Technical difficulties

My most sincere apologies for the delay in the new blog posts!!  There have been some technical difficulties.  More new stuff coming soon, stay tuned!

Fitness for beginners (or re-beginners!)

Are you interested in getting into shape (or BACK in shape)??  Here are some tips to get you started, keep you going, and prevent you from sliding back onto the couch!

Where to begin - Determine your current level of activity (your starting point), and be honest with yourself. 

Exercise = Lifting weights, running, biking, aerobics, swimming, dance/zumba = things that get your heart rate pumping, make your muscles sore, and are hard work

Activity = Walking,vacuuming, doing laundry, dishes

Sedentary = Movement only when necessary (going to bathroom, going to stores, walking between couch and fridge) much time spent in a chair, on a couch, in bed, in front of a computer

 5 - Extremely active daily, marathon/triathlon type

 4 - Frequent difficult exercise 5-7 days per week

 3 - Regular exercise 2-4 days per week + activity

 2 - Regular activity with occasional exercise

 1 - Some activity, no exercise

 0 - Sedentary

-1 - Recent bed rest, illness, infirmity, injury, severe obesity 


Are you a -1 or 0?  See your doctor to get approval prior to beginning exercise.  If you have a specific injury or frequent back pain, consider physical therapy with a professional to design a program that is safe for you.

Set yourself up for success

Book exercise on your calendar and keep those "appointments"

Choose times that are realistic

• Don't double book yourself
• Give yourself time to travel and shower
• Don't choose 5 am if you are not a morning person
• Don't choose late evenings if you are a procrastinator

Consider enlisting a friend, either as a work out buddy or someone who will ask you regularly if you are meeting your goals.  Be there for each other when one of you "slip" and stop working toward your goals.

Get visual!  Download a year-at-a-glance free calendar from the web.  Days you work out, outline in green and write in the minutes.  Days you skip, fill in in red.  This will help you to be honest with yourself and see any potential patterns that emerge.  Post this prominently and fill it in each day.

Dress the part - have the right clothes (comfortable, easy to move in, breathable or warm depending on the weather) and have them with you when your work out appointment time arrives.

Invest in a pair of good shoes - choose your activity, walking, running, etc and go to a sports store to get fitted and choose the right shoe for your activity.

Plan in advance for setbacks - busy schedule, too tired, need childcare?  Life happens!  You are significantly more likely to stick to your goal if you anticipate stumbling blocks and decide how to conquer them before they occur.

Set realistic goals  If you are a -1 to 2 (even if you used to be a 3-5), give your body time to adjust.  A common mistake is to overdo it the first few times out...this can lead to injury, excessive soreness and discourage you from reaching your ultimate goal.  Remember, the goal is lifelong fitness and this cannot be achieved in one day. 

Check your ego at the door - workouts should be challenging, make you sweat, and make your muscles mildly sore.  You don't have to press 300 lbs to achieve this!  Go at your own level and don't worry about anyone else's brag numbers.

Try something new - many people report boredom as an excuse for quitting.  If you need a lot of stimulation, a treadmill is likely not for you.  Try a new sport, activity, workout class.  Think you're not coordinated enough for Zumba?  Try an at home video first before joining a class.

Ask for help - many gyms will show you how to use equipment properly without charging a trainer fee.  They don't want you to get hurt either!  Your results will be much better and your chance of injury will be much less... so ask!

At home exercise? - get a variety of videos to mix it up or check out On Demand workout programs, YouTube and other great sites for free work outs.  Looking for a video that will warm you up but continue to challenge you as your fitness increases?  I use 20 Second Fitness (http://www.20second.com/), which was designed by my friend and colleague Dr. Charles Mok.  Whatever you choose, you don't need a ton of equipment...a few resistance bands, hand weights, or a stability ball and you are on your way!

Prepare for the weather - unless you live in Palm Springs, the weather may thwart even the best laid plans.  Have a back up plan in advance so you don't throw in the towel on a rainy day. 

ANYONE can start working out!  Start at your level and work up from there.  Google "couch to 5K" and you will find tons of different (free!) plans.

What is your goal? - If you want to be an Olympic lifter, you will need to dedicate many many hours to this pursuit.  For the rest of us, the goal is typically to look better and feel better.  Exercise can reduce your risk for heart attacks (the #1 killer of men and women), diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, high cholesterol, depression, and many other health problems.  Keep the prize in mind - your health!  Remember this on the days you are feeling sluggish.

Back pain?  - Exercise and strengthening the core muscles (the back and abdominals) will decrease chronic back pain and help prevent injury.  There are many online programs designed for people with low back problems to get this started.

WARNING - if you ever experience chest pain, dizziness, numbness, or fainting during exercise, stop and seek immediate medical attention.

Get started TODAY!!  Even if you can only do 10 minutes, that is a good start.  Studies show that you can work out in 10 minute blocks 3 times per day (instead of 30 min at a time) and still achieve the same benefits!  So get up, do something, start to sweat!

READER QUESTION:  What are you doing for exercise?  How to you prevent skipping workouts?

Skipped meals = weight gain!

I have heard many people say that they are on a brief "crash diet" before a big event or weigh in.  Celebrities are notorious for doing this prior to red carpet events.  What many people don't know is that the few ounces "saved" from skipping a meal can result in increased pounds down the road!

YOUR METABOLISM IS YOUR FURNACE

If you want an effective, hot-burning furnace (metabolism), does it make any sense to starve it of fuel??  The best way to stoke the flames of your furnace is:

1. Give it high-quality fuel - you cannot reasonably expect great quality furnace performance when you fuel it with garbage.  A good fire needs wood/coal, oxygen, etc the same way your body needs lean protein, healthy fats, and plenty of vegetables.  Instead of thinking of a particular food as "good" or "bad", ask yourself if it will benefit your metabolism.

2. Fuel up frequently - if you want a fire to burn 24 hours per day you need to add fuel at regular intervals.  Many people eat only one meal per day and wonder why they don't lose weight.  But, by doing this, they send a message to the body that it will only get fueled once per day so for the rest of the day, the body must hold on to every bit and conserve...translation - your body doesn't trust that you will feed it so it will hold onto your fat to get through the rest of the day.  If you eat regularly, your body can trust that fuel will be easily available and it doesn't need to greedily hoard any supplies in your fat cells for protection.

3. Rev it up! - blaming your weight on a bad metabolism?  It is true that certain brands of furnaces are more efficient that others (ie some people have a better metabolism genetically) but you can give it your best effort even with less than ideal genes.  Muscle burns 3 times more calories than fat, so small increases in muscle (lean body mass) can give big dividends metabolically.  And, if you want to burn more, there is no substitute for exercise...you have to sweat!

4.  Spice up your life - spices such as turmeric (curry), cinnamon, hot peppers, and Tabasco give small increases in your metabolism!  These delicious food additives have anti-oxidants and give any pro-metabolism diet and exercise plan a small boost!

Reader Question:  What other topics would YOU like to hear about in order to boost YOUR metabolism and health?

Start with a piece then finish the whole thing? STOP SNACK BINGES!

Have you ever had "just one slice"?  Of pizza, of cake, of pie.  Or just one cookie, donut, or piece of candy?  Then one turns into another until you have eaten way more then you planned.  Then you decide you might as well finish it off because there is only a little left and you already blew it anyway...and you promise to do better next time.

Why do we go on a snacking binge?

1. We want to reward ourselves:  Many of us have received food as a reward since childhood (ice cream after the game, cake for birthdays, treats for good grades) and we carry this into adulthood.  We have stressful lives and jobs and "deserve" a cookie for going to the gym, cake for a bad day at work, ice cream to soothe a breakup.  We equate food with a prize; that is often how it ends up in front of us.

2.  We trick ourselves:   By eating something one slice or piece at a time, we let ourselves believe that we are not having a large amount.  Only when looking a the whole thing do we realize how much we've eaten.

3.  We were taught to clean our plates:  When there is only a little bit left, we have this instinct to finish it off that is quite different than when we look at the whole thing.  We are taught not to waste and finishing something gives the satisfaction of cleaning up.

4.  We feel the need to "hide the evidence":  I heard a story once of a woman who ate most of a cake then she was so embarrassed, she finished it off so her family wouldn't see how much she had eaten.   She baked a new one to replace it...and had to eat a piece out of that one because the first one had already been cut!

5.  We decide we already "blew it":  It is easy to justify continued binging with this mentality.  By deciding that we messed up, we can then decide "well, might as well mess up even more" because we feel bad about ourselves for overeating in the first place.  This self-defeating attitude lets the food be both reward and punishment which leads to uncomfortable inner conflict.

How do we stop ourselves from doing this?

Prevention 

• Don't keep large amounts on hand or don't keep temptation in the house at all.
• Know your triggers (stressful day, PMS, certain friends who overeat) so you can make an advance plan to defeat the triggers and emotions that lead to overeating.
• Eat with others.
• Take a photo of what you are about to eat.  Upload it to a Flash Diet website before you eat it. 
• Do something else...go for a walk, knit, volunteer, play with a pet, call a friend, exercise, dust...when you feel the urge coming on.
• Have a big glass of water, hot tea, or coffee.  Add cinnamon to a warm beverage for a dessert-like feeling. 
• Pre-plan a treat and make sure only one serving is available.
• Don't deprive yourself.  This will only set you up for a binge.
• Reward yourself with a manicure, massage, day off, a good book, time with a friend and other non-food treats.
• If you have something in front of you, make yourself wait 15 minutes before you can touch it.

Stopping a binge in progress

• Stand up and go brush your teeth.  Toothpaste flavor "resets" your mouth and doesn't go well with food.  Plus, less cavities!
• Open a bottle of vinegar and take a big sniff.
• Pop a piece of gum in your mouth.
• Put the rest away; cover it, put it in a container, put tape around it, then put it in a high cupboard (make it as inconvenient as possible to get more).
• Throw it away or put it down the garbage disposal (some things can be composted if you feel guilty about "wasting").
• Can't stop or have you pulled something out of the trash before?  Ruin it.  Pour vinegar on it, stir dirt in, whatever you have to do to make it completely inedible.
• Call a friend or go online to "break the spell" of the food.
• Walk away and distract yourself by doing something else (I don't recommend TV, the commercials can be brutal when you are having a major craving).
• Don't keep going just because you cheated on your diet.  Cheating does not give you a free pass to keep cheating!
• Ate some?  Want more?  Make yourself wait 15 min before the next piece...this cooling off period may help break the cycle.  During the 15 min, try some of the tricks listed above.

Remember, food is to nourish our bodies but we shouldn't be overly focused on food!  Sometimes it helps to get perspective...there are a lot of things going on in the world - miracles, tragedies - step outside your thought bubble or your staring contest with a candy bar.  Focus less on dieting and more on health.

Reader Question:  What are some effective ways that you have prevented or stopped a snack attack? Share your ideas in the comments section.

Healthy with Dr. Hope: Is your New Years Resolution already OLD news?

Healthy with Dr. Hope: Is your New Years Resolution already OLD news?

Is your New Years Resolution already OLD news?

Why are we talking about New Years Resolutions in March?

  

Because when we make a resolution, our intent is to change for the whole year (or forever!).  We begin each new year with excitement that this year will be the year that I finally make that change. Sadly, the statistics show that the vast majority of us have already given up on our resolutions by now.  Often, they are wonderful, noble, healthy resolutions...but if we don't make the change, we fail to reap the wonderful, healthy, noble benefits!  How will we find success when it is so common to give up or fail?  The answer: 
"Uncommon results require uncommon effort".  So what were YOUR resolutions?

  According to Google, the top 10 New Years Resolutions are:

• Learn something/go back to school
• Quit smoking
• Get fit/lose weight/eat healthier
• Spend more time with family
• Save money/get out of debt
• Travel more
• Volunteer
• Drink less alcohol
• Get organized 
• De-stress

Now as St. Patrick's Day approaches, its time to reassess and revitalize those resolutions...many of these have been swept up with the confetti after the New Year's party.

Why do New Years Resolutions Fail?  How can we finally achieve success?

"If you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you have always gotten!" ~ W. L. Bateman

Most goals fail because they are too broad, unrealistic, or that the resolver is not ready or willing to take the steps to change.  Fail-proof your resolutions any time of year with the following steps:

1. Get specific:  "Get healthy this year" is a great goal (one of my favorites, in fact!) but how does one achieve this change?  A big resolution like this is rather broad and abstract and doomed to fail without setting some specifics.  After the buzz of the idea/goal (and champagne!) wears off, it is important to keep the broad goal in mind and begin to break it down into manageable bite-sized steps.  This way, you can avoid being overwhelmed and you will achieve the big goal by your achievement of each small goal.

2. Start defining:  Define what "Get healthy" means to you.  Lose weight?  Eat better?  Exercise more?  For an example, we will use the sub-goal of "exercise more".  Now, lets define the "more" part.  Do you exercise at all now?  If not, exertion once per year will accomplish the goal (but I suspect that is not the spirit of the resolution!).  How often do you plan to exercise?  What do you define as exercise?  Cardio?  Pilates?  Yoga?  Weight lifting?  Running a marathon?

3.  Make a plan (where):  Where will you exercise?  At home or a gym/studio?  If you exercise at home, you may consider purchasing weights, exercise equipment, DVDs (a personal favorite that I do frequently is 20 second fitness...for more info, go to http://20second.com/), work out gear and shoes.  You don't have to get fancy or spend thousands on equipment but you need to find a way to challenge yourself.   If you are joining a gym or studio (or finally going to the one you have been paying anyway!), ask the staff to show you how to use equipment correctly.

4.  Make a plan (when):  When will you exercise?  In the morning?  After work?  When the kids nap?  You have to build any change into your schedule in order to stick with it.  Schedule exercise time like an appointment; put it on your calendar.  Plan time for driving to and from the gym/studio, showering, etc.

5. Be realistic:  Is this something you are actually ready to change?  If you are a lifelong couch potato and you have resolved to run a marathon in one week, anyone could tell you this is preposterous!  So too is it to resolve to work out for several hours each day when your job or life demands are not compatible with this.  Don't set yourself up for failure by setting a goal that you cannot possibly achieve or that you aren't willing to put the effort toward.  Look at your calendar and your current fitness level to guide you.

6. Be honest:  If you are not a morning person, you know that you are unlikely to jump out of bed in the wee hours for a workout.  In the moment of truth, will the snooze button be your exercise?  If so, plan for lunchtime or evening work outs.  If you know that you will be dragging and burnt out by the end of the day and unlikely to have the energy, plan a morning work out.  If you know that you don't push yourself enough, work out to fast music, use a DVD to guide you, or enlist a friend, trainer, or drill sargent.

7.  Dress for the part:  If exercise is your goal, have your workout clothes with you (better yet, ON you!) when it is your scheduled time.  Just the act of changing can help motivate you to do the deed for the day.

8.  Get accountability:  Write your goal down (and the steps to achieve this) and keep this visible.  Post it in your house, office, car, and near your computer.  Tell people your goal and how you plan to stick with it...and tell them often.  Plan work out time with a buddy to help keep each other motivated.  Start a friendly competition with a like-minded friend, family member or coworker.  Or do a contract!  Go to http://www.stickk.com/ to set and keep your goals...to literally put your money where your mouth is!

9.  Anticipate the challenges:  What has held you back from achieving this goal in the past?  Time?  Money?  Lack of motivation?  What roadblocks might you face?  We all know that "real life" can get in the way of plans.  Your chances of success with be MUCH higher if you can anticipate the challenges you will face when trying to achieve your goal and make a plan to conquer them!

10.  Reward yourself...often!:  If "exercise more" was your goal, put a check mark/smiley face/sticker on your calendar each time you complete a work out.  This visual gold star can be a fun way to track your progress.  Plan for rewards at specific intervals and milestones, such as, "If I work out 3 times per week for a month, I will reward myself with a massage".

Even if your personal New Years Resolution has already been broken, its never too late to repair!  Don't wait for a day on the calendar, start anytime.  And if you slip up, start again!  Be mindful of what was going on (time wise, emotionally, etc) during the set back and use this insight to your advantage!  Knowing your obstacles makes them much easier to jump!  YOU CAN DO IT!!

Reader question:  What was your resolution and how are you revitalizing it?  Post in the comments section.

Lose Your Weight, Gain Your Health!

Hello everyone!  I am very excited to announce my blog and Twitter page (@DrJaimeHope)!  I am a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (www.asbp.org ) and I am passionate about helping patients lose weight and improve their health.  I plan to share information about nutrition, exercise, health promotion, super foods, metabolism, hormones, and so much more!  There will be weekly topics posted and links to articles and resources that I feel will be helpful.  Whether you want to lose 2 lbs, 20 lbs, or 200 lbs, you can benefit from this information.  So join me on this journey and Lose Your Weight...Gain Your Health!