Dr. Lisa's Bountiful Life

My father was one of my earliest sports heroes.

Dad is a humble man, and rarely speaks of his athletic prowess. However, those who “knew him when” have shared stories of his baseball skills while at St. Louis High School in Biddeford, and of his football team captaincy while at the University of Maine.

Dad’s skill on the playing field, and love of physical pursuits, has been passed down to his children and grandchildren.

We have become marathoners and yoga instructors; Little League all-stars and nationally ranked swimming competitors.

For most of us, it is less about the win, than it is about the game.

We like being part of the action.

It is important for each of us to find a way to be "part of the action."

Some people naturally gravitate toward group sports, while others prefer more solo pursuits.

There is no one cookie cutter approach to physical activity that can be easily applied to all people.

This week on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour, we acknowledge this reality through our conversations with Dr. John Herzog, Mike Chapman, Jim Greatorex, Stan Skolfield and Jared Buzzell. Each of our guests has a slightly different take on how individuals can best achieve optimal physical health.

They are all similar, however, in their view that optimal physical health is entirely possible—no matter what our genetic makeup or family background.

My father was one of my earliest sports heroes, not because he was good at what he did, but because he loved what he did.

He still does. He loves to work and he loves to play.

Above all, he loves to share his life with his family.

Happy fathers day to Charlie Belisle—the best dad a girl could hope for.

Thank you for being my hero, in every way.

We hope your enjoy our "Sports Medicine" show this Sunday this Sunday on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast. Featured guests include Dr. John Herzog, Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedic Specialists, LLC., Jared Buzzell & Stan Skolfield from the Orthopedic Associaties Performance Center, and Mike Chapman and Jim Greatorex, Premier Sports Health & Black Bear Medical. We will be talking about various techniques in sports medicine and pain management. Please join us. 

On Sunday, June 23, tune in for our podcast "Maine Home + Design Show" on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast. 

I like to balance my running with other activities: walking or hiking, biking and (very occasionally) swimming. But I still prefer running above all else. Especially this time of year. The sun rises earlier, the air is warmer, and it is so beautiful here in Maine. On my typical riverside route, I get to observe the budding of the trees and the way the sunlight plays on the current. I can’t help but be happy after a morning run.

Because I also seem to need my morning running "fix" to jump start my brain, I will pretty much do whatever it takes to stay healthy enough to run. I think cross-training is very valuable, and the activities such as swimming and biking definitely help. But I’ve found the best way to counter-balance the stress of running on the bones and muscles is yoga. It keeps me flexible, and it keeps me calm. I try to do some forward bends, backbends and gentle twists every day after I finish my run—along with some sit-ups and push-ups. Nothing fancy. I can generally complete this process in about 10-20 minutes.

Runners, like most athletes, have always known about the importance of keeping our muscles supple—though we used to call the process "stretching." With yoga, we’re going a bit further, and also striving to pay attention to our breathing. Yoga has the added benefit of helping us with our core strength as well.

As you will hear from today’s show, yoga comes in MANY different forms. My practice involves a very gentle, stretching type of yoga, as opposed to power yoga. From a Chinese medicine standpoint, I need a more quiet YIN activity to balance my YANG-oriented running. This is an important distinction. In this country we’re constantly inundated with messages about increasing our activity levels (with good reason, given our obesity epidemic). What isn’t mentioned is that those of us who are already very physically active need a way to bring our bodies back into balance. Too much YANG can lead to injuries and/or burnout. We runners can get our YIN through yoga.

We hope you enjoy our Maine Yoga show with guests Justine Carlisle, Dana Gunnerson Woodbury and Regan Johnson, Founders of Maine YogaFest, Carissa Ciuca, of Breathing Room Yoga and Melanie Burns of Wicked Good Yoga.

After listening to this Sunday's show—whether you are a runner or not—we hope you consider putting a little yoga into your life.

Listen to our "Maine YogaFest" show this Sunday on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast.

Two years ago, we connected with Susan Grisanti and Kevin Thomas of Maine Magazine, and floated the idea of a wellness-oriented radio show based in Maine.

They supported us from day one, giving us a space to record the show, promoting the show through their magazines and social media, and suggesting possible guests.

This past January, we became an official production of Maine Magazine and the Maine Media Collective.

This radio show is made possible through the shared work of many.

Strength shared is strength multiplied.

Maine Magazine and the Maine Media Collective have recognized this from the beginning. They have long sponsored local non-profits and supported their efforts to effect positive change in Maine.

Next week, Maine Magazine is hosting the six-day Kennebunkport Festival, celebrating the finest food, wine and art in Maine. Highlights from the festival include Pop the Kennebunks, the Cellardoor Grand Tasting, Brew & Tunes and the Art of Dining Private Dinners. Proceeds from the Art of Dining go to Share Our Strength, an organization providing hunger relief in Maine.

Each of our radio show guests this weekend represents a sharing of strength:

• Kristin Miale, President of Good Shepard Food Bank, works with Share Our Strength to feed Maine’s families. 
• Max Garcia Conover, Musician & Teacher at Breakwater School, shares proceeds from his albums with social justice organizations.
• Chris Kast & Byron Bartlett will be participating in the Dynamic Dirt Challenge, which benefits Strive and the Center for Grieving Children.

We in Maine are fortunate to be surrounded by those who share their strength regularly.

We are fortunate that Kevin Thomas, Susan Grisanti and those who work at Maine Magazine and the the Maine Media Collective enable us to bring the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour to you each week.

When we share our strength, we help build a better world.

Listen to our "Sharing Strength" show this Sunday on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast.

I have called Maine home since 1977.

My parents, both Maine natives, wanted their children to know their extended family.

Having been born in Vermont during my father's final year of medical school, I spent my early years near the Navy bases in Virginia and Florida where my dad completed his family medicine training.

When my parents suggested that we would be moving north, I was intrigued.

A January baby, I had experienced snow on my birthday only once, during a freak Jacksonville storm.

I wanted to enjoy winter white, so I readily agreed to our family's journey back to the 'motherland.'

In retrospect, this may have been short-sighted. Snow I have since seen, aplenty.

Maine winters begin to seem pretty long by March.

What I could not have known as a Florida first-grader was that Maine would become my home indefinitely. 

Or that it would ultimately become a home of choice, rather than destiny.

Maine is a complicated, often cantankerous state.

It is not for the faint of heart.

In addition to endless winters, we have our share of poverty and social woes.

But we who live here also have an accepting and indomitable spirit.

We know what we have gotten ourselves into, and we accept equally the challenges and the rewards.

We relish the intensity of the short Maine summers, and the beauty inherent in the landscape year round.

We understand our good fortune.

I came to Maine in 1977. I have travelled and lived elsewhere.

But I chose to live in this great state.

Maine is, and will always be, my home

 Join our Dr. Lisa Radio Hour "Home in Maine" discussion this Sunday with Chris Lynch, President of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty & Mike LePage, Agent, RE/Max Heritage; Lisa Medina, Event Manager, Tour de Cure Kennebunks, and Kennebunkport homeowner Rick Taranto.