ask: What has your dad taught you about your health?
With Father's Day around the corner, wanted to hear your stories on how your fathers influenced your health. For example, my father emphasized the importance of being active and taught me how to ride a bike. He also encouraged my involvement in sports and offered some very heavy-handed advice about the dangers of drugs and smoking. I'd love to hear your stories!
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My dad and I ran our very first marathon (26.2 miles!) together in 1982. I was 17 years old, and he and I trained for several months before running the Dallas Whiterock Marathon. Training was a fantastic bonding experience for us, as we shared many, many miles together of sore muscles, challenging weather, but also some laughs as we attempted something that seemed nearly impossible at the time. We both finished the race well under 4 hours and went on to run it a second time around the following year. I'm now older than he was when he ran his first marathon, and I'm still running. He made a big impact on my desire to stay in good shape as I age.
June 18, 2009 - 1:27pmThis Comment
I was glad to find your comment on here - I am 17 years old, and want to train for a half marathon. But I heard that if women run long distance, they will suffer ill effects (i.e. not be able to have children, etc) So, my question to you is, did you have any problems due to running, or where the results all a benefit??
June 22, 2009 - 8:24amHi there! So glad you asked your question. It's an important one. The big thing I learned from all of my distance running over the years is that you have to find a good and healthy balance. At one point in my life (my teens and early 20's), I was running too much and couldn't keep enough body fat on my body to have periods. I was competing on my high school's, and later, on my college's cross country teams and also competing in marathons. On a typical day, I would run 15-18 miles. One of my biggest accomplishments was running the Boston Marathon in a decent time, but I weighed only about 90 pounds which was not at all healthy for a 5'9" 19-year-old girl.
With all of the running I was doing, it was really impossible to eat enough to make up for the calories/fat that I was burning each day. So even though I was an athlete and thought I was in great shape, I was not healthy, and at one point when I was 20 years old, I ended up in the hospital for several days and needed a blood transfusion. My body fat percentage was so dangerously low that my internal organs were rubbing against each other and causing internal bleeding. There was just no padding on my body, which is very dangerous. I had to get 2 pints of blood, which was a huge wake-up call. Under doctor's orders, I gave up running for a year and focused on gaining weight. My period started several months after my hospital scare for the first time in my life.
Fortunately, I recovered from being completely caught up in my running -- I'd let it take over my life and it nearly killed me. I think we can do just about anything in excess until it's harmful. I was lucky that the experience didn't impact my ability to have kids -- I've had four babies, including a set of twins. Fertility was never an issue for me, but my doctors are always amazed that I didn't have a period until I was 21.
I guess, long story short, that my experience with running when I was younger is a good example of what not to do -- don't go overboard with your running. Don't take it to the extreme. But if you want to train for a half marathon, and you follow a good and healthy training schedule, take care of your body and rest when you have pulled muscles or any aches/pains, etc., then go for it. You can always shake up your training by substituting some runs with cycling, swimming and/or fast walking, so that you still get the same cardio benefits from exercising in a way that isn't as rough on your joints. And don't forget to re-fuel with healthy food, lots of water and rest.
I actually just did a half-marathon in January (I'm 43 now), and it was the first long race I've done since I was in my 20's. I didn't push it at all, didn't go crazy with training, ran it slow, and just enjoyed the fact that my body can still do something that physically challenging at this point in my life. I have no desire to do another one, but it was nice to know that I can run and keep a healthy balance.
Do you run a lot at this point? Will you be training with a friend or relative for the half marathon? It's always nice to train with someone else. Please let me know how you do!
June 22, 2009 - 11:09amThanks so very very much for your reply!! It really helped me more than anything else so far. I think I have pretty much decided to go ahead and run the half marathon, thanks to your input! At this point, I don't really run that much. The farthest I've run is 5 miles at once, but there is still 16 weeks till the marathon, so I suppose I have enough time to train. Yes, I'll be training with my 2 brothers & father, then at the half marathon I'll be running with my best friend. So it should be great fun!! I'll be sure and let you know how it all goes!! Thanks again so very much for your help!!
June 25, 2009 - 10:49amYou are so very welcome. I'm glad that I could help! The fact that you can already run 5 miles is awesome! And 16 weeks is plenty of time. You'll do great. I actually didn't go over 9 miles when I was training for the half-marathon in Jan., and I think I only did two runs at that distance. I really didn't push it in my training, just tried to stay consistent with 4-8 mile runs a few times a week, and also shook it up by doing a cycling class at the YMCA once or twice a week.
You'll have a blast running the race with your best friend! That's one thing I didn't do. I ran it by myself, and I regretted it because just about everyone I saw was in a group or with a partner, and that's a great way to stay motivated and have fun. I had a hard time at mile 9 because there were a couple of hills, and then I struggled at mile 11, wondering if I would finish. But I was really determined and figured that I was so close.... I was really proud at the end when I made it through the finish line and had never stopped to walk. That had been my goal -- just to finish without walking. It's great to have that feeling of accomplishment.
Feel free to email me at kdavis@empowher.com to let me know how your training is going. Good luck and have fun!! :)
June 25, 2009 - 11:32amWhen I was a little girl I would go up to my dad and say, "Daddy, it hurts when I (fill in the blank here)."
His answer: "Than don't do that"
Honestly though, he always took my injuries serious. When I was in 6th grade I pulled a ligament at home immediate before soccer practice. Since I didn't experience an actually accident, my mom thought I was lying to get out of practice and told me to get in the car or she would never take me to practice again.
After complaining the entire way to practice that I really could not walk, my mom called and had my dad meet us. Refusing to get out of the car once we arrived, my dad met us a few minutes later and decided to take me to the E.R.
That night I came home on crutches and had my ankle immobilized for the next six weeks. My mom felt badly, but thanks to my dad, my ankle injury was taken seriously and was treated in a timely manner.
The E.R. doctor told me my ligament was probably weak and the injury occurred slowly overtime, causing a few extra steps to be the "straw that broke the camel's back."
P.S. - This was not the only serious injury I incurred in a manner causing my mom to not believe me and my dad taking my words to heart.
June 18, 2009 - 1:29pmMy dad thought I needed karate in my life, and he was right. My dad, a third-degree black-belt, got me involved in karate in middle school. By doing karate I got healthy, gained confidence and had focus -- three things I really needed in my life at that time. However, the best part of karate for me was that it gave me a wonderful relationship with my dad. He was often my class instructor, personal trainer -- and always my biggest supporter. I was never what you'd call an "ace" at sports, but with my dad's help I placed in virtually every karate competition I entered. Those memories and lessons learned during that time still help me out every day of my life. I am very lucky to have a dad who would make this kind of an effort for his daughter year after year.
June 18, 2009 - 1:55pmMy dad would not claim to be the healthiest person; he actually is proud of the fact that he smokes too much, drinks too much, eats gobs of red meat, potatoes and gravy, and exercises little (beyond 4 hours of golf every Sunday).
What could I have learned about health from an "UN"-healthy kind of guy!?
I learned how not to be the "health police" or "health nazi". I learned that it is more important to have fun, love life, be daring when you need to be, relax often, and "enjoy the ride".
I do have a specific memory of my dad, related to physical activity:
My dad and I share the love of softball; he played on his company league, and I have played teeball/softball since I was a little girl. My last official team was in high school, but I have continued to play into my mid-30s in City Leagues until the past year.
During my last game in high school, I had a great hit and was rounding the base at 3rd to go towards home plate, when I saw that the catcher was thrown the ball. I was assessing whether to back-up to 3rd or slide into home, when she threw the ball straight down the 3rd-base line...and right into my face. All I remember was laying on the ground, a dozen people looking at me. One person said, "oh, and she had such a pretty face...". What did they mean "HAD?!" Someone helped me sit upright, and the blood started gushing (at the time...I had no idea where it was coming from!). Found out, I had a broken nose.
What does this have to do with my dad?! It is absolutely hilarious--I got in his car, and he drove me to the doctor. My mom and sister were following us in my mom's car. I was laughing and joking with my dad (the pain didn't start until later than night), and my dad said, "watch this!" and sped over the speed bumps. I looked back at my mom, her knuckles white grasping the steering wheel, her face pale from fear after watching her child get pummeled by a ball (why do they call it a "soft" ball?!), while my dad is making her chase us in the car.
I am not sure how much trouble my dad got in that evening from my mom (ha!), but his way of helping me laugh and "get in trouble" with my mom was a bonding moment, and probably his way of dealing with his fear of the unknown about my face, too. Dads have a great way of making light of a situation, all the while they are taking it very seriously. He was nurturing AND making me laugh...quite a gift!
From that experience, I have taken away some great life-lessons that laughter really is the best medicine, physical health is just one aspect of a person, and enjoying life, surrounding yourself with love and nurturing people, working hard and playing hard...that's what life is all about. Oh, and probably to my dad's disappointment this means he IS healthy: in the social, emotional and mental aspects of health and wellness. I'm still working on his physical health! :-)
June 18, 2009 - 3:31pmMy dad was a Navy man, we lived in a beach community and had our own pool, and we spent a LOT of time on/in water. What can I say - swim, swim and swim some more. I could swim distance, no problem.
Dad and Mom were also tennis enthusiasts (runs a couple of generations back), so that was another sport we kids participated in. Dad and Mom also smoked! But, they eventually quit and became even more active.
I think our real role model was my paternal Grandfather who, in spite of skin cancer and lupus, was extraordinarily active. We played tennis at night. He could walk 25 miles in any given day (always staying on the shady side of the street) to visit friends. He would fill two 5-gallon buckets with water and walk enough circles around our pool to equal at least 1 mile (don't ask me how many times that was!)
Dad was always health conscious, and I really appreciate that he passed on that legacy to me. I don't know if he knows I run marathons, but I'm sure he'd have a hard time believing that I do (I absolutely hated running when I was a kid), LOL!
June 18, 2009 - 4:01pmMy dad died of emphysema and lung cancer at age 60.
He taught me first-hand that smoking isn't worth the toll it takes. And that 60 is young to have to say goodbye to your kids, and for them to have to say goodbye to you.
June 19, 2009 - 10:13am