, etc. Pack cool and hot foods separately and be sure to use your thermometer to check the temperature of the cooler throughout the day. Temperatures should be under 40 degrees.
5) Dont’ let food sit out: The danger zone for bacteria growth is between 40 and 140 degress F. Bacteria can double in a matter of 20 minutes when in this zone. Do not let any food sit out for more than 2 hours and if the temperature is higher than 90 degrees F, food should only sit out for an hour. Be especially mindful of meats, salads made with a mayo base, and anything dairy.
6) Use a thermometer: Meats needs to be cooked to certain temperatures to ensure doneness and eliminate bacteria. Hamburger must be cooked to 160 degrees F and chicken- 165 degrees F. If you are unsure of what temp your meat should be cooked to, please refer to this chart: http://homefoodsafety.org/cook
Enjoy and be safe!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jun 27, 2012 | Family, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This last weekend, we celebrated my Dad’s 60th birthday. It’s not for another week, however we had to celebrate early due to my brother’s schedule. Our whole family only has the opportunity to get together about twice a year for 1-3 days at a time since my brothers live out of state and our schedules vary. Even though the visits are always quick, we cram as much as we can into them in true Likness style. I really don’t know if we know it any other way!
When I visit with my patients who are working on weight loss, improving lab values, etc, we often discuss WHY we should make the necessary changes that lead to improvements in these areas. Everyone’s goals and purposes are different however the common theme is that we want to be around to experience life and all it has to offer as long as we can and enjoy our loved one’s company while doing so. We are very fortunate to be able to celebrate 60 years with my Dad and we look forward to many more to come! My Dad (and Mom) have taught us kids to live life to it’s fullest and how eating healthy and being active can promote healthy living. Taking time out of your day to enjoy each other’s company and life’s blessings is essential to wellness. We weren’t able to enjoy tubing on the lake due to our crazy wind, but that didn’t stop us from having fun and enjoying life. As you can see in my picture, you don’t need water to enjoy the tube! My Dad and nieces had a blast sitting in it on the lawn!
Purpose in life fuels ambition, motivation, and determination. Finding your purpose and reasons to achieve a healthy lifestyle make the process so much easier and enjoyable. I encourage you to reflect on that when you hit a plateau or are struggling to move forward. Take one step at a time and those baby steps will add up to great success in the long run. Life is short so enjoy it!!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jun 26, 2012 | Etc.
One our goals with STRIVE 2 Survive is to prevent disease and promote healthy living and longevity. The annual American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is a reminder of how disease can be truly devasting to individuals and families. We don’t always know why cancer happens, but what we do know is that eating healthy and engaging in regular activity promotes healthy living. The Relay for Life is a great time to honor those who have or had cancer and remember those we have lost. I’m sure everyone has someone in their family or friend group that has been affected by cancer. The American Cancer Society does a fantastic job helping those in need, researching the disease, and creating awareness. Our Brown Clinic team came in 2nd place for fundraising with a grand total of $5,687. The county raised a total of $51, 371. WOW! It’s a great cause and a great reminder of how precious life is. It’s never too late to live healthy, so get active and eat right!
Thanks to our great Brown Clinic Team for a job well done!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jun 23, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This morning was the 2nd Annual Race for Chase, a combine bike/run event covering almost 10 miles. It is a 2 person team, either both male, both female, or mixed. One bikes, one runs, but you have to both start together, and finish together, and can trade off as you like. You do not need to stay together during the race, so stategy is involved for who should run when, and for how long. It was perfect weather for this, as the rain had passed earlier this AM.
Here Sarah and Molly, one Team Reiffenberger, as they get ready to get started.
They won for the female team in a time of 1 hour 5 min.
But, the other Team Reiffenberger, Nick and I, won not only for the male team, but overall, with a new course record in 50:55, beating the old record by over 4 minutes. Nick ran 1 more mile than I did. Good job Nick! Wait until next year.
Here all 4 of us, The Team Reiffenbergers, X 2, proudly hold up our hardware.
Keep moving everybody. Enjoy the summer.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1731
