Heidi Kaisand: Good morning and welcome to create with Heidi. I'm Heidi Kaisand, owner of Hen and chicks studio in Conrad, Iowa, and lover of all things creative. Each week here on create with Heidi, we like to cover topics that educate and inspire you about how people are being creative. Whether it's quilting, scrapbooking, food, wool, or just hanging out with others who seem to have their creative Mojo groove in in all the right directions. We are excited to share these things with you. Each week, I love to start the show with a quote or a statement say it happens to be a quote, that is a little aimed at our topic of the day. And today's topic is our health and our wellness. And so this, this particular quote, I just think is something that I maybe should like, have as my mantra every morning. If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it and that is from dim, dim blob lewd active living. I don't think I said that, right. But when it comes to exercise, and to you know, being healthy, goodness gracious you, we've got to be consistent to keep it. And so I love that quote. And today, my guest is not a quilter I do not believe it is John Richter, and he is John, maybe to help me a little bit with your title, I should have asked you this. I know you as the physical therapist at sports plus here in Marshalltown. And of course,also as our minister, you have multiple jobs, but you spend your days helping people with physical activities that might at some point actually injure them. So is your title actually a physical therapist?
John Ritcher: Yes, I have multiple titles and quilter is not one of those quilters? Not one of them.
Heidi Kaisand: Do you see I should ask you so your own buttons on your shirt though? Or when they fall off? Or do you make Katie your wife do that?
John Ritcher: No, I actually go to Bonnie her her grandma. There you go. Yeah, she sends it back on for us. But no, I yeah, I work at sports. Plus, I'm an athletic trainer. And so I I work with BCLUW High School, for any athletes who get injured at sporting events, and different things like that. And then yes, during the day, physical therapy, so I see everybody from I've seen babies who have neck problems all the way up to people getting joint replacement. So all areas of life.
Heidi Kaisand: And and you know, this is probably not a title I should actually be promoting. But do I still have the title of longest person? You know, coming for frozen shoulder therapy? at sports? Yeah, yeah, I think you do. I was so determined that I was not I had frozen shoulder in left shoulder and had surgery. And I was so determined when the right shoulder went, that I was not going to go have surgery that I stayed with it and did the physical therapy, but it took a while. But it's a testament to what you guys do there in getting us back and healthy. So one of the reasons I enjoy enjoy talking to you and and and thought that it would be fun to talk with you on air is that you really do understand how the body works, how our, you know, our our activities affect us, and all of that. And here in the middle of summer. At this point in the game, there are probably some people who have started exercise programs and have quit.
I think you use the term that there are some people who are weekend warriors. And and sometimes I think, is that a you know, is that the healthy way to go? Do you know when you talk about a weekend warrior? Is it somebody that is like only exercising on the weekend.
John Ritcher: Not necessarily as someone who thinks they're still 18 and can participate in the level of activity they used to when they were younger, and they don't do anything throughout the week to prepare for that. And then they jump in on the weekends and try and come compete.
Heidi Kaisand: So everything from riding their bike to play softball, baseball, all those kinds of things.
John Ritcher: Yes. And your quote this morning was great. We have that conversation with patients all the time. They get to the end of their therapy, they feel good and they say okay, now am I going to actually have to do this for the rest of my life. And I say well, you take your car and all the time to get the oil change, don't you? And they say yes. And I say well, then at some point you're going to have to continue exercise Otherwise, you're gonna find yourself right back in here with me.
Heidi Kaisand: Now, isn't it isn't that that is the truth? That is the truth? Well, I know there, there's probably lots of tips and things that you could give us, we're going to Can we take a quick commercial break, and then we'll come back and we're gonna jump right into helping not become a weekend warrior. Welcome back to a crate with Heidi. I'm Heidi Kaisand, owner of hidden chicks studio in Conrad. And today, my guest is john Richter, and he is a physical therapist, athletic trainer that works at sports plus in Conrad, or excuse me in Marshalltown. And he happens to live in Conrad, we're friends, we go to the same church, he's our ministers. So we know john, and of course, he's always helping our kids. And, you know, one of the things I see when you talk to the kids is, is, you know, really trying to get down to what the what the core problem is. And I think it really helps us, whether we're a child or an adult, that the more we listen to our body, the better off we are in whatever
John Ritcher: Yeah, and education is key. I mean, if someone comes in to see me with a pain, and I give them three things to do five things to do, and they have no idea why they're doing them, they're not apt to do them. But if they understand the underlying problem, and why these exercises or stretches or the activities will help, they're way more likely to be consistent with them. Yes.
Heidi Kaisand: So let's talk about those weekend warriors, those those of us who are no longer 18. And but we still like to be active. And jumping into whatever that activity is, without a lot of preparation can cause problems. So what would you What would you recommend to those people who like to be active? are we are we starting with some stretches? What are we doing?
John Ritcher: Yeah, the best thing you can do for your body and your joints, is to stay as late as you can for as long as you can. And that's what I tell everybody adding those few stubborn pounds, it takes a toll on your joints. And as we get older, as we aren't as active, as we don't do as much stretching and strengthening as we should, that coupled with adding a few extra seven pounds can really wreak havoc on your joints. And that's when you become at knee pain, shoulder pain, back pain. And in the summertime are more active, we're outside, we're gardening, we're biking, we're walking, playing golf, doing those things. And a lot of times in the winter, we haven't done anything to prepare for that. And so it's like taking an old tractor out of the garage and expecting it to work right away. It just doesn't. And so priming the pump, working on some stretches, some exercises, kind of whole body movements, it doesn't have to be anything intense or, or long term, as far as it does shouldn't take you that long throughout the day. But just staying consistent with it each day, and priming your body for whatever activity you want to do.
Heidi Kaisand: I like to start my day with a very simple and I'm talking simple yoga routine. And I I think I really like it, because it it just starts to stretch those muscles every single day, every single morning. That maybe I'm gonna use them that day. Maybe I'm not, you know, it's not like working at the quilt shop is you know, calisthenics every day. But some days we're lifting more than others. But it's certainly
John Ritcher:I see the pictures of the boxes you get in a lot of boxes you tote around.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, we do. Yeah. But yeah, we do. And they're heavy. We will say that they're heavy. So it's not. Yeah, it's not light with light weight lifting. But, but boy, even starting with a really simple yoga routine for me and walking. Those are the two things I like to do. I always think just starts my day off better.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and I worked with a couple of golfers, older golfers a couple years ago, and just introduced him to a couple simple stretches. And they said, Man, I'm playing the best golf I played in years. And I didn't do anything with a golf game. It was just simply getting their body to move into patterns they wanted to move in.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. And you know, so you know, let's just say if I wasn't doing yoga and walking, what would you recommend? You know, to me, you know, would you say that I should get out and walk 15 minutes a day, I should walk, you know, 45 minutes, should I jump in and walk six hours a day? I'm joking, but you know, what kind of simple exercise program might you might use start somebody on.
John Ritcher: Yeah, walking is a fantastic thing to do. low impact. It gets you out of your house fresh air. And I tell people that depends on what you're used to doing. If you're not used to walking at all. You definitely don't want to go out and walk five miles the first day your body's gonna Feeling you'll be sore, you'll, you'll need a couple other things to work on besides just the walking. But as you progress, I say progress slowly, start with five minutes, then maybe 10 minutes, then 15, but never jumped from doing nothing, up to three, four or five miles at a time. And a lot of times, your body will tell you where you need to stretch. So if you go out and walk for the first time, and you say, Man, my calves are really sore, my lower legs, okay, then that would be something that you would need to spend a little bit extra time on stretching your calves. But listen to your body, if you feel good, increase, if you're starting to get sore, you feel some pains coming on then decreased. And that's where we come in. A lot of times people don't know what to do. It's simple fixes. But if you let it go for a long time, it can become a major problem quickly.
Heidi Kaisand: What about shoes? What about, you know, the footwear or the feminine, say clothing that you might be putting on? You know, is it? Is it smart to grab the pair of shoes that I've had for five years that have a little dust on them? Or? Or would I be better off, you know, getting a, you know, some new pair
John Ritcher: That there's there's really good stores that you can go to and they can actually measure and look at your feet. Because some people have flat feet. Some people have high arches, some people have wide feet. And if you just grabbed the shoes you've worn in the garden for the last five years and try and go out start a walking program. You're right, there might not be enough support there. And so I would I would suggest going to a store. There's one here in Marshalltown Browns shoe fit. I know they look at you. There's a couple in Cedar Falls. But have somebody look at your feet and say, okay, you have high arches, you need a shoe with a little bit more mid foot support, or something of that nature. Yeah. Because yes, if you try and if you try and wear flip flops out to go on your walking program, you're not going to like that.
Heidi Kaisand: No, no. And Tyler at brown shoes definitely does take care of you. I know I buy my tennis shoes there when I'm in town too. And he's good about finding the right shoe for the foot. Because the one of the problems I've had when I didn't take care of my shoes, and I didn't necessarily start the right way. When I started exercising was then I ended up with some like plantar fasciitis, and some different things that then I had to get, you know, do exercise to get rid of that, so that I could get back to a normal routine.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and sometimes where the pain is, isn't necessarily where the problem is. And that's where if if somebody says, Well, I, I'm having heel pain, that must be where my issue is, when there's a lot of issues that could be going on at the foot, the knee, the hip, all the way up to that lower leg. And so, again, if you start an exercise program, and you notice, man, I'm having pain here that I didn't have before. Don't let it linger, don't let it stay, find someone and get it fixed.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. Do you think that the phrase sometimes the most difficult part as you how's this sometimes the most difficult part of exercise or you know, whatever, is simply putting your shoes on and starting?
John Ritcher: Absolutely, yeah, there's I went to a management class A few years ago, and the guy was talking about it was the law of diminishing intent. And every minute, every hour you put something off is less likely you're going to do it. And so yes, putting the shoes on and going once you start, then you then you'll do it. But getting the motivation to start is the hardest part.
Heidi Kaisand: It is and I I find I mean exercise can happen anytime during the day. Right? I mean it you don't you ever it works different for everybody. Everybody's got a different schedule. For me. I know that if I don't get it in first thing that most likely my busy schedule, the softball games that volleyball practices, you know, whatever it is that you know that how is coming after that, that it's not going to happen. And so that's why my my routine everyday is to get up and I actually enjoy the peace and quiet without any children. Everybody else is still sleeping. And it's it's a little bit of me time, as well.
John Ritcher:I agree. I agree. And if you put it off till the end of your day, a lot of things can come up during the day. Mine too is if I tried to do an after work, I feel guilty because my kids are at home. And so if I can get up before they're awake and get it done, then it's not taken away from time with him.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And there's there's a lot of truth for that too. Is that Yeah, when your family's awake, you want to be doing stuff for them with them and not necessarily out exercising or the other thing would be get them out and exercise with you. I can't imagine that Clara Sue would enjoy a good walk outside.
John Ritcher: Yeah, she's she's almost her Running circles around her.
Heidi Kaisand: Oh, absolutely. What kinds of other exercises or activities, maybe I should use the word activities might be some gentle starters. Besides walking,
John Ritcher: Biking, biking is another excellent exercise as low impact. It's easy on the knees. Not too if you start a biking program. And you notice, well, my knees are starting to hurt, most likely your bikes not set up, right. So a lot of times the seats too high seats too low, and it puts extra stress on the hips and the knees. biking should be comfortable, and you should be able to go out and do it longer than you would be able to walk or run. Because it's just a nice exercise. So if you do start a biking, retaining your knees, or your hips start to hurt, find someone to fit your bike. And then you won't regret that.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, there's a good bike store in Marshalltown, too, we got all sorts of things on Main Street here that can be helpful. Well, we're having a great discussion, john, we're gonna take a quick commercial break, and we'll be back right after this. Welcome back to create with Heidi, this is Heidi Kaisand, from hen and chicks studio. And we're talking with john Richter from sports. Plus, he's an athletic trainer and physical therapist, and many other things that he is into. I think that earlier in the conversation, john, I liked the phrase that you said, stay as light as long as you can. And yeah, and eating and food is, is as important to our physical health as exercise is. And I think, again, I mean, who doesn't love, you know, a good bowl of ice cream in the summer, and, and all really, you know, all of that. But it is something that that along with just the idea of get up and move, be you, at some point do you have to have, you have to have the whole picture, you got to have the the eating in order as well.
John Ritcher:Yeah, and there's so many different diets out there. And if you read blogs and different things, people are arguing all the time about which one's best, which one will get you there faster. And honestly, it comes down to which like you said, which one fits your lifestyle, and Which one will you stay consistent with. And you can lose weight eating normal food. That's kind of the misconception is that people think oh, I got to go on a fad diet in order to lose weight. That's not true. Yeah, you can lose weight eating normal food just as easily as you can on any fad diet.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And in fact, in fact, a few people have said something you know, like something at our store. And Jamie always is quick to tell everybody. Heidi's always eating
John Ritcher:Yeah, and I Another thing I hear the strength coaches say all the time is eat for your activity level. And so there's days that you go out and you do your exercise program, you're going to be more hungry that day. And so eat a little bit more that day. And if you think back on it, I think back to high school, I was playing for sports year round, I could eat whatever I wanted, and it was fine. And then you get into college and after college, and you suddenly realize that's not true anymore
Heidi Kaisand: Exactly. Exactly. And, and as we age, and I'm older than you are and but and and women are different than men, and in you know, hormones and those kinds of things. each decade of change has brought different changes, which require different exercises and require different food. I mean, it's it's all works together to be healthy.
John Ritcher: Yeah. If you ask any husband and wife who's ever done a diet program or tried to lose weight together, I'll guarantee you the husband lost it faster. Yes. And that's just genetics. I mean, it just women get so angry about that. I know my wife does, too. And she's like, you can just think about losing five pounds and you lose it. And she's like, I look at a cookie and I gained five.That's just bodies. I mean, yeah,
Heidi Kaisand: I'm with Katie on that. Well, john, this has been a great half hour with you have been able to talk about being healthy and I hope we have inspired somebody to get out and move and to, you know, look at what they're what they're doing to be healthy. So until next week, we hope everybody is creative, and have a great day.
John Ritcher: Yes, I have multiple titles and quilter is not one of those quilters? Not one of them.
Heidi Kaisand: Do you see I should ask you so your own buttons on your shirt though? Or when they fall off? Or do you make Katie your wife do that?
John Ritcher: No, I actually go to Bonnie her her grandma. There you go. Yeah, she sends it back on for us. But no, I yeah, I work at sports. Plus, I'm an athletic trainer. And so I I work with BCLUW High School, for any athletes who get injured at sporting events, and different things like that. And then yes, during the day, physical therapy, so I see everybody from I've seen babies who have neck problems all the way up to people getting joint replacement. So all areas of life.
Heidi Kaisand: And and you know, this is probably not a title I should actually be promoting. But do I still have the title of longest person? You know, coming for frozen shoulder therapy? at sports? Yeah, yeah, I think you do. I was so determined that I was not I had frozen shoulder in left shoulder and had surgery. And I was so determined when the right shoulder went, that I was not going to go have surgery that I stayed with it and did the physical therapy, but it took a while. But it's a testament to what you guys do there in getting us back and healthy. So one of the reasons I enjoy enjoy talking to you and and and thought that it would be fun to talk with you on air is that you really do understand how the body works, how our, you know, our our activities affect us, and all of that. And here in the middle of summer. At this point in the game, there are probably some people who have started exercise programs and have quit.
I think you use the term that there are some people who are weekend warriors. And and sometimes I think, is that a you know, is that the healthy way to go? Do you know when you talk about a weekend warrior? Is it somebody that is like only exercising on the weekend.
John Ritcher: Not necessarily as someone who thinks they're still 18 and can participate in the level of activity they used to when they were younger, and they don't do anything throughout the week to prepare for that. And then they jump in on the weekends and try and come compete.
Heidi Kaisand: So everything from riding their bike to play softball, baseball, all those kinds of things.
John Ritcher: Yes. And your quote this morning was great. We have that conversation with patients all the time. They get to the end of their therapy, they feel good and they say okay, now am I going to actually have to do this for the rest of my life. And I say well, you take your car and all the time to get the oil change, don't you? And they say yes. And I say well, then at some point you're going to have to continue exercise Otherwise, you're gonna find yourself right back in here with me.
Heidi Kaisand: Now, isn't it isn't that that is the truth? That is the truth? Well, I know there, there's probably lots of tips and things that you could give us, we're going to Can we take a quick commercial break, and then we'll come back and we're gonna jump right into helping not become a weekend warrior. Welcome back to a crate with Heidi. I'm Heidi Kaisand, owner of hidden chicks studio in Conrad. And today, my guest is john Richter, and he is a physical therapist, athletic trainer that works at sports plus in Conrad, or excuse me in Marshalltown. And he happens to live in Conrad, we're friends, we go to the same church, he's our ministers. So we know john, and of course, he's always helping our kids. And, you know, one of the things I see when you talk to the kids is, is, you know, really trying to get down to what the what the core problem is. And I think it really helps us, whether we're a child or an adult, that the more we listen to our body, the better off we are in whatever
John Ritcher: Yeah, and education is key. I mean, if someone comes in to see me with a pain, and I give them three things to do five things to do, and they have no idea why they're doing them, they're not apt to do them. But if they understand the underlying problem, and why these exercises or stretches or the activities will help, they're way more likely to be consistent with them. Yes.
Heidi Kaisand: So let's talk about those weekend warriors, those those of us who are no longer 18. And but we still like to be active. And jumping into whatever that activity is, without a lot of preparation can cause problems. So what would you What would you recommend to those people who like to be active? are we are we starting with some stretches? What are we doing?
John Ritcher: Yeah, the best thing you can do for your body and your joints, is to stay as late as you can for as long as you can. And that's what I tell everybody adding those few stubborn pounds, it takes a toll on your joints. And as we get older, as we aren't as active, as we don't do as much stretching and strengthening as we should, that coupled with adding a few extra seven pounds can really wreak havoc on your joints. And that's when you become at knee pain, shoulder pain, back pain. And in the summertime are more active, we're outside, we're gardening, we're biking, we're walking, playing golf, doing those things. And a lot of times in the winter, we haven't done anything to prepare for that. And so it's like taking an old tractor out of the garage and expecting it to work right away. It just doesn't. And so priming the pump, working on some stretches, some exercises, kind of whole body movements, it doesn't have to be anything intense or, or long term, as far as it does shouldn't take you that long throughout the day. But just staying consistent with it each day, and priming your body for whatever activity you want to do.
Heidi Kaisand: I like to start my day with a very simple and I'm talking simple yoga routine. And I I think I really like it, because it it just starts to stretch those muscles every single day, every single morning. That maybe I'm gonna use them that day. Maybe I'm not, you know, it's not like working at the quilt shop is you know, calisthenics every day. But some days we're lifting more than others. But it's certainly
John Ritcher:I see the pictures of the boxes you get in a lot of boxes you tote around.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, we do. Yeah. But yeah, we do. And they're heavy. We will say that they're heavy. So it's not. Yeah, it's not light with light weight lifting. But, but boy, even starting with a really simple yoga routine for me and walking. Those are the two things I like to do. I always think just starts my day off better.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and I worked with a couple of golfers, older golfers a couple years ago, and just introduced him to a couple simple stretches. And they said, Man, I'm playing the best golf I played in years. And I didn't do anything with a golf game. It was just simply getting their body to move into patterns they wanted to move in.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. And you know, so you know, let's just say if I wasn't doing yoga and walking, what would you recommend? You know, to me, you know, would you say that I should get out and walk 15 minutes a day, I should walk, you know, 45 minutes, should I jump in and walk six hours a day? I'm joking, but you know, what kind of simple exercise program might you might use start somebody on.
John Ritcher: Yeah, walking is a fantastic thing to do. low impact. It gets you out of your house fresh air. And I tell people that depends on what you're used to doing. If you're not used to walking at all. You definitely don't want to go out and walk five miles the first day your body's gonna Feeling you'll be sore, you'll, you'll need a couple other things to work on besides just the walking. But as you progress, I say progress slowly, start with five minutes, then maybe 10 minutes, then 15, but never jumped from doing nothing, up to three, four or five miles at a time. And a lot of times, your body will tell you where you need to stretch. So if you go out and walk for the first time, and you say, Man, my calves are really sore, my lower legs, okay, then that would be something that you would need to spend a little bit extra time on stretching your calves. But listen to your body, if you feel good, increase, if you're starting to get sore, you feel some pains coming on then decreased. And that's where we come in. A lot of times people don't know what to do. It's simple fixes. But if you let it go for a long time, it can become a major problem quickly.
Heidi Kaisand: What about shoes? What about, you know, the footwear or the feminine, say clothing that you might be putting on? You know, is it? Is it smart to grab the pair of shoes that I've had for five years that have a little dust on them? Or? Or would I be better off, you know, getting a, you know, some new pair
John Ritcher: That there's there's really good stores that you can go to and they can actually measure and look at your feet. Because some people have flat feet. Some people have high arches, some people have wide feet. And if you just grabbed the shoes you've worn in the garden for the last five years and try and go out start a walking program. You're right, there might not be enough support there. And so I would I would suggest going to a store. There's one here in Marshalltown Browns shoe fit. I know they look at you. There's a couple in Cedar Falls. But have somebody look at your feet and say, okay, you have high arches, you need a shoe with a little bit more mid foot support, or something of that nature. Yeah. Because yes, if you try and if you try and wear flip flops out to go on your walking program, you're not going to like that.
Heidi Kaisand: No, no. And Tyler at brown shoes definitely does take care of you. I know I buy my tennis shoes there when I'm in town too. And he's good about finding the right shoe for the foot. Because the one of the problems I've had when I didn't take care of my shoes, and I didn't necessarily start the right way. When I started exercising was then I ended up with some like plantar fasciitis, and some different things that then I had to get, you know, do exercise to get rid of that, so that I could get back to a normal routine.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and sometimes where the pain is, isn't necessarily where the problem is. And that's where if if somebody says, Well, I, I'm having heel pain, that must be where my issue is, when there's a lot of issues that could be going on at the foot, the knee, the hip, all the way up to that lower leg. And so, again, if you start an exercise program, and you notice, man, I'm having pain here that I didn't have before. Don't let it linger, don't let it stay, find someone and get it fixed.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. Do you think that the phrase sometimes the most difficult part as you how's this sometimes the most difficult part of exercise or you know, whatever, is simply putting your shoes on and starting?
John Ritcher: Absolutely, yeah, there's I went to a management class A few years ago, and the guy was talking about it was the law of diminishing intent. And every minute, every hour you put something off is less likely you're going to do it. And so yes, putting the shoes on and going once you start, then you then you'll do it. But getting the motivation to start is the hardest part.
Heidi Kaisand: It is and I I find I mean exercise can happen anytime during the day. Right? I mean it you don't you ever it works different for everybody. Everybody's got a different schedule. For me. I know that if I don't get it in first thing that most likely my busy schedule, the softball games that volleyball practices, you know, whatever it is that you know that how is coming after that, that it's not going to happen. And so that's why my my routine everyday is to get up and I actually enjoy the peace and quiet without any children. Everybody else is still sleeping. And it's it's a little bit of me time, as well.
John Ritcher:I agree. I agree. And if you put it off till the end of your day, a lot of things can come up during the day. Mine too is if I tried to do an after work, I feel guilty because my kids are at home. And so if I can get up before they're awake and get it done, then it's not taken away from time with him.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And there's there's a lot of truth for that too. Is that Yeah, when your family's awake, you want to be doing stuff for them with them and not necessarily out exercising or the other thing would be get them out and exercise with you. I can't imagine that Clara Sue would enjoy a good walk outside.
John Ritcher: Yeah, she's she's almost her Running circles around her.
Heidi Kaisand: Oh, absolutely. What kinds of other exercises or activities, maybe I should use the word activities might be some gentle starters. Besides walking,
John Ritcher: Biking, biking is another excellent exercise as low impact. It's easy on the knees. Not too if you start a biking program. And you notice, well, my knees are starting to hurt, most likely your bikes not set up, right. So a lot of times the seats too high seats too low, and it puts extra stress on the hips and the knees. biking should be comfortable, and you should be able to go out and do it longer than you would be able to walk or run. Because it's just a nice exercise. So if you do start a biking, retaining your knees, or your hips start to hurt, find someone to fit your bike. And then you won't regret that.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, there's a good bike store in Marshalltown, too, we got all sorts of things on Main Street here that can be helpful. Well, we're having a great discussion, john, we're gonna take a quick commercial break, and we'll be back right after this. Welcome back to create with Heidi, this is Heidi Kaisand, from hen and chicks studio. And we're talking with john Richter from sports. Plus, he's an athletic trainer and physical therapist, and many other things that he is into. I think that earlier in the conversation, john, I liked the phrase that you said, stay as light as long as you can. And yeah, and eating and food is, is as important to our physical health as exercise is. And I think, again, I mean, who doesn't love, you know, a good bowl of ice cream in the summer, and, and all really, you know, all of that. But it is something that that along with just the idea of get up and move, be you, at some point do you have to have, you have to have the whole picture, you got to have the the eating in order as well.
John Ritcher:Yeah, and there's so many different diets out there. And if you read blogs and different things, people are arguing all the time about which one's best, which one will get you there faster. And honestly, it comes down to which like you said, which one fits your lifestyle, and Which one will you stay consistent with. And you can lose weight eating normal food. That's kind of the misconception is that people think oh, I got to go on a fad diet in order to lose weight. That's not true. Yeah, you can lose weight eating normal food just as easily as you can on any fad diet.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And in fact, in fact, a few people have said something you know, like something at our store. And Jamie always is quick to tell everybody. Heidi's always eating
John Ritcher:Yeah, and I Another thing I hear the strength coaches say all the time is eat for your activity level. And so there's days that you go out and you do your exercise program, you're going to be more hungry that day. And so eat a little bit more that day. And if you think back on it, I think back to high school, I was playing for sports year round, I could eat whatever I wanted, and it was fine. And then you get into college and after college, and you suddenly realize that's not true anymore
Heidi Kaisand: Exactly. Exactly. And, and as we age, and I'm older than you are and but and and women are different than men, and in you know, hormones and those kinds of things. each decade of change has brought different changes, which require different exercises and require different food. I mean, it's it's all works together to be healthy.
John Ritcher: Yeah. If you ask any husband and wife who's ever done a diet program or tried to lose weight together, I'll guarantee you the husband lost it faster. Yes. And that's just genetics. I mean, it just women get so angry about that. I know my wife does, too. And she's like, you can just think about losing five pounds and you lose it. And she's like, I look at a cookie and I gained five.That's just bodies. I mean, yeah,
Heidi Kaisand: I'm with Katie on that. Well, john, this has been a great half hour with you have been able to talk about being healthy and I hope we have inspired somebody to get out and move and to, you know, look at what they're what they're doing to be healthy. So until next week, we hope everybody is creative, and have a great day.
Heidi Kaisand: Good morning and welcome to create with Heidi. I'm Heidi Kaisand, owner of Hen and chicks studio in Conrad, Iowa, and lover of all things creative. Each week here on create with Heidi, we like to cover topics that educate and inspire you about how people are being creative. Whether it's quilting, scrapbooking, food, wool, or just hanging out with others who seem to have their creative Mojo groove in in all the right directions. We are excited to share these things with you. Each week, I love to start the show with a quote or a statement say it happens to be a quote, that is a little aimed at our topic of the day. And today's topic is our health and our wellness. And so this, this particular quote, I just think is something that I maybe should like, have as my mantra every morning. If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it and that is from dim, dim blob lewd active living. I don't think I said that, right. But when it comes to exercise, and to you know, being healthy, goodness gracious you, we've got to be consistent to keep it. And so I love that quote. And today, my guest is not a quilter I do not believe it is John Richter, and he is John, maybe to help me a little bit with your title, I should have asked you this. I know you as the physical therapist at sports plus here in Marshalltown. And of course,also as our minister, you have multiple jobs, but you spend your days helping people with physical activities that might at some point actually injure them. So is your title actually a physical therapist?
John Ritcher: Yes, I have multiple titles and quilter is not one of those quilters? Not one of them.
Heidi Kaisand: Do you see I should ask you so your own buttons on your shirt though? Or when they fall off? Or do you make Katie your wife do that?
John Ritcher: No, I actually go to Bonnie her her grandma. There you go. Yeah, she sends it back on for us. But no, I yeah, I work at sports. Plus, I'm an athletic trainer. And so I I work with BCLUW High School, for any athletes who get injured at sporting events, and different things like that. And then yes, during the day, physical therapy, so I see everybody from I've seen babies who have neck problems all the way up to people getting joint replacement. So all areas of life.
Heidi Kaisand: And and you know, this is probably not a title I should actually be promoting. But do I still have the title of longest person? You know, coming for frozen shoulder therapy? at sports? Yeah, yeah, I think you do. I was so determined that I was not I had frozen shoulder in left shoulder and had surgery. And I was so determined when the right shoulder went, that I was not going to go have surgery that I stayed with it and did the physical therapy, but it took a while. But it's a testament to what you guys do there in getting us back and healthy. So one of the reasons I enjoy enjoy talking to you and and and thought that it would be fun to talk with you on air is that you really do understand how the body works, how our, you know, our our activities affect us, and all of that. And here in the middle of summer. At this point in the game, there are probably some people who have started exercise programs and have quit.
I think you use the term that there are some people who are weekend warriors. And and sometimes I think, is that a you know, is that the healthy way to go? Do you know when you talk about a weekend warrior? Is it somebody that is like only exercising on the weekend.
John Ritcher: Not necessarily as someone who thinks they're still 18 and can participate in the level of activity they used to when they were younger, and they don't do anything throughout the week to prepare for that. And then they jump in on the weekends and try and come compete.
Heidi Kaisand: So everything from riding their bike to play softball, baseball, all those kinds of things.
John Ritcher: Yes. And your quote this morning was great. We have that conversation with patients all the time. They get to the end of their therapy, they feel good and they say okay, now am I going to actually have to do this for the rest of my life. And I say well, you take your car and all the time to get the oil change, don't you? And they say yes. And I say well, then at some point you're going to have to continue exercise Otherwise, you're gonna find yourself right back in here with me.
Heidi Kaisand: Now, isn't it isn't that that is the truth? That is the truth? Well, I know there, there's probably lots of tips and things that you could give us, we're going to Can we take a quick commercial break, and then we'll come back and we're gonna jump right into helping not become a weekend warrior. Welcome back to a crate with Heidi. I'm Heidi Kaisand, owner of hidden chicks studio in Conrad. And today, my guest is john Richter, and he is a physical therapist, athletic trainer that works at sports plus in Conrad, or excuse me in Marshalltown. And he happens to live in Conrad, we're friends, we go to the same church, he's our ministers. So we know john, and of course, he's always helping our kids. And, you know, one of the things I see when you talk to the kids is, is, you know, really trying to get down to what the what the core problem is. And I think it really helps us, whether we're a child or an adult, that the more we listen to our body, the better off we are in whatever
John Ritcher: Yeah, and education is key. I mean, if someone comes in to see me with a pain, and I give them three things to do five things to do, and they have no idea why they're doing them, they're not apt to do them. But if they understand the underlying problem, and why these exercises or stretches or the activities will help, they're way more likely to be consistent with them. Yes.
Heidi Kaisand: So let's talk about those weekend warriors, those those of us who are no longer 18. And but we still like to be active. And jumping into whatever that activity is, without a lot of preparation can cause problems. So what would you What would you recommend to those people who like to be active? are we are we starting with some stretches? What are we doing?
John Ritcher: Yeah, the best thing you can do for your body and your joints, is to stay as late as you can for as long as you can. And that's what I tell everybody adding those few stubborn pounds, it takes a toll on your joints. And as we get older, as we aren't as active, as we don't do as much stretching and strengthening as we should, that coupled with adding a few extra seven pounds can really wreak havoc on your joints. And that's when you become at knee pain, shoulder pain, back pain. And in the summertime are more active, we're outside, we're gardening, we're biking, we're walking, playing golf, doing those things. And a lot of times in the winter, we haven't done anything to prepare for that. And so it's like taking an old tractor out of the garage and expecting it to work right away. It just doesn't. And so priming the pump, working on some stretches, some exercises, kind of whole body movements, it doesn't have to be anything intense or, or long term, as far as it does shouldn't take you that long throughout the day. But just staying consistent with it each day, and priming your body for whatever activity you want to do.
Heidi Kaisand: I like to start my day with a very simple and I'm talking simple yoga routine. And I I think I really like it, because it it just starts to stretch those muscles every single day, every single morning. That maybe I'm gonna use them that day. Maybe I'm not, you know, it's not like working at the quilt shop is you know, calisthenics every day. But some days we're lifting more than others. But it's certainly
John Ritcher:I see the pictures of the boxes you get in a lot of boxes you tote around.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, we do. Yeah. But yeah, we do. And they're heavy. We will say that they're heavy. So it's not. Yeah, it's not light with light weight lifting. But, but boy, even starting with a really simple yoga routine for me and walking. Those are the two things I like to do. I always think just starts my day off better.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and I worked with a couple of golfers, older golfers a couple years ago, and just introduced him to a couple simple stretches. And they said, Man, I'm playing the best golf I played in years. And I didn't do anything with a golf game. It was just simply getting their body to move into patterns they wanted to move in.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. And you know, so you know, let's just say if I wasn't doing yoga and walking, what would you recommend? You know, to me, you know, would you say that I should get out and walk 15 minutes a day, I should walk, you know, 45 minutes, should I jump in and walk six hours a day? I'm joking, but you know, what kind of simple exercise program might you might use start somebody on.
John Ritcher: Yeah, walking is a fantastic thing to do. low impact. It gets you out of your house fresh air. And I tell people that depends on what you're used to doing. If you're not used to walking at all. You definitely don't want to go out and walk five miles the first day your body's gonna Feeling you'll be sore, you'll, you'll need a couple other things to work on besides just the walking. But as you progress, I say progress slowly, start with five minutes, then maybe 10 minutes, then 15, but never jumped from doing nothing, up to three, four or five miles at a time. And a lot of times, your body will tell you where you need to stretch. So if you go out and walk for the first time, and you say, Man, my calves are really sore, my lower legs, okay, then that would be something that you would need to spend a little bit extra time on stretching your calves. But listen to your body, if you feel good, increase, if you're starting to get sore, you feel some pains coming on then decreased. And that's where we come in. A lot of times people don't know what to do. It's simple fixes. But if you let it go for a long time, it can become a major problem quickly.
Heidi Kaisand: What about shoes? What about, you know, the footwear or the feminine, say clothing that you might be putting on? You know, is it? Is it smart to grab the pair of shoes that I've had for five years that have a little dust on them? Or? Or would I be better off, you know, getting a, you know, some new pair
John Ritcher: That there's there's really good stores that you can go to and they can actually measure and look at your feet. Because some people have flat feet. Some people have high arches, some people have wide feet. And if you just grabbed the shoes you've worn in the garden for the last five years and try and go out start a walking program. You're right, there might not be enough support there. And so I would I would suggest going to a store. There's one here in Marshalltown Browns shoe fit. I know they look at you. There's a couple in Cedar Falls. But have somebody look at your feet and say, okay, you have high arches, you need a shoe with a little bit more mid foot support, or something of that nature. Yeah. Because yes, if you try and if you try and wear flip flops out to go on your walking program, you're not going to like that.
Heidi Kaisand: No, no. And Tyler at brown shoes definitely does take care of you. I know I buy my tennis shoes there when I'm in town too. And he's good about finding the right shoe for the foot. Because the one of the problems I've had when I didn't take care of my shoes, and I didn't necessarily start the right way. When I started exercising was then I ended up with some like plantar fasciitis, and some different things that then I had to get, you know, do exercise to get rid of that, so that I could get back to a normal routine.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and sometimes where the pain is, isn't necessarily where the problem is. And that's where if if somebody says, Well, I, I'm having heel pain, that must be where my issue is, when there's a lot of issues that could be going on at the foot, the knee, the hip, all the way up to that lower leg. And so, again, if you start an exercise program, and you notice, man, I'm having pain here that I didn't have before. Don't let it linger, don't let it stay, find someone and get it fixed.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. Do you think that the phrase sometimes the most difficult part as you how's this sometimes the most difficult part of exercise or you know, whatever, is simply putting your shoes on and starting?
John Ritcher: Absolutely, yeah, there's I went to a management class A few years ago, and the guy was talking about it was the law of diminishing intent. And every minute, every hour you put something off is less likely you're going to do it. And so yes, putting the shoes on and going once you start, then you then you'll do it. But getting the motivation to start is the hardest part.
Heidi Kaisand: It is and I I find I mean exercise can happen anytime during the day. Right? I mean it you don't you ever it works different for everybody. Everybody's got a different schedule. For me. I know that if I don't get it in first thing that most likely my busy schedule, the softball games that volleyball practices, you know, whatever it is that you know that how is coming after that, that it's not going to happen. And so that's why my my routine everyday is to get up and I actually enjoy the peace and quiet without any children. Everybody else is still sleeping. And it's it's a little bit of me time, as well.
John Ritcher:I agree. I agree. And if you put it off till the end of your day, a lot of things can come up during the day. Mine too is if I tried to do an after work, I feel guilty because my kids are at home. And so if I can get up before they're awake and get it done, then it's not taken away from time with him.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And there's there's a lot of truth for that too. Is that Yeah, when your family's awake, you want to be doing stuff for them with them and not necessarily out exercising or the other thing would be get them out and exercise with you. I can't imagine that Clara Sue would enjoy a good walk outside.
John Ritcher: Yeah, she's she's almost her Running circles around her.
Heidi Kaisand: Oh, absolutely. What kinds of other exercises or activities, maybe I should use the word activities might be some gentle starters. Besides walking,
John Ritcher: Biking, biking is another excellent exercise as low impact. It's easy on the knees. Not too if you start a biking program. And you notice, well, my knees are starting to hurt, most likely your bikes not set up, right. So a lot of times the seats too high seats too low, and it puts extra stress on the hips and the knees. biking should be comfortable, and you should be able to go out and do it longer than you would be able to walk or run. Because it's just a nice exercise. So if you do start a biking, retaining your knees, or your hips start to hurt, find someone to fit your bike. And then you won't regret that.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, there's a good bike store in Marshalltown, too, we got all sorts of things on Main Street here that can be helpful. Well, we're having a great discussion, john, we're gonna take a quick commercial break, and we'll be back right after this. Welcome back to create with Heidi, this is Heidi Kaisand, from hen and chicks studio. And we're talking with john Richter from sports. Plus, he's an athletic trainer and physical therapist, and many other things that he is into. I think that earlier in the conversation, john, I liked the phrase that you said, stay as light as long as you can. And yeah, and eating and food is, is as important to our physical health as exercise is. And I think, again, I mean, who doesn't love, you know, a good bowl of ice cream in the summer, and, and all really, you know, all of that. But it is something that that along with just the idea of get up and move, be you, at some point do you have to have, you have to have the whole picture, you got to have the the eating in order as well.
John Ritcher:Yeah, and there's so many different diets out there. And if you read blogs and different things, people are arguing all the time about which one's best, which one will get you there faster. And honestly, it comes down to which like you said, which one fits your lifestyle, and Which one will you stay consistent with. And you can lose weight eating normal food. That's kind of the misconception is that people think oh, I got to go on a fad diet in order to lose weight. That's not true. Yeah, you can lose weight eating normal food just as easily as you can on any fad diet.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And in fact, in fact, a few people have said something you know, like something at our store. And Jamie always is quick to tell everybody. Heidi's always eating
John Ritcher:Yeah, and I Another thing I hear the strength coaches say all the time is eat for your activity level. And so there's days that you go out and you do your exercise program, you're going to be more hungry that day. And so eat a little bit more that day. And if you think back on it, I think back to high school, I was playing for sports year round, I could eat whatever I wanted, and it was fine. And then you get into college and after college, and you suddenly realize that's not true anymore
Heidi Kaisand: Exactly. Exactly. And, and as we age, and I'm older than you are and but and and women are different than men, and in you know, hormones and those kinds of things. each decade of change has brought different changes, which require different exercises and require different food. I mean, it's it's all works together to be healthy.
John Ritcher: Yeah. If you ask any husband and wife who's ever done a diet program or tried to lose weight together, I'll guarantee you the husband lost it faster. Yes. And that's just genetics. I mean, it just women get so angry about that. I know my wife does, too. And she's like, you can just think about losing five pounds and you lose it. And she's like, I look at a cookie and I gained five.That's just bodies. I mean, yeah,
Heidi Kaisand: I'm with Katie on that. Well, john, this has been a great half hour with you have been able to talk about being healthy and I hope we have inspired somebody to get out and move and to, you know, look at what they're what they're doing to be healthy. So until next week, we hope everybody is creative, and have a great day.
John Ritcher: Yes, I have multiple titles and quilter is not one of those quilters? Not one of them.
Heidi Kaisand: Do you see I should ask you so your own buttons on your shirt though? Or when they fall off? Or do you make Katie your wife do that?
John Ritcher: No, I actually go to Bonnie her her grandma. There you go. Yeah, she sends it back on for us. But no, I yeah, I work at sports. Plus, I'm an athletic trainer. And so I I work with BCLUW High School, for any athletes who get injured at sporting events, and different things like that. And then yes, during the day, physical therapy, so I see everybody from I've seen babies who have neck problems all the way up to people getting joint replacement. So all areas of life.
Heidi Kaisand: And and you know, this is probably not a title I should actually be promoting. But do I still have the title of longest person? You know, coming for frozen shoulder therapy? at sports? Yeah, yeah, I think you do. I was so determined that I was not I had frozen shoulder in left shoulder and had surgery. And I was so determined when the right shoulder went, that I was not going to go have surgery that I stayed with it and did the physical therapy, but it took a while. But it's a testament to what you guys do there in getting us back and healthy. So one of the reasons I enjoy enjoy talking to you and and and thought that it would be fun to talk with you on air is that you really do understand how the body works, how our, you know, our our activities affect us, and all of that. And here in the middle of summer. At this point in the game, there are probably some people who have started exercise programs and have quit.
I think you use the term that there are some people who are weekend warriors. And and sometimes I think, is that a you know, is that the healthy way to go? Do you know when you talk about a weekend warrior? Is it somebody that is like only exercising on the weekend.
John Ritcher: Not necessarily as someone who thinks they're still 18 and can participate in the level of activity they used to when they were younger, and they don't do anything throughout the week to prepare for that. And then they jump in on the weekends and try and come compete.
Heidi Kaisand: So everything from riding their bike to play softball, baseball, all those kinds of things.
John Ritcher: Yes. And your quote this morning was great. We have that conversation with patients all the time. They get to the end of their therapy, they feel good and they say okay, now am I going to actually have to do this for the rest of my life. And I say well, you take your car and all the time to get the oil change, don't you? And they say yes. And I say well, then at some point you're going to have to continue exercise Otherwise, you're gonna find yourself right back in here with me.
Heidi Kaisand: Now, isn't it isn't that that is the truth? That is the truth? Well, I know there, there's probably lots of tips and things that you could give us, we're going to Can we take a quick commercial break, and then we'll come back and we're gonna jump right into helping not become a weekend warrior. Welcome back to a crate with Heidi. I'm Heidi Kaisand, owner of hidden chicks studio in Conrad. And today, my guest is john Richter, and he is a physical therapist, athletic trainer that works at sports plus in Conrad, or excuse me in Marshalltown. And he happens to live in Conrad, we're friends, we go to the same church, he's our ministers. So we know john, and of course, he's always helping our kids. And, you know, one of the things I see when you talk to the kids is, is, you know, really trying to get down to what the what the core problem is. And I think it really helps us, whether we're a child or an adult, that the more we listen to our body, the better off we are in whatever
John Ritcher: Yeah, and education is key. I mean, if someone comes in to see me with a pain, and I give them three things to do five things to do, and they have no idea why they're doing them, they're not apt to do them. But if they understand the underlying problem, and why these exercises or stretches or the activities will help, they're way more likely to be consistent with them. Yes.
Heidi Kaisand: So let's talk about those weekend warriors, those those of us who are no longer 18. And but we still like to be active. And jumping into whatever that activity is, without a lot of preparation can cause problems. So what would you What would you recommend to those people who like to be active? are we are we starting with some stretches? What are we doing?
John Ritcher: Yeah, the best thing you can do for your body and your joints, is to stay as late as you can for as long as you can. And that's what I tell everybody adding those few stubborn pounds, it takes a toll on your joints. And as we get older, as we aren't as active, as we don't do as much stretching and strengthening as we should, that coupled with adding a few extra seven pounds can really wreak havoc on your joints. And that's when you become at knee pain, shoulder pain, back pain. And in the summertime are more active, we're outside, we're gardening, we're biking, we're walking, playing golf, doing those things. And a lot of times in the winter, we haven't done anything to prepare for that. And so it's like taking an old tractor out of the garage and expecting it to work right away. It just doesn't. And so priming the pump, working on some stretches, some exercises, kind of whole body movements, it doesn't have to be anything intense or, or long term, as far as it does shouldn't take you that long throughout the day. But just staying consistent with it each day, and priming your body for whatever activity you want to do.
Heidi Kaisand: I like to start my day with a very simple and I'm talking simple yoga routine. And I I think I really like it, because it it just starts to stretch those muscles every single day, every single morning. That maybe I'm gonna use them that day. Maybe I'm not, you know, it's not like working at the quilt shop is you know, calisthenics every day. But some days we're lifting more than others. But it's certainly
John Ritcher:I see the pictures of the boxes you get in a lot of boxes you tote around.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, we do. Yeah. But yeah, we do. And they're heavy. We will say that they're heavy. So it's not. Yeah, it's not light with light weight lifting. But, but boy, even starting with a really simple yoga routine for me and walking. Those are the two things I like to do. I always think just starts my day off better.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and I worked with a couple of golfers, older golfers a couple years ago, and just introduced him to a couple simple stretches. And they said, Man, I'm playing the best golf I played in years. And I didn't do anything with a golf game. It was just simply getting their body to move into patterns they wanted to move in.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. And you know, so you know, let's just say if I wasn't doing yoga and walking, what would you recommend? You know, to me, you know, would you say that I should get out and walk 15 minutes a day, I should walk, you know, 45 minutes, should I jump in and walk six hours a day? I'm joking, but you know, what kind of simple exercise program might you might use start somebody on.
John Ritcher: Yeah, walking is a fantastic thing to do. low impact. It gets you out of your house fresh air. And I tell people that depends on what you're used to doing. If you're not used to walking at all. You definitely don't want to go out and walk five miles the first day your body's gonna Feeling you'll be sore, you'll, you'll need a couple other things to work on besides just the walking. But as you progress, I say progress slowly, start with five minutes, then maybe 10 minutes, then 15, but never jumped from doing nothing, up to three, four or five miles at a time. And a lot of times, your body will tell you where you need to stretch. So if you go out and walk for the first time, and you say, Man, my calves are really sore, my lower legs, okay, then that would be something that you would need to spend a little bit extra time on stretching your calves. But listen to your body, if you feel good, increase, if you're starting to get sore, you feel some pains coming on then decreased. And that's where we come in. A lot of times people don't know what to do. It's simple fixes. But if you let it go for a long time, it can become a major problem quickly.
Heidi Kaisand: What about shoes? What about, you know, the footwear or the feminine, say clothing that you might be putting on? You know, is it? Is it smart to grab the pair of shoes that I've had for five years that have a little dust on them? Or? Or would I be better off, you know, getting a, you know, some new pair
John Ritcher: That there's there's really good stores that you can go to and they can actually measure and look at your feet. Because some people have flat feet. Some people have high arches, some people have wide feet. And if you just grabbed the shoes you've worn in the garden for the last five years and try and go out start a walking program. You're right, there might not be enough support there. And so I would I would suggest going to a store. There's one here in Marshalltown Browns shoe fit. I know they look at you. There's a couple in Cedar Falls. But have somebody look at your feet and say, okay, you have high arches, you need a shoe with a little bit more mid foot support, or something of that nature. Yeah. Because yes, if you try and if you try and wear flip flops out to go on your walking program, you're not going to like that.
Heidi Kaisand: No, no. And Tyler at brown shoes definitely does take care of you. I know I buy my tennis shoes there when I'm in town too. And he's good about finding the right shoe for the foot. Because the one of the problems I've had when I didn't take care of my shoes, and I didn't necessarily start the right way. When I started exercising was then I ended up with some like plantar fasciitis, and some different things that then I had to get, you know, do exercise to get rid of that, so that I could get back to a normal routine.
John Ritcher: Yeah, and sometimes where the pain is, isn't necessarily where the problem is. And that's where if if somebody says, Well, I, I'm having heel pain, that must be where my issue is, when there's a lot of issues that could be going on at the foot, the knee, the hip, all the way up to that lower leg. And so, again, if you start an exercise program, and you notice, man, I'm having pain here that I didn't have before. Don't let it linger, don't let it stay, find someone and get it fixed.
Heidi Kaisand: Absolutely. Do you think that the phrase sometimes the most difficult part as you how's this sometimes the most difficult part of exercise or you know, whatever, is simply putting your shoes on and starting?
John Ritcher: Absolutely, yeah, there's I went to a management class A few years ago, and the guy was talking about it was the law of diminishing intent. And every minute, every hour you put something off is less likely you're going to do it. And so yes, putting the shoes on and going once you start, then you then you'll do it. But getting the motivation to start is the hardest part.
Heidi Kaisand: It is and I I find I mean exercise can happen anytime during the day. Right? I mean it you don't you ever it works different for everybody. Everybody's got a different schedule. For me. I know that if I don't get it in first thing that most likely my busy schedule, the softball games that volleyball practices, you know, whatever it is that you know that how is coming after that, that it's not going to happen. And so that's why my my routine everyday is to get up and I actually enjoy the peace and quiet without any children. Everybody else is still sleeping. And it's it's a little bit of me time, as well.
John Ritcher:I agree. I agree. And if you put it off till the end of your day, a lot of things can come up during the day. Mine too is if I tried to do an after work, I feel guilty because my kids are at home. And so if I can get up before they're awake and get it done, then it's not taken away from time with him.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And there's there's a lot of truth for that too. Is that Yeah, when your family's awake, you want to be doing stuff for them with them and not necessarily out exercising or the other thing would be get them out and exercise with you. I can't imagine that Clara Sue would enjoy a good walk outside.
John Ritcher: Yeah, she's she's almost her Running circles around her.
Heidi Kaisand: Oh, absolutely. What kinds of other exercises or activities, maybe I should use the word activities might be some gentle starters. Besides walking,
John Ritcher: Biking, biking is another excellent exercise as low impact. It's easy on the knees. Not too if you start a biking program. And you notice, well, my knees are starting to hurt, most likely your bikes not set up, right. So a lot of times the seats too high seats too low, and it puts extra stress on the hips and the knees. biking should be comfortable, and you should be able to go out and do it longer than you would be able to walk or run. Because it's just a nice exercise. So if you do start a biking, retaining your knees, or your hips start to hurt, find someone to fit your bike. And then you won't regret that.
Heidi Kaisand: Yeah, there's a good bike store in Marshalltown, too, we got all sorts of things on Main Street here that can be helpful. Well, we're having a great discussion, john, we're gonna take a quick commercial break, and we'll be back right after this. Welcome back to create with Heidi, this is Heidi Kaisand, from hen and chicks studio. And we're talking with john Richter from sports. Plus, he's an athletic trainer and physical therapist, and many other things that he is into. I think that earlier in the conversation, john, I liked the phrase that you said, stay as light as long as you can. And yeah, and eating and food is, is as important to our physical health as exercise is. And I think, again, I mean, who doesn't love, you know, a good bowl of ice cream in the summer, and, and all really, you know, all of that. But it is something that that along with just the idea of get up and move, be you, at some point do you have to have, you have to have the whole picture, you got to have the the eating in order as well.
John Ritcher:Yeah, and there's so many different diets out there. And if you read blogs and different things, people are arguing all the time about which one's best, which one will get you there faster. And honestly, it comes down to which like you said, which one fits your lifestyle, and Which one will you stay consistent with. And you can lose weight eating normal food. That's kind of the misconception is that people think oh, I got to go on a fad diet in order to lose weight. That's not true. Yeah, you can lose weight eating normal food just as easily as you can on any fad diet.
Heidi Kaisand: Yes. And in fact, in fact, a few people have said something you know, like something at our store. And Jamie always is quick to tell everybody. Heidi's always eating
John Ritcher:Yeah, and I Another thing I hear the strength coaches say all the time is eat for your activity level. And so there's days that you go out and you do your exercise program, you're going to be more hungry that day. And so eat a little bit more that day. And if you think back on it, I think back to high school, I was playing for sports year round, I could eat whatever I wanted, and it was fine. And then you get into college and after college, and you suddenly realize that's not true anymore
Heidi Kaisand: Exactly. Exactly. And, and as we age, and I'm older than you are and but and and women are different than men, and in you know, hormones and those kinds of things. each decade of change has brought different changes, which require different exercises and require different food. I mean, it's it's all works together to be healthy.
John Ritcher: Yeah. If you ask any husband and wife who's ever done a diet program or tried to lose weight together, I'll guarantee you the husband lost it faster. Yes. And that's just genetics. I mean, it just women get so angry about that. I know my wife does, too. And she's like, you can just think about losing five pounds and you lose it. And she's like, I look at a cookie and I gained five.That's just bodies. I mean, yeah,
Heidi Kaisand: I'm with Katie on that. Well, john, this has been a great half hour with you have been able to talk about being healthy and I hope we have inspired somebody to get out and move and to, you know, look at what they're what they're doing to be healthy. So until next week, we hope everybody is creative, and have a great day.