Originally posted December 15, 2022

Cookies. Cake. Chocolate. Egg nog. Pie. More cookies… It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

While it may be the most wonderful time of the year, for most people it is also one of the hardest times of the year to stick to a healthy routine.

To help keep this season wonderful for you and your fitness, check out the following tips:

Enjoy yourself! (with moderation)

Let’s be honest. We runners often take ourselves too seriously. We’re the kind of people who get up at 5 am to run in the dark. The kind of people who think that it’s normal to want to run over 26 miles as fast as we can so that we can run another 26 miles as fast as we can around a whole bunch of other people running 26 miles as fast they can (in an unfamiliar city). We are what some might call… “intense.” While this intensity and focus is usually a wonderful thing it can, at times, keep us from being present with the joys of life around us. We can get so focused on getting that work out in that we miss watching the annual Christmas movie with the family. We can become so concerned with “eating healthy” that we pass on grandma’s famous pie and the cookies that the kids decorated (no one said you had to eat the whole pie or all of the cookies)! While we don’t need to become gluttons and couch potatoes over the holidays, remember that the point of being healthy is to enjoy life more not less.

Say “No” to A Cycle of Guilt

So you’re making the effort to enjoy yourself over the holidays? You skipped your workout to go see Christmas lights with the family, you ate (many!) cookies at the Cookie Run, and you even had a glass of (223 calories per cup!) egg nog! … and you feel awful about all of it. In fact, you feel so bad that you say, “At this point, who cares,” pour an even bigger glass of egg nog and sit on the couch watching the original Santa Clause movie imagining the whole time that you already look like the overweight version of Tim Allen. This, my friends, is unhealthy behavior (and not because you are drinking an extra glass of egg nog). Guilt is a destructive motivator. Guilt shouldn’t fuel your workouts. Guilt shouldn’t keep you on a healthy diet. Eventually, guilt will wreak havoc on your mental health and happiness and can even become a serious physical issue especially when it is focused around health and fitness (I know, I know, this was supposed to be a lighthearted blog but it is important to acknowledge these things). Instead of guilt, allow yourself to be human. Allow yourself to have off days, as well as bad days. Remember that there is always tomorrow, next week or next month to get back on course. When you de-catastrophize things, you break that guilt cycle that so often pushes us even farther into unhealthy habits and attitudes. So if you did pour yourself that extra glass of eggnog, enjoy it! You’ll get back to your regular routine soon.

Make exercise a family affair

Maybe you don’t have time to go on your regular runs throughout the holiday season. The kids are off from school or you’re traveling home to see family? Even though that treasured run may be the “you time” you’re craving, you can still get some exercise in by involving family and friends. All you have to do is find an activity with a little more… activity. Ask everyone to go on a walk after dinner! Play Dance Dance Revolution (do people still play that?) with your kids! Go on a bundled-up bike ride! Play Twister with the family! Go on a hike! There are lots of things you can do to add a bit of movement into your day that still add quality time with the crew. Sure, it’s not your run, but it’s still exercise with the bonus of also being quality time with those you love.

Think Big Picture

Because the holidays are rife with interruptions to our treasured routines it can become really easy to hyper-focus on things that are outside of our control. Travel can make getting a workout in nearly impossible which can lead to serious frustration or impossible standards. But thankfully health is more than our specific workouts or specific weeks or months of our lives. If your flight got delayed and you’re going to miss your run, go for a walk around the airport to get more steps in. Focus more on being active than that specific activity. Yes, Christmas dinner isn’t the healthiest meal you’ll ever eat, but you can make sure that there are fresh vegetables like a high-quality salad included so that you and your family are still getting important vitamins and minerals. Are you tired from all of the holiday prep? Lucky for you sleep and rest are vital parts of health! Take a nap, go to bed early, or sleep in (if you can… sorry parents of small children). Health is for the long haul and thinking about it in broader terms will help you maintain an appropriate mindset and empower you to make healthier decisions in the midst of what can be chaos.

Coming up on the morning of Tuesday, February 21st the YMCA of Cleveland is hosting their 4th Annual “Y I Ride” fundraising campaign and this year Terra is getting to be a part! Our own Brittany Katz will be one of the riders helping raise money for our local YMCA.

We chatted with our friend Dina Dell at the YMCA to learn more about the fundraiser and what the YMCA has to offer our community.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Y I Ride Bike-a-thon? What is it and how did it come about?

Y I ride is an annual fundraising event for the YMCA. We have done it for 4 years or so, and we keep expanding it. We have increased to include 10 riders this year, and we are so excited! We used to refer to the event as Pedaling for Parkinson's, but we changed the name last year to better represent the all inclusive nature of the fundraising efforts. All of the YMCA programs benefit from the ride. It will be on Tuesday, February 21st from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM. Riders are already raising money. The real excitement comes during the event as we watch the numbers climb closer to the goal. Our hope is to raise at least $18,000 for this event!

Some people might wonder why it is important to support the YMCA... isn't the Y just another gym or sports club?

The YMCA is a community place where physical, mental, and spiritual health and wellness is prioritized. It is a place where our community can join together as our doors are open to all. We help families of all shapes and sizes. We have a very active senior population, and we love to see them attaining a better quality of life through fitness. We serve so many kids not only with before and after school care, but also with meals.

How does the Bike-a-thon specifically support the YMCA? Do the donations go to any specific programs at the Y?

We don't turn people away due to inability to pay. Scholarships for memberships, child care, Healthy Living programs like Rock Steady Boxing for people with Parkinson's disease and Livestrong at the YMCA for cancer survivors are available due to these fundraising efforts. Every single dollar that we raise will stay at the Cleveland Family YMCA.

I noticed that the Bike-a-thon flyer specifically mentions the Rock Steady Boxing class and the Livestrong at the Y -- can you tell us a bit more about those classes?

Rock Steady Boxing and Livestrong at the YMCA are both classes offered under our Healthy Living umbrella which includes programs that help with chronic disease management. Rock Steady Boxing is an ongoing class for people with Parkinson's. Livestrong at the YMCA is a 12 week program offered to adult cancer survivors. We are proud to offer it twice a year-in the spring and in the fall. In Cleveland, we also offer an afternoon and an evening class so that we can serve those survivors who are still working. Both of these classes focus on improving quality of life for these populations. Clearly fitness is the basis of both programs, but the community and fellowship that naturally occurs truly connects these people. It's amazing to watch and be a part of.

If someone wants to sign up for either of those classes how would they go about doing that? Are there specific registration periods? Do they cost?

Livestrong at the YMCA for cancer survivors is 100% supported by donations like the ones we earn during the Y I Ride campaign. Our cancer survivors pay absolutely nothing and the have a full memebrship to the Y for the 12 weeks of the program. Upon graduation, they are offered a steeply discounted rate to be come a Y member. Rock Steady Boxing is an ongoing program. There is a monthly fee of $60/month for Y Members or $85 for non-members. But again...no one is turned away for inability to pay! We have MANY boxers on scholarship that assists with these fees. Those scholarships come from this fundraiser!

How can people get involved in the Bike-a-thon?

On the day of the bike-a thon, you can call the YMCA (423)476-5573 or you can call Mix 104.1 who will be broadcasting live and make a pledge. Or, watch on Facebook for posts by your favorite rider, and click the link. There will be lots of texting and emailing links going on as we have a friendly competition to see which rider can raise the most money! We are actively taking pledges and donations right now! If you'd like to stop by the Y that morning, we'd love to have you come by and say HELLO!

Anything else you would like to share?

One of the best things about donating to my YMCA is that I literally can see and touch the people that are receiving benefit. It's not money that goes to some giant national non-profit that I can't see how my funds are used. People that I live near, work with, love and know are benefiting every day. I know personally that it is a wonderful investment of my money and time.

Tune in to Mix 104.1 the morning of February 21st from 7:30-9:30 to listen to the event live and pledge to the YMCA in support of the Terra team here or text YIRIDE10 to 71777! Readers can also learn more about the Rock Steady Boxing class and Dina’s involvement by listening in to our interview with Dina on the Terra Girls Podcast.

Everyone knows that sleep is important but most of us still struggle to get enough quality sleep each night. This lack of sleep not only effects our moods and our energy levels, it also effects our immune systems, memory, decision making, and recovery time (among many other things). This makes sleep even more important for those who are actively training for races or working on specific fitness goals. Since our bodies rely on getting quality sleep to repair and rebuild what has been worked and strained during the day, athletes need this time to heal and build their bodies even more than a non-active person. And while sleep will always be a challenge for some depending on life circumstance and stage of life (I’m looking at you, new parents) a lot of us would simply rather stay up late binge watching the newest Netflix show instead of creating healthy habits around our sleep. This is what experts call poor ”sleep hygiene.”

IMPROVING SLEEP HYGIENE

To quickly improve sleep hygiene, try setting a routine bedtime and a routine wake time regardless of what day of the week it is. This allows your body can create a natural circadian rhythm and better regulate its own melatonin production. Experts also say that It is a good idea to be off of screens for at least 30 minutes before you attempt to sleep due to the blue light that is emitted from our screens which disrupts the production of melatonin. You can also install a blue light dimmer on your phone or computer like F.Lux to cut down on the blue light you are exposed to. As for melatonin, beware of relying on supplements. While taking a melatonin supplement sounds like an easy fix for our bad habits, new research has shown that many melatonin products have significantly higher amounts (up to 500% more) of melatonin in them than their labels claim and that the effects of these elevated levels could be dangerous. Melatonin is even a regulated substance in other countries like the United Kingdom and New Zealand where it is available only as a prescription. Instead, try a magnesium supplement like the effervescent tablets in Nuun’s “Rest” line. Magnesium has a calming, anti-stress, anti-anxiety effect without messing around with hormones. A calming cup of chamomile tea has also been shown to be effective at promoting sleep.

Beyond helping regulate your circadian rhythm, try to make your sleep environment as conducive as possible to rest. Ensure your room is as dark as possible with black out shades, and cut down on distracting noise throughout the night by using a fan or noise machine. It is also important to maintain a proper temperature in your room — if things are too hot or to cold you will toss and turn. While everyone is different, aim for around 65 degrees for the most restful sleep. Lastly, do your best to make sure that your room is tidy. Messy spaces have been show to elicit a subconscious (if not conscious) stress response and your body will pick up on this even as you try and sleep.

WEARABLES AND SLEEP TRACKING

When worn overnight, devices like Garmin wearables will track your heart rate, heart rate variability, breathing, blood oxygen, stress levels, as well as sleep, sleep stages and restless periods throughout the night (note that while almost all Garmins have some form of sleep tracking, not all of them have every premium feature). This can be very helpful in identifying things that may be effecting your sleep, for instance noting how eating close to bed time affects your sleep, if those black out shades helped you sleep deeper, etc. Garmin will also adjust its recommended training based on how well you slept the night before and give updates on your recovery status. Even if you don’t have a Garmin, there are plenty of apps and built in systems in our smart phones to help us sleep better. The iPhone has a sleep schedule feature which will alert you when you need to start getting ready to go to bed based on the time you set it to. The iPhone can also automatically enable a sleep “do not disturb” function so that you are not bothered with pesky notifications, texts and calls you don’t want to see.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

While everyone is different, no matter who you are, getting quality sleep is essential to your health. Work on improving your sleep even if it is just changing up one thing for the better. Be observant to your own patterns. Are you significantly affected by light? Try black out shades. Do you drink or eat a lot in the evening and find you aren’t sleeping soundly? Consuming alcohol or eating too close to your bed time can disrupt sleep (it is a myth that alcohol will help you sleep sounder). Are you constantly tossing and turning at night? Is your room too hot or too cold? Do you need a better pillow or mattress? As you start to pay attention to your sleep quality you will also notice how much more energized you feel after getting a proper night’s rest!

Cookies. Cake. Chocolate. Egg nog. Pie. More cookies… It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

While it may be the most wonderful time of the year, for most people it is also one of the hardest times of the year to stick to a healthy routine.

To help keep this season wonderful for you and your fitness, check out the following tips:

Enjoy yourself! (with moderation)

Let’s be honest. We runners often take ourselves too seriously. We’re the kind of people who get up at 5 am to run in the dark. The kind of people who think that it’s normal to want to run over 26 miles as fast as we can so that we can run another 26 miles as fast as we can around a whole bunch of other people running 26 miles as fast they can (in an unfamiliar city). We are what some might call… “intense.” While this intensity and focus is usually a wonderful thing it can, at times, keep us from being present with the joys of life around us. We can get so focused on getting that work out in that we miss watching the annual Christmas movie with the family. We can become so concerned with “eating healthy” that we pass on grandma’s famous pie and the cookies that the kids decorated (no one said you had to eat the whole pie or all of the cookies)! While we don’t need to become gluttons and couch potatoes over the holidays, remember that the point of being healthy is to enjoy life more not less.

Say “No” to A Cycle of Guilt

So you’re making the effort to enjoy yourself over the holidays? You skipped your workout to go see Christmas lights with the family, you ate (many!) cookies at the Cookie Run, and you even had a glass of (223 calories per cup!) egg nog! … and you feel awful about all of it. In fact, you feel so bad that you say, “At this point, who cares,” pour an even bigger glass of egg nog and sit on the couch watching the original Santa Clause movie imagining the whole time that you already look like the overweight version of Tim Allen. This, my friends, is unhealthy behavior (and not because you are drinking an extra glass of egg nog). Guilt is a destructive motivator. Guilt shouldn’t fuel your workouts. Guilt shouldn’t keep you on a healthy diet. Eventually, guilt will wreak havoc on your mental health and happiness and can even become a serious physical issue especially when it is focused around health and fitness (I know, I know, this was supposed to be a lighthearted blog but it is important to acknowledge these things). Instead of guilt, allow yourself to be human. Allow yourself to have off days, as well as bad days. Remember that there is always tomorrow, next week or next month to get back on course. When you de-catastrophize things, you break that guilt cycle that so often pushes us even farther into unhealthy habits and attitudes. So if you did pour yourself that extra glass of eggnog, enjoy it! You’ll get back to your regular routine soon.

Make exercise a family affair

Maybe you don’t have time to go on your regular runs throughout the holiday season. The kids are off from school or you’re traveling home to see family? Even though that treasured run may be the “you time” you’re craving, you can still get some exercise in by involving family and friends. All you have to do is find an activity with a little more… activity. Ask everyone to go on a walk after dinner! Play Dance Dance Revolution (do people still play that?) with your kids! Go on a bundled-up bike ride! Play Twister with the family! Go on a hike! There are lots of things you can do to add a bit of movement into your day that still add quality time with the crew. Sure, it’s not your run, but it’s still exercise with the bonus of also being quality time with those you love.

Think Big Picture

Because the holidays are rife with interruptions to our treasured routines it can become really easy to hyper-focus on things that are outside of our control. Travel can make getting a workout in nearly impossible which can lead to serious frustration or impossible standards. But thankfully health is more than our specific workouts or specific weeks or months of our lives. If your flight got delayed and you’re going to miss your run, go for a walk around the airport to get more steps in. Focus more on being active than that specific activity. Yes, Christmas dinner isn’t the healthiest meal you’ll ever eat, but you can make sure that there are fresh vegetables like a high-quality salad included so that you and your family are still getting important vitamins and minerals. Are you tired from all of the holiday prep? Lucky for you sleep and rest are vital parts of health! Take a nap, go to bed early, or sleep in (if you can… sorry parents of small children). Health is for the long haul and thinking about it in broader terms will help you maintain an appropriate mindset and empower you to make healthier decisions in the midst of what can be chaos.

As runners we know that exercise is good for our health. We try to eat well (usually!) and get enough sleep as much as is possible. But a lot of time, our effort toward our health ends there. One of the reasons for this is that healthcare feels complicated, expensive, and often out of reach. If this sounds familiar to you, meet our friends at Direct Primary Care & Associates! Not only are they one of our premier sponsors for the Cleveland Half-Marathon, they are an incredible community partner passionate about keeping Cleveland (and Dalton, Athens and Knoxville) healthy. We interviewed Vice President of Business Development, Tim Tatum, about DPCA and how they can help you stay healthy without the usual bank breaking hassle.

Can you tell us a bit about Direct Primary Care and Associates? What is it and who would benefit from your services? 

Direct Primary Care Associates offers a simplified and smarter approach to better health without the stress and limitations of third-party insurance companies. Our membership provides office visits with plenty of one-on-one time with your doctor, allowing you the opportunity to take proactive steps toward a healthier life. We meet you where you are with 24/7 access to your primary care provider via phone, text, email, or video call. DPCA offers same day or next day appointments and have locations in Cleveland, Athens, Dalton, and Knoxville. It’s not insurance – it’s healthcare.

What about yourself? What is your role at Direct Primary Care and how did you get involved? 

I’m Tim Tatum and I am the Vice President of Business Development at DPCA. I have worked in the mental health arena since 1995 and I want to continue to use a collaborative approach to helping people overcome challenges. I left a career of over 25 years in Behavioral Health to start this company with my partners. I am extremely passionate about the service we provide.

What makes Direct Primary Care different from the “traditional model” of primary care?

We build a relationship with you. Visits at DPCA are unrushed and are typically 30-60 minutes. We offer same or next-day appointments and are available via our HIPPA compliant app , you can call, text, or video call 24/7. We meet you where you are. We offer preventative care, chronic disease management, minor in office surgical procedures, care coordination, personalized wellness plans, episodic care, medication refills, and labs.

When a lot of people hear the phrase “primary care” they think about their annual physical. What else does primary care cover? What services do you all offer?

We are proud to offer much more than just your annual physical. We offer women’s health, men’s health, annual lab work, mental health, removal of warts, urinalysis, cholesterol testing, electrocardiogram, and much more! Visit DirectPCA.com for a full list of our included services.

Do your patients usually still have some form of insurance for emergencies?

We are a great alternative to using your insurance for routine primary care and DPCA is much less than your insurance deductible. Our fee covers only our services, not the cost of visits to specialists or some of the tests we may request. This means that insurance may still be needed for some of the care we may order.

All patients, regardless of insurance status, pay the same monthly membership for our care and receive the same services. No patient is turned away because of insurance, and no one is turned down for pre-existing conditions.

Why should people care about their healthcare beyond emergencies? 

To continue to improve your overall health and wellness. DPCA is focused on wellness which in turn decreases hospital admissions, specialty referrals, and decreases ER visits, therefore, affecting your physical and financial wellness.

How much does being a member cost? 

DPCA is a membership-based fee of $70 per month for individuals aged 18 and older. We also offer family and employer group plans. Approximately 80% of our customers are sponsored though their employer. By keeping a modest rate, we become more cost effective than paying traditional copays and deductibles. Memberships include many routine labs and medications.

How can people learn more?

For more information, please visit DirectPCA.com or please email Tim@DirectPCA.com

As a physician, do you have any advice for our runners on staying healthy and injury free? 

Before a run, we would recommend that you find great running shoes (from Terra RunningCompany), don’t run if you have any pain, and ice any injuries as needed. After a run, we recommend that you refuel and focus on eating protein and carbohydrates. This will help your muscles recover quickly. Of course, if you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us at DirectPCA.com.

Any final thoughts? 

We are happy to be supporting Terra Running Co and we are thankful for our community that continues to support DPCA. Discover the difference today at DPCA.