Dynasplint® ROM

Tomorrow Emily Jennings leads a team in the Seattle Rock n Roll ½ marathon!  She is running for Humanity for Children, a non profit organization that builds medical clinics for children in Africa.

Have a great run and day!

Members of Team 4MIL

Twelve days and 3,000 miles later, the Race Across America Teams are coming to an end in Annapolis, MD.  DSI colleagues went to greet Team 4MIL as they were waiting by the finish to cheer in the number 2 team across the finish line.  Team ViaSat rolled in just before 9am this morning taking the number 2 spot. Way to go!! All proceeds from the race benefit The Wounded Warrior Project. Click here to see VIASAT cross the finish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaxtxzxsVow

On May the 1^st I had the great privilege of riding by bike with some true American Heroes.  These men are combat wounded soldiers with hearts of gold.  That morning when Glenn Headley and I arrived we immediately noticed these three wheeled bikes that were given motion by hand and arm power not leg power.  These bikes were referred to as hand bikes and the men on them had suffered terrible injuries that resulted in the loss of one or both of their legs.  These men acted with dignity and showed extreme courage facing the challenging course ahead of them. 

            As we left Jonas Green State Park we started our first climb to the summit of the Naval Academy Bridge led by an escort of the Annapolis Police and the Department of Defense Police. Once we reached the top of the bridge we came to a stop and were given the chance to soak in the view of the Severn River and the United States Naval Academy.  While we sat on top of the bridge the local law enforcement was working their magic with traffic control and I was expecting the locals to be irritated that they were inconvenienced by the cyclists taking in the view.  To my surprise people yelled and honked their horns.  The passers by yelled thank you for your service and honked their horns with gratitude.  Quite a bit of time passed buy while we were on the bridge and I started to wonder why we were waiting so long and that is when I realized that one of wounded warriors had gotten a flat tire as soon as we started.  That is when you realize how important it is that no soldier is left behind.  Once the missing soldier made it to the top of the bridge we resumed our ride.

            During the entire ride we received a warm reaction from the residents of Annapolis.  However, the most memorable experience for me is when we made that right turn next to Hallogan Hall and entered the prestigious grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy.  As we rode through the grounds of the Academy we were welcomed by hundreds of mid shipmen, soldiers and officers lining the streets clapping and cheering us on like champions that just one the big game.

            I will never forget this experience and would like to extend my gratitude to the Wounded Warrior Project and Dynasplint Systems for making it possible for me to participate.

 Thank You
Brian Catterton

Today, over 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with chronic Kidney disease.  Dynasplint® colleagues, Patricia Boteler and Brittany Fooks have felt the weight of this terrible disease first hand. Patty’s family has been rocked by kidney disease for as long as she can remember.  Her nephew, Chris, lived with this disease his whole life.  After undergoing two excruciating kidney transplants (one donated by their father) he later died waiting for a much needed third transplant last summer.  Chris was 33.  He left behind his wife and two young children searching for answers.  Chris’s younger brother, Joel (26 years old), also has kidney disease.  Joel was the recipient of one of his sisters matching kidneys last fall—improving his condition greatly, but not leaving him without a fight.  Science tells us that most strands of kidney disease are hereditary though tests for Chris and Joel would indicate their strands were not related.  Uncertainty remains as to how their family will be further affected by this disease in the future.

To help the Schaum family and others affected by this deadly disease, join Patty and Brittany on the Maryland Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk.  Click to learn more about the National Kidney Foundation or to join the Annual Kidney Walk.

Sales Consultant, Bill Staines is strapping on his running shoes for the first annual Burke Center Rockstar Run. The 8k run will take place on April 18^th through the trails of the Burke Center Parkway. This year approximately 1,000 area runners will gather together to raise funds for The Celebrate Cherie Scholarship Fund. This annual scholarship is given to a deserving area student that is attending a graduate level Physical Therapy program.

We wish you speed and a great race day, Bill! If anyone is in the local area of Burke, VA please come out and cheer everyone on!

The blizzard of the century hit Maryland and put most of us out of commission for about a week. I am in a healthy habit of making my way to the gym most evenings when I leave work.  Without 4-wheel drive, I was not going anywhere with all of this snow and ended up being forced inside my house for 6 straight days. Besides going stir crazy, I was starting to feel absolutely rotten not having the chance to get in my daily workouts.

It was time to be creative. A few friends of mine were also snowed in and all working from home that lived down the street. We decided that just because we couldn’t get out, didn’t mean we had to have our bodies turn to mush, so we scanned the On Demand selection of workouts.

We met up twice during our lunch breaks for a 45 minute HARD workout brought to us by the extremely tough and kind of mean, Jillian Michaels. At first I was really hesitant that we would just be jumping around and would leave happy, but not really feeling worked.  Twenty minutes into the routine, we were all dripping with sweat and talking back to Jillian, pleading that we would only have one more set of the exercises.  The best part was we only needed our own bodies to complete each move!

The four of us left feeling strong, tired and motivated to press on with our afternoons.  The next morning I woke up and just moving in bed was a bit uncomfortable – Jillian wasn’t joking when she said she would make our bodies burn!!

So, the next time you find yourself stuck inside or maybe you are just too busy to get to the gym, turn on the Exercise Channel and prepare to be surprised by how good the workouts really are and you may even have some fun too!!

Want a workout that’s quick, super effective, works every inch of your body and is actually fun?! Look no further because the new TRX suspension training hits them all. TRX training is a portable suspension trainer that requires your own body weight to perform each exercise.

I am an ACE certified personal trainer and constantly looking for ways to keep workouts fresh and exciting so that my body and my clients will continue to see positive muscular and cardiovascular changes.  New gadgets and gizmos come out every month that claim to tighten and reduce the size of my inner thigh, give the appearance I had a butt implant and remove underarm flab. Best of all, they all supposedly work without pain, discomfort or putting in much time. Well, I know and once someone has given some of these gadgets a try, they quickly learn that nothing comes that easy and it certainly doesn’t happen without purposeful intention to make a change.

A co-worker of mine introduced me to the new TRX trainer and offered me the chance to do the full workout with him. At first I was a bit skeptical that I was actually going to walk away and feel like I had a good, productive workout while using this system.  I had also heard great feedback from other health professionals in my field, so I figured I would give it a try. Last night was my first workout with the TRX trainer and I was completely impressed. I was challenged physically as it really forced me to work on my core strength and it was a lot of fun! The pictures and written explanations for each move made it clear and easy to follow even for the novice gym-goer.  I cannot wait for spring since the gear is all contained in a small bag that I could jog with while I seek out a park or monkey bars that I can set up the trainer on.

If you have not seen the TRX suspension system, I suggest taking a look http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/learn/  and trying to find someone in your area that you could borrow it from or join in on their workouts to see if it would be something you would enjoy too!

It’s that time of year.  The time when we all make pledges for the New Year–and sometimes the “New You” to come!

But how do you stay motivated after the resolution?

The challenges of shorter days and harsh winter weather can quickly de-motivate us to stay on track.  So make sure you surround yourself with inspiration!  Post reminders where they’ll do the most good for you, even the four walls that surround you at the office.  Make your workspace–your workspace:

1. Personalize and accessorize by bringing in a race bib or finishers medal from a race in which you participated.  Hang a photo of yourself from a race you completed or of someone that inspires you! 
2. Socialize by talking to colleagues and sharing accomplishments and goals.  This is also a great way to learn about other races or interesting activities you may have not known about otherwise!
3. Bring your gym bag to the office and put it in a place that you can see! 

Check back with us often for other tips throughout the year–and feel free to share things that work for you.  Go ahead, post a comment…we’d love to hear from you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM DYNASPLINT^® ROM (Racers on a Mission)!

When we think of failure, failure will be ours.

If we remain undecided, nothing will ever change.

All we need to do is want to achieve something great and then simply to do it.

Never think of failure for what we think will come about.—Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Colleen and Kevin working out

On September 26, Colleen King, CT&T consultant for Maryland, Delaware and Southern Pennsylvania, recently challenged herself to participate in “Fight Gone Bad” a grueling Crossfit workout . Fight Gone Bad was a nationwide effort to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. Over 5,000 athletes participated and Fight Gone Bad raised more than $1 million to aid servicemen and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Colleen was the top fund raiser in her gym. The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of honoring and empowering wounded warriors.

Karen, Ashley, Anita, and Sean

The MCM10K was a great success!  Four Dynasplint® colleagues joined with 46 other local runners to form Team Eric.  Team Eric runs in memory of LCPL Eric W. Herzberg a local Severna Park hero KIA Al Anbar, IRAQ.

Check out the link below:

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/sports/102509_mentzer_wins_marine_corps_marathon

The morning of the race was a bit chilly but the sun was shining bright on the almost 30,000 runners that came out to participate in all of the races that the MCM has to offer.

Thank you to the 3,000 Marine, Navy, and Civilian volunteers for their support of “The People’s Race.”  

A very special thank you to all of the military for all that you do to protect our country and our freedom!