by Dan | Jan 27, 2019 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
It has been a struggle, but I am getting back on my feet again. The stress fracture has healed up, now I just need to keep working through the plantar fasciitis. I have made lots of adjustments with my shoes, my inserts, my stretching, my training…all with the goal of getting back on my feet again to be able to do what I want. I am not there yet, but am getting closer. I am running between 2-3 miles a day most days of the week, and still adding in biking and swimming, as well as strength training. I just have to adjust the strength training to accommodate for my feet as well. Here I was this AM with Sarah, out running in the wind chill of -20! Running outside in this cold is still better than not running at all! I finally get to participate in what I like doing again!
Until you get hurt, you don’t realize just how important your feet are. You feel it with every step you make, regardless of what you are doing. We all need to do a better job of taking care of our feet. It is the only ones we are going to get!
I have mentioned on earlier blogs that the pool and I have gotten very well acquainted. I have come a long ways in improvement of my swimming, but I still have a long ways to go. I am still working on drills to help hone in on my timing, my breathing, the overall stroke. It is very difficult to get down. Getting hurt and not being able to run was the only way I was going to get going on the swimming. Now I just have to keep it going. It will definitely help my overall running, and fitness. I never knew how difficult swimming really is. I have a whole new appreciation of this sport, and the people who do this sport. It is work!
I have also started this month running inside for majority of my runs just so I don’t have to deal as often with the snow and ice, and slipping and sliding, as I keep working on allowing my foot to heal. Having a stable surface helps quite a bit. There is no question though that the running in circles is more boring, so I have to listen to music this way.
It just seems to take longer to hit a mile running inside than it does outside. Running outside my mind can just go, and I can think of other things, and not the laps I am making. That is the joy in running…letting my mind go, and not even realizing I am exercising.
I still have a ways to go, but I am on my way! It just feels so good to be outside running again. I am not going as far, but that is ok. Just being able to go makes me happy. I will get there again. I need to use my head, and better judgement, to not have this happen again. Or at least not make it as easy to happen again. I am definitely getting back on my feet again, and am loving it. You get a whole new appreciation of the things in life you really love, or like to do, when you don’t have it for awhile. Once again, sounds like a lot of things in general about life. Don’t be taking things for granted. We don’t know when we may not have it, or the ability to not do it. But, just like now, I am figuring out other ways that I can keep moving. We all can keep moving, working on something. It sure beats sitting around doing nothing! Life is an adventure, and there may be curve balls…road blocks…misfortunes along the way. How we deal with it, or choose to deal with it, can really define us as an individual. Are we going to get creative, and get going, or are we going to sit back and feel sorry for ourselves, making ourselves miserable, as well as everybody else around us? It is up to us to choose. I get reminded of this from the old “Adventures of Indiana Jones” movies. One of the lines in the movie…”Choose wisely…”. Exactly! Choose wisely, and we can be happy, and live, or we can give up and be crabby. What is it going to be for you? Get back on your feet again, and get going! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4141
by kelsey | Jan 23, 2019 | Diet, Goals, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
It’s the beginning of a new year and all you hear about is hitting the gym and starting a new diet. You think, this is it, this time it will stick, and I will lose weight and feel great. Maybe you’ll try the Paleo diet, the Keto diet, Weight Watchers, etc. Nowadays it’s pretty hard to not hear about these fad diets and how “good” they are for our health. This week we will briefly explain one of the most common diets out there right now and discuss what it means regarding your health.
The Keto Diet: If you haven’t heard anything about the keto diet you might be living under a rock. It almost feels like most people we talk to have tried going “keto” or know someone currently on the diet. What we know: the original purpose of the ketogenic diet is for the treatment and prevention of seizures in epileptic children. There are no long-term studies out there to look at the effects of the keto diet for adults on our health. Personally, I know a surgeon who was on the keto diet for six months and he ended up stopping it because of the adverse effects it had on his cardiovascular blood markers. This is just one example. The keto diet is so restrictive, and it forces the body into a state it does not want to be in. The body prefers to run off glucose and when it doesn’t get food sources of it (carbohydrates) it is forced to convert fat to glucose. Sounds good right? I mean I’m burning fat, right? With this diet, we have LIMITED carbohydrates (< 50 grams/day). If we think about the keto diet with common sense, where are we going to get our heart protective whole grains? Where are we going to get our fiber rich, cancer fighting fruits? In short, we won’t. One of the most common complaints of the keto diet is fatigue and constipation. Fatigue, because the body is in a state of ketosis (breaking down fats for fuel), and constipation because we are simply not getting enough fiber. We know that fiber is heart protective, so one can only imagine what the long-term risks of the keto diet has on our heart without enough fiber. Any time you cut out a major food group (i.e. carbohydrates from fruits and grains) it is not sustainable. So, if you’re looking to drop a few pounds by cutting out carbs, what is your long-term goal? Are you planning on doing this for the rest of your life till the day you die? If not, a restrictive diet like the keto diet is not the answer.
Unfortunately, people often want “quick fixes” well if you’re talking weight loss and a better quality of life through nutrition, you will not find a quick fix. The best thing you can do for your health is to eat a diet rich in whole foods, lean sources of protein, with plenty fruits and vegetables. Adopting this life style will lead to more energy, potential weight loss, decreased blood pressure, better control of blood sugar, and an overall increase in your well- being. So, when your buddy at the gym says, “You have to do the keto diet if you want to lose weight”, tell them thanks for their opinion, but I think I’ll stick to my whole foods and balanced plate. As always, if you ever have any nutritional concerns or questions, seek out a Registered Dietitian for evidenced based answers.
Cheers to the New Year!
-Sami Kratovil, SDSU Dietetic Intern
by kelsey | Jan 22, 2019 | Etc.
Likness Family Pictured Above. New Years Eve 2018.
2018 was a big year for the Brown Clinic…we had three excellent providers follow suit with Dr.Ed Gerrish and retired (Dr.Ed retired in 2017). Dr.Kim Wilde and Dr.Catherine Gerrish retired at the end of June and Dr.Clark Likness at the end of December. A fun fact is that all four providers went to USD Med School together so they certainly had put their time in and were ready for the next phase of their lives! As most of you know, Dr.Likness is my father and has been a part of our STRIVE 2 Survive team since inception of the 12 week program. Thankfully he has agreed to continue that role into retirement, joining us for his talk of the program each session. We are glad he will still be able to be a part of the program as his talk is truly a key piece of the wellness puzzle we strive to put together to achieve optimal wellness!
On Thursday, January 24th, we will be celebrating Dr.Likness at the Event Center from 5-7pm. Please join us for a time of fellowship, story telling, and of course gratitude for his years of service to this community!
Brown Clinic has been in my blood since day one! My parents moved to Watertown in the early 1980s after my dad finished up his residency at USD’s School of Medicine-Family Medicine Residency program in Sioux Falls. My dad is from Webster and my mom is from Madison, so Watertown was the perfect fit for them…in between both towns and parents! They moved here with my two brothers and I came along in 1984. We have many great memories of my dad’s career–fun trips for medical meetings (of course we thought they were fun…they were probably more work for dad than anything!), wheelchair races at the Main Clinic every Sunday afternoon when dad was here working on his paper charts, rounds at the hospital or nursing home with him, and the list can go on and on. We couldn’t (still can’t) go on a vacation or really anywhere for that matter without someone knowing him and always wanting to visit, he was always ready to lend a helping hand (still is!), and really instilled in us kids the value of hard work and the importance of caring and compassion for others. Most supper table talks were consumed about medicine and science and the real obvious way he made an impact into us kids is that all three of us choose to go into medicine–my two older brothers as physicians and myself as a dietitian. Medicine and helping others be well is our passion and blood.
Left to Right: Kelsey (Dietitian at Brown Clinic), Micah (ENT in Yankton), Dad aka Dr.Likness, Lincoln, (Sports and Spine Physician at Hudson Physicians, WI).
My dad didn’t always have a lot of time for us kids or our activities…but we always knew why….he was helping someone else who needed it more than us at that time….and we were ok with that. We are excited for this next chapter of his life-retirement, as he gets to put himself and his family first and truly be able to take the time to enjoy life’s greatest blessings and make the most of all activities and happenings in life. He’s three weeks in and already enjoying not spending his evenings charting and enjoying less stress in his life. He’s a man that likes to be busy, so I am sure he’ll relax and enjoy but eventually get back to some of his neglected hobbies and enjoy getting to the grandkid’s activities and other happenings in our community.
He made an impact in our community–touching the young and old (I’m pretty sure he delivered over half the kids in my class and I graduated with 325–that’s a lot of babies in a year!). If he made an impact in you or a loved one’s life, please join us Thursday. We would love to see you and hear your story! We are grateful for our great community and a great place to work all of these 37++ years for my dad and most of all, I am grateful for the last 9+ years that I got to work with him! He is a great teacher and educator and I am sure that won’t stop in retirement!
See you Thursday at the Event Center from 5-7pm!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Jan 20, 2019 | Equipment, Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health, Winter
Well, when the weather does not cooperate, you have to make a decision. Do you still exercise outside? Do you go indoors? Do you do a combination of both? What? That overall depends on the weather, and what exactly you want to put up with that day. Exercise is tough enough, but some days can be tougher when you are dealing with the elements. Here is SD, we get to put up with a lot of the elements. Snow, extreme cold, or like this morning, we had both? For me, I would still much rather be outside. It is not nearly as boring. You have to dress right for it, and overall, have the right gear for everything, including shoes, and traction with them. So today was a compromise. We have had several inches of new snow, and the temp was zero, with a wind chill into the -19. So, just trying to come back from my foot injury, I only did a couple miles outside, then hit the bike later. But you can’t use the weather as an excuse to not exercise at all. You may need to do some compromising, but you don’t have to skip it altogether. I joined up with the run club this AM, staring out later and running the route in reverse to catch up with them on the back side coming back. I did some strength training before then. 20 lunges, 15 pushups, then 15 body squats, with 30 second rest interval, then repeat. 5 rounds. Later this afternoon I will hit the bike.
The Wellness Center is great to exercise indoors. They have a lot of variety. You can see my shadow riding the bike on the side wall. I listen to music, and can watch a lot of other people there all doing the same thing…exercising. They may all be exercising for different reasons, but they are all there. It also helps to motivate yourself when you have other people around you trying as well.
I have been riding the bike a lot lately. It has been allowing me to let my foot heal, but it is also great not having to worry about the snow or ice outside as well. I have to either listen to music, or watch TV doing this. Otherwise, it is too boring to not have something else to occupy your mind.
They also have an indoor track, which I like much better than the treadmill. It too has been good recovering from my injury because I can have more control over how fast I go, and I don’t have to worry about dealing with the weather elements outside.
I have also been doing a lot of swimming this last 6-7 weeks. I am not going to say it is enjoyable yet, but I do have to admit there are days when it is getting easier. I just have to keep plugging away with this, and hopefully it will keep getting easier yet. It is definitely helping me get in better shape for biking and running!
Now my shadow is in the front, with me riding the bike. Bottom line with all of this is that even when the weather outside is frightful, you can still move, and exercise. You have to find the right combination of things for you. Choices are abundant. Keep trying some different things, and it may surprise you that there are other alternatives that you may like to do more, you just have not found it yet. The Wellness center is a good choice for getting started. Everybody up there is there for the same reason. Some are more experienced than others, and others may just be starting. But, we are all there trying to be active, and trying to take control of our own health and well being. So quit making excuses. Get off the couch. Do something! Try different activities. You never know what you may like until you try it. Just keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4134
by kelsey | Jan 16, 2019 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food
Winter is a great time to enjoy tasty soups and hot dishes. If you are watching your waist line, it’s important to be careful of how much you consume of these foods as they can be high in calories, fat, and carbs… depending on how you prepare them. Broth based soups and stews are lower in calories and fat than cream based. In addition, if you’re making a hot dish, you may consider cutting calories by choosing fat free soups to add to your dish, such as fat free cream of chicken or mushroom soup. They also have low sodium varieties of these so if you’re watching your blood pressure or sodium intake, you may consider using this variety. And, as always, be sure to incorporate your lean proteins and plenty of fruits and veggies to your meal. You may consider doubling the veggies in your soups to make them a bit heartier and healthy. A few of my favorite cold weather soups are beef stew that has carrots, peas, potatoes, onion, and roast meat, bean and ham soup (plenty of protein and fiber!), and chicken noodle soup that also has plenty of veggies with white meat chicken. Try out batch cooking with these hearty meals–make a big batch and portion out into smaller containers and freeze. Take one out at a time to enjoy a healthy, hearty meal without all the prep time!
-Kelsey
