Tricks to help us succeed...
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interleukin01
Posts: 2 Member
Hi gang, my first post. I'm a family doc and addictionist (50%-50%), managing partner in my 6 doc group of primary care docs along the Caif. Central Coast--mostly outpatient but some inpatient--detox's, consults to EDs on chem dependency related stuff. Background in exercise physiology as undergrad. Now reached 40yo mark and always trying to walk the walk. Love what I do and I'm eager to hear how my fellow colleagues walk their walk---and how they keep on track.
Since this is a group for physicians, I imagine that many of us are faced with similar challenges---long hours and high stress which often equals= lots of excuses to not exercise and self-care. At least that's the tendency in my case. I find that I'm a goal driven type of person so I usually find one triathlon event to focus on per year-- out of disgust for several months of slacking. Again, lots of lame excuses on my part....saw patients for 12 hours in clinic then had to go to round on patients in the hospital and answer calls and prepare reports and tinker with my EMR, and meaningful use, and blah blah blah, and more blah. At the end of the day, they are excuses. So, I have resorted to integrating (maybe even imposing) my goals (covertly) directly on my environment (my employees and patients). My MA's and nurses are notorious for stashing tasty peanut butter cups and gummy worms in our workstations...this makes eating well very difficult. Easy to grab a gummy worm between procedures and patients, more difficult to stop and be mindful of what you are eating. So, I created an office weight loss / body composition change "friendly" challenge--with a carrot of course. I managed to convince everyone to measure their %BF, BMI, Visceral fat, BMR, lean body mass, and absolute weight (brought my machine to the office--and everyone received a free nutrition consult from me--in detail)...+ everyone joined myfitnesspal.com and we help provide a kick in the butt when someone needs it. Made the challenge in Phases--phase 1 (of 3) is higher protein focus with focus on weight loss, habit breaking, identifying cues, getting rid of barriers (quitting smoking or giving their partner a bad time for bringing home McDonalds for dinner). Subsequent phases will emphasize a bit more carbs if their athletic activities increase to match, and finally transition over to a more performance focus (like going from 5k run to a 10k run or bettering their personal best). I'm also starting a "Walk with your Doc" program. I live by the beach. One day per week I will meet any patient / staff that wants to meet by the pier and walk, preceded by an educational talk (just a few minutes) on a relevant topic...like "what is a carb". Getting T-shirts that say "I walk with my doc", etc.
Ok, all of that was a long-winded way for me to give my example of what I had to do in order to create an environment around me that HELPS me keep on track with my health goals. Being passive and just relying on my own will only works in cycles (a few months before a triathlon, then all goes to hell after the race---clearly my shortcoming).
My question for all of you: Does anyone else do this kind of environmental manipulation? And if so, what are some fun and creative ways that you go about keeping on track with your health goals given the potentially poor lifestyle that we docs often lead? I need to know what to do after my phase 3 is up!
MSB
Since this is a group for physicians, I imagine that many of us are faced with similar challenges---long hours and high stress which often equals= lots of excuses to not exercise and self-care. At least that's the tendency in my case. I find that I'm a goal driven type of person so I usually find one triathlon event to focus on per year-- out of disgust for several months of slacking. Again, lots of lame excuses on my part....saw patients for 12 hours in clinic then had to go to round on patients in the hospital and answer calls and prepare reports and tinker with my EMR, and meaningful use, and blah blah blah, and more blah. At the end of the day, they are excuses. So, I have resorted to integrating (maybe even imposing) my goals (covertly) directly on my environment (my employees and patients). My MA's and nurses are notorious for stashing tasty peanut butter cups and gummy worms in our workstations...this makes eating well very difficult. Easy to grab a gummy worm between procedures and patients, more difficult to stop and be mindful of what you are eating. So, I created an office weight loss / body composition change "friendly" challenge--with a carrot of course. I managed to convince everyone to measure their %BF, BMI, Visceral fat, BMR, lean body mass, and absolute weight (brought my machine to the office--and everyone received a free nutrition consult from me--in detail)...+ everyone joined myfitnesspal.com and we help provide a kick in the butt when someone needs it. Made the challenge in Phases--phase 1 (of 3) is higher protein focus with focus on weight loss, habit breaking, identifying cues, getting rid of barriers (quitting smoking or giving their partner a bad time for bringing home McDonalds for dinner). Subsequent phases will emphasize a bit more carbs if their athletic activities increase to match, and finally transition over to a more performance focus (like going from 5k run to a 10k run or bettering their personal best). I'm also starting a "Walk with your Doc" program. I live by the beach. One day per week I will meet any patient / staff that wants to meet by the pier and walk, preceded by an educational talk (just a few minutes) on a relevant topic...like "what is a carb". Getting T-shirts that say "I walk with my doc", etc.
Ok, all of that was a long-winded way for me to give my example of what I had to do in order to create an environment around me that HELPS me keep on track with my health goals. Being passive and just relying on my own will only works in cycles (a few months before a triathlon, then all goes to hell after the race---clearly my shortcoming).
My question for all of you: Does anyone else do this kind of environmental manipulation? And if so, what are some fun and creative ways that you go about keeping on track with your health goals given the potentially poor lifestyle that we docs often lead? I need to know what to do after my phase 3 is up!
MSB
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