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
by kelsey | Nov 6, 2018 | Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
There’s a lot of buzz about carbohydrates….are they good? Are they bad? How much should you have? , etc etc etc. In celebration of National Diabetes Month, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main (and best) source of energy for your brain and central nervous system. Carbohydrates are essential for energy; however they raise your blood sugar levels higher and faster than any other kind of food. Carbohydrates are essential for your body to be able to sustain energy, so just like a car needs the right type of fuel (gas) to run, you need the right kind of fuel (food) to function and be healthy. To sustain energy, your body needs adequate carbohydrates: 50% of your total calories should come from carbohydrates. Cutting out all carbs can be very detrimental to our body, especially our brain, central nervous system, liver, kidneys, and heart. Because they are an excellent source of energy, but they do raise blood sugars, it’s important to recognize the types of carbohydrates and how to count them in efforts of controlling your blood sugars while still maintaining good health and adequate energy..
Carbohydrates are found in the following:
Starches: found in grains, some vegetables, and beans.
•Grains: bread, pasta, cereal, tortillas, rice
•Starchy Vegetables: potatoes, peas, corn, yams, squash
•Beans: kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, and lentils
•**The best and recommended sources of starches are whole grains…choose them over the white, refined grains!
Sugars: found naturally in foods or added to foods.
•Natural Sugars: fruits, fruit juices, dairy products, honey, and molasses.
•Added Sugars: desserts, processed foods, candy, regular soda, and fruit drinks.
•**Natural sugars are better than added sugars, but large quantities of them can still raise your blood sugars…we recommend getting at 2-3 fruits and 3 servings of veggies/day. Anytime you can limit or eliminate the added sugars, do so!
To aid in ideal blood sugar control, we recommend a moderate intake of carbohydrates which means about 45-60g/meal and 15-30g/snack with several small meals and snacks throughout the day. I visit with patients daily about finding the right balance in their intake. If you would like help managing your blood sugars, to learn more about diabetes self care, or a personalized nutrition plan, be sure to contact me for further help!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Nov 4, 2018 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
There have been a lot of memories coming back these last few weeks, some bad, but mostly good. I also found as I was going through some of my things at home I ran across the newsletter that Prairie Lakes Hospital puts out, and this one was dated back in 2002. The article was “The Road to Boston” and it was about my training partner, and friend, Tom Beaudry. Reading that article brought a lot of happy things to mind of those days we were training to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon. It also brought up some issues in relation to running, and injuries. Tom and I were training together for Grandma’s Marathon, which was June of 2001. A week before the marathon, I tore my arch in my foot, the plantar fascia. Many of us may have had issues with pain in our arch, called plantar fasciitis, but that particularly year I actually tore mine. I tore it a week before Grandma’s marathon. I was devastated. Tom and I were both wanting to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Now I was hoping I was just going to be able to run. It was the 25th Anniversary of Grandma’s marathon, and I decided I was going regardless. Qualifying for Boston was no longer in the cards for me, but it was very much a reality for Tom. He did it! I still managed to come in at 3 hours and 48 minutes, but I was off by 28 minutes for a qualifying time. Tom came in at 3:24:36, and he needed a 3:25! This picture is us at the finish line. Tom looks great…I look half dead! But we were both there, and we both had trained, and we were their for each other. Now Tom had to train to keep going to run Boston by April of 2002! I have more pictures to share of Tom at Grandma’s, and then portions of the story that are in quotes came from the article about Tom in the PLH newsletter.
For Tom, it was a dream come true! This was his Road to Boston! “Unlike my past marathons, when only a handful of people would even know I was going to run one, this marathon had me receiving good wishes from friends, other runners, fellow employees, physicians, and many people in the community. The Watertown Public Opinion called and wanted to do an article before I left and KSDR wanted a live interview after my return. The support was incredible, many of the people would say they now know someone who is running the Boston Marathon, it made that person and me feel good. I knew with all the encouragement I was getting that this was bigger than I initially thought.”
“During my long-training runs at home, Dr. Dan Reiffenberger would join me at mile 11 and the route was planned so we would end up at the base of 14th Avenue below the Tree Farm hill at mile 16.5 and then do multiple repeats three to four times up and down, and then go on to finish out 22 miles. I also incorporated that hill into my tempo and race pace workouts two other times each week. The hill work paid off in a big way, as I got stronger as the race went on.”
“My back 13.1 miles were faster than the first half, and I ran my third-fastest marathon. I qualified at Grandma’s Marathon in June 2001 with a time of 3:24:36 (7:49 pace per mile). My chip time in Boston was 3:32:23 (8:06 pace per mile), which I was happy with as this was intended to be a celebration run.” A celebration run it was! I have never qualified for Boston yet. Some day, maybe. But I could not have been happier for my training partner to accomplish this feat! To say it takes a lot of hard work is an understatement. He had his license plate changed to this:
Perfect! What brought all of these memories to light now? Tom sent me a picture that he has hanging in his office. He is getting ready to retire at the end of this year, and it brought up memories for him as well as he starts to get things organized of what will have to be moved.
I gave Tom this picture a year after that Boston run. We did the Twin Cities Marathon together. We have had many long runs together over these many years. And yes, Boston was always the carrot that tried to motivate us, but the real adventure, the real benefit out of all of those runs together…we got to talk! We learned a lot about each other. We became good friends…friends that loved to run! That was what was important out of all of this. It was not the actual time, or where the event was at, at those were all over in under 4 hours. It was the months and months of training together before each one. I believe Tom has done somewhere around 10-12 marathons, and I did my 16th in January this year. Every one of them taught us something different. We were just in Denver a few weeks ago to do the Rock N Roll Half Marathon with a bunch of other friends from our run club. Tom was there, but he could not run as he was injured. He was out there in the crowd cheering us all on, but something was missing. I did not have my long time friend out there running with me. Once again, I have plantar fasciitis, but at least it was not torn this time. I ran just to run, and to be with our other friends that were out there. We were running for another cause, Team FARA this time. But the bottom line cause we were running was to be with our friends, and when one of them is missing who is supposed to be out there, something is definitely missing. Over the years all of us on the run club have had injuries, and have missed time, and there is always something missing when they are not around. The really important part about running is not there…the friendship, the memories! That is what is important.
Here I am at Denver coming over to the sideline just before the start as we heard Tom and Sue cheering us on. I had to go over and give my training partner a high five for luck! Sarah and Jill are in the middle of the picture as we get ready to start. The three of us ran together from start to finish, and now we have memories to build on. I can’t wait for Tom to get back and join us! We will have more races, and someday I may get to Boston, but I would not trade it for any of our training runs where we had time to talk, learn about each other, figure life out, and get through all of its up and downs. All of us have something to teach each other as well, and here Tom and I discuss things after one of our Sunday runs.
Boy, talk about a lot of running knowledge in this picture! We have both learned from each other, and we realize there is always something else to learn from somebody else as well. Races come and go, but friends are forever!
Thanks for all of the memories over the years Tom! I am confident that we have a lot more memories to make. Right now we both need to heal up, and then figure out what adventure we want to take on next. “Success is a Journey, not a Destination”…one of my favorite quotes! Keep moving everybody! Run on!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 4057
by kelsey | Oct 31, 2018 | Diet, Food, Holidays, Weight Management
Happy Halloween! My “Dash” from the Incredibles (above) is super excited for today–trick or treating fun! Check out these tips below to help you and your kids have a safe and healthy holiday today! Full Reference: http://n411.consultant360.com/n411/toddler-kid-center-your-patients/articles/8-halloween-tips-trick-or-treat-night#main-content
- “Have a plan to start the night
A group of hungry, dehydrated, excited goblins is a frightening picture for any parent! Make a plan for dinner and trick-or-treat start time, and ask for your children’s input. Agree on a nutritious dinner – perhaps with a Halloween theme, and plan it ahead of time with your children’s help. Let them know that you will eat early on Halloween night so that they will have all the energy needed for a successful Trick-or-Treat night.
Make sure they drink enough fluid. Children can get overheated in Halloween costumes, especially when it is combined with running from house to house throughout your neighborhood.
- Set limits in advance
Ask your children to help you decide on the route you will take, how many doors you will knock on, and what hour they will turn back into “pumpkins.” Having an end goal will help you avoid the “just one more” or “but we have not gone to…” meltdown that persists all the way home.
- Agree on a candy consumption limit
Agree on how much candy your children can eat on Trick or Treat night and each day thereafter. You may want to make a similar confidential agreement with yourself. Note: “unlimited access” or “until the chocolate is gone” is not a good plan.
- Provide healthy snacks
Keep healthy between-meal snacks in view and accessible. A bowl full of juicy red apples, bananas, or seasonal fruit is a better centerpiece than Skittles®, M&M’s®, and Tootsie Rolls®. Keep the candy out of sight. Assign a kids’ shelf in your refrigerator and fill it with low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese cut in interesting shapes, and fresh-cut vegetables.
- Teach and model moderation
Do not give candy more status than it deserves. In some instances, the more something is forbidden or overly restricted, the more desirable it becomes. Teach and model moderation. All foods can fit, if we are reasonable about the amount and frequency.
- Do not attach emotions to candy
Try not to use candy to reward, bribe, punish, or convey love. By attaching emotions to certain foods, you may inadvertently set the stage for disordered eating in the future, including undereating, anorexia, overeating, and obesity.
- Begin some new family rituals
Try to take the focus of the holiday away from the candy. Make it a time to begin new family rituals, such as stuffing a scarecrow full of leaves for the front porch. Carve pumpkins and roast the seeds. Hold an annual scavenger hunt for fall items, such as acorns, pinecones, woolly caterpillars, animal tracks, and colorful leaves. Begin a new photo album that holds pictures of Halloween celebrations, past and present. After trick-or-treating, collect the extra candy and box it up to donate to military troops or participate in a Buyback program through a dentist’s office or local business.
- Keep it safe
Above all, have a safe and fun Halloween. Your children are only small for a short while!”
We hope your day is filled with more tricks than treats! Enjoy!
-Kelsey
