Wellness Wednesday: New Year’s Resolutions

I have always been skeptical of the idea of  New Year’s resolutions. Did you know that only 8% of them succeed ? I am more in favor of a New Year’s PLAN. Plans can change things. 

I am all for establishing intentions and all for making lists. A resolution however, is more like wishing for something and expecting that the strength of your wish will make it come true. Research shows the desire or willpower alone is insufficient. If you are ready and willing to make changes, bring out the power tools. They are called SMART goals. 

SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound.

See more at:

Structure Sunday: Three Ways to Get Ready for the Week

So make a New Year’s list of the goals you would like to achieve, but apply this metric to each one. 

Here is more on exactly how this works : 

The Importance of Inspiration

For example, if you want to exercise daily, you must know what exercise you will do, and where. You should make a record of what you do. It should be something that is realistic at the present moment. You should know exactly when in the day and week it will take place and give yourself a date to reassess your progress. If you do not do these things for your exercise plan, then you are not serious about this goal. If you actually set yourself up this way, you will almost certainly be successful. It’s like Dorothy and the ruby slippers. You had the power all along. 

Meanwhile here is some additional fun and illuminating reading on New Year’s Resolutions : 

LIfehack: 50 New Year's Resolutions and How to Achieve Each of Them

Happy New Year ! 

Wellness Wednesday: Body image

Hello Angels. Did everybody watch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show last week ? I did. It is a provocative female fest of the first order and boy does it provoke a lot of conversation. So thank you VS for stimulating conversation around the world. 

I am a doctor and am first and foremost interested in health: physical health and mental health. So that is my filter. And through that filter, this is what I see, and it isn’t all pretty. 

I see that many women of all types and sizes have poor body image. I have seen umpteen conversations in the blogosphere running along the following lines: “ The VS show made me feel bad about myself.” I wonder if these women feel the same way after watching the Olympics or the Cirque du Soleil ? I wonder if they are aware that these models train like professional athletes, boosting their calorie and protein intake way up to build muscle and compensate for the long hard workouts that they must do. Many women are 5’10 or more and have pretty faces, but few can achieve this level of discipline and training.

I am not so unsophisticated that I do not realize that the VS show is essentially marketing and that it sends mixed messages to and about women. Yet, it would be nice if we could all watch Olympics, gymnastics, or even the VS show and be inspired to be our best selves. 

I am certain this chronic problem with poor body image is something we inherit from our culture, and that we are retaught every generation. Historically, we women have been property, and most generally utilized for our physical attributes. Is it any wonder this is still how we define ourselves ? Although the problem of our self worth came from without, the problem is now within us. Likewise,the solution can only come from within each of us. It is for each of us take a hard look at ourselves and count our own strengths. We need to learn to define ourselves in our own terms, and value ourselves as whole people. We all know none of us is perfect, mentally or physically. However, we must learn to celebrate what we are and to learn to enjoy the process of making ourselves better all the time.

Through my filter, I see that women of all descriptions hurt one another with fat shaming and thin shaming. Women already have to deal with objectification, abuse, unequal pay, glass ceilings, and sexism. The last thing they need to be doing is undermining each other.

I see people outside the health profession mistake all sorts of things: slim for anorexic, obese for “ big boned”, obese for "womanly" and muscular for unfeminine. I even hear some of these things from people in the health sciences. None of these analyses are helpful to the cause of the physical or mental health of women.  None of these critiques allows for the fact that there are many body types. None of them asks the right questions about fat percent, muscle mass, bone density, strength, nutritional status, menstrual health and other truly relevant parameters. 

I am very concerned about eating disorders in young women. However, I see them very rarely. But, numbers wise, prevalence wise, I am profoundly more concerned about the obesity epidemic. This will end up causing no end of disease related suffering as women of this generation come into middle age and older. We as women have to come to terms with the need for good nutrition and regular fitness. We need to get back in touch with strong female physicality.  If we cannot get in touch with our physicality, we become oblivious to our bodies and avoid them outright and they get less and less healthy with each passing year. 

Strong healthy physicality in women, and I mean mature adult women as well as young women, lends confidence to the mind as well as the body. What does physicality mean ? To me it means, being in touch with your body. This means being able to honestly assess your bodies strengths and weaknesses with the help of your doctor and maybe even a trainer. It means standing in front of a mirror without clothes. It means getting on a scale and doing a waistline measurement. It means accepting where you are at the present moment and knowing you have the power to better yourself.

Physicality means having the courage to try new things with your body, new exercises, new sports. Sports ! Yes… I believe all women need sports and competition in their life. It builds confidence in all things, because sports teaches you how to try and try again. Sports teaches you how to practice, even how to train, however modestly. 

Your physicality extends to other people. It asks you to acknowledge your own sexuality, and to ask whether it is in a reasonable state. 

Physicality bears on how you present yourself to the world. You may not wish to become a materialistic fashion slave. But….. do you neglect your own appearance and present yourself poorly to the world ? Do you neglect your hygiene ? Do you dress down or to be invisible ? Is your posture poor ? Think about these things and take responsibility for yourself. Love what is, shower it, brush it, put some cream on it, then dress it up to show your best self. 

Physicality extends to the natural world. It asks that you get out in it and feel it with all your senses. When learn to use your body in the natural world, the natural world will, in return, sculpt you into a better adapted creature. 

It is good to embrace health and beauty in all forms. True beauty is health. You have the power to make some of your own. 

Wellness Wednesday: Cold Weather Workouts

Now that the temperatures are dropping and the outdoors is frosty, there are a few cold weather tips you need for working out outside. 

• Chose safe routes. Avoid iced over rivers of uncertain stability. Winter roads can be icy. One winter run of mine a few years ago landed me in a CT scanner, since I slipped, fell and hit my head on the ice. All was well, but it was no fun and showcased my imprudence to all my friends in the emergency room. Plowed roads or snowpack can work well, but you still have to be on your guard for black ice. Despite your best efforts, you may fall and injure yourself, so always carry your cell phone or go with a buddy. Some have suggested a loop close to home so you are are never far if you have to limp back. 
• In your first excursions of the cold season, go for less time than you usually do, to see how you adapt. You can always work up gradually later. This is especially good advice if you have asthma or other medical conditions. 
• Don’t forget sunscreen, especially in bright snow white conditions. Likewise wear appropriate eye protection for sun, snow and ice .
• Warm up and cool down as always. However, in the case of cold weather, do it inside. 
• Dress in layers, so you can stay warm but not overheat and sweat too much. Start with a wicking layer, followed by insulation, and then a shell. Always include a hat, which adds warmth without bulk and can help prevent frostbitten ears if it has earflaps. Consider a neck gaiter to keep the mouth and nose warm. Absolutely wear gloves to prevent frostbite. 
• Check the forecast before you go, factoring in not only temperature but precipitation and windchill. Tell someone where you are going and when. 
• Have an indoors workout alternative if it is just too challenging out of doors, preferably an indoor alternative at home, such as a workout DVD you can do in your living room or basement. 
• Do not mix alcohol with any workout. Be aware that alcohol degrades decision making, and masks symptoms of hypothermia. 
• Know and recognize the symptoms of frostbite, whiteness, tingling and pain. Know, recognize and heed the signs and symptoms of hypothermia: shivering, confusion, fatigue and slurred speech. Hypothermia is medical emergency and must be corrected right away. 
• Avoid cold weather exercise in the face of dehydration, inadequate calories or sleep deprivation. These can limit your bodies ability to thermoregulate. 

Working out outdoors in the winter requires extra preparation and mindfulness. However, there are some major benefits: Winter workouts produces a bigger endorphin boost than working out in warm weather. You burn more calories in the winter and train a bit harder. And it is invigorating to be out in the weather, and the landscape is often stunningly beautiful. Getting outside in the winter is important for fitness, but it also improves attitude and mood as well. All in all, is it something you should add to this season’s workout mix. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

California and Oregon will soon allow pharmacists to screen patients and prescribed birth control pills. While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists considers this a step in right direction, they believe they should be available over-the-counter, plain and simple. While it is true that low dose combination birth control pills can have medical complications in a very small percent of people, by and large their health benefits far outweigh their risks.

As most of you probably are already aware, hepatitis C has a new medical treatment which provides a cure in a very high percentage of people. However, hepatitis B has remained a challenge, and in particular, we have had to deal with the problem of vertical passage of the virus from mother to baby during pregnancy, labor and delivery. However recently at the meetings of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, new research was presented. In the course of a randomized controlled trial, a drug called Tenofovir was shown to be able to reduce vertical transmission. 

Yet another encouraging recommendation about exercise in pregnancy has been released. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, nearly half of US women gain too much weight while they're pregnant. We all know that women who gain too much weight in pregnancy are very uncomfortable. However they also have higher rates of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, and babies with birth defects. They’re also more likely to have heart problems, sleep apnea, gestational or pregnancy associated diabetes, preeclampsia also known as toxemia, and abnormal blood clots. They are at higher risk for cesarean section. So there are ample reasons to find ways to control this weight gain. 

The new memo released by ACOG advises pregnant women to exercise regularly and more often than they currently do. The memo states that while walking is the best exercise, jogging, Pilates, yoga, cycling, swimming, and other forms of exercise are perfectly acceptable. ACOG cautions against contact sports such as skiing, and other specialized sports such as scuba diving.

More good news: it appears that breast-feeding for two months or more reduces a gestational diabetic’s risk of developing type II diabetes later in life by 50 %. Moreover, the risk of diabetes lessens as the patients breast-fed longer.

Finally, here is some good news that initially sounds a lot like bad news. Since 2010, there has been a significant increase in the number of women under age 26 who have received a diagnosis of early-stage cervical cancer. In the next age group, 26-34, the numbers were unchanged. What changed for the younger age group? The answer is the availability of insurance. One of the features of the ACA, The affordable care act, was to allow children to stay on their parents insurance plans through the age of 26. Most likely the increase in diagnoses came from increased compliance with recommended screening, i.e. pap smears. Once again, we are reminded that appropriate screening leads to early diagnosis, which leads to less invasive treatments, fewer complications, and higher rates of cure. 

Stay tuned for more breaking news from the world of OB/GYN next week on Medical Monday.

Wellness Wednesday: Nature and Health

Tonight I attended the Banff Mountain Film Festival as I have done almost every year for the last 20 years. This film festival is a celebration of mountain culture and the outdoor lifestyle.

Mountain culture means a certain thing to me, my family and my friends. Understanding what this means can shed some light on what it means to be healthy. 

I could say it means high adventure like ice climbing, parasailing, and extreme skiing. I could say it means having a community where fitness is highly valued. I could say it means being outdoorsy. I could say it means being active in the environmental community. But it is not exactly just these things. 

It is a little but of each of these things. But mostly it is this: it is connecting WITH  people IN nature. We know from the social sciences that being connected to others is critical to health and wellness. We also know that immersion in nature is critical to our well being. Numerous studies have demonstrated that exposure to or immersion in nature improves the following: 

• mental health

• immune system resistance

• reduced stress

• reduced anxiety 

• reduced anger

• reduced fear

• increased positive mood

• increased feelings of unity with others, more sense of community

• more concern over helping others 

• enhanced social interactions 

For children, exposure to nature has been associated with the following:

• reduced stress levels, increased fitness 
• reduction in ADHD symptoms 
• enhanced student performance on tests of critical thinking 

The data on the subject of nature and health are fascinating, overwhelming and encouraging. Check some out for yourself: 

University of Minnesota

Health Promotion International

National Wildlife Federation

American Public Health Association

Stanford University via Science Alert

The Lancet

University of Washington

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

No matter where you live, be it city or country, this is important for you to know. You and your family need your time in nature, no matter the season, no matter whether you live in the mountains. coast, desert or plain.

You should keep an eye out for any outdoor film festivals in your area as they are sure to inspire. Our local festival out of Banff is sponsored in part by National Geographic. I was intrigued by their stated interest which was the intersection of “science, adventure and storytelling” . Go out and get some for yourself. 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health

The HPV vaccine has recently been vetted at the European Medicines Agency (EMA, the equivalent of the FDA). The EMA concluded that the benefits of Cervarix and Gardisil outweigh the risks. CDC (Center for Disease Control) Director Tom Frieden estimates that increasing the HPV vaccination rate to 80% would prevent 50,000 cases of cervical cancer in women.

Echoing results from last week, a study published in the Journal Hypertension has shown that those who had high blood pressure in pregnancy double their risk to develop the condition later in life. For diabetes, the risk quadruples.

Our largest and most foundational study on postmenopausal hormone therapy, the Women's Health initiative, (2002) was noteworthy for the fact that overall “estrogen plus progestin hormone replacement therapy" increased risk of "heart disease and breast cancer”.

Well the devil is always in the details, and sometimes angels too. It turns out that age makes a big difference the development of heart disease risk. If you “unpack" the data, you will see that women between the ages of 50 and 59 actually had a protective benefit to using hormone therapy, while women over 60 did not have the same advantage. Is interesting to remember that in this study all study participants  had never before taken any postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy. Therefore those who were 60 and older entering the study were beginning their hormone therapy approximately 10 years after the onset of menopause. Some researchers believe that it is that block of time after menopause but before initiation of hormone therapy in which silent atherosclerotic developed. If this is true then cardiovascular disease manifesting during the course the study would not really have been caused by the hormone replacement under study. Optimistic speculation leads us to wonder if women over 60 would do as well as their younger counterparts if they're hormone therapy has been started at the onset of menopause. It would be nice to know whether or not it is the youth of the women that caused them to do well with hormone therapy in their 50s or the fact that they started their hormone therapy immediately after the beginning of menopause.

It is interesting to note that age at the beginning of the study did not affect a woman's risk of breast cancer. Use of "estrogen plus progestin hormone replacement therapy” was and is clearly associated with increasing risk of breast cancer. (The same cannot be said for those who are able to use estrogen alone as their hormone therapy.) The lead investigator in this most recent study, Dr. Joanne Manson, indicated that "for every 1000 women per year not using hormone therapy, about 3 develop breast cancer” versus 4 out of “every 1000 women” using combined estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy.

A recent study has shown that only about half of women visited the dentist during pregnancy. Dental care in pregnancy is critical since many oral and tooth diseases have a direct impact on the pregnancy including increased risk of preterm labor.

Former Republican representative from Georgia Phil Gingrey has criticized the recent US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)  recommendations on mammography citing the differing recommendations of the USPSTF, the American Cancer Society, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He has urged for more time to study the basis of these differing recommendations, so that we can "analyze the research and arrive at a medical consensus”. He has introduced a bill entitled “Protect Access to Life-saving Screenings”, (PALS). This bill would place a two year moratorium on the USPSTF recommendations.

I am all for this and I dare say a great deal of unpacking the data will be necessary here. What will be important in the conversation is identifying the “harms" of screening. And please don't talk to me or the breast cancer survivors in my life about fear of and pain from mammograms, which have been cited by the USPSTF as harms. Besides this, it will also be imperative to study endpoints, not only survival, meaning and lack of death, but years of life. It seems like a subtle distinction but it seems to have been lost on the US Preventive Services Task Force thus far.

Support has come out for treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism (low thyroid) in pregnancy. A new study presented at the International Thyroid Congress has shown that treatment with synthroid or Levothyroxine in pregnancy for those with subclinical hypothyroidism “was associated with decreased low birth weight and Apgar scores". It was not however associated with a significant decrease in miscarriage. This will probably tip the wobbling scales in favor of universal thyroid testing in pregnancy. 

Any study recently published in the December issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology has shown that yoga is safe even late in pregnancy. Study participants were put through various yoga postures and measurements were taken of heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs for mother and or baby. Although mothers often opted for various modifications of their poses, no ill effects were found.

In more happy news, the United Nations and the World Bank jointly issued a report Thursday noting that maternal death rates have dropped 43% worldwide since 1990. This is attributed to better access to higher quality health and sex education services.

Stay tuned for more news from the world of OB/GYN and women's health, next week on Medical Monday.

Wellness Wednesday: How to Start Your Fitness Routine

There are people out there who experience lasting fitness breakthroughs. They all have to start somewhere. This week's post is about how you can start your fitness regimen. 

How do you break out of your rut? By creating a new rut. A lot of people have good intentions and a lot of people have brute force discipline. But that's not really what it takes.

What does it really take? It takes a good set up. You have to set yourself up for success.

As with any goal, your goal of starting fitness needs to be SMART.  

SMART means: 

• SPECIFIC
• MEASURABLE
• ATTAINABLE 
• RELEVANT
• TIME BOUND 

1. Specific- Decide what you are going to do. I suggest beginners either go to a class at an accredited health center, gym or, as a lower cost alternative get a selection of appropriate fitness DVDs for home use. One great regimen is every other day at the gym interspersed with every other day at home with a DVD. Always take at least one or two days off a week. On those off days you may do gentle yoga to perpetuate your habit and stay limber. 

Being specific also means that you know exactly what you are going to wear and exactly what you are going to do to start the workout. For me, this means coming home from work, changing into my exercise clothes, turning on my DVD player, grabbing a glass of ice water, and then putting on my workout shoes. By then, the workout is as good as done. I do it the same way every time to create and reinforce a habit loop.

2. Measurable-Consult with your doctor about how many days a week you should work out. I suggest no less than three and no more than six, preferably 5 to 6 days per week. When you are a beginner the duration of your exercise should be no more than 30 minutes and possibly closer to 20.

Very importantly decide on a method of recording your exercise episodes. This can be as simple as making a mark on the calendar or as complicated as using a fitness tracker on your smart phone. Don't make a big deal out of the recording, just do something simple and quick. Then your exercise becomes measurable.

3. Attainable-Make sure the first three months of your workout are easy. Your workouts should be so easy that they provoke nothing more than some light breathing. They should not hurt, burn, or exhaust you. The first three months of what you do is simply to let your body and your mind adjust to the idea of regular exercise. You are building a habit. You will almost certainly want to modify the routines you see in the easiest of your DVDs, but this is perfectly okay. 

4 Relevant-The first three months of your fitness workout should focus on light cardio and light resistance combined. This is the most relevant form of exercise according to current Sports Medicine evidence. You do not want to undertake long distance running or powerlifting or anything so specialized or extreme.

5 Time bound-You know your schedule. Carve out precisely 30 minutes for a 40 minute work out getting yourself five minutes on either side to change clothes. Know exactly where the workout is going to be placed in your day for the entire next week. Be realistic… you have 30 minutes. Everyone does, but this might mean you need to be more efficient overall, and there is nothing wrong with that. It also might mean that you have to cut things out, Such as Facebook, Pinterest or even Big Bang Theory.

You really want it. You know it will make you feel good. You know it will enhance your health. You know it will set a good example for your family. I'm here to tell you that fitness is not hard. In fact, it's fun and satisfying. Take these SMART steps today and start your fitness routine.

Structure Sunday: The Structure is Changing !

As of today, I have done precisely one year of regular blogging four days per week. Medicine, Fitness and Nutrition lend themselves to easily written useful blog posts, and they are also easy to illustrate. Structure Sunday, however, is rather bookish. It requires more thought, and is probably worth more in the long run, but it is not as easy or convenient to read. 

For this reason, I am going to streamline down to three blog posts per week, continuing all on schedule except Structure Sunday. This energy and this material is going to go toward books. I have several planned or partly written, and with some allotted days to work on them, they will come to completion. When this type of longer material is put in book form, only people who want these longer pieces will get it. 

I would love to know what you think about the change ! 

I am also curious about any subject you would like to see become books. 

Finally, do you prefer your ebooks as Kindle or Ibooks ? 

Looking forward to your feedback, 

Dr. Gina 

Medical Monday: Weekly News Update in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Did you know that some insurance companies offer rebate incentives to get indicated mammograms ? A recent editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association called this “ an ethically disconcerting distraction”. What do you think ? I think advanced breast cancer is far more expensive than early cancer caught and cured. 

A new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health has shown that less than half of new mothers returning to work have adequate space and time to pump. Meanwhile, in related news, the Army now requires commanders to allow breastfeeding soldiers to have time and space to pump. To clarify, many soldiers stay stateside or in non-hostile countries with family on bases and serve in technical or support positions. 

One article and two more separate recent studies indicate a higher infant mortality for non- hospital births than hospital births. ACOG estimates risk at two to threefold across the board. Remember there is also evidence demonstrating a 14 fold incidence of first Apgar of ZERO in those delivering their first baby at home. All this seems self evident to me given all my eyes have seen. 

The American College of Physicians has come out against routine pelvic exams in the the asymptomatic woman. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has made it clear it supports annual pelvic exams. Recall that pelvic exams need not always include a pap, since a pap is the collection of cells from the cervix to be evaluated in the lab. Pelvic exams confer a wealth of information about infection, pelvic relaxation, masses in the uterus, masses in the ovaries, etc. Ask any ob/gyn; They will tell you they find significant things on pelvic exams in asymptomatic women all the time. It looks like this needs to be formally studied. 

Uh oh, more bad news for Essure, those little coils placed in the tubes for sterilization. (Darn it, this seemed so promising. ) A new study in the British Medical Journal evaluated over 52,000 women sterilized with Essure. These women were 10 times more likely to go to surgery in the following year than those that were sterilized with a traditional tubal sterilization procedure. It is interesting to note that the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) did NOT require documentation of Essure’s performance though a RCT ( randomized controlled trial). 

A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has shown 61% of women obtaining mammograms will have at least one false positive report. They are advocating that physicians do more to educate and reduce anxiety associated with these results. 

In the good news and empowerment department, a Norwegian Study reports that pregnant women who exercise regularly in the three months prior to pregnancy report less pelvic pain in pregnancy that their non exercising counterparts. And this is making me smile: High impact exercise was the most strongly associated with decreased pain. So, did these women go through life feeling less pain to begin with thus tolerate exercise and pregnancy better, or did the performance of the exercise change something about the way they perceive pain ? A study like this cannot answer these questions, but they are interesting to ask. 

Stay tunes for more news form the world of OB/GYN next week on Medical Monday. 

Structure Sunday: The Structure of Prevention

Here’s a simple question: Is it hard or easy to stay well ? 

Staying well is two things: avoiding disease and optimizing health. I’ll be the first to tell you that there are some diseases you simply can’t avoid. I’ll also be the first to tell you that most diseases are a preventable. 

What is prevention ? Is prevention hard or easy ? Prevention is not one thing. It is collection of different actions. Most importantly, these are done over time, on a meaningful schedule, and so we call them habits. I find that lots of people do certain few healthy things once in a while. Oftentimes these same people wonder why they do not see gains in health or fitness. What they are missing is the element of time. Taking one, two or ten habits and performing them in perpetuity over time is what makes the changes. If I could change just a few ideas in my patient’s minds, this would be one of them. 

Prevention requires you to harness the element of time. Time gives your actions power. Most prevention habits are simple easy acts in and of themselves. By themselves they don’t so much. Multiply them by months and they make significant and long lasting changes. 

Here are some super simple acts which you can multiply over time. 

Mind: 

Record three things for which you are grateful before you go to bed. 

Read them upon arising. 

In a conversation, listen first then respond with “I” statements. 

Think and take two full breaths before responding during a conflict. 

Meditate for 10 minutes per day. 

Have about 6 close friends. 

Consider having a partner. 

Have a pet of whom you take good care. 

Ensure your work is meaningful. 

Don’t overspend. 

Take your allotted vacations. 

Body: 

Wash your hands at work and when you get home. 

Get your required vaccinations. 

Sleep at least 7-8 hours a night. 

Wear seat belts. 

Use sunscreen.

Eat three meals and three snacks each with protein and produce. 

Avoid simple refined carbohydrates. 

Use olive oil and green tea. 

Ban soda, smokes and drugs. 

Limit to one wine or beer per day. 

Drink 3 liters water per day. 

Brush twice a day, floss and use a peroxide mouthwash before bed. 

Exercise for half hour 5-6 times per week combining cardio and light resistance. 

Incorporate yoga every week. 

Super basic, right ?

Super powerful.

That’s what these habits are when repeated over time. 

Prevention doesn’t hurt, it’s not expensive, and you can do it anywhere. It does take a plan to carve out the small slots in the day to do these things, but it really isn’t hard. Just keep the list handy, do the items, and you will wake up in a few months and notice some pleasant changes. 

Wellness Wednesday: When NOT to work out

Last week I “exercised” poor judgement. I knew it right away, since my natural consequences were swift and sure. 

I had an exhausting week at work. I had kept up on my regular workouts, and got a moderate amount of sleep. Then one morning very early, really in the wee hours of the night, I had to go do an emergency delivery. This dovetailed right into the day. As I worked into the afternoon, not surprisingly, I felt off, a little ill. However, it was the night of the big Zumba Master class, with the awesome teacher from out of town. It was not to be missed. 

I felt like it was all I could do to get my zumba clothes on. Maybe that was a sign. If you can’t get your sports bra on you should not work out. Anyhow, I got there, and it was packed. A nurse friend of mine told me I looked tired. She told me I’d feel better after the workout. Then the new instructor started  in and she was dynamite. It was great dancing; stuff I had not seen before. I did feel better. 

Somehow I had gotten into a little clutch of instructor types in my section of the crowd and everybody could actually dance. That made it even more fun, but you had to really put out. And put out I did. By the end I was drenched, which is unusual for me. My face was red as a beet, also unusual. And then I stepped into the cold night air and felt sick. Weird sick. I was pretty sure I had whacked my electrolytes. 

When I got home I felt strangely weak, and super thirsty. I drank slowly, ate some chips and salsa for salt, and soaked in a tub. I got better, but it took until the next afternoon for me to feel ok. 

Moral of the story ? Remember that working out is for health. If doing it will not be good for you then don’t. Other moral ? Listen to your body. 

So I thought I would take this occasion to give you ( and me) some reasonable criteria for postponing your workout. 

• The neck rule: You may do a light or “ recovery “ workout if you have the simple sniffles or head cold (cold above the neck) and you are otherwise healthy. 
• You should pass if your respiratory infection is below your neck in your chest or you feel systemic symptoms such as body aches and fever. 
• If you have actual Influenza, do not work out. 
• Do not work out if you are having an asthma flare. Consult with your physician on how to treat your flare and when to return to exercise. 
• Do not work out after a concussion until your doctor releases you. 
• If an old injury is acting up don’t just tough it out. Perhaps do a workout where it is not involved at all, or just get in to be treated. 
• If you went without sleep, i.e. less than 5 hours… then just do a light session, eat, shower, then hit the hay. 
• If you are really sore from a prior workout, go light on some different type of workout. 
• If you are dehydrated, then hydrate up, wait a couple hours, then you should be ok. 
• If you are pregnant without complications, you should be able to continue to exercise, but you will have to modify in later weeks. Consult with your physician about this. 

If you work out in a gym it is particularly important to stay away when you are sick, to prevent the spread of your illness. Likewise it is prudent to wash hands, use sanitizer and avoid touching your face so you don’t get what others have brought. Consult with your doctor about this season’s immunizations. 

Regular moderate exercise stimulates the immune system in a good way. But hard exercise to “ get you to the next level” can actually temporarily suppress immune function. During mild illness, a light workout or yoga session will not result in you losing fitness. When you are under the weather, switch your emphasis from training to self care. You’ll be glad you did. 

References: 

WebMD

Greatist

MayoClinic 

Wellness Wednesday: Getting Real about Wellness Coaches

"Are health coaches a real thing? What do they actually do? Something like that sounds really expensive.” In our survey two weeks ago you said the most helpful thing for your health improvement would be a health coach. Here is the lowdown on this very real and up-and-coming service.

There are a lot of coaches out there. There are a lot of health and wellness coaches out there too. As you know, I have hung out my shingle as an "evidence based" practitioner. Accordingly, if I were to get a wellness coach, I would want one that practiced evidence based coaching. 

I have done a little homework on our behalf, and found that the American College of Sports Medicine certifies only one coaching program in the country at this time, wellcoachesschool.com. Lucky for me, the medical fitness center (health club) associated with my hospital utilizes wellness coaches certified by this school.

However, I too assumed this would be on the expensive side. Here's what I found out. First of all all, prices are cheaper if you are a member of the health club, which stands to reason. Secondly, they offered different packages. The cheapest package without membership was $200 and consisted of eight sessions over eight weeks. This would provide personal training in a small group. This sort of thing would be an out of pocket expense.

On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the more extensive packages involving weight management and wellness coaching for those with serious or chronic medical conditions might be covered by insurance. These programs range from $250-$750 and take place over several months time. Of course any coverage by insurance would have to be determined beforehand and would have to be based on documentation in the patient's medical record by a patient’s physician, someone like me. 

Although I was encouraged by all of this, I did come away from my fact-finding with the impression that my patients who need this most are simply not going to be able to have access to this, afford it or obtain coverage for it. 

This led me to the idea of being your own coach. This is not my idea or a new idea. A simple Google search revealed several reputable sites which deal with this topic. I will share them with you now.  

How to become your own life coach with 14 simple strategies

10 ways to be your own life coach

How to be your own life coach in four easy steps

And my favorite,

Tips from the pros: how to be your own life coach

I am thinking about getting wellness coach certification from wellcoachesschool.com. So much of what I do in the course of the day with my patients is wellness coaching. While it is true that I deliver babies and perform female pelvic surgery, I spend a lot of time and energy trying to get my patients to be well. I would like to be as good as this as possible.

Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life: Train Your Brain to Get More Done in Less Time

$12.96

By Margaret Moore, Paul Hammerness

Buy on Amazon

I looked into the course curriculum, and I noticed they had two key textbooks, one you get when you register for the classes, and is rather costly. The other is available on Amazon.com for a modest amount of money ( At this time a used one is $0.43 plus $3.99 for shipping. ) It is called "Organize your Mind, Organize your Life” with the subtitle,”Train your brain to get more done in less time”, by Margaret Moore and Paul Hammerness. I think this is a great place to start for people who want to be their own life coach. I know I am going to crack open this book as soon as possible. 

Beyond that I am still going to be giving continued thought to what, in practical every day terms, could help people meet their basic health goals in nutrition, fitness, and stress management.

Stay tuned for more tips on achieving wellness on next weeks Wellness Wednesday. 

Wellness Wednesday: Survey Results for your Biggest Health Challenges

Don't you like getting survey results? It's like getting the punchline to a joke or solving a puzzle. Basically you get to compare your anticipation of the results with the actual results. It's even more fun when the results you get are unexpected. 

Many thanks to those who took the time to complete the survey. The number is small, but it is more than last survey I ran.

Here are the key results:

• Approximately three quarters of respondents felt that their health was only somewhat where they wanted it to be.
• The biggest health challenges were divided almost equally across nutrition, fitness, weight, and stress.
• Most everyone who took the survey took the time to write a bit about the biggest obstacle to health maintenance. Time was the most common theme expressed in a variety of different ways. Some people referred to the time demands of their job, partner, kids, house and pets. I doubt very much that these things are ever going to go away. In fact, I hope all of us always have jobs, partners, kids,  houses and pets. It sounds to me that concerted improvements in time management would be helpful across the board.
• Respondents were uncertain and vague when asked open ended questions about what would help them the most with there health. However when given a choice of specific set of health related products, they were able to clearly choose what would help them the most. This is where the surprise came. It wasn't a product at all. Far and away the most often chosen product was a "health coach." 

Fairly recently I ran into a physician friend of mine who I thought had retired. It turns out she had actually gotten certified as a health coach. She is loving it and and really feels like she's making a difference in her patients' lives. So after I saw the results of my survey I called her up to find out a little bit more. It turns out that health coaches are probably the next big thing in preventive medical care. 

It turns out that there quite a few health coaches out there and it turns out there are a lot of courses you can take in person and online by a great many certifying organizations to become one. However, only one organization is approved by the American College of Sports Medicine, the Wellcoaches School of Coaching. (wellcoachesschool.com) It is an evidence based program which uses up to date behavioral, exercise and fitness science to help people improve their life and their health. Luckily for us, my friend was certified in this manner. She works at out local fitness center. 

All well and good. But I called her later and grilled her about insurance coverage for such services. It turns out that, yes, many insurances do cover some health coaching, which struck me as a pleasant surprise. So I am going to start utilizing her and her team for my patients. I and many other doctors do a lot of office based health coaching, but in the setting of providing specialized medical care I can only give health coaching a limited focus. 

I wonder about those without insurance, those with high deductibles, and those with insurance that does not cover health coaching. I still would like to know what resources would be helpful to people who wish to, in effect, be their own health coach. What do you think ? 

Wellness Wednesday : Your Wellness Challenges

This Wednesday I am reaching out to understand your health challenges and what could potentially help you meet them. I work with patients nearly every day and give them information about what can improve their health. Sometimes they are able to work successfully with it and sometimes not. I am fascinated with what separates the two groups. 

I have always tried to make the process of becoming healthy accessible to everyone. I am striving to learn the pertinent behavioral science behind health habits that will enable me to help you actually make those positive health changes. 

I myself am motivated by a variety of things: healthy cookbooks, exercise videos, stories of success, and even inspirational cards that sit on my desk. 

I invite you to take my survey and let me know about your challenges and what you think could help. I am most interested in your response. Click on yoga girl below to access the survey. I promise to publish results next week on Wellness Wednesday. 

Best,

Dr. Gina 

Wellness Wednesday: Physical Methods

Not uncommonly I have patients with pain issues, mood issues or both. Now, I suppose I write as many prescriptions for these conditions as the average doctor, but such a thing is hard to know. And yet, I am an advocate of what I like to call "physical methods" to control these problems.  

Since I practice evidence based medicine, I am committed to sticking to methods that have evidence supporting them. Believe it or not, the following methods are all evidence based. 

Let’s tackle pain first.

It’s pretty simple. If you have pain when stationery, you need to move. If you have pain when moving, you need to reduce movement or get help to find a better way to move. Physical therapy can provide this. 

Use heat and cold. Heat is to increase circulation which helps tight muscles or cramps. Cold is best for anything inflammatory or injury related in the first 24 hours. 

Massage is helpful in many cases of muscle pain. 

Abdominal binders, support hose, and wrist braces can be helpful in certain circumstances like pregnancy related pain. 

For the open-minded, I advise yoga for all sorts of pain: migraines, rheumatologic conditions like lupus, and for back pain pending approval of the back doctor.

Meditation takes a little more commitment, but it too, is evidence based and has been shown to favorably impact pain. 

Of course actual exercise is well known to improve resilience and to make people more resistant to pain. 

I consider music a physical method. Post operative patients have lower pain medication requirements when exposed to music they consider pleasant. The applications go way beyond that. 

Physical Methods for Mood 

All of the above also improve and stabilize mood. But did you know that the smell of natural citrus elevates the mood ? That’s why we have atomizers for natural essential citrus oils in our office. 

Simple adequate sleep is a proven method to improve the mood and increase the pain threshold. 

And if you haven’t heard this term before, you need to: Hangry. It is the combination of angry and hungry, which pretty much makes the connection between mood and blood sugar. Yes, something as simple as three meals and three snacks rich in protein can improve the mood immensely. 

All of these interventions and their effects are quite measurable and act via the nervous system and the circulatory system. Take the time to incorporate them into your life. They work. They’re cheap, and they’re fun. Because we all need to feel better sometime. 

To learn more see our pages: 

Meditation 

Yoga

Music and Health

Wellness Wednesday: My Specific Workouts

Do you understand the power of being specific ? Have you ever tried to give someone instructions and found that it didn't work?  It may have been because you weren't specific. 

Everything from parenting to counseling patients about fitness is easier when you are specific. Case in point: I have recently changed the way I counsel about nutrition. I used to tell people about protein, carbohydrates and fats. I told them about meals and snacks. Then I let them run with it. Not much changed. They would come back in, with no change in weight or inches. They were frustrated and disappointed, since they had made concerted efforts. 

Then I started asking people to do simple food journals over a couple weeks time. Most people used a paper journal. When they would return, I reviewed it page by page, which took surprisingly little time. I took a red pen to each page, and marked it like a paper for a class, with comments. Most particularly, I wrote in the changes I wanted to see. I even gave a grade, which everyone found amusing. After that feedback, they would go home with a very specific idea of the changes needed. This made changing very easy to accomplish. And it got great results every time, in terms of blood sugar, weight and inches. 

So today's Wellness Wednesday is devoted to some very specific fitness strategies. I have suggested cardiovascular exercise to people as long as I have been a doctor, but only a small percent actually keep a consistent workout regimen. But I have found that when I suggest specific workouts, adoption rates are greater. 

A workout is a very personal thing. A workout regimen is even more tailored. But to give you an idea of what one should look like for a healthy adult, I will present my favorite DVD workout which I use on a regular basis. 

As I indicated in a prior post, I think it is important to take one day off per week. Mine is Monday, since Monday is the beginning of my workweek and is generally challenging. Beyond that, I like to alternate harder workouts with moderate workouts. I like each workout to be for the whole body, but I like to vary them through the week, to be well rounded literally and figuratively. Finally all my workouts qualify as high intensity intervals since research shows they yield the best results in the shortest period of time. I go from 20 to 40 minutes a session, depending on the workout. That's not much time out of the day ! 

My current favorite workouts are from Beach Body. And while this series has a somewhat comical name, it is extremely well crafted, arduous, fun and comprehensive. It is, (drum roll please) the Brazilian Butt Lift Workout series. Among those, Sculpt and Rio Extreme are the Hardest, with Cardio Axe being the most fun. Tummy tuck is the most time efficient at 20 minutes. 

Jillian Michaels does a great job at crafting a balanced workout which is hard and fun. She is also very encouraging in a drill sergeant kind of way. I like her workout series Ripped in 30 (days) and the sequences are only 24 minutes long. Her cardio yoga DVDs like Yoga Inferno are very cool but not for the faint of heart. 

Zumba is fantastic if you like a dance type workout. Zumba is generally of lesser intensity, but Rush and Ripped can give you a respectable workout. 

Chalean Extreme is for those who want to increase their resistance part of their workout. Hip Hop Abs is for those who can dance hip hop. 

Cardio Burn Sculpt by Gaiam is one of the best for getting back into exercise. It can be done at any intensity and is very well rounded, with a warm up, a cool down and attention to both upper and lower body. There is even an express version. The teacher Tanja Djelevic, is very soothing and encouraging. 

Finally on those days when yoga is required, the GAIAM DVD Am and Pm Yoga is the best. It is relaxing, thorough and quite brief at 15 minutes per session. For a really creative and moderately hard yoga exercise, try any DVDs by Shiva Rea. I do the Daily Energy and Vinyasa Flow Yoga. 

I pick from these like a smorgasbord. It keeps all kinds of things going well, like my mood, joints, muscle mass, bone density, and energy. If you check with your doctor, and carve out some time 6 days per week, you too will be rewarded when you do appropriate and consistent exercise. 

To learn more, see our sections below : 

Fitness

The Quantified Self 

Wellness Wednesday: Exercise Statistics

Most people who come into my office for an annual exam report that they live an active lifestyle. Of course this means different things to everyone, but it is an interesting starting point of discussion. 

Our impressions of our exercise patterns are rarely accurate unless we take the time to chart them. I am going to devote this post to a reality check for us collectively. Number lovers are in for a treat. 

Children: 

• Only 1 in 3 children is physically active every day. 
• Only 6 of the 50 states require PE in each grade. 
• The CDC recommends children be physically active for one hour each day. 
• One third of high school students plays video games for more than 3 hours per day. 
• In 2013 only 27 % of all high school students had 1 hour of physical activity in each of the preceding 7 days. Fully 15% of high school students reported NO physical activity in any of the prior 7 days. 

Cardio Burn Sculpt

$9.07

Starring Tanja Djelevic

Buy on Amazon

Adults: 

• Less than 5 % of adults get 30 minutes of physical activity each day. 
• Only 1 in 3 adults gets the recommended amount of physical activity in a week. 
• The 4 states where adults have the highest incidence of exercising 3 or more times per week are: Vermont, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii. In these states about 60 % of adults meet this criteria. 

Appropriate physical exercise comprising both cardio and weight bearing exercise has numerous mental and physical benefits for children, adults, and seniors. Exercise these days has become more evidence based. We know more than ever about how to tailor it to a patient's specific health needs. Exercise certainly does not need to be onerous or miserable. Without exception, people who exercise regularly derive great satisfaction from it.

Check with your local health club or YWCA. Get some exercise DVDs for home use. Find my DVD recommendations in the RETAIL THERAPY section. Learn more in our section on FITNESS. 

Reach out and explore your exercise options today. 

References: 

http://www.fitness.gov/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/physicalactivity/facts.htm

Wellness Wednesday: Beyond Relaxation to Renewal

Most of us are familiar with the recommendation to relax on a regular basis. We are all familiar with the ravages of stress and the problems associated with insufficient sleep. We generally think of relaxation as the antidote. To most people this means to physically rest or sleep , and to be quiet and still. There is no doubt that some of this kind of time is good on a daily basis, especially if it is done in a mindful fashion such as in meditation.

But sometimes we need more than relaxation. We need renewal. Renewal goes beyond relaxation. It is similar to relaxation in that it is a break from the usual work routine. However, after that, the similarities end. Renewal is more planned. It may involve physical activity, such as exercise, or an outdoor adventure. It may even involve a challenge. It often involves other people, especially people who are new to you. It involves unfamiliarity, learning and even getting outside of one’s comfort zone. 

Productivity experts are extolling such “ strategic renewal” as the newest productivity tool in the success toolbox. This concept can be utilized on different time schedules: daily, weekly , monthly, quarterly. 

Daily Renewals 

• exercise 
• meditation 
• reading 
• connect with close family and friends 

Weekend Renewals: 

• connect with farther flung family and friends, socialize and entertain
• patronizing the arts 
• sports 
• spiritual observance
• volunteer
• outdoors 
• reading 
• exercise 
• creative pursuits outside of work 

Monthly or Quarterly renewal: 

• adventures 
• conferences 
• different kinds of work projects 
• travel

See to the basics first: adequate sleep, regular exercise, and good nutrition. Ensure some relaxation on a daily basis. But go beyond all this and try to start thinking about renewal as well. 

What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend: A Short Guide to Making the Most of Your Days Off (A Penguin Special from Portfo lio)

By Laura Vanderkam

Buy on Amazon

To learn more :

See our sections on Sleep Yoga and Meditation 

LIfehacker

Huffington Post 

New York Times 

Stanford University Cafe Science

What Most Successful People Do On the Weekend, by Lauren Vanderkam 

Food Friday: Drink !

I am absolutely compelled to write again about hydration in this, our week of three digit temperatures. I had one reasonable and well intentioned patient who came in with symptoms and was FIVE LITERS short on her hydration ! 

Let us review. Normally, a non pregnant woman needs 2 liters of fluid per day. A pregnant woman needs three. Add another liter for temperatures over 85 degrees, and yet another liter for activity such as hiking. So if you are pregnant and hiking on a hot day, your fluid requirement is easily 5 liters, and that is assuming you are coming to the day adequately hydrated in the first place. 

The human body is about 60 % water. Let's say you weigh 154#. That means you weigh 70 kg. That means you contain 42 kg of liquid or 4.2 liters. Getting short on fluid percentage wise is easier than you think. 

How can you lose so much fluid ? Well there are the obvious ways, but then there is also respiration, sweat, and something short of sweat which is still fluid loss through your skin called insensible loss. It all adds up. Heat and activity increase insensible losses like crazy. 

Here is the interesting stuff: 

" ...fluid loss of 1% impairs thermoregulation (the ability to regulate your temperature), and thirst occurs at this level of dehydration......Vague discomfort and lack of appetite appear at 2 % . Dry mouth appears at 3%. At 4% work capacity is decreased. Difficulty concentrating, headache, and sleepiness are observed at 5%. Tingling and numbness of extremities can be seen at 6%, and collapse can occur at 7% dehydration. " ( reference from the World Health organization) 

Here is the fun stuff: 

Summer is a great time for cold drinks. Try to take the traditional summer cooler and put a healthy spin on it. Here are some examples that will provide you with much needed electrolytes as well as fluid and taste. 

• Club soda with a splash of 100% fruit juice. 
• Mocktails like Virgin Mary, Virgin Daquiris
• Herbal iced tea or sun tea on ice with lemon and mint leaves, sweetened with a little fruit juice 
• Healthy fruit frappes made with fresh fruit, ice, and plain yogurt or kefir. 
• Decaf mocha frappes made with ice, one pump of chocolate, and your milk of choice. 
• Stay hydrated and enjoy ! 

For more information see : 

Drinks in Nutrition 

Weathering the Heat 

Wellness Wednesday: Quantify Yourself

I have always said that knowledge is power. This is especially true in this digital age since we have access to so much searchable knowledge. I have also always said that one of our primary goals in our medical practice is to empower women to take charge of their own health.  It is therefore natural that I am very interested in helping women to empower themselves through the use of technology.

It turns out that one of the most powerful things we can do to take control of and change our own behaviors is to observe, record and track them. This habit is called quantification. People who do this regularly as a part of their self improvement are participating in the "quantified self’ movement. Livescience.com defines the quantified self movement as a “movement which aims to measure all aspects of our daily lives with the help with technology.” 

Quantifying ones habits such as hours of sleep, minutes of exercise, or calories eaten, does not necessarily need to be done with a high tech device. It can be done with paper and pencil. However, since smart phones are nearly ubiquitous, these records are most often kept on these small powerful personal devices.  Of course there is a proliferation of different apps for this, one for every topic and several for many parameters. Not only is there a proliferation of different software apps to help with quantification, there is a proliferation of different hardware such the Apple watch and the FitBit. 

If the patient and I decide to follow some detail of her health such as her blood sugar, we begin some sort of record keeping. The patient makes the measurements, records them and naturally evaluates them herself as she goes through the week. This alone often results in substantial improvement in her numbers, since she can begin to discern patterns and the reasons behind them. Taking measures to push the data toward better performance is gratifying day by day. It becomes like a game that the patient is determined to win. This is called ”gamification" and it too, it is powerful in behavior change.

When the patient comes in to review her data, she can get even more benefit when we analyze her data together. If we add another layer such as her diet, and superimpose it graphically on the blood sugars in her records, we can see a cause and effect relationship between what she eats and her blood sugars over time. Sometimes a third layer of data such as activity can be added into her records and we can use this variable to improve her blood sugar control even more. 

This kind of record keeping puts the facts and the control in the hands of the patient. It is much more effective than a doctor simply telling her to eat better and exercise more. It has been my consistent observation that all sorts of patients have success with this type of approach. Moreover, in reading about this "quantified self movement" it seems apparent that this technique can be used for many types of conditions, like weight, exercise, autoimmune activity, sleep problems and even mood disorders. It can also be used for broader issues of life performance, in relationships and on the job. 

I hope this introduction into the quantified self movement has inspired you to learn more. Here are some fun references which makes for very interesting reading.

The Quantified Self, a TED talk by Gary Wolf

The Quantified Self at Livescience.com

The Beginners Guide to Quantified Self, at Technori

Why You Should be tracking Your Habits ( and how to do it well) at Lifehacker.com

The Quantified Self: How Cold Hard Data Improves Lives, at Bloomberg.com

The Data Driven Life, at the New York Times 

How Self-Tracking Apps Exclude Women, at The Atlantic