Once Upon a Thigh: April 2008

Table of Contents

Letter from the Editor

Time flies and your editor has been slothful. I apologize We had an outstanding evening with a pharmacist, Amy McDougal, from Medicine Shoppe. She gave us many insights into the pharmacology of Insulin Resistance and medications in general.

I attended an outstanding class in Salt Lake City on Fat Cells. Interesting how you can spend 8 hours on a topic that you think would only take 5-10 minutes. In May I will be sharing what I learned at the conference. Remember to bring yourself and any friends.

We will take the summer, June, July & August off for the IR classes, but not off on healthy eating and living. I have really enjoyed the new publicity for weight loss. From one celebrity I hear, "It's not about a perfect size or weight. It is about being healthy." From another I heard, "It's not about losing, it is about winning." Just try to be a little healthier each day.

The Physician's Challenge is coming to a close at the hospital. If you have been involved with it, please make that last weigh in the first week of May. Good luck.

Exercise
You will hear a wide variety of types and amounts of exercise. Find something that you enjoy doing and then it will be easier. From one source, she said that it was easier to do daily than 3-4 times a week, because she just did it.

Physical fitness = cardio respiratory workout + strength training + well balanced diet = healthy, fit body.

 Rewards
I don't know about you, but I am motivated by rewards. If you meet your goals, reward yourself with something you have been wanting, but it shouldn't be food based. Think about an activity as a reward.

Sleep
We all know that if you sleep at least 7 hours a night, you are more likely to lose weight. Work to establish a routine for sleep and remember to get out of bed when you can't sleep, go to a different room and do some quiet activity.

Drop a Source of Extra Calories
Are you drinking your calories? If so, you might consider decreasing that amount. Find an unhealthy food you consume regularly and quit eating it. You might just lose a few pounds. Logging your food intake has always decreased your intake.

Healing and Stress
Studies have shown that it takes you twice as long to heal if you are chronically stressed compared to those who are more relaxed. Knowing that, what can we do?
  • Take a break every hour: It doesn't have to be long; 2-3 minutes of sustained mental quiet after an hour of work can do wonders. Close your eyes and go to a place in your mind that you enjoy being: mountains, seashore, park. Your body will relax because it thinks you are there.
  • Every day involve yourself in something different from the daily routine: Give yourself a nice hand massage, pop in a CD that you haven't listened to lately, get a good book.
  • Every week take a break for yourself: Take a day of rest for yourself so you can spend the rest of the week helping others. It doesn't need to be 8 hours, but some time that is yours and yours alone.
  • Every month get a massage: You can trade with friends to give each other one, or enjoy the time with a professional. A massage washes away worries while increasing serotonin and dopamine hormones that make you feel happy and relaxed.
  • Every year get away: Plan a relaxing holiday where you are not rushing to visit family or trying to pack 2 weeks of sight seeing into 7 days of vacation time. Go somewhere you have never been, sleep in, read by the pool, walk along the beach, gaze at the stars, linger over breakfast, lunch, dinner. Remember Newton's law, "Any object at rest tends to stay at rest."
"REST IS NOT LAZINESS. REST IS BUILDING BREAKS INTO OUR LIVES BEFORE WE COLLAPSE SO WE DON'T COLLAPSE.

"I still have trouble lying down, but I have expanded my definition of rest to include the lowering of expectations toward what I can accomplish in one day, and the refusal to beat myself up emotionally if my house isn't perfect and dinner happened to be corn dogs. Rest is remembering to exhale and recognizing that taking care of everyone includes me, too."

--Kathleen Parrish

USA Weekender
 Talk with you next month. You can always e-mail me at ladlecarol@yahoo.com or call me at the office.

Happy New Year!

-- Carol

Don't forget to tell a friend about Once Upon a Thigh!