One day as my focus faded from studying, I thought about how much I had been sitting that day, and how many hours I spend sitting every day. After logging in eight hours of sleep (if I am lucky), I am left with 16 waking-hours. On average, I can tally nine of these hours in a chair, whether sitting in class, studying or eating. Even when you size-up my 30-minute workouts and lighter daily activities, the majority of my days are spent motionless. We all experience this excessive sitting, and I challenge you to think about it as more than a necessary act – or lack thereof. As I’ll share below, excessive sitting is now being considered a major risk factor for the development of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

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My first bike was pink with a cute basket, a loud bell, streamers coming off the handles, and of course nice big training wheels. Learning to ride a bike is a milestone that comes with many cuts and scrapes. You have to fall in order to learn how far to lean when making a turn. You fall in order to learn how to stop correctly. Your parents or older siblings might show you how and then you might try to imitate them. After time, you get pretty good at. You get your training wheels off and can ride without having a massive stock of Neosporin and Band-Aids handy. Some people may never ride a bike again after the age of 10. Some people will find that they are really good at bike riding and will go on to do BMX biking and do all those crazy tricks that ensure the ER staff will always have jobs. I like to think that those people started their careers by falling off pink training-wheel bikes as well.

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Congrats, you made it to Des Moines University! All your hard work through undergrad has finally paid off. Now that you’re here, you might have noticed your friends didn’t come with you. I was personally shocked when my friends didn’t want to move nine hours way from our hometown to keep me entertained when I occasionally have breaks. But that’s okay, I’m not bitter. I did wonder, though, why should I get to know my classmates? Some of them talk funny. What would we have in common? Why bother? I came up with some reasons why you don’t have to go it alone.

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It never fails. Once I tell someone I’m going into medicine, their next question is, “What do you want to do when you finish?” I reply that I’m in the podiatry program at DMU, which leads to the question: “Why feet?”

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Whenever I mention to someone that I am going to have a quinoa dish, I normally receive a “what did you just say?” look. Many people have not heard of this pseudo-cereal, but I’m sure they would be pleasantly surprised at the versatility it holds for any number of dishes. One such dish that I have become quite the fan of is my fiancée’s quinoa vegetable soup.

Quinoa: versatile, protein-packed goodness in every bite

Now, coming from a guy’s perspective, I can tell you that the first thought that comes to mind when I hear the word soup is “watery and not filling.” Well, not this one. Fear not, gents, this one is for you as well!

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As we come down to the last med-school-free week of our summer, my fellow DO’14s and I will soon resume our busy lives as second-year medical students. With boards awaiting us at the end of this coming year, it’s a distinct possibility that this will have been our last truly free summer before starting our busy careers. That being said, any major life goals or dream vacations that had been put on hold until this point were quickly brought into reality as our window of opportunity slid to a close. Some of my classmates took trips overseas, toured across the U.S. or pursued medical mission trips. Even I was able to enjoy an eventful summer, which included a visit with the family and a brief trip to an island resort. It also featured a chain of events that culminated in a freak moped accident that left a second-degree abrasion wound on the palm of my right hand. Part of this chain of events involved a senior citizen’s bachelorette party that passed by at the most inopportune moment (I’m not kidding; it’s a long and bizarre story). As far as I’m aware, no alcohol was involved in the accident – just very bad moped drivers. Fortunately, I’ve enjoyed a swift recovery, though it’s been a little hard to do OMM with a bandaged hand.

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