P90X- Bring It!

Okay, my post about the FB pledge to better health with P90X has generated lots of questions for me (and I suppose smiles for the makers of the DVD- and NO, I do not have any financial or other ties to them!) I will explain what it is and why I personally enjoyed it, but more importantly, I want to encourage you to find what will push YOU a bit out of your comfort zone.

P90X is a series of exercise DVDs. To be honest, I learned about it several years ago when I was in a hotel exercise room and the infomercial was on the locked-in TV channel, so I was a captive audience. Time seems to be my scarcest resource, so exercising at home is my preference. That being said, both my body and my mind get bored with simply walking the dogs or riding the exercise bike, and I am not one to spontaneously drop in to push ups or heaven-forbid, sit ups! Each DVD in this series is different, from old-fashioned calisthenics (though who knew their were over a half dozen kinds of push ups??) to yoga to kick-boxing. I am generally in good shape, but the first week of this program, I literally felt like a truck had run over me- and that was with only being able to do maybe 10% of the exercises! I'm happy to say that in several weeks, I could do everything (okay, except the yoga, which I never mastered.) And, for full disclosure, I developed a shoulder injury that was aggravated with the pull ups, so I had to put P90X back up on the shelf, but I did so with vastly improved upper body & torso definition and strength, and I went back to a self-modified version of this program after I rehab'd my injury.

Would I recommend P90X for you? Maybe. From my standpoint, this type of program is best for the person is at or within roughly ten pounds of their ideal body weight, is already doing some kind of cardio consistently, but wants to get serious about changing their body shape and strength, AND will commit to the hour per day that this program demands. Talk to your doctor and see what she recommends.

The take home message here is that if you stay in the same exercise program for prolonged periods and expect different results, you are setting yourself up for disappointment (especially if you are walking or running.)

BOTTOM LINE: I have always encouraged cross-training for this reason, but pushing yourself to the next level- more intensity, more muscle groups, or simply different muscles- is the best way to break out of a body plateau.  

Facebook Diet!

Happy February! How are those New Year's Resolutions holding up for you? I hope at least a couple healthy choices are sticking with you...If not, I've got a social media suggestion that might just keep you on the straight and narrow. Meet the "Facebook Diet" concept!

Full credit for this idea comes from my high school friend, Anne White. In fairness, in her case, I should call it a FB Exercise Plan, but the concept is easily extended to other healthy choices such as pumping up your fruits and veggies, quitting smoking, or yes, exercise. Back to Anne. In December, she boldly proclaimed on Facebook that she was committing to 90 days of a very challenging exercising program called P90X. Each day, she posted a short blurb about what she did or what muscles were screaming, as the case may be. I am proud to boast that last I FB stalked, Anne was on Day #37, and going strong!

There are so many positives about this form of accountability: 

• Simply recording your action makes you accountable to yourself, and has been repeatedly shown to increase success of maintaining a habit. Recording it PUBLICLY adds the bonus of accountability to others. In the case of social media, MANY others!
• FB or other social network posting takes a tiny amount of time, and no travel.
• POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT- friends cheering you on is wonderful!
• 21 days to make a habit- so "they" say...so even if you only post for a few weeks, you may have done enough to create that new habit
• Inspiring others! Anne's pledge has motivated many of us to dust off our old P90X DVDs and "Bring It" once again. For non-P90X'ers, Anne has motivated them to pick SOMETHING to push their own bodies out of our comfort zones.

Anne has impressed me so much with this public declaration of prioritizing her health. When she got sick with the flu, she simply posted on FB that she was down a couple days, but then jumped right back in once she was physically able. 

BOTTOM LINE: If you use social media for fun and entertainment, why not use it for health? Set a goal, make it public, and let all those FB friends cheer YOU on to better health!

It's BACK- the Cursed Halloween Candy

Yes, we've just got our kids starting to settle into their school routine, and yet what has already appeared in the grocery stores? That's right- Halloween Candy. I swear this is the start of the fall fattening project...

Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween! I adore seeing all the kids in costumes and frankly, I pull out a witch or Mrs. Incredible costume for myself each year. But here is the catch- candy to the max on one night per year is no big deal (brush & floss those teeth afterwards, of course.) Unfortunately, what happens in many households and work sites is that those "sample size" candies start showing up in a convenient drawer near you, handy for daily snacks and pick-me-ups. Before you know it, you've got a candy habit that is truly tough to break, not to mention that the extra 500 calories per day that you are innocently consuming is adding on a full extra POUND per week!!

If you think I am exaggerating about this, check the calorie count and serving size on your favorite candy. Hershey's miniatures, for example, are only 42 calories per mini, but most of us don't stop at one- even the "serving size" is 5 minis at 210 calories.




BOTTOM LINE: If you don't want to literally increase YOUR "bottom line", save the Halloween candy for HALLOWEEN and don't buy it till October 30th. Trust me, the stores will still have it in stock.

Women's Breast Friend!

Today I was totally inspired by the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Our daughters and I were part of a cheering squad at the two mile marker of a 5K race. What an amazing site to behold! Thousands of pink-bedazzled runners, joggers, walkers, strollers and even a few wheelchairs happily plowed through downtown Austin early this morning. The costumes are reasons enough to come and cheer on these participants- pink boas, tutu's galore, crazy headwear and hilarious t-shirts top the list.

The slogans ranged from "Big or Small, Save them All!" to "Save Second Base" and many versions of "Save the Ta-Ta's". Breast cancer survivors wore special dark pink shirts emblazoned with "survivor" down the front- and I can't begin to guess how many hundreds of survivors were sprinkled within the throngs of racers. Every survivor wore a large smile and a fierce, triumphant spirit that made all of us stand up a little straighter and appreciate our own measure of health.

Perhaps the most touching scenes were the families and groups of friends carrying pictures and banners of their dear ones who couldn't beat breast cancer. "Gone but never forgotten", and "You're our Angel" signs and shirts unified these participants, many clearly still keenly bearing their loss. How amazing that they are honoring these angels by helping raise money for breast cancer research to spare others the pain they know too well.

Race for the Cure is one of several foundations that hold races around the country to raise money for medical research. If you are looking for a way to start exercising, I promise you that signing up to WALK in races like these (where the time doesn't matter, so you don't have to be up to running to participate) will make exercise fly by as you surround yourself with such positive energy and zest for life.

BOTTOM LINE: Congratulations to all the participants in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and let's continue to support all cancer research!

The ADRENALINE Diet

ADRENALINE- also known as epinephrine- is a hormone that is secreted by the adrenal glands in response to stress. ADRENALINE increases your heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure, and raises the blood levels of sugar (glucose) to prepare your body for that "fight or flight" response. So, ADRENALINE makes your heart pound like crazy, burning up calories by the second. What could be better to lose weight, then, right?

Am I suggesting that you head to your doctor and ask for an EPI-pen to kick off your diet? NO! An Epi-pen is an emergency dose of epinephrine that is used for severe allergic reactions. What I AM suggesting is New York Times Best Seller, ADRENALINE, by Jeff Abbott, for your summer reading...on your exercise bike! (or treadmill, or elliptical, if you can be smooth enough to read on them).

I am always looking for ways to entice people to exercise. One carrot that I use for myself is to get fun, gripping novels, and commit to ONLY READING THEM on my exercise bike. The better the book, the more I find time to squeeze in an extra workout session. My ultimate compliment for a book is that I have deemed it "exercise-worthy", meaning that it dragged me back to the exercise bike for at least a second session in a day. I'll confess that I read ADRENALINE in just a few days...but the last day, I biked over 30 miles, because I was so engaged that I had to see "who done it" and why! Jeff's fast-paced thriller probably would have had my heart pounding at a high rate anyway, but on an exercise bike I was oblivious to the fact that my legs were pumping faster and faster as the action heated up. Jeff Abbott's books always keep you guessing, as he manages to create truly unexpected twists in every plot. I also love how he quietly tucks in sympathetic, humane character details in even the most evil villains.

BOTTOM LINE: Improve your fitness, lose weight, and raise your own ADRENALINE this summer, by treating yourself to Jeff Abbott's latest thriller, ADRENALINE.

PS. Got a favorite GRIPPING book to suggest that is "exercise-worthy"? Share it with us here!

Exercise and Strokes

Hooray! We have yet ANOTHER great reason to exercise. The journal Neurology has published a study this week that showed older people (mean age 70) who participate in moderate to intense levels of exercise have nearly HALF the risk of silent stroke compared with their less active peers. This study looked at 1200 adults with no clinical signs of stroke. The participants had brain MRI scans, and nearly 200 of them had evidence of a silent stroke. All the study patients were interviewed about their regular activities, from golf to hiking or other vigorous exercise. In fairness, 43% who had normal brain studies did no regular exercise at all. However, it is impressive that those people who regularly had significant aerobic activity had a 40% DECREASED RISK of silent stroke- even when this risk factor was isolated from other risks such as high blood pressure or cholesterol.

Exercise has so many benefits- from improving our mood, to increasing energy, to decreasing stroke risk. And it's never too late to START exercising! The more "out of shape" you are, the more important it is for your overall health to get moving. Simply "start low, and go slow" to avoid injury. In practical terms, I'd suggest starting with WALKING and consider getting a PEDOMETER (grab a pedometer app on your iPhone and get started counting steps right now!)

BOTTOM LINE: Exercise benefits include decreasing your risk of silent stroke, so if you value your brain cells, get moving!

A Step (or Pedal) in the Right Direction!

Good news! Americans are slowly but surely getting MORE mobile. Research studies utilizing national household travel surveys from the last decade reveal that we walked on average 9 miles more than we did back in 2001. We also biked about 5 miles more. I'm pleased to see that 8% are walking 30 minutes per day- that's my "magic number" for daily exercise, because 30 minutes of getting your heart rate up each day will give your heart, brain and body a boost. In fact, 30 minutes of daily exercise helps improve your mood as much as a low dose of an antidepressant!

I find it interesting that 75% of walking trips and 50% of biking trips in 2009 were purely a mode of transportation (to the store, school, see friends, etc.) rather than for the pleasure or intent of exercise. The wonderful part is that you get the same benefits of exercise, regardless of your intent when you are in motion. With gas prices going up through the roof, I hope we will see a continued trend that bicycling will be used in place of cars for short travel distances.

Why not take a step in the right direction and make a commitment to walk or bike to at least one nearby destination instead of driving? Perhaps your family could walk to a neighborhood yogurt shop or diner, or you could bike to the grocery store for those one or two forgotten items.

BOTTOM LINE: Congrats, America, we're starting to move MORE- keep it up! And please...WEAR HELMETS & visible clothing!

Top Two Secrets for Permanent Weight Loss

As the seasons change, and bathing suit season is staring us right in the face (or other, more sensitive body image spots), many of us are focusing on what we can do to make some positive and permanent dietary and lifestyle changes. Yesterday, I mentioned several successful strategies used by folks who have kept off over 60 pounds for many years. In my practice, the two most important strategies include eating breakfast each morning and exercising daily. Let me expand on these two points for a moment.

First of all, breakfast. Yes, your mom probably taught you that you must "put fuel in the tank" and that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Guess what? She was RIGHT! When you get up in the morning and charge into your day without true nutrition (coffee does NOT count as breakfast), your body assumes there must be a food shortage and goes into conservation mode. To maximize your metabolism, you simply need to eat. Does it need to be a hot, four course meal? Nope! How about a cup of yogurt, or a banana with some peanut butter, or cereal with berries? In a hurry? Grab a granola bar (and a banana or other piece of fruit, in a perfect world.) It never ceases to amaze me that I have at LEAST one patient per month come in with impressive weight loss since their last office visit, and they tell me that the ONLY change they made was to start eating breakfast!

Okay, how about that daily exercise? Really, EVERY DAY? Yes, again. I prefer to think about it like brushing your teeth. Do you wake up each day and struggle with the decision of whether or not to brush your teeth? Do you really enjoy brushing your teeth? I'm guessing the answer to both of those questions is "no". Exercise should be the same deal. Again, it doesn't have to be fancy, just consistent. Pull on your sneakers & head out the door for a brisk walk, or flip on your tv and join in on an exercise program. If you start each day with a quick 30 minutes of some type of aerobic activity, I'd bet you'll find not only a much higher rate of consistency, but extra energy and a better attitude.

BOTTOM LINE: Commit to EATING BREAKFAST and DAILY EXERCISE to keep those extra pounds off for good!

How Do You KEEP the WEIGHT Off?

Many people lose the SAME 10, 20, or even 50 pounds over and over again. How frustrating is that? What can you do to PERMANENTLY lose weight, so you're not fighting that same battle? The first answer is obvious- stop DIETING. When you go on a super restrictive DIET, certainly you will lose weight, but if you never really look at your eating patterns and exercise habits, you are doomed to repeat the cycle.

I always encourage my patients to make changes they can live with for the REST of their lives. Typically this does not involve permanently eliminating ANY particular item from their diet- whether it's chocolate, butter, or even soda. Should you limit these high calorie items? Sure! But really, if you focus on MORE fruits and vegetables and water, then truly, you'll begin to notice you ARE eating less of these higher ticket items.

There is a wonderful website dedicated to people who have not only lost more than 30 pounds, but KEPT THOSE POUNDS OFF for at least a year- the National Weight Control Registry. In fact, the average weight loss is 66 pounds, and they have kept it off an average of 5.5 years! Both men and women are enrolled, with the average ages being 49 and 45, respectively. About half lost the weight on their own, while the other half joined programs. What do they have in COMMON?

1. 94% INCREASED their activity level, most commonly by WALKING
2. 78% EAT BREAKFAST daily.
3. 75% WEIGH themselves once per week
4. 62% Watch less than 10 hours of TV per week
5. 90% EXERCISE DAILY

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to stop battling the same pounds, take a look at the success stories of people who have KEPT their weight OFF, and see what simple changes you might be able to make to keep YOUR weight off.

The Secret to a Successful Exercise Program

Here in Austin, the temperature is already climbing into the upper 80's, so our swimsuit season has officially arrived. Unfortunately, most of us still have a bit of "winter fat" on us that we'd like to shed. If you have kids, it's easy to get caught up in the end of school year rush and push aside your own health priorities. After all, who's got the time?

Let me encourage you to MAKE the time. Make exercise a DAILY habit- just like brushing your teeth. Take away the whole "am I going to exercise today" dilemma. If you got out of bed, YES, some form of exercise will happen today. Period. You don't have to have an elaborate work out plan that consumes an extra hour simply to get to and from the gym! If you have the time, grab that gym bag, but if not, START MOVING. The "BEST" exercise is the plan you will follow every day. Extend that dog walk and make it two miles in a half hour; pull the clothes off the treadmill or exercise bike and hop on it to watch your favorite show; pull out your favorite exercise DVD or flip channels till you find a new one.

What's the secret to exercising every day? Do it FIRST THING in the morning, and don't give yourself a "choice" to hit snooze. Let me assure you, when my alarm goes off at 5:00am, I do NOT leap out of bed with a smile on my lips and a song in my heart! I grumble to myself, moaning and groaning a bit while I throw on weather appropriate clothes, leash the dog, and head out the door. That being said, by the time I reach the top of the first hill, I'm pleased with myself for getting out there, and I feel energized and ready to take on the day by the time I hit the shower.

BOTTOM LINE: START EVERY DAY with 30 minutes of exercise, and you'll stop worrying about whether or not you can "fit" exercise into your schedule!

My Valentine to YOU!

Happy Valentine's Day! I have decided to give you, my patients, AND myself a special Valentine- a free "do-over" for any New Year's Resolutions that have perhaps fallen to the wayside. Did you promise to head to the gym after work three days per week, but now a heavy snowstorm blocked your way for a few days, and you simply dropped the whole thing after missing a week? What about walking your dog each morning- same excuse? In Austin, we had SNOW on the ground last week, but today it is literally 73* and SUNNY, so we need to head back outside.

How about eating more plants and less processed stuff? If the main GREEN in your diet is a Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie, it's time to focus on more color. Even if your choice today is a chocolate covered strawberry vs. chocolate truffles, take that step and grab the luscious strawberries.

Whatever derailed YOUR good intentions, please use this "get out of jail free" card to cut yourself some slack, and START OVER TOMORROW (or better yet, TODAY!) And if your sweetheart asks what you'd like for Valentine's Day, ask for something that will promote your health, like new work out shoes or clothes, a pedometer, a heart rate monitor, or even a gym membership or an exercise bike! If you are still deciding what to get YOUR Valentine, and he or she hates the idea of exercising and you think a gift like that would offend them, at least choose a pampering gift that wont undermine their weight loss efforts, such as a gift certificate for a manicure or massage.

BOTTOM LINE: Enjoy this Valentine's Day and refocus on your HEART healthy habits for 2011!

Pedometers- Cheap, Easy & Effective!

Yesterday I mentioned getting a PEDOMETER, and I'd like to expand on that a bit. Here are a few things that I love about pedometers (and thanks to my walking buddy, Lorna, for my new one in the picture!);

1. They give only POSITIVE FEEDBACK: the more you walk, the more steps you get to count!

2. They are inexpensive (anywhere from a FREE app on your iPhone to around $35 for a really fancy one.)

3. There is NO special clothing to start exercising (though of course, I'd put everyone in comfy sneakers if I could!)

4. They are often a surprising wake up call that your lifestyle truly is "sedentary." From home-bound seniors to cubicle-dwelling techies, many of us don't realize how little we move, until we measure it. The great news here is that it becomes FUN to see how many extra steps you can sneak in during the day by spacing out or expanding routine chores (delivering laundry to the kids rooms, walking across the building instead of emailing, etc.)

How should you use one? To be most accurate, you will typically need to calibrate your steps by walking 10 paces and measuring the distance, then entering that in. However, most pedometers will accurately count STEPS (even if the distance is a little off) and you can set your GOAL based on increasing your total step number each day. I suggest adding 100-200 steps per day until you reach the often recommended 10,000 steps per day.

Pedometers come in clip on or slip in your pocket styles- find one that works the best for your everyday clothing styles, and wear it all day, every day, till you are consistently reaching your goal.

BOTTOM LINE: Purchase a PEDOMETER and GET MOVING in 2011!

Which Exercise is Best?

ANY exercise can be the "BEST"- really, it's the exercise that YOU will COMMIT to doing! That being said, I will tell you my recommendations.

1. If you have done NO exercise for the memorable past, start with WALKING. Put on a pair of good sneakers, dress for the weather (or head to an indoor mall) and MOVE! If you feel there is simply not a spare half hour in your day to schedule exercise, then get a pedometer (more on them tomorrow), strap it on, and push yourself to increase your step number each day.

2. I am a big fan of EXERCISE BIKES because they are the easiest way to allow cross-training. If you walk, jog or run a few days per week, and hop on your exercise bike the other days, you will nicely balance the strain on your muscles and avoid injuries.

3. Join a GYM...IF IT IS VERY CONVENIENT and/or you will commit along with a PARTNER. Gym memberships are wonderful, IF YOU USE THEM, but many of them are simply a way to open your wallet and dump out money each month.

I'm going to spend the next few blogs expanding on these ideas, so stay tuned!

BOTTOM LINE: The GOAL should be DAILY EXERCISE, so set yourself up for success by choosing the right exercise for you!

Losing that Holiday Weight

Borrowing from my editor-in-chief's blog (Dr. Frank Domino) at the 5-Minute Consult, I'd like to share some tips this week to help you lose that extra weight you picked up over the holidays. Remember, the average American unfortunately gains close to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's, so if your pants are fitting a bit tootight, you are not alone!

First of all, a simple trick models have known for years: DRINK WATER!! A trial of obese adults (published in the journal Obesity this year) showed that people who drank 16 oz of water before each meal along with following a low calorie diet lost >4 pounds MORE than the group that simply followed the same low calorie diet.

Often, we think we are hungry when we are really thirsty, so focusing on this simple tip of drinking a couple glasses of water with each meal will help you recognize what your body is really craving.

BOTTOM LINE: Add TWO 8 oz glasses of water to breakfast, lunch and dinner to help lose some of that holiday waistline!