Brett Bahr Thrives in Retirement

BRETT BAHR THRIVES IN RETIREMENT

By Marie WoodPhotos By Michelle Isebrand Photography

Retiring can be a scary thing if you don’t have something to do, if you’re not ready for it.

When Brett Bahr retired in March 2023, he was gearing up for the adventure of a lifetime – a week-long guided elk hunting trip in the mountains of Idaho come October.

The adventure was filled with heart-pounding excitement, beautiful country, bonding with his son, wildlife, camaraderie and a bull elk. He was up to the challenges the mountains gave him. There are no straight lines, trails are steep, miles are long, footing treacherous, everything’s harder.

“It was a 40-year dream. When I contacted the outfitter to book the trip, he said I would need to be in shape, and round was not the shape he was looking for, so I trained for two years. The hunt was over in four hours,” Brett said.

On day one, he was on a horse at 4:45 a.m. to begin the trek to the hunting grounds in the dark. Upon arrival, he climbed onto a rock outcrop that looked across a steep ravine. As the sun rose, he listened and watched wildlife; a bull moose came to visit! When an elk came into view, he was ready and took his shot. They hiked along the ridge line to reach the elk and pack him out. The weather turned from sprinkles to a hard rain as the day wore on. It was hours after dark before they reached the camp.

“For over half the trip back to camp, we were leading the horses. It was slick conditions, the horses were struggling,” Brett said.

In the days that followed the elk hunt, he spent time in the woods, reading the land, following the rivers and creeks. As long as he could hear the river, he could walk for miles to hunt mule deer and mushrooms.

He found a cauliflower mushroom bigger than a basketball. He took a photo for the camp cook and learned it was a prized mushroom. He hiked back a mile and a half to bring it to the cook who topped Brett’s pizza with it that night. It was delicious!

As Brett, age 63, heads into year two of retirement, he says, “I’m very proud of what I can still do at my age and I don’t see it slowing down any time soon.”

Active Retirement

Adventures don’t come easy.

Brett’s primary care physician is Dr. John Benson, Mankato Clinic Family Medicine. When it comes to health, Dr. Benson is Brett’s go-to. In January 2022, Brett took the first step in preparing for his adventure. Dr. Benson referred him to Dr. Scott Stevens at the Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic for shoulder surgery on his rotator cuff.

Next came rehabilitation with Katie Swanson, PT, DPT, Mankato Clinic Physical Therapy. He has great respect for Katie. She identified the weak spots and prescribed exercises and movement. He did his homework and was good to go in five months, cleared three months early.

To get fit, he ramped up his training upon retirement. For seven months, Brett worked his way up to hiking 10 miles a day. On Wednesdays, he covered 20-mile days – 10 of the miles with a full pack with 20 pounds of weight.

“Retiring can be a scary thing if you don’t have something to do, if you’re not ready for it. There’s all that time in a day that your job used to fill. You can fill it with something good or not good,” Brett said.

So Brett took up a new sport – disc golf! His son-in-law taught him the basics and set him up with a few discs. In July, he started going to the Land of Memories course. At least five days a week, Brett played 36-holes-plus.

“The more I went, the more I wanted go. I go out in the morning when the grass is still wet out there,” Brett said. “Disc golf got me up and going every day. Before I’d go golfing, I’d take the dog for a walk. Play 40 holes at Land of Memories. Then the dog gets the afternoon and evening walk. It was easy to hit 10 miles in a day.”

Brett likes that disc golf is accessible: no green fees, great exercise, discs are reasonable. Driving the disc from the tee box requires a full rotation of the torso which is good for the waistline. He watches YouTube videos to improve his form and smiles big when he talks about the physics of throwing discs. He knows every disc in his bag.

In the last two years, Brett lost 35 pounds total; 25 pounds during the seven months after retirement. Losing weight has made life easier. He has more energy and less aches and pains. He feels younger than he has in years.

Brett has diabetes, and his A1C blood sugar has dropped almost a full point so he only needs a small dose of medication to help manage his blood sugar.

He eats healthy foods to help control his blood sugar and promote overall wellness. He does the grocery shopping and cooking for him and his wife. Meals center on fresh vegetables and lean protein such as wild game – elk, venison and fish – and chicken. He is more conscious about portion size and fullness cues. He also keeps an eye on his carbs and sugar.

“If you don’t put in the effort, you don’t get the results. It’s that simple,” Brett says.

PARTNERS IN HEALTH

For the past 25 years, Brett has leaned on his primary care physician, Dr. John Benson, Mankato Clinic Family Medicine, to reach optimal health. Brett was close to 50 pounds heavier when he started seeing Dr. Benson who diagnosed him with pre-diabetes and told Brett that he could lose some weight.

“Being overweight can lead to insulin resistance. Pre-diabetes is caused by insulin resistance which means insulin receptors on the cells cannot bind to insulin. As a result, sugar is not actively pumped into the cells where it belongs. The consequence is elevated sugar concentrations in the blood stream,” Dr. Benson explains. “Losing excess body weight helps cell receptors bind to insulin and decrease sugar in the blood stream.”

Now 25 years later, Brett has lost the weight and his health has improved.

“Had I tried as hard back in those days, I never would have tipped the point to become diabetic. One more improvement like the last two appointments and my numbers will be back to pre-diabetic numbers,” Brett says. “How do you tell people to take it seriously? When you’re younger, you’re invincible, you don’t think about it. There’s always something more important.”

Complications from diabetes include vision loss, kidney disease, nerve damage, high blood pressure and other problems. Dr. Benson helps Brett prevent complications by managing his blood sugar and ordering screening tests. Every year, Brett gets a diabetic eye exam to screen for diabetic retinopathy. Early detection and treatment can help preserve eyesight.

“Complications, such as loss of vision, are permanent. Physicians have learned what exams or screening tests are needed to prevent future problems for people with diabetes,” Dr. Benson says.

Brett trusts Dr. Benson and follows his advice. In annual exams, Dr. Benson advises other screening tests such as colonoscopies to check for colon cancer before there are symptoms. Since colon cancer runs in Brett’s family, he is at a higher risk and gets screened more often. Dr. Benson also pays close attention to Brett’s kidney function since his father had kidney issues.

Brett’s kidneys are in great shape. His heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers are all good too!

In a short story by Stephen King, Brett found an analogy for aging that resonated. In the story, an old man in a nursing home saw his body as a sand castle wearing away from the waves. Brett takes it a step further.

“Exercise and taking care of yourself can build a barrier so the waves can’t destroy you,” Brett says. “You only get one shot at this life.”

Dr. Benson often tells his patients: “How you treat yourself in your 50s will reflect on how you feel in your 60s. That also can be said for the 60s and 70s. I try to get my patients to think a decade in advance. Retiring in good health is best.”

Brett was listening!

To meet Mankato Clinic Family Medicine providers, visit mankatoclinic.com/specialties/family-medicine. Family Medicine providers are located at Main Steet and Wickersham Health Campus in Mankato, North Mankato, Mapleton and Daniels Health Center in St. Peter.