by Dan | Nov 18, 2018 | Equipment, Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
There is no question, my favorite sport for me to participate in is running. I do other exercises at different times just to help break things up a little, but end up doing more of these different activities whenever I am dealing with a running injury. One of those times is now. You start to realize how important your feet our for every day things, not just running. It is a continuous reminder all day long when your feet are hurting.
I have always tried to get good running shoes, and change them out frequently. Now I am trying some different brand shoes to see if this will be any better. Right now I am dealing with plantar fasciitis in both feet. The left foot I can contend with, the right one has been a pain, literally, now for the past 2 months. I have to get to the point where I have to take a break from running. Even if I only do our Wednesday and Sunday run club 4 mile runs, I am limping for the next 2 days. I guess my body is trying to tell me something.
For those of you who don’t know what plantar fasciitis is, this picture shows where it hurts. It is a disorder of the connective tissue of your arch, which supports your foot. It results in pain I the heel and bottom of the foot, and is usually the worst first thing in the morning when you get up. The causes are not really well known. It is believed to result from overuse, long standing or doing a lot of exercise, or in my cases, doing a lot of races. I ice, massage, wear night splints, better arch supports for my everyday shoes, different running shoes…I just have to give it a rest from actual running.
These are some of the different night splints I have been using. It keeps my arch stretched during the night so it won’t be so sore when I first step on it in the morning. They do help, but I guess I need more help with patience!
I have been on my elliptical and bike more because it puts lets strain on my foot. I have to try and get going on swimming as well…I am just trying to convince myself I don’t have to resort to swimming, but I am starting to realize I am losing this battle! I want to get back to running, and I suppose now in the Winter time is a better time if I have to back down things. The other activities get boring, and is harder to motivate to use. I am keeping my exercise streak intact though…it will take a lot more than this to bring that to an end. I want to get back on the “racing circuit” with Sarah and the rest on run club. I am still planning on doing the Turkey Day 5K…slow…then recover again after. Will see how it goes. It is not fun staying back from running when you see other people, especially your friends, out running, and you can’t be with them! To all my friends in run club…keep holding down the fort. I have to take a break for awhile, but guarantee will be back, and ready to go again. We have all had to deal with injuries at one time or another, and they are always tough. Running and exercising are tough, but not doing it is even worse! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4071
by kelsey | Nov 14, 2018 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Looking to trim your waistline without going on a crazy fad diet?! These tips below don’t require huge changes, however will give you great results…and they are tips you can stick with long term!
- Downsize Your Dishes. Use smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less. We tend to fill up the dish we’re using and then eat it all. Our brains also think we are getting more when the same amount of food is placed in a smaller dish.
- Savor Your Meals. Eating slowly helps you consume only what your body needs to feel satisfied. Eating too quickly, in less than 20 to 30 minutes, leads to overeating and feeling uncomfortably full afterwards.
- Leave Some Food on Your Plate. This is especially important if you grew up in the “clean plate club.” By leaving even a few bites, you can focus more on your internal signals of satisfaction and less on eating food just because it is there.
- Don’t Eat Out of a Bag or Box. When you eat out of a package, you are likely to keep eating until it’s all gone – no matter how many servings the package actually contains. Pour one serving into a small bowl.
- Choose Your Glass Wisely. Here’s another place where our eyes play tricks on us. When glasses are short and wide, we tend to fill them with more fluid and to drink more. Use a slender glass for any beverage except water.
- Rethink Your Drinks. High-calorie beverages like soft drinks, juice drinks, energy drinks, specialty coffees and alcohol add calories just like solid foods. Whenever possible, replace these drinks with plenty of water.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Nov 13, 2018 | Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Hard to believe Thanksgiving is already a week away! The Thanksgiving holiday is always a fun one enjoyed by all as we stuff ourselves and then resort to the couch to watch football or the start of the holiday tv shows. Here are some tips for you to get through the holiday without putting on all those undesired extra pounds.
- Survey the entire table before you take any food. Decide what foods are worth eating and what can be ignored, and then stick to that decision. Why waste calories on foods that don’t bring you pleasure?
- Eat a snack before you leave home. If you arrive at a party starving, you’ll be more likely to overindulge.
- Eat your calories instead of drinking them. Stick to lower calorie or calorie-free drinks (diet sodas, water, light beer, or wine spritzer) instead of punches, eggnogs, and mixed drinks that can have up to 500 calories per cup.
- Sip a large glass of water between every alcoholic drink or non-alcoholic punch or eggnog. This will help keep you hydrated and you’ll drink fewer calories by the end of the night.
- When you are the host or hostess, include nutritious and lower-calorie foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats on the menu. When you are a guest, bring along a lower-calorie dish to share.
- Try not to hang out near the food. Find a comfortable spot across the room and focus on people instead of eating.
- Watch your portion sizes. Don’t cover your plate completely with food. In most cases, especially when it comes to holiday sweets and alcoholic beverages, less is better. Use a smaller plate or bowl and have just a sliver of pie like the picture shows.
- Drop out of the “clean plate club”. Leave a few bites behind every time you eat, especially if you are eating something you don’t really care for.
- Enjoy your favorite holiday treats but take a small portion, eat slowly, and savor the taste and texture of the wonderful foods of the season.
- Skip the pie crust and go for the filling.
- Choose light meat over dark meat.
- Use home-made cranberry sauce over canned cranberries that are jam packed with added sugars.
- In soups, sauces, puddings, and desserts: Replace whole milk or cream with low-fat milk, evaporated fat-free milk, or nonfat dry milk.
Lighten up your recipes:
- To make dips and toppings: Use low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese or sour cream, or non-fat Greek yogurt.
- To make salad dressings: Use nonfat Greek yogurt or low-fat buttermilk.
- In place of 1 whole egg in recipes: Use 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute.
- In place of regular cheese: Use fat-free or reduced-fat cheese.
- In place of full sugar: replace half with Splenda or reduce half completely.
- In place of fats: use unsweetened applesauce or oil (1-1 replacement), or prune puree (1 cup of fat=1/2 cup puree).
More importantly is ENJOY your family and friends and all that have to the THANKful for!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Nov 11, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Last week I wrote about my training partner and friend, Tom. This week it is time to talk about some other training partners/friends. It was a busy week this past week for several members of our run club. Erika and Jill went with Amanda to New York City where Amanda was registered to run the NYC Marathon! She was going to run as a representative for Team FARA…Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance. Many of us did the Twin Cities Marathon a year ago where 21 of us from Watertown were running for Team FARA. Several people have FA in Watertown, and were raising money for them. I have written several times on this in the past. But this time, Amanda was going to run alone.
Several of us were in Denver several weeks prior to that running the Rock n Roll Half Marathon representing Team FARA. It was a great time, and a great way to run a race together. But again, Amanda was going to run the marathon on her own.
Jill and Erika were helping her to get fired up for this. It is a challenge running a race, much less a marathon, on your own. There is no question it is great having people cheer along the way, but it gets tough keeping the concentration with running that far on your own. She was getting into it though!
She was running mainly to represent and raise money for Team FARA, and here she is posting her wish on the wall.
Here is a close-up. I have to laugh as well…of course she added world peace to her list as well! Keep the faith Amanda!
She not only did a great job raising money and awareness for Team FARA, but she also ran a personal record…on her own…and qualified for the Boston Marathon with her time of 3:31:17! For those of you who don’t know, the Boston Marathon is a goal all of us runners would dream of running in. You have to have a qualifying time to do this, meaning somewhere you had to run a marathon fast enough to achieve this. Personally, I have tried 16 times, and have not gotten a qualifying time. It takes a lot of work, dedication, concentration, and I think, incredible effort. Not only did she run this on her own, but qualified for Boston! I am still in awe Amanda! It is incredible beyond words. You accomplished your goal of representing Team FARA, and topped it off with your long term goal of being able to go to the Boston Marathon. You ran 18 minutes faster than your previous best marathon! Incredible! Our run club is a close group here. We were all cheering and following you from back here, besides Jill and Erika being in New York with you following, and waiting at the finish line for you!
Our run club had our signs up that morning cheering you on. But what sums up that concept I talked about last week about training partners…friends…was Jill waiting for her at the finish!
This one needs no words to describe! No words to describe the friendship that comes from our running group. We are all there for each other. A memory for a lifetime! Another member of our run club, Cory, ran the Twin Cities Marathon last month, on his own. We were all cheering from back here, and following along. He ran a personal best as well, and the rest of us could not have been happier for him! We all run together…train together…spend time together. The emotions that go along with all of this is hard to describe unless you are part of it. Anybody is always welcome to join us as well. Lifelong exercise…lifelong friends…lifelong memories! What are your goals? What memories do you want to make? It truly is up to you! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4064
by kelsey | Nov 8, 2018 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day! Yes, you have probably heard this before, but are you a breakfast eater!? Having a good breakfast is a great way to start out the day. It’s not only important for our body, but our mind too. Many times we’ll have excuses such as I was running late, I didn’t feel like eating, I’m not hungry in the morning, and this actually accounts for about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of the population! Starting the day without breakfast is like driving your car on a low tank of gas. We know we can’t go on forever on a low tank of gas, so we shouldn’t do that to our bodies either! Those that skip breakfast tend to snack more on high fat and lower nutritious foods…and are more likely to overeat at lunch because they are over-hungry. Studies have also shown that those working on weight loss are more successful when they eat breakfast as this really jump starts their metabolism and starts their day off right. In addition, eating a healthy breakfast helps our kids excel in school as it helps fuel the brain!
So what should you eat for breakfast? It’s important to get a balance at your meals and especially include a source of protein and a whole grain as these provide satiety. Here are some examples for you:
- Ready-to-eat cereal (>3g fiber, <2-3g fat, a ratio of greater than 4 g carbohydrate:1 g sugar)
- Hot cereal (oatmeal)
- Bagel with low-fat cream cheese or peanut butter
- Yogurt Parfait
- Fruit and yogurt smoothie
- Peanut butter or hummus on whole-wheat toast
- Breakfast quesadilla with low-fat cream cheese and sliced fruit
- Breakfast burrito or taco
- Toasted whole-wheat English muffin with lean ham and low-fat cheese
- Toasted pita with scrambled egg and low-fat cheese
- Low-fat milk and 100% fruit
If you are one who is not a fan of breakfast but understands the importance of it, I encourage you to try a variety of these options and see which one works best for you. I also encourage you to plan ahead. You may need to wake up 5 minutes earlier to fit breakfast in or make your smoothie the night before so all you have to do it pull the bottle or container out of the freezer or fridge in the morning and drink it on your way to work. Starting your day with a full tank will provide long lasting benefits to you and your body!
-Kelsey
